Adventures + Thoughts on Adventures

Top 5 Things You Probably Won’t But Should See In NYC

robwrites — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:42:12 +0000

It’s a given that you’ll see certain things when you come to New York: Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Met, MoMA, Times Square, Brooklyn Bridge, Grand Central, Subway, etc. But I’d like to suggest five things that may fly under the radar of guidebooks and be off the well-trodden tourist path.

Central Park. Most people think NY is little more than steel, asphalt, and ambition piled on top of a small island. People say things like “I couldn’t live here, there’s not enough green.” Take a walk in the Park. My favorite spots are the Mall and the pond in the southeast corner.
Pierpont Morgan Library. Lots of texts. Everything from beautifully illuminated medieval Bibles to letters from Beat poets. I don’t think it’s as hot a spot as other museums, but they really have a great collection (including 60-something Irving Penn photographs). Located on Madison at 37^th St—which is a cool location. Midtown and Grand Central to the North, Gramery and the Flatiron District to the South.
Union Square. Just North of the East and West Villages, you could spend a couple hours here shopping, getting schooled in chess, looking at bad art, or sitting on the steps people watching. The first day I was in New York I did just that and realized that I’d seen more people in ten minutes than I would in a week in Birmingham. Good deals on shoes on the South side of the Square.
The Metropolitan Opera. Don’t speak German or Italian? Not to worry—they have subtitle devices for every seat. The Met is the best opera company in the world. You have to work harder than you would at a Broadway show, but it’ll be worth it, I promise.
The Village(s). Where do I even begin with the neighborhoods in which I lived, worked, and played? Start with the West Village and walk East. If I were you I’d hit Café Cluny, Murray’s Bagels (best bagels in the city), A Salt & Battery (proper Fish ‘n Chips), V Bar (on Sullivan St), The Blue Note, Jack’s Coffee, and all of St. Marks. Across Broadway don’t miss Strand, Alabaster Books (4^th Ave, around the corner from Strand), Black Hound (best sweets shop in Manhattan, IMHO), the hole in the wall Japanese street-food place on 9^th, The Downtown Bakery (great burritos), East Village Books (the local Marxist bookstore), Café Pick Me Up, 9^th St Espresso, Life Café, Mama’s (as close to southern food as you can get), Max’s (handmade pasta, ‘nuff said), Di Roberti’s, the Halal food place across from the mosque on 1^st Ave, the dog run at Tompkins Square Park, Crif Dog, The Plump Dumplin, Why Curry?…I could go on for ever. Just walk around and see how New Yorkers really live. Get out of the touristy parts of the city!

As a bonus, I would say get out of Manhattan and see Brooklyn (or Queens if you really want to slow things down). Williamsburg is just a stop across the East River on the L train. Greenpoint (lots of Poles) is a fifteen minute walk from there. Or head further south to DUMBO (my favorite) or Prospect Park. I never made it to BoCoCa but that’s where all the monopoly property names come from, so it must be pretty cool. Brooklyn is hip and happening enough that you can still feel like you’re in NY but be away from the hustle and bustle.

Go to NYC. Be brave, venture out. There’s so much more to do than Times Square.

Again, thanks for sticking with me these past months. It’s been good.

Cheers,
Rob.

The United Nations

robwrites — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:24:41 +0000

Last Friday I went to the UN because I had heard that all the Episcopalian priests in the city dress up in their liturgical robes and walk around a part of the UN reciting the Great Litany (a long prayer for peace, justice, confession). The march itself was a bit of a let down…only a handful of people showed up. So I photographed other things:

Call It Memoir Building

robwrites — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:57:06 +0000

I think that blogs, by nature, imply some amount of honesty. I decided when I came to NY that I would write about my daily experiences. I write what’s going on because I hope someone will read it and understand what’s going on with me in NY. So truth is part of it.

But I haven’t been all that honest as I look back, which is why this particular post has been difficult to write. There is a tendency for distance to exaggerate circumstances so I have shied away from certain things. For example, if I wrote that I was sick, someone in Birmingham would probably pass on to a mutual friend that I was not feeling well. By the time it got to the fifth person, I would be in the hospital in a coma. This is just how it seems to work. Kind of like that game “Telephone.” So I’ve been mindful of sharing the difficulties of NYC. Maybe a little bit of insecurity, but a lot of wanting things to be properly conveyed. It’s hard to describe how much I enjoy living on a tight budget if I tell you what I live on. You’d probably think to send me money, which I don’t need. Or, how do you describe loneliness in a way that doesn’t make me look alone, since I do have a number of good friends here? It’s hard to do over a great distance, so I find myself steering away from those subjects.

What I’m getting at is: I feel some need to provide a back story so this doesn’t come out of left field, but at this point I don’t think it matters. I’m moving back to Birmingham at the end of the month. This has been an incredibly difficult decision—far more so than the choice to move here. As I walk the streets and see friends and enjoy the life of NY, I wonder if I’ve made the wrong decision. I wonder if a break is just around the corner. But the truth is, I’m out of gas. All the leads I had have dried up. An interview I had this week didn’t work out. I think I’ve made every mistake in the book, but there’s no way I could have known to not make them. I hope this is not the last time I’ll live in NY, but for now it seems to be the best decision.

I am very sad to say goodbye to many friends who have sustained me since I’ve been here. Andy, Dave, Matthew, Seth, Dave, John, Alicia, Kimberly, Mark, Jackie, Russ, Sam, Matt, Jeff, Amy, Elizabeth, Eric—the list goes on. I am most sad to say goodbye to my church, All Angels. But some things have to be done to grow in certain ways and they all understand. I hope to stay close to as many of them as possible.

I want to finish this Lenten Season with my church, and my lease is up on March 31, so I’ll be back sometime between then. I’m excited to see those of you in Birmingham and in other parts of the South and I’m looking forward to what opportunities there are there.

I don’t know what will happen to this blog. Part of me wants to end it and start fresh when I have a better idea of some things. But stay posted, and thanks for sticking with me these past eight months.

Cheers.

Self Portrait (Brow Lines)

robwrites — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 01:03:33 +0000

Been doing lots of thinking lately. Things are in the pipes. Brow Lines from a furrowed brow.

Cheers.

Matthew (Painter)

robwrites — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:22:00 +0000

More Fame

robwrites — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:58:22 +0000

On Sunday night my buddy Andy and I went to see the Upright Citizens Brigade. Started by four comedians, including SNL’s Amy Poehler, they host lots of different shows throughout the week at their theatre in Chelsea. On Sunday nights Amy comes “back” to the Brigade and brings friends with her for a show called AsssssCat (actual name).

Basically it goes like this: One person (the storyteller) tells a story (a stand up bit) and then the actors (to be listed later) improvise scenes based on elements of the story. We knew that Amy was going to be there, and that Horatio Sans, also of Saturday Night Live, would be there. Everyone else was a surprise. That’s how it works. So we waited in the cold rain for a couple of hours (the 9:30 show is by donation/free so there are always lots of people) and finally made it in.

Cut to Amy and Horatio (both SNL & first name basis) introducing the cast: Seth Myers (SNL), Ana Gasteyer (formerly SNL), Kristen Wiig (SNL), Rachel Dratch (formerlly SNL), Jack McBrayer (30 Rock), and two guys who write for Conan. The storyteller was one of the first SNL writers. So people in the audience would shout out themes, he would make up a story (possibly) about that theme, and then the actors would act it out for 30 minutes. Then another theme, another story, 30 more minutes. They did this for over two hours. And there we were, fifteen feet away from these people I’d only seen on tv. Really smart, good comedy. This redheaded guy from Conan was probably the funniest, but there were no sandbags.

Besides the free show on Sunday nights, its $8 to get in. Not bad at all for NYC, definitely not bad for who you get to see.

In a similar story, yesterday, while on 2nd Ave right in front of the library there at 8th St, I saw the Cash Cab. In case you were wondering, they film the people getting in to the cab after they’ve already played the game. We don’t have a tv, but if you watch the show and you see a couple of skinny, hipster-looking guys, that could be the show that I witnessed.

NY is awfully inspiring….

Cheers.

Cold Spring-on-Hudson

robwrites — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 02:18:32 +0000

Cold Spring-on-Hudson is as quiet on a Friday morning as my room was the night I decided to go there. Its Main Street is broad and hearkens from a time when streets were called only by their relation to other things. Lined with junk shops for the weekends and all the businesses a small town needs for the rest of the time, it seemed like a good place to wander for an afternoon….

Read the full story at http://www.robculpepper.com/coldspring.html.

Cheers.

Follow the Lights…

robwrites — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 04:51:15 +0000

Today I saw this guy,

in the Village on my way home from work. His name is Ryan Adams and for about two years in college he was my staple musician. He looked similar to this picture, which is why I present it to you. I think that makes two famous people that I’ve seen now, Ryan and Sam Waterston.

Yeah!

robwrites — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 05:20:53 +0000

It finally snowed! Been working with Ira this week and he decided that we should stop working at 4 and go to Central Park and enjoy the powder. We took some cameras but he’s got all the memory cards, so I’ll post them if I can ever get them. It was great.

If you ever want to get into the psyche of a Lower East Sider (that is, a person who resides in the Lower East Side), try shoveling snow at 12:20 at night. Thankfully the grating noise echoes down the street so we’re all kept awake.

Cheers.

“I Won’t Run on the Sabbath”

robwrites — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 04:38:19 +0000

Last night I watched Chariots of Fire. Great movie. I don’t have the resolve that Eric Liddell had to not work on the Sabbath, so I wrote most of my story about Cold Spring. However, I didn’t finish because we had a Mexican fiesta at the house. We picked up burritos from our favorite local Mexican place, The Down Town Bakery (that’s how they write it). I’m not sure how much of a bakery they are because they only have a few loaves of bread in the case each time I stop by. But the Mexican food is great, and the guys who work there are cool, so we support it when we can. Matthew made pico de gallo, Seth taught me how to make guacamole. And we ate like kings–Mexican kings. So, story and pictures still to come….