His Holiness The Dalai Lama himself will be making a public appearance at Radio City Music Hall May 20th – 23rd. It seems he is making a general tour of the US so don’t miss the opportunity to see this inspirational holy man speak. http://www.dalailamany.org/

I was out having dinner the other night in Manhattan when a super awesome diner reared his drunk head. My wife and I were sitting down to enjoy our meal and became aware of a “situation” at a near by table. It seemed drunky crow, old man booze hound was getting into an argument with, what was later to be determined as, his ex wife. Sweet. There is fairly constant uncomfortable arguing going on when old man awesome starts arguing that yes, in fact, he does have a trust fund. This is met with stern opposition from his plastic surgery laden ex. Clearly, she believed his trust fund was not a reality. We went back to our meal. When their check came it was discovered that although Mr. Super Awesome had yakked his first coarse of veal scallopini onto his plate, his ex was certain that he had not finished his rather expensive fish entree. Therefore he shouldn’t have to pay for it. I mean this is a logical thought right? I didn’t finish it, so I don’t have to pay for it. Clearly having a trust fund entitles one to many things, like this nice restaurant perk! At this point the restaurant staff is keen on getting this inebriated couple out of their establishment. On their way out, Mr. and Ex Mrs. Awesome share a private moment where they play tug of war with their umbrella. Isn’t love (and large amounts of booze, trust fund money, and awesomeness) grand? Sometimes I get the feeling that some New Yorkers feel very entitled to things. Often it is something that they assume they deserve and act very rude when confronted with the idea that they do not.

Went to Atlas cafe to talk bikes and 3D printing with Sean Bonner and Maker Bot co-creator Bre. Basically everyone who reads this needs to go and check out Maker Bot. They produce a kit they you can purchase so you can build your own 3-D printer. If that is not the coolest thing in the world, then I don’t know what cool is. Oh, and don’t forget to eat all the vegan yummies at Atlas!

The Princeton Clubhouse is looking for a new marketing person. I thought, “hmm, let me check them out.”

I had no idea when I clicked on the link that this was a clubhouse with squash courts and rooms for you to stay in. What exactly is a clubhouse? Upon seeing the different facilities and services offered, I was reminded of several Seinfeld episodes where Jerry and the gang go and play squash or tennis. So pretty much it’s like a fitness club except much snootier seeming.

Who goes to Clubhouses in a recession? But then I thought about it and realized that people still workout during a recession, so why not be members of clubhouses too? And then I thought about it further and realized clubhouses are frequented by those who aren’t hugely affected by a recession, and even if they are, they are so rich that it won’t really have an impact on their wallet. And that is a good thing because the Clubhouse will employ someone who is most likely not clubhouse attendance caliber, but still benefit.

The exclusivity and House Rules drew me further in and I found it extremely fun to read through their rules. Here’s a sampling, but go to the site if you want to read them all.

Effective September 1, 2008

• Laptops and texting by cellular phone are permitted so long as they are silenced.

• Business Meetings, which require obvious use and display of papers, are disruptive to other members and are not permitted. A quiet business conversation among two or three people is permissible. Club employees have been instructed to call attention to violations and to request that the member conform to the rules. Members who refuse to remedy a violation may be escorted from the Clubhouse.

• No food or drink may be brought in from the outside for consumption inside the Clubhouse with the exception of members and guests consuming food or drink within their bedroom.

• No food may be brought into any Club sponsored events/programs when food is not furnished for the particular event/program.

• The Club’s address or telephone numbers may not be used on business related materials.

• The addresses and telephone numbers of members may not be revealed except with member’s permission.

• Working Press and members of the media are not permitted in the Clubhouse except by permission of management. Photography and audiovisual recordings of any kind are not permitted inside the Clubhouse except by permission of management.

• Club employees are not to be sent out of the Clubhouse by a member.

• Club management is empowered to enforce the House Rules on behalf of the House Committee.

• Dining Policies

  Papers and documents should be handled and displayed discreetly in dining areas, subject to the discretion of management.

For the next seven days, the Metroblogging sites around the globe will be unveiling seven gifts their cities can share with the world – one gift a day for seven days. Being such an important part of world culture, New York couldn’t pass up this opportunity!

Metroblogging New York City contributes to the “Battle of the Bulge” with our fantastic cuisine, unequivocally our #1 Gift To The World.

One of the great things about New York City is cuisine as varied and far reaching as its residents themselves. New York City is home to so many restaurants that it seems you could eat at a different place for every meal of the day for the rest of your life and never go to the same place twice. But above and beyond the sheer enormity of our cuisine choices are the foods that are so distinctly New York; the quintessential New York foods that every visitor should try at least once to get the full NYC experience. Without further ado, our tour of iconic NYC cuisine–make sure to where some baggy pants!
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In Casablanca, a Nazi villian tests Humphrey Bogart’s neutrality by asking how he’d feel if the Germans entered New York. Unruffled, Bogie retorts, “There are certain parts of New York I’d advise you not to enter.” This line always gets enthusiastic cheers from New Yorkers. At the old Thalia, Upper West Side eggheads would whoop like street thugs. “In yo face, Major Strasser!”

New York has courage. We have to, because we live in a terrorist’s bullseye. In other cities, PTA meetings are about reading scores; here they’re often about evacuation plans. The CDC monitors New York drugstore sales of flu and diarrhea medicine, because a spike in those symptoms could be signs of a biological attack. Our water supply is tested regularly for poison. And yet we go on with everyday life, because to do otherwise is to let the terrorists win.

Not everybody appreciates this. Red Staters call us unpatriotic for being liberal. But our courage and our defiance in the face of danger are a true contribution to America and the world.

Every day, our thoughts turn at least once to the gaping hole at Ground Zero. But here in New York, we only use the word “crater” as a noun. “Crater” as a verb? Not in our vocabulary.

Over the next week, many Metroblogging communities will be posting a list of 7 unique things (one per day) that their cities contribute to the world. Being such an important part of world culture, New York couldn’t pass up this opportunity!

Without further ado, below is today’s gift:

NYC is the land of BIG… No, Sex & The city Fans, I am not referring to Chris Noth. I am referring to the architecture and infrastructure that separates NYC from every other US mega-city and makes it the most easily traversed and interesting destinations in the world. NY does everything large. Big buildings, the broadest and most utilized subway system in the world, our well-designed road system and, of course, some of the largest and most beautiful bridges in the country.
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Over the next week, many Metroblogging communities will be posting a list of 7 unique things (one per day) that their cities contribute to the world. Being such an important part of world culture, New York couldn’t pass up this opportunity!

Without further ado, below is today’s gift:

I come from Portland, Oregon, a city not really renowned for racial diversity and integration. I moved here late summer, and immediately noticed how many people weren’t white. This wasn’t a bad thing, just something out of my usual frame of reference and therefore noteworthy.

Over the past few months, I’ve come to realize why diversity is such a prized commodity. In a city like where I come from, where the black people are unofficially relegated to the North quadrant of Portland (NoPo, as it’s called–white-folks language for that part of Portland), the rest of the city is mostly white, and when a neighborhood diversifies, the white-controlled media doesn’t really see it as a good thing. But in New York, my new home, I’ve come to appreciate hearing ten different languages just walking down 14th street. I love that I can get pitas in a restaurant owned by the same guy who’s behind the counter (or maybe his nephew) from halfway around the world. I love that I might not be able to understand the guy behind the bodega counter, but he knows me from my nightly dutch-and-candy runs.

But there are whispers: real-estate brokers are chosen on their ability to keep buildings all-white, or all-black. People who can’t afford to live in Manhattan (most, unsurprisingly) have to move into one of the boroughs, and I hear that those are just as segregated. I don’t know much about the outlying areas (dorm living in a neighborhood where I don’t have to walk more than 5 blocks for anything at any hour spoiled me this year) but when I take the 7 out to Flushing-Corona–the best park that I’ve discovered–I can feel the truth of those rumors.

Yes, it’s diverse here. There are more opportunities for people who aren’t white here. I’d love to raise my kids in an environment like this. At the same time, red-lining is alive and well on the sales side of real-estate, and the fact that a brand-new NYC resident knows this suggests that we have a bit of a problem.

Thanks, New York. Thanks for giving me a diverse place to live.

Tags: Metblogs7Gifts 7Gifts Metroblogging7Gifts 7 gifts to the world

Over the next week, many Metroblogging communities will be posting a list of 7 unique things (one per day) that their cities contribute to the world. Being such an important part of world culture, New York couldn’t pass up this opportunity!

Without further ado, below is today’s gift: Music and Theater

If you’ve only been to New York as a tourist, you may have a narrow view of music and theater here. Our town is famous for Broadway musicals and Lincoln Center extravaganzas, but most performances don’t involve $100 tickets, elaborate sets, or dancers in cat costumes.

Some of the best shows I’ve seen in New York cost next to nothing:
student productions at Julliard (chock-a-block with future movie stars), the workshop readings at Playwrights Horizons, the hole-in-the-wall nightclub where you hear an unknown jazz singer who, five years later, goes double platinum. (Oh. And when I was a kid, there was that offbeat musical about chorus dancers I saw in a grotty little place downtown called the Public Theater…) The thrill of discovering new talent is what sets New York apart from towns that only get stale Miss Saigon touring companies and arena rock bands.
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Over the next week, many Metroblogging communities will be posting a list of 7 unique things (one per day) that their cities contribute to the world. Being such an important part of world culture, New York couldn’t pass up this opportunity!

Without further ado, below is today’s gift:

Chutzpah, balls, cojones, moxie – there are lots of ways to say it but only one way to do it, and that’s the New York way of Attitude, with a capital Type A.
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