In case you have been lucky enough to avoid the seemingly incessant local political ads that seem to be everywhere right now, tomorrow, November 3rd, is Election Day. If you want to make sure you’re informed about your local candidates, you can start here to view the list of candidates.

Of course, the biggest kerfuffle has been around Mayor Bloomberg and his decision to seek a third term. He got the city law changed so that he could run for a third term, which had previously been disallowed. His challenger, City Comptroller Bill Thompson, graciously neglected to mention that whole thing in his political ads. No attack ads from anyone!

According to Reuters, Bloomberg is currently leading in the polls, but this is NYC, people. You never know what could happen. You could all write me in as mayor for a surprise upset. I can’t wait to see that reported on NY1.

To find your polling place, go to the NYC Board of Elections Poll Site Locator and plug in your info. Polls are open from 6 AM to 9 PM.

I am a vegetarian. I have been for at least the last 7 years. I have often said that I would eat meat if I were the one to hunt and kill an animal with the purpose of eating it and using its parts. I wont get into my political reasons too deeply in this post, but I am more against the meat industry than meat itself. Living in a city like New York has taught me that there are a diverse amount of eating preferences. I have met fat heavily tattooed raw vegans, skinny baconholics, and friendly pescatarians. Unfortunately living in this city gives little opportunity to hunt. I’m sure pigeon is a delicacy somewhere, I’ll pass. I was reminded of my thoughts on hunting my own food from a recent blog post my wife showed me by her friend Keith.

I left NYC on August 25th. I don’t intend to come back. 18 years of my life were spent here. The 18 that counted the most in forming who I am today. The decision came not because of the economy (I was employed) or anything else but my decision to follow my heart and the one I truly LOVE to India.

My journey is not the first of its kind. I’ve found that New York City provides an excellent ground for seekers of the spiritual variety. It is the only place on the planet where acceptance is not just a concept but a daily practice. I’m sure a lot of shady things happen in the underground, but that’s just the nature of humans. I’ve found that NYC has heart, love, genuine kindness. . . whereas most of other portions of America serve up a plastic flight-attendant smile.

Anyhow folks, I’m here in Mumbai, I tweet regularly and blog as well. I’m sure I’ll see a lot, experience a lot and definitely will be back to NYC, but for now, I’m gone. So long.

Bloomberg tucking into a slice of pizza. Image copyrights Mary DiBiase Blaich for The New York Times

The NYTimes has a front page (web) article on the eating habits of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Now this would be a waste of valuable e-newsprint, one may say. However the article brings into sharp contrast the positive motions the Mayor brings into the realm of public health, while at the same time having a completely different set of personal standards.

The article talks about the Mayor’s affinity for (of all things) salt.

Mr. Bloomberg, 67, likes his popcorn so salty that it burns others’ lips. (At Gracie Mansion, the cooks deliver it to him with a salt shaker.) He sprinkles so much salt on his morning bagel “that it’s like a pretzel,” said the manager at Viand, a Greek diner near Mr. Bloomberg’s Upper East Side town house.

This is while the city wages a battle against sodium. There are directives in place recommending restaurants reduce salt consumption by 20 %.

Some may raise a stink about the so-called “double standards” from the Mayor. And in this election season, I would not be surprised if it does. However what the Mayor in his own personal time is no one else’s business.

Even with all the excesses of salt, bacon and what not, the Mayor, at 67, weighs what he did in his college days. How many people can claim to do that. ?

I think the real story here is that he indulges in “sinful” eating but also exercises self-discipline by exercising and balancing his food intake on other days.

The only thing that irks me is salt on a bagel. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth :)

I was recently in Chicago and ate a lot of deep dish pizza. This is something Chicago is known for and I, a pizza fanatic, was fully aware of. After eating some deep dish at a friends home one night he asked how it compared to NY thin crust. I had to admit to him that the deep dish was unique and amazing and I loved it. Then I had to tell him that it didn’t compare in my mind to the coal fired brick oven pizzas made in NY. What can I say, I’m an East Coast kind of guy. NY pizza is king in my eyes, the crisp crust and fresh ingredients that you taste with all the lush flavors they hold. What about you? Don’t be shy, tell us how you really feel.

You’ve no doubt by now noticed that the sites got a bit of a re-design and some things got changed around last week. We wanted to highlight two changes to make sure everyone knows what changed.

The first and biggest is COMMENTS! Registration is no longer required to post a comment on any post. Of course if you already have an account you can still login to ensure your comments are attributed to you, but those who don’t can now post a comment without any long term commitment. Also, on the right you can see some of the recent comments so you’ll always know what the active discussions are. This was the most requested thing we’ve heard from people since our last redesign and we’re excited to see where it leads.

The next change is also something that was heavily requested, and that is a change to the ADS on the sites. You’ll immediately notice fewer of them, but what might not be as obvious is those smaller square ones to the right are specific to this city only and are being sold for a flat rate for a period of time rather than a confusing CPM/traffic/network model. Depending on the city, these range from $7-$175 for a full week. If you purchase one, during that time your ad will be the only one in that spot and will show on every page. We set these up both to make it easier for smaller local businesses to get their ads on our site, and also to help us bring in ads that relate better to our local audiences. Also, keeping these sites online is expensive and every little bit helps.

There are a bunch of other things we changed but we’ll leave those to you to investigate and take advantage of. Hope you like it, and we look forward to seeing you in the comments!!

Love,
The folks at MBHQ

hizzoner mayor bloomberg

 I walked outside my office building at 1 pm and found many people staring at a giant bus. I noticed there were camera crews. My first thought: car crash.

Then I saw shortie Mayor Bloomberg step out of the bus looking like a celebrity. I was so close to him while talking to my mom on the phone that a member of his security squad about 4 times hizzoner’s size shoved me out of the way saying “can’t stand here folks.”

bus stop indicators of arrivals

Photos of the event thanks to a vegan in brooklyn – not that one. Oh the big deal was that now you’ll know how late your bus is arriving at select stops in NYC.

This morning, the central terminal at La Guardia airport was evacuated for nearly 5 hours after an apparently intoxicated man went into the airport with a bag full of batteries and wires that was apparently meant to look like a bomb. The man was acting “crazy” and police got several phone calls about his suspicious activity before he was taken into custody. The terminal was evacuated and the bomb squad was called in, but the “bomb” turned out to be a hoax device – just some wires taped to batteries, with no actual function. Many flights were canceled on multiple airlines due to the delays, even in the unaffected terminals, as traffic delays prevented flight crews from getting to the airport.

The suspect is in custody and normal airport operations have resumed, but delays can be expected to continue throughout the day as the airlines scramble to catch up. If you’re flying out today, be sure to check your flights before you head out to the airport.

Another small incident happened today that confirmed my belief that New Yorkers are the nicest citizens ever. I had dropped my earphones by accident on the busiest freaking place – 5th avenue and 39th street – and someone brought it over to my attention. I was on the cell phone and someone said “excuse me, excuse me” and I was being a typical New Yorker and pretending not to hear him thinking he was after something.

Then he poked and said, “your headphones, they fell” I looked around my neck and they weren’t there. He then went backwards, picked them up, ran back to me and gave them back.

I’m experiencing the true meaning of bromance. . . or brotherly love. Thank you man.

In return, if I find someone’s something on the somewhere anywhere, I’ll do the same that you’ve done for me today.

Love.

Tattoo Orgy by Sean Toussaint

Metblogs pal and all-around awesome babe Marisa of Needles and Sins brings news of the very naughty-sounding (but suitable for the not-so-naughty) Tattoo Orgy party tonight at Tattoo Culture in Brooklyn. The party is the opening reception for a photography show, Tattoo Orgy, by Sean Toussaint, which features portraits of tattooed folks, always something I like looking at. There will be free booze, music by Lapdance Academy artists, and beautiful photography to look at, not to mention a whole lotta hot tattooed people.

The opening reception will be from 7-10 PM at Tattoo Culture at 129 Roebling Street in Brooklyn, a few blocks from the Bedford Ave stop on the L train. (Did I mention free booze and hot tattooed people? Getcher ass over there.)

So, around 6:10 pm tonight, I saw you, Mr. Gottfriend – crossing Houston from Whole Foods, heading further into the East Village on 2nd avenue.

I think you waved at me once you crossed the street because I saw you and didn’t recognize you at first. But when I realized that it was you I was like man I should have let you know that you rock.

So, this is me saying, you rock. I didn’t see the roast for Joanne Rivers that you did but I’m sure it rocked too. Peace.

Next stop: hell

This Metrocard will lead you straight into Hades.

Probably the greatest piece of original art I’ve seen in a while. I can always relate to art that is humorous. It defies time and space.

I don’t think I need to give an explanation, here is what the artist, Matthew Foglia, had to say about it:

Much of what is considered “New York” in a very “Greenwich Village” kind of way owes itself to one lady. Jane Jacobs, in her 1961 seminal book “ The Death and Life of Great American Cities” documented the urbanscape of her surrounding neighborhood in Greenwich Village. This book opened up the debate about how we perceived our cities and what urban planners, architects and designers need to consider in preserving and revitalizing neighborhoods.

Jane Jacobs passed away in 2006, however the preservation group GVSHP that she helped found continues her work and mission. They had initiated a proposal to change the name of the street outside her former home at 555 Hudson Street between W 11th and Perry to be renamed as “Jane Jacobs Way”.

The Architects Newspaper in a blog post announced today

In a released statement by the GVSHP, Executive Director Andrew Berman said, “Jane Jacobs had such a profound effect upon our city and our lives; there are few people more worthy of the honor of having a street co-named in their honor.” Approved in 2006 by the local Community Board and the full City Council, the naming will take effect early next week with the installation of the official “Jane Jacobs Way” signs.

Way to go, GVSHP. Am sure Jane Jacobs will be happy with this one !

Ana writes fresh poems

Just as I was enjoying the reduced foot traffic due to the July 4th weekend, I bumped into Anayvelyse. She was set up with a typewriter and a bench, ready to create poetry for a suggested donation of $2.

Situated around the Union Square area (University Pl. between 13th and 14th streets), Ana writes off the top of her mind to busy New Yorkers who need a little refreshing kick that only poetry can provide.

After reading yesterday’s NYTimes piece about how street vendors fight off each other in NYC, I was wondering how Ana avoids that situation, I did not have a chance to ask her when we met. But she did tell me that police does not bother her since she’s not actually selling poems, but requesting a suggested donation. After hearing some of the worst singers known to man performing in Union Square and invading the subways with their horrific tones; the poetry is a welcome, soothing change.

Here’s a sampling of what she’s capable of: