Just a suggestion based on my past experiences, primarily from yesterday. Do not, in any condition, wear flip flops or no-grip sandals in the city when it rains. Every crosswalk is a life threatening situation. You will inevitably slip even if you are very careful. But if you’re not, you can easily fall down – and who knows! There may be a car coming your way.

Now if that doesn’t concern you, think about this. You’ll also be seen slipping and nearly falling by several people. Do you really want that to happen? What if the girl or guy of your dream walks by, and there you are, casual in all your glory – SLIP!

Not cool!

Tomorrow will be the first Saturday of NYC’s Summer Streets. A NYC Dot sponsored event, Park Avenue and connecting streets from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park will be closed to motor vehicles and open for pedestrians and bikers on Aug 9, 16, and 23rd from 7am to 1pm.

If you’ve ever experienced the Museum Mile event, you know that closing a street to cars for just a few hours can transform it into a great public space. Kids use chalk to turn the street into their own public canvas, street performers come out, and people walk 30 blocks just for fun.

Summer Streets is part of NYC’s “greening initiative” – by closing these streets, the city hopes to encourage alternative (and more sustainable) means of transportation. I might have to come into Manhattan Saturday morning, just so I can walk at my leisure down Park Ave.

I understand that on high humidity days like today, women want to check themselves out in a mirror just to make sure that their hair hasn’t frizzed to the point of no return and to see just how much their face is shining. Totally understandable.

What I DON’T understand is what I witnessed this morning.

I stopped into The Green Bean on my way to work since I didn’t have time to make my own coffee this morning. (late night after seeing the Police at Jones Beach and an early morning meeting) There was only one woman in front of me and after she paid for her breakfast, she started heading towards the door to leave. I placed my order, paid for my coffee and as I went to grab a napkin and sugar on my way out, I noticed that the woman was standing at the high table near the door that has a mirror above it. Before I go on, let me just point out that the Green Bean is TINY. (check out the picture)
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The other day I was going to get some bagels on my bike. It was gray out and I decided not to check the weather forecast. I ran my errand and when I was leaving I turned and looked outside and it was pouring! Well, said my beard to me, no avoiding getting wet with this one. So with the resignation from my beard that I was going to get soaked through for my 7 block ride home, I ran out into the rain. When I got home this is what I looked like. If my beard had only reminded me to check the weather I would have at least brought a rain jacket out with me.

p.s. my hair looked exactly like that the rest of the day.

Mondays have become laundry night for me. Which is fine since most of my friends are too worn out from the weekend to do anything – plus, it’s usually a quiet night at my laundromat.

There are times when I wish I was one of those people that could relinquish control of doing my own laundry and stopped caring about whether or not they use Downy and if they fold my underwear.

Over the last 3 weeks, there are 2 guys that have been coming in and just hang out for hours. I’m not even sure if they’re doing laundry or just chatting up all the women that walk in. 3 weeks ago I noticed them but I had my headphones so they didn’t say anything to me (unless I just didn’t hear them), but 2 weeks ago they totally creeped me out.
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I saw this building while walking in the Upper East Side on 86th. I love the green wall! Like green roofs, green walls are awesome because they help provide insulation for the building – increasing energy efficiency (and decreasing electric bills). They also provide plants that help clean the air. Plus, they’re pretty!

Okay, so it’s no secret anymore: the Transit Authority is about to roll out a new experiment– subway cars with folding seats, which will be locked in the up position during rush hour. In other words, a seatless subway car, or standing room only. For many riders, this is no big deal; they never get a seat anyway. For others, it’s the ultimate insult from a TA that constantly raises fares and doesn’t seem to improve service. The TA says a car without seats will provide more space for more riders. This is the obvious advantage. But what are some other benefits? Following is a list I came up with; see if you can contribute your own:
1] No smelly bums laying out, taking up seats.
2] Less chance of someone falling asleep next to you and falling in your lap.
3] More difficult for the riders who do their personal care on the subway, especially the annoying people who insist on clipping nails on board.
4] Don’t have to worry about giving your seat to the elderly or pregnant
5] Less likely to have someone next to you eating their greasy food.