Okay - as promised, here is the second installment of A Commuter’s Manifesto.

Please keep in mind that this was compiled from hours upon hours of research and “man on the street” style reporting - basically, I just asked people what drives them nuts about commuting, and they pretty much gave me these answers*.

PART II: WHEN RIDING THE SUBWAY Read more

The other night we were hanging out at Brooklyn Water Park, which is basically underneath the Manhattan Bridge. The view on the surroundings is pretty good, and popular. I snapped this shot of one of the infamous NYC waterfalls. They are pretty hideous, no? :)

Last night was Billy Joel’s final concert at Shea Stadium, and Shea Stadium’s final concert. Shea has as much history as a concert venue, as it does for being the Mets’ ballpark.

But the best piece of history was made at the Billy Joel concert last night, when Paul McCartney closed the performance with the Pianoman with “Let it Be”. For it was in 1965 that 55,000 Beatles fans packed this same stadium for its first concert — the Fab Four! So it was that Paul McCartney came full circle last night at Shea!

Photo from msnbcmedia2.msn.com

So there’s a man in Washington Square Park who feeds the pigeons. I see him nearly everyday when I go to the park at lunch. Not only does he feed them, he seems to know each one, calls them by name and lets them perch all over him. Sometimes he’ll have one on his head, several on his shoulders, and some on his arms.

Now, I love animals…But pigeons, really? I might not subscribe to the common phrase that pigeons are rats with wings, but they get plenty to eat in this city. And I sort of feel that feeding them just encourages them to bother the rest of us more. Ever since an unfortunate incident involving me sitting under a tree in Herald Square and and a pigeon perched above me, I’ve never particularly liked them. Of course, that taught me to be careful where I sit in the future!

You’d think having pigeons perched all over you might land you in a similar, messy situation…

It’s time once again for Lincoln Center’s for Midsummer Night Swing until July 26, 2008. The outdoor dance party features theme nights — including swing, salsa, disco, funk, and more. Like “Dancing with the Stars” but this is under the stars! Each evening begins with a dance lesson at 6:30 PM for dancers of all levels of experience. The live music begins at 7:30 PM.

Midsummer Night Swing events take place on Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center (Columbus Avenue between 62nd and 65th Streets). Most tickets for individual events are $15 (price includes dance lessons) and admission for Kids’ Day events is $5.
Click here to buy tickets or see schedule online or call 212-751-6500.

So my beard and I went to a movie last night. That’s right, I went to see a movie on opening night, in Manhattan. What the hell was my beard thinking? Well, it was thinking that Hellboy II was going to be freakin’ sweet. Which by the way, it was. Seeing a movie on opening night in NYC is kind of a punishing experience. I went to one of the theaters in Union Sq. to a 7:15 showing, which amazingly was the only show not sold out for the rest of the night. I bought the ticket an hour in advance and then went to grab a taco. I thought if I show up about 40 minutes in advance I should be near the front of the line. That is the last time I listen to my beard about this sort of thing. We got there and wham, back of the line, buddy. About 50 or so people in front of me. But they kept coming. Hordes of people showed up for the now sold out show. The theater was playing it in their biggest auditorium that has a balcony. The line kept stacking up, further and further it went. People were going to get their money back because they thought the line was too long (pussies, can’t wait in a line, sheesh). This is freakin’ opening night people… Read more

There’s plenty of cool shit going down (including Graffiti Research Lab from Vienna) - tomorrow (10th July, 2008) at Alphabeta Shop on 70 Greenpoint Ave. (BROOKLYN) - 6PM - 1AM. One night only, that means - ONLY TOMORROW.

Be there, or be square.  :)

More info:
http://overspraymag.com/blog/?p=443

Before I get to the story, we’ve all run into this situation before. How far is too far? Eastside, Westside, Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn, Queens? For me, as long as I can get there by subway, it’s not too far. The PATH is usually a stretch for me, but I’ve been known to attempt a date out in New Jersey.

During my last family visit to Long Island, I stopped by my brother’s job to meet him for lunch. After my quick stop into the ladies room to primp, this guy walked out of the men’s room at the same time and smiled at me. Turns out, it was Little Dougie from the 5th Grade. Well, not so little anymore. I’m not sure what came over me but I ran over to him, gave him this huge hug and after some small talk, I told him to give me a call the next time he was coming into the city so that we could catch up. Thinking back, I find it amusing that I didn’t even consider telling him that this city girl would meet up on the Island for a drink. God FORBID!
Read more

I travel a lot, and when I fly into LaGuardia I usually book a car service to pick me up rather than wait in the taxi lines, which can be quite long, especially in the evenings or when there is bad weather. I usually use LimoRes (formerly Crown Limo), despite the bad service I’ve had from them before, but after the last few trips in which they attempted to charge me a waiting charge when they shouldn’t have, I’m shopping for a new car service to use, or suggestions on how to avoid rip-offs from supposedly legitimate car service companies in New York City.

Last night, we arrived from Toronto on AA flight #1084. Originally scheduled to land at 7:15, we encountered a 2-hour delay both on the ground in YYZ and in the air circling over La Guardia. We did not land until 9:11 PM and I was out of the terminal and on the phone with LimoRes at 9:18 to inform them I was ready to be picked up. This is well within the 45-minute grace period for international flights that LimoRes publishes on its website, which states that they check the time of arrival with the airline and dispatch the cars accordingly. We entered the vehicle at 9:27 PM, still well within the grace period. However, upon arrival at my apartment at 9:45, still within the grace period and only 34 minutes after we landed, the driver presented me with my bill, with a $16 charge for 16 minutes of waiting time included. The problem? LimoRes told the driver that we arrived at 8:40 PM. Read more

Not since Christo’s “Central Park Gates” have we had an installation so impressive. Olafur Eliasson’s four “NYC Waterfalls” have come to NY Harbor. There are bike tours, boat trips, and water taxi runs, to go up close to see the falls [think Niagara Falls “Maid of the Mist”], but if you prefer to stay dry, you can view them from spots in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island as well.

Check out the official websites for locations, times, pictures, and other details.