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This file is now CLOSED, and OUT OF DATE. The current version is THE_BRIGHT_GRAY_LANDS.
January 3, 2007
February 9, 2007
New York in winter is all
gray tree branches and dark
stone, but here and there I've got this feeling
a fire escape sparkles with that there's a lot to
strands of colored lights. be said, a lot that's
worth writing, and now
Staying in a place by the is when it should be
Marcy Ave stop, the trains done before it all
on the el bother us not at fades from memory.
all... but the store across
the street has put some Don't know where to begin.
kids to work advertising
New Year's horns. Shall I parade the places we went,
the events attented
This trip we spend the people we saw?
more time off of
Bedford strip, And so, I postponed
looking around the the task a month, so
odd backstreets. only the highlights
remain.
Site specific art: plastic
bags collected and attached But then, I have
to a chainlink fence facing my Notes as always.
the river: a mosaic of
windsocks.
Out for breakfest at
a small place down under the
Williamsburg bridge: "Pies We walk down an alley,
and Thighs", tucked away in between two small
the back of the "Rock Star Bar": factories, to look at
A gray concrete hole-in-the-wall the waterfront.
wtih an absurdly good style of
post-hippie-hipster food. A chinese dragon
I order the "hash", which is a statutte stands
facinating pile of miscellanious on a small pylon.
meats -- leftovers from other
dishes, I presume. A Hasid hides
around the corner
and flips through
a stack of polaroids.
Moto: a narrow wedge
shape cafe/bar with
mediterranean cusine.
A small jazz band plays
something like ragtime,
set-up just inside the
front door on the point
of the wedge. Dark, Returning to the Bay Area,
exposed brick walls, I go to a "KZSU reuninon",
barred windows under the a friend is now living off
el tracks... the story in Williasmburg... when his
goes that this was once wife hears where we were
a speakeasy, and we don't staying, she immediately
doubt it. begins telling me about
Moto... explaining that
they had gone there "when
they were courting".
Walking across the Williamsburg
bridge... a view of the empire
state building lined up between the
two towers of the sugar factory on The Bedford Street
the river, a steep diagonal chute strip is much the
running between them. same, though sadly
The Fixx is gone,
or at least radically
EAST_OF_THE_EAST scaled back into
a record store.
There's a new,
really good, We spent some time at
vegan-asian place. the respectable
"Reader's" cafe.
The Form Fit Custom Girdle Factory
(aka "hipster shopping mall")
(January 14, 2007) had only changed only slightly
The place at Marcy Ave is a (Without thinking about
sublet (all praise craigslist): it, I ordered *another*
an excellent little apartment, Soy Latte, which I see is
complete with stero, DSL line, what I was drinking there
and a pair of cats: several years ago. It's
not my usual, but some
The older white male quirk of environment
Bowie and the young (menu layout?) steered
black female Iman. This sinuous little me into the same groove.
beast won't leave
The apartment leave me alone:
leaves me with
the funny Dangerbaby
impression accuses:
that it's "You little
set-up like a hussy!"
movie set for
an artist's
pad...
A small place on Grand St,
Or maybe it's open late (Royale Records,
just me being I think). I look for excuses
hyped up about to buy things, and pick up
"authenticity". some George Antheil vinyl
and a few zines, including
Cometbus #50.
A cover story in
Comet Bus: "New York
Bookstore Round-up",
which I read through
immediately.
I almost tossed it aside
after an inane Dave Eggers
dig (the new Gotham
EGGING_ON bookstore "reeks of
privilege and McSweeny's"),
but luckily I persevered
and learned of "The Thing",
up in Greenpoint...
"The Thing" is seriously We stalk up the
packed, definitely a main drag of
While I was place to go looking for Greenpoint, in
there, a vinyl, but I end up a hurry lest we
group of jockeying for space at the miss the Things
six, six mystery/sf shelves, closing hour...
foot tall fighting for access with
black men a gray haired lady who The sheer quantity
entered the seems to be after Andre of stuff in New York
store and Norton books. overwhelms: this is
very seriously an authentic
walked single- (I already had a stack neighborhood,
file into of Andre Norton Ace a pre-car holdover.
the tiny Double's stashed in my Like San Francisco's
vinyl room luggage, checked out Mission Street, but
in the back, of the old Brenner it runs on for miles,
where they collection.) and it's no the only
immediately such strip.
began a I settle on the two
careful volume set "The Rivals
examination of Sherlock Holmes",
of the vinyl. facimiles from the
Strand and the like.
Without a
doubt: I wince at the thought
Turntablists, of adding this much
weight to the luggage,
Supposedly but if it has to be...
there's a stash
of vinyl down
in the basement
as well: I had
no time to
look. And I
was warned
to skip the
idea of flying
out of town in
a few days if
I got started
down there.
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