NY Notes

Notes from a few NY weekends:

• A car pulls over and the guy asks me how to get to Desbrosses St. I tell him 1 block west and 2 down. He thanks me and then says, "I notice you are wearing glasses, I sell glasses, call me if you need any", and gives me his card.
  
• A van pulls over in the village and this guy asks me in Italian accent, "I have to catch a flight to Naples, how do I get to FDR?". I tell him. He thanks me and just as he is about to drive away, says "Hey, you dress sharp, I got 3 Armani suits in the back, brand new, I will give them to you, try them on. See, here is my Italian passport and flight ticket, I need to leave now. Dont have time to return or sell them. You want them? 3 for price of 1."
  
• I went on a cruise on the Hudson river in the historic John J. Harvey fireboat. Like several people did, this boat too rushed to the site on Sept 11, and did what it could, in its case, pump gallons of water. Far too aged, it is still plying the Hudson.
  
• Manolo Celi, a film maker friend, had his short film in the Tribeca Film Festival. His work was shown with some fantastic pieces (Pg 31 of this program, under Mixed Feelings), a mixture of techniques and budgets. Oil Change shook me up, Shimasani was a camerawork heaven and Manolo's Nueva York, was truly engaging in its inherent humanness. Kate Hudson got heavyweights to show up in this charming tale of desiring things badly.
  
• Real estate market in NY is inventive. Prices are now called either Pre-Lehmann or post. :)
• Weekends without food, Nah. New pizza on the block is Kesté (in Neopolitan slang, it means, "this is it"). You can see an interesting review in Village Voice (Fork on the Road column) or read the encyclopedic pizza blog.