I want to thank those of you that have reached out to help. Sadly, my friend’s father is STILL missing.
So…. I ask you again to keep your eyes out. I’m back in town so you can either contact my friend (info below) or send me a message here if you see anything.

Thank you!

~~~~~~

For those of you that will be around the city for the rest of the weekend, I need your help.

A dear friend called this morning telling me that her Father – who has severe Alzheimer’s – went missing. He’s not carrying any money or any form of identification. I am including all the details – including what to do if you see him. I am heading out of town for the next few days and won’t have access to email so PLEASE contact the family if you have any info that will help.

Thank you!!!!

Enrique Picart (goes by Kique, Rick and Enrique) missing since 9:30AM Saturday June 14, 2008. He has Severe Alzheimer’s Disease and has not taken his medication since Friday night. Last seen on 5th Ave and 72nd street walking south. He’s wearing a Kelly Green polo shirt (almost black) with grey slacks and brown loafers, no socks. Stands at 5′11′, 150 lbs. Has a black mole on his right cheek. General says ‘Palay vous Francais?’ and ‘I’m in the army, from the army.’ PLEASE contact Vivian Picart 212-534-5529 or the 25th Police Precinct 212-860-6511. Thank you.

Photo from wikipedia.org

So I’m riding what I think is a digital N train from Astoria, when all of sudden it stops at 28th Street. I thought it must be running local or maybe the W and N trains had switched routes again. (That happened my first year in New York – one day they permanently swapped which was express and which was local, landing me in Canal instead of Prince Street on my way to work).

But no – it was a W. A shiny, modern W. I like it! They look clean and new, they show the time, and they even have a little video screen showing MTA messages. I wonder if this means that all older W and N trains will be disappearing sometime soon…

Everyone hates it when they get a call from a telemarketer, or from a repeat caller with a wrong number. But lately, I’ve been getting calls for someone who isn’t at my home number, never has been as far as I can tell, and is actively giving my phone number to creditors as if it were his own. At least two or three times a week, I get calls on my home phone for a Mr. Ramos (he has used Roberto, Alvaro, and Vernon as his latest iteration) from creditors. My roommate and I have begun striking up conversations with the creditors, telling them that we get calls all the time for him and to please mark the number as invalid since he does not live here and we do not know him. And then a few weeks ago, one of the callers, from a city services agency, told me that he had given them the number a few days prior! So it’s not just an old leftover number given to creditors long ago – he is actually giving out my number currently.

I know that identity theft probably happens all the time in New York City. A stolen credit card or careless tossing away of financial information is all it takes. But what do you do if it’s not actual identity theft? The guy is not using my name or SS# and not my address – just my phone number. It’s annoying as all hell, but is it illegal? And what can I do to stop it?

And if you happen to read this, Roberto/Alvaro/Vernon, quit it. I’m starting to get angry, and you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.

Art Deco architecture and an artist colony in the South Bronx? I don’t like when neighborhoods keep secrets from me, but this is a secret the Bronx has kept until now.

As Seth Kugel reported this week, in the NY Times this past weekend, you can combine a trip to see Yankee Stadium for the last time, with a trip to another kind of history — architectural history.

But forget you’re in the Bronx and think you’re in South Beach [for a second]? I don’t know…..maybe in the heat wave of the last few days, you could stretch the imagination. The South Bronx’s bad rap has not lent itself to exploring the neighborhood around Yankee Stadium, but things have changed.

Three blocks away from the stadium is the largest collection of art deco style buildings outside of Miami [who knew?]. And Kugel recommends the jerk chicken from the Feeding Tree Restaurant
or a panini from the Press Cafe

And the Mott Haven neighborhood to the south, long known for antiques, has become an artist colony! There are art galleries like Haven Arts and 2 upscale bars — The Bruckner Bar and Grill and Alexander’s Cafe. If you prefer to have a drink after the game, try the newly-opened Gallery Lounge.

On my way home, I get this call from an 877 number, but I didn’t pick up since I figured it was probably the Blood Bank – they call me daily.

Anyway, it was Con Ed calling to tell me about their concerns about a shortage specifically in the Yorkville ‘hood and that I should turn off any unnecessary appliances. OK. I can do one better than that, I’ll grab a friend in the ‘hood and hit the Heidelberg for a beer.

Even though it wasn’t the coldest place – they must have gotten the call too – the beer was ice cold, it wasn’t crowded and the scenery was just perfect. I joke about the Upper East Side a lot but if you look around, we’ve got some good looking men walking around these parts!

Did anyone else get the call – or are you home with the AC blasting? That’s ok, my friend and I took one (two) for the team.

I went out to Cafetasia today for lunch. Located right near Washington Square Park, Cafetasia is a tasty spot. The decor is modern and chic, with cafeteria style tables similar to Republic (accept that they lack the convenient shelf underneath). It’s a good place to lunch at by yourself, since the have tables facing the window – perfect for a solitary, people-watching lunch.

They’ve got a good prix fixe lunch menu, too – $8 for a small dish and a large dish, along with $1 drinks. I got the Thai iced tea, cucumber salad, and delicious Basil udon with tofu. It was delicious food at a sweet price!

Yankees vs. Blue Jays

Originally uploaded by Atom Moore

Went to a Yankee game this past week. It was awesome to see the Yanks beat the Blue Jays in their last season at Yankee stadium! It was raining a bit but no problem. On the way home, wading through the massive crowds getting on the 4 train towards Manhattan I spotted this little boy on the train. His dad let him sit down before he could, and he immediately struck up a conversation with the nice ladies sitting around him. It went something like this. “I just saw a baseball game!” lady: “Oh, did ya now?” boy: “Yeah! Now I’m sleepy.” lady” (looks up at calmly watching father for approval) You just go ahead and sleep then.” Which the boy took immediate cue from and conked right out. The next stop arrived and the lady on the other side got off and made sure the father got the seat right next to him. The little boy continued to sleep all the way home. I love seeing the kindness of strangers, I love New York City.

Inspired by the previous “Tour de Brooklyn” and “Tour de Bronx”, about 500 cyclists will ride their bikes through parts of Queens this Sunday, June 8. Run by the group Transportation Alternatives, the Tour de Queens is expected to become an annual event. The 20-mile ride will start and end at the Queens Museum of Art in Flushing Meadows Park, and will pass through East Elmhurst, Astoria, Queensbridge, Long Island City, Maspeth, Middle Village, Rego Park, and Forest Hills.

Online Registration has ended, but there is there is some space for on-site registration [starting at 8am] on the day of the Tour. They also need volunteers. The Tour de Queens is not a race, but a leisurely ride, so families with children are encouraged to attend.

Photo from nycgmc.org

Last night, I attended the Gay Men’s Chorus concert called Vibrate. As usual, they put on a fabulous show.

The concert began with a rousing rendition of “Feelin’ Good”. They launched into a series of diverse music – everything from Latvian 19th century songs to jazz to a contemporary song called “Vibrate”. My favorites included a tingling piece called “Tree of Peace”, the joyful “Take the A Train”, and “What a World” (a song which begins with the lyrics “Men reading fashion magazines”).

After an intermission, the chorus took the stage wearing rainbow shirts with glow sticks and sang “Maneater” . The audience was treated to the Youth Pride Chorus – a group of very talented young people who gave a lively performance of some contemporary music. The chorus then sang a series of South Africa songs, my favorite being “Revival”. The show ended with a hilarious version of Gwen Stefani’s “Wind it Up”, complete with lederhosen and drag queens.

With talented singers and a fun repertoire, the whole concert was such a treat. The chorus will be performing on Saturday, June 14th at the Brooklyn Pride Parade.

Photo from pps.org

Yesterday marked a favorite yearly event – the Museum Mile Festival. Every year, 5th Ave shuts down to cars in the evening and the museums open their doors for free. It’s always a nice opportunity to get to the museums (which I, like many New Yorkers, don’t often do). Plus, it’s just fun to walk down the middle of a street usually filled with traffic.

Last night, the weather was perfect for the occasion. I met up with some friends at the Museum of the City of New York – my first visit there. With a grand entrance and historic appearance, the building is beautiful. We checked out the Maritime exhibit (which showed a historic look at downtown ports), New York Interiors (lavish displays of historic interiors), and a theater exhibit (with costumes from major musicals, including Rent). Definitely worth a visit.

As usual, there wasn’t much time for more than one museum. We headed down to the Cooper-Hewitt Museum courtyard, always a nice spot, and watched a cool glass-blowing demonstration. After that, there was only a little more time to walk along 5th and admire the chalk artwork covering the street.

I’m looking forward to the upcoming free events in the city – movies and concerts in the park. There will be free live music this weekend at the annual Madison Square Park barbecue event.