For those of you who don’t know, tomorrow is World AIDS Day. It’s both a day to mourn those lost to AIDS and to look forward to change, to commit to working to wipe out AIDS worldwide. I just came back from a trip where I watched several hundred people from different cities run a marathon in support of AIDS charities. These people raised well over a million dollars that went to help people in their communities – with education, prevention, and research. So what are we doing here, in our communities in New York, to help educate and protect at-risk people?

One organization in our community that works tirelessly to help is Gay Men’s Health Crisis. They have a full calendar of events around World AIDS Day, including free HIV testing at David Geffen Center for HIV Prevention. There’s also a film festival and a number of other events.

Obviously, this disease doesn’t just affect gay men. Women, particularly women of color, are at high risk. In NYC, HIV/AIDS are the leading cause of death of women of color, according to Iris House, which is a Harlem center for women living with AIDS. But the bottom line is, whether you’re at high risk or not, you should be educated about HIV and AIDS, and understand the risks and what you can do about prevention.

More World AIDS day events listed at Project WAVE NY. If you know of any events in your area, please feel free to post them in the comments.

I went to see Pygmalion last night. Having been a fan of Claire Danes ever since My So-called Life, I was excited to see her in the show.

After dinner at Don Giovanni’s (a great place to eat when seeing theater, since it’s close to everything, but never too busy), we went over to the Roundabout Theatre. The theater is set up very smartly, so even the very last row (where we sat) has a good view of the stage.

The show started with an on-stage rainstorm, very fun to watch. I have to admit I wouldn’t have recognized Claire Danes (at least from where I was sitting) in this role. I found her accents fitting and much enjoyed her rendition of Miss Doolittle. I adored Jefferson Mays as Henry Higgins, who was hysterical. I also thought his mother, played by Helen Carey, stood out with her strong presence and spot-on delivery.

As a My Fair Lady fan, I kept expecting the characters to burst into song. Many of the lines in the play were used verbatim in the musical, and I found myself missing the songs. I came out of the theater very entertained by the play, but with a strong desire to watch the movie musical version.

Photo from The Daily News

After a 19-day strike, stagehands are back – backstage. Tourists have happily returned to Broadway to see their favorite musicals.

I, however, am not so happy. I have tickets to see Pygmalion tonight, a show not affected by the theatre strike (something to do with their agreement with the union). I had looked forward to slightly less crowded Times Square streets, but alas, with the strike ending today, it maybe a very busy night in that area. I’m glad the strike ended; I just wish it didn’t have to be right on today.

Oh, well! I’ll be braving the crowds, since, afterall, the show must go on.

Alas, I won’t be in NYC anymore when this comes around. But if I was, I would go. So if you are a fan of streetart or always wanted to see what all this is about here is your chance to see the works of one of the most interesting streetartists of our time. (Hype, hype, hype!)

But seriously, don’t miss this one.

Dec 2nd-29th, 2007

Vanina Holasek Gallery
502W 27th Street
more info: www.banksy.us.

Photo from Ellisisland.com

Some extended family came into town for the holiday last week. Since my cousins had never been to Ellis Island and my grandmother had actually come through there from Italy, we decided to visit it over the weekend.

I had gone to this historic site on a class field trip in third grade, but I really didn’t remember anything about it. Of course, it may be very different now. Possibly my favorite part of this landmark and museum were the interactive graphs and displays showing various immigration trends throughout the years. For example, you can select a particular ethnicity and it will digitally display the population trends of that ethnicity throughout the US on a huge map.

On our ferry ride back, the sun was setting and the city skyline, along with the Statue of Liberty, looked beautiful. As someone who lives in the city, I don’t often do such activities. But I have to admit, I enjoyed playing tourist for a day.

It’s sad that this strike is still going on. But I actually heard a tourist interviewed on the TV news yesterday, who said “We were disappointed that we couldn’t see any shows, but we still found plenty of stuff to do. We visited a few museums and landmarks. We still had a wonderful time”.

C’mon people. It’s not like you flew into Las Vegas and found the casinos closed down. There is so much to do here. But, I do get it. It’s very disappointing to plan on seeing some Broadway theater, only to find the rug pulled out from under you. And I do really feel it for the businesses around the Theater District that are suffering, the any waiters, waitresses, hotel workers, and merchants, who are going to find their pockets a lot emptier this holiday season.

I hear the producers and stagehands are going back to the bargaining table this week, and I really hope they can come to an agreement very soon. I hope at least some of this Christmas season can be salvaged.

I thought I’d share an interesting city sighting, appropriate for the holiday. A little while ago, right in the middle of Battery Park, I saw this turkey! Just walking around, unconcerned for its surroundings. I have no idea what it was doing there or why it was in the middle of a Manhattan park, but it was quite a cool sight. I wonder where that bird is today…

Are you vegetarian? Do you always feel left out of the festivities at Thanksgiving dinner? Do you wish there was a delicious hearty meal that you could also enjoy – and not in the same place as dead birds are being served up as food?

Well, if you’re in NYC, you’re in luck. Check out these vegetarian and vegan Thanksgiving Day options.

I pray for peace, compassion and truth.