How I Pass the Time with People in From Out of Town
GraffitiWriter (Eyebeam Gallery)
Originally uploaded by chuckm. My friend quigs broke her vow never to see snow again last weekend. She was visiting NYC from her new home, San Francisco, and figured coming in mid-March would be safe. She was sadly mistaken. Despite the snow, I think it was a successful trip.
On Friday we met up for brunch and saw the Open City exhibit at Eyebeam. I've been wanting to see it for weeks and I was glad I finally had the chance. A group called the Institute for Applied Autonomy was showing this amazing robot that spraypaints graffiti much like an inkjet printer mounted on an RC car. The thing is so fast and so unusual, they showed a video of it spray painting slogans as cops looked on with amused smiles. Improv Anywhere also exhibited videos of past "missions" including one of their MP3 Experiments which looked amazing and the much televised, aborted 2007 No Pants Subway Ride. The whole exhibit was about using public spaces in creative, challenging, and though provoking ways. I left impressed.
I said goodbye and had dinner with lindaleeb and her parents, who were visiting from Ohio, at Pete's Tavern (est. 1864) for dinner. The food was simple and the decor turn-of-the-century tavern, so it was a big hit with the 'rents.
Saturday was spent showing Linda's folks around our freshly adopted home of Cobble Hill. Linda and her mom got their nails done while her dad and I watched golf. After some wandering and shopping we took them to Caffe Carciofo, our favorite local Italian restaurant for dinner.
Dawn's Old Apartment
Originally uploaded by chuckm. On Sunday, after brunch and a nice send off for Linda's parents, I met Dawn in the East Village. We headed from there up to Columbus Circle to see her old apartment building, which they are in the process of tearing down. The fence was scalable, so we broke in. The elevators were missing, but the stairwells were sound enough to climb all the way to the top floor, or what was left of it. I took a great picture of Dawn standing in the middle of her old floor. It was bizarre for me to walk between the walls and peer up through the ceilings of a building I had seen in more stable days. I can only imagine what it was like for her. After climbing back out we spent the rest of the night catching up and soaking ourselves in bourbon, first at the Bar at the Hotel Paramount, then at Lit's karaoke night. I sang until I could no longer read the tiny words on the screen. I am very grateful to Sunil for getting me home.
Phil and Steve both arrive this weekend. My liver trembles.