Singing in the Montreal suwbay

I’m familiar with the Hare Krishna movement – followers of ISKCON (International Society of Krishna Consciousness) are often misunderstood as a cult. When they’re doing chant sessions at the Union Square L train stop, people sometimes keep smiling and walk away.

Some, however, stop to learn a little more. I should just say that I’m a big fan of their movement and what they try to achieve – peace for themselves and others through harmless means.

The origins of ISKCON happened on 2nd Avenue by Srila Prabhupad. The temple he founded was on 2nd Avenue and 1st street. At that time, several people who were seeking happiness were looking to do it through artificial means of drugs and free “love.” Not much has changed since that time. People are always searching for happiness – it is human nature to do so.

So what the Krishna lovers do is spread the ancient religion of Bhakti – connection through devotion (which may include, singing, dancing and meditating) so that this happiness can be derived through natural means. A lot of misconceptions can be cleared by visiting the Krishna NYC site’s FAQs.

Getting back to the East Village, their program has become superbly popular and each week more and more devotees show up for the chanting sessions. I had the opportunity to go there and record the session (episode 16). I’ve always found them to be peace bringing and meditative. Hopefully, if not all, at least one person attains that meditative state that I do when I attend by listening.

And the next time you see them chanting on the subway, stop and ask a few more questions. They’re not weird at all, in fact, they happen to be super nice!

3 in 2008

for 34th

Give up?

That’s the number of murders for the 34th precinct of the NYPD in the year 1990 versus 2008.

That’s a -97.1% difference in the overall murder rate in that particular section of WAY THE F UPTOWN Manhattan.

As an example, it took me 1 year to find 9th street Espresso. I know, how hard could it be to find an espresso shop whose name itself tells you the location? I have no idea. I’m slow and I looked in every single direction except for the right one when trying to find the shop.

I accidentally bumped into mondomaps yesterday while trying to find the name of a restaurant in Curry Hill. We were search for Tiffin Wallah—but their Web site is not listed on mondomaps. But a bunch of others are and the way it is linked up is very helpful. I don’t know if they update the site and if so, how often…I definitely see some missing information. But I’m always looking for new tools to find my way around the city, so I thought I’d share. Here’s a link to all of Chelsea’s art galleries. This one particularly excited me because I rarely know where all the great art in NYC is and I’m definitely going to check them out now using the data from the map.

Enjoy discovering.

You might have seen the space under the above ground train tracks being occupied by cars. Well yesterday when I was in dire need of a restroom and crossed my way to the Burger King on 40th street and Queens Blvd. I experienced this echo and was instantly amazed.

My mom, who works in LIC said “didn’t you know that? the echo goes throughout Queens Blvd.”

Well then we just all started hooting and hollering and saying ‘hello’ which seems to be the most common phrase uttered when an echo is recognized.

You don’t have to take my word for it, try it out for yourSELF.

No. Forget those dreamy gigs you’ve taken in the past. Live in the now. Let’s snap back into reality as Eminem would say. It’s time to take a deep look at your wallet, your pocket, your bank account and measure it against your lifestyle.

Are you living with more than 2 people you’ve never met before you started living here? Are you working multiple jobs and having barely enough time to sleep? Do you survive on Cup of Noodles and Mac n’ Cheese? Does the thought of free food still excite you?

It seems that a lot of people did take into account all of the above and the big moves have finally started. A few of my personal friends have done so, but this New York Magazine article proves it: people are fleeing NYC for more affordable places where their dollar goes farther. Places like Buffalo, NY – imho one of the biggest architectural nightmares ever. But you know what? It beats sleeping on an air mattress.

Are you moving?

Callifornia has nearly destroyed the planet and given the world a lot of crap but if this catches on–ALL WILL BE FORGIVEN.

Today is Labor Day. It’s a day off for most of us. It’s the unofficial last day of summer, even though the real coming of fall is more than 2 weeks away. If you have a summer share in the Hamptons, Fire Island, or the Jersey Shore, it’s time to say good-bye to the housemates and haul you stuff home. If you have a cabana at a beach club, it’s time to clean out. It’s time to put the whites away; it is still against the unwritten rules of fashion to wear white after today, or anything linen. And although there may even be a heat-wave in mid-September, you have to switch to the fall suits for work. If you are a student or teacher in NYC, the party’s over. The lines at the teacher store. Staples, CVS, Duane Reade are going to be around the block.

How many of you know that Labor Day was born out of the Labor Movement. The first official Labor Day celebration was Tuesday, September 5, 1892, and became a national holiday in 1894. I am proud to say that this tradition began in our city. But, in walking around my neighborhood today, I saw a lot of people working. And, aside from the bank and post office, retail businesses were all open for business and enjoying enormous response to the usual Labor Day sales.

So, if you’re reading this, take a moment to think of the worker who doesn’t have a day off today. Or, better yet, look at some bridge or building or tunnel that was built 100 or 80 or even 10 years ago, and think of the worker who put it there, who could have even been you grandparent or other ancestor. And, most importantly, remember the reason for the formation of the Labor Movement. Read about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which happened where the NYU campus is today. Read “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair. If you don’t become a vegan after reading it, at least you will gain an appreciation of those before us who formed labor unions to fight for workers’ rights. Whether you love or hate labor unions, they are a big part of New York City’s history and legacy, and Labor Day stands as an annual reminder of their struggles 100+ years ago

The various utility companies place these tanks above ground and run lines down into the infrastructure for a number of reasons. The most common use is to pressurize pipes, lines, and wires. Below NYC is a maze of water, sewage, heat, cold, and other elements, and pressurizing these delivery systems helps to keep the lines safe from the elements.

I’m a bit late this week, but, better late than never… Anyway, you may have heard that while NYC’s subway system is the largest in America, Boston’s “T” system is the oldest. While it is true that Boston’s MBTA is older than any municipal network in the country, a New York inventor actually experimented and commenced construction on a subway line as much as 30 years before Boston’s system launch!

In the mid 1800s as New York streets swelled with pedestrian and trolley traffic, Alfred Ely Beach, the co-owner of the Scientific American, knew that something needed to be done. The forward-thinking entrepreneur had heard through his reporters of a pneumatic air tube system that had been built in London to haul mail, and it got him pondering the human applications. So, in 1868, Beach secretly rented out the basement of a clothing store near City Hall. He began a clandestine building project, where all construction and materials delivery and removal was completed after dark. Once the 312 foot tunnel was completed (it ran from Warren to Murray Street along Broadway), Beach installed a powerful fan to move the trains via wind power. Beach’s vision of the subway was that of a luxury for the rich, so no expense was spared. The final touch was to installing many amenities in the weighting area, including chandeliers, a Grand piano, and a fountain.

The short line opened to much fanfare in 1870 at a rate of $0.25/ride. While the public was very excited and impressed, Tammany Hall head Boss Tweed was intimidated. He used his political connections to have sitting Governor John Hoffman squash a bill to extend the line all the way up to Central Park. Beach continued his quest to get the line extended, but it never came to fruition. Eventually, the municipal subway system opened in 1904, eight years after Beach’s death.

Further Reading:
- About.com
- NYCSubway.org
- Shohola.com