What surprised me the most was that I walked through Times Square twice (unfortunately) this afternoon without noticing the giant gorilla or the hordes of tourists snapping pictures. I suppose it just shows what a mess of distractions that place is that one can pass by a 30 foot gorilla without notice, twice.

Also, I thought I saw Peter Jackson across the street, but it turned out to be a homeless man. I was only able to tell the difference as I approached and saw the homeless man was slightly presentable.

This morning (errr, 3:00pm) I was pleased to not only find they still had Chocolate Cream Donuts (Like Heinz, I respect them for their flagrant disregard for common spelling) but also a buy six, get one free coffee card.

Finally, they are giving me something for free besides a Donut shaped midsection.

Two major resources can be found here:
AGRM
Food Bank NYC

The opening of the new Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 128th and Lenox (scroll to read the link between Sylvia’s and the LDS) has added a new army of opponents in my walk to anywhere from anywhere. This weekend

Then finally it started to get old. Oh finally I could rest! Then a terrible (terribly good) friend said, “You’ve never read ‘Best-Of‘?” I was shocked and embarrassed. How could I have missed it? I laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and (NSFW) laughed until I really thought I might pee. I eventually recovered from the hysteric laughing but was deeper into my addiction than ever before. Craig, oh Craig please update Best-Of! We need it.

For quite some time I’ve been craigslist sober. I’ve even been rehabilitated where I can go on and look for a bike for sale, dabble in the personals or a MC or two and not go back for weeks.

Now to the original point of the post: my craigslist housing translations (taken from actual headlines today).

$600 – CHEAP RENT – - FREE COMMUTE! = Staten Island

$500 near YANKEE STADIUM! = Umm what? Why would that be a selling point?

Uptown!!!!! = Harlem would be downtown from this

And now for a great recurring post that must be seen in its full and glorious linkage to be appreciated. Is anybody actually dumb enough to fall for this? I can imagine several scenarios but they all involve a) creepy men b) a video camera and c) the internet.

While fiddling around on GoogleEarth I couldn’t figure out why the riverfront of Newtown Creek wasn’t developed with pricey industrial to residential conversions, bars and parks. In this city we can use every bit of remaining nature we can find.

A brief search instantly explained it all. Newtown Creek is one of the most polluted waterways in the country, and I’d imagine the world. Still the site of a continuous, decades long oil spill (17+ million gallons and counting) courtesy of our friends at ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco. Newtown Creek has been a US Superfund site for years and area residents have long known of the putrid water and acrid stench. However, it appears the polluted waterway is gaining recognition as residents of Greenpoint file suite against Exxon, BP, and Chevron.

Additional, info at Riverkeeper.org, Wikipedia and the EPA.

And for two points extra credit: Please explain how three companies currently turning a combined (estimate rounded down) $15 BILLION ($15,000,000,000) third-quarter PROFITS can’t fix this.

Bonus: Maspeth, to the north of Newton Creek, comes from the Native Americans meaning “at the bad water place.”

The recent spring-like fall days have been wonderful though and I’ve come to notice the difference of fall in the city. Normally, I notice fall approaching when the corn stalks are brown and stiff and evenings are filled with sounds of rustling leaves. Here the appearance of pea coats and closeout sales on summer clothing are more prominent.

However, I was surprised to notice the unmistakable scent of fall evenings are just the same. Stepping out in the crisp evening I could close my eyes and swear I was back in Ohio. I assumed the smell was dry leaves and woodsmoke but evidently not.

Now when I’ve been looking for a good place to get good coffee I’m willing to travel. I’ll make an evening of it if I’d really like to sit down and enjoy a nice mug or two and dig into a book. After fruitless wandering, I decided to research online and googled the hell out of every combination of relevent words as well as utilizing the standard nyc websites. Most frequently I find a nice enough place that is relatively comfortable with the one or both of the following major problems:

1) table service
2) their coffee sucks

If your menu consists of beverages and a handful of pastries scrawled on a chalkboard you DON’T need a fucking server. Nobody ever gives me the bum rush but having a server checking on me while I drink and read doesn’t give me the impression I should stick around. Next, I realize more and more people drink all sorts of coffee based beverages I can’t even begin to comprehend but if you are a business dealing in coffee you should have coffee that is at least palatable when consumed without additives, a selection would also be nice.

The other night I finally found a real winner at ‘71 Irving Place.’ Stepping in from the perfect fall evening, I immediately knew I found what I had been searching for. The place was tiny and packed (possibly a drawback for some) but couldn’t be more inviting. A broad selection of beans for sale with four varieties brewed and a decent selection of food. The packed seating area leads to a friendly atmosphere where you’ll more than likely chat with a neighbor before you leave.

We’re getting into the perfect coffee shop weather so I’d like to find more nice places like ‘71′ but I’m tired of the search and will more than likely make the trek back the next time I feel like settling in to read on a quiet night. Let me know if you’ve got any reccomendations. I think this entry has made it relatively clear about my rather picky tastes when it comes to enjoying a good cup.