new york city related discussion itt

what do we think of this

http://gothamist.com/2011/12/08/more_photos_of_the_grand_central_ap.php#photo-9

as someone who commutes through there I'm annoyed by it

not buying anything, only go thru GC when visiting fam in CT.

i own no apple products and almost never go to grand central

i'm sure it's less garish than a wal-mart in the same space would be tho

I just noticed the Apple store sunken into the plaza near FAO Schwarz on 59th Street. Feels evil.

Oh I've been to that one, it's like an underground lair.

Jobs' frozen body in the sub-basement

you just noticed that morbs?? it's like one of the biggest tourist traps in the city at this point.

virginia plain texted me about mona's tonight but has not given a time, who's going?

Everyone. 6-7pm start time.

Oh yeah, sorry, thread--I declined to stage-manage this one so I haven't really been paying attention but there is a fap tonight!

okay I might be a little 7:30-8ish

I had 4 hrs sleep and have 20-30 films to watch at home, so I no go.

and who is Pyth, goldurnit?

laurel

Yeeup.

hi new york!!

I'm glad they took photos now because it will never, ever be that uncrowded again.

Totally confused how the powers that be are allowing a store with millions of visitors a year in the middle of a commuting hub that millions of people a year pass through. ???

I feel like the failure of the apple store in grand central is gonna be one of the first examples of apple's overreaching hubris that could not be controlled once the helmsman died

cool that i got invited to the fap

You did! On this thread. Anyway, we'll all see you on Sat.

'car guy' cuomo back to work

http://secondavenuesagas.com/2011/12/09/after-taking-320-million-in-transit-funds-cuomo-strips-lockbox-bil-as-well/

vetoing outer borough taxi bill too. what a guy.

wtffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/nyregion/woman-burned-alive-in-brooklyn-elevator-police-question-man.html?hp

this...

Why on earth did I click on a thread I'd never clicked on before? I am depressed as hell now.

security camera stills of the guy will haunt my dreams http://www.nypost.com/r/nypost/2011/12/18/news/web_photos/fire--525x300.jpg

man

this plus the woman getting chopped in half by an elevator = taking the stairs this week

that happened around the corner from me, the woman getting burned to death

yeah I was wondering, was it apparent something was going on w/ police and fire?

http://www.nypost.com/r/nypost/2011/12/18/news/web_photos/fire--525x300.jpg

c u guize at halloween next year

JFC why did I
- stare at the picture
- read the times's detailed account of the death
- read the explanation of why fire is the worst way to die
- read the comments
- all of the above

Incidentally people really need to be disabused of the notion that there are all these murderers getting off because of their harsh past and upbringing. Does not happen. Even "insanity" defenses are not only rare and hard to prove, but lead to more-or-less the same result -- lifetime involuntary commitment instead of imprisonment.

stfu I lite u on fire inside elevator

it seems pretty clear he's insane and yes I would be fine w/ him getting lifetime involuntary commitment

iatee: "I would fine him"

iatee: "he needs hugs"

Legal insanity is much narrower though. I'd have to look up the exact version NY follows, but it basically has to reach the level of not being able to comprehend either the act you are undertaking or the fact that it is wrong. I don't think this guy fits into that category.

huh why do I have a soft on crime rep, I think all people who own cars should be jailed

so wrong its right

i.e you don't get the insanity defense just for "he needed meds" "he was unstable" "he was a fucked up dude" etc.

iatee: "why do i have a soft-on"

loool

haha

btw where does one go in NYC to get someone to perform "odd jobs" who will not set you aflame?

its a package deal so sry

i wasnt in the hood most of saturday so i didnt notice any serious ambulances or anything

heh i have been checking craigslist for a new apt and the day after the woman died a v. sketchy "one bedroom on underhill" ad was posted

btw where does one go in NYC to get someone to perform "odd jobs" who will not set you aflame?

― Dr Morbius, Monday, December 19, 2011 5:14 PM (10 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink

Dude only had one negative review on Angie's list, but it was as REALLY negative review

was the apt a good price?

1800 which is a little much for that end of prospect heights, but no brokers fee. i dont know the sq ft.

the elevator-chopped-in-half building is a block from my work and the elevator-set-on-fire building is four blocks from my apartment

so yeah, elevators are not seeming like the place to be

walking up stairs is healthy

$1800 for a 1BR in the less nice part of Prospect Heights? At first that sounded insane, but then I saw that it was an elevator building

fire sale prices

live-in handyman, will clear your clutter for extra $

hahaha

landlord provides exterminators

just gonna link to this again

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/04/21/080421fa_fact_paumgarten

I am taking the stairs forever now btw

dude was "working late" on a friday night but needed a cigarette break after watching a baseball game

man there was something i read recently that was talking abt the legality of this case where a bike messenger got decapitated by an elevator but i cant remember what it was

it's totally legal for an elevator to decapitate a bike messenger btw because bike messengers are obnoxious

his dreadlocks we stuck in the matrix or somethign

dude was "working late" on a friday night but needed a cigarette break after watching a baseball game

Well, to be fair, it was the Mets in the NL Championship Series he was watching so not really just "a baseball game".

Yeah. It was more just a "lol @ sad office life" comment. I've already done the "working late but screwing around" thing before, wondering all the while wtf I was doing.

visited the grand central apple store, it's enormous and doesn't really feel like 'a store'. anyway it's a big win for apple, most famous train station in the country is now just an apple advertisement. mta shoulda got a better deal for the space but I dont think they had much leverage in the discussions.

any idea why the previous rent was so low for that space?

well it's not that it was low or high it's that apple will be making $$$$ and iirc w/ other apple stores the city has managed to get a cut.

basically the value of that space as a restaurant (which it was before) or some random retail store and as 'an apple store' are very different things

yeah - just pointing out that apple is paying something like 5x what the previous tenants were for that space

dunno what the revenue sharing deal is w/ the other locations

yeah but they're really making their presence known there

I dunno it's interesting it feels very 'of the time we live in'

aka -'growing old' :(

remembering a time when a child would build an apple store in the street &c

yeah but they're really making their presence known there

I dunno it's interesting it feels very 'of the time we live in'

I know, I can't believe they added Jobs to the constellations on the ceiling.

I still don't quite think of retail inside grand central as being fully part of nyc, as silly as that might sound

oyster bar, fav tourist trap

The Posner's (Posman's?) Books in there is pretty good. I have bought things there a couple times.

does dayo live in nyc now or am i confused

yeah thats a great bookstore, excellent mystery section

I'm just a fan xp

ah ok! like me

I'll probably be in nyc the first weeek of jan though

fap will obv be in order

Miss the NYU Posman store, much bigger, lot of remaindered and imported books on sale. Website says that they also have Chelsea Market and Rockefeller Center stores.

Yeah, I used to go to that Posman's on University (yes, it is Posman's, not Posner's); it was a really good bookstore.

Dayo I would be down for an early Jan fap btw. Keep me posted.

mos def! will email

so cuomo *did* sign the taxi bill in the end

say hello to green cabs in brookyln

niiice, i was just saying what a good idea that was

18,000 cabs so this is def gonna be 'a thing'. prob won't be hard at all to hail one if you live in brownstoney brooklyn or western queens, really anywhere near a major subway stop. outer borough cabs and a bikeshare program, old school new yorkers are gonna grumble but the city's making some pretty big strides in the next few years.

and shake shack in bk wut

I knowed about that for a long time, b/c my school was right there. I missed it though. W/E it would have been bad news during finals stress.

I think there's also a panera going in next door which is...uh, panera

so over shake shack, it's okay but c'mon

yeah it's not worth standing in long lines for

no food is worth waiting in an hour line for but be serious shake shack is super dope

and hey since there are so many now you dont have to wait!

i'd rather wait for the shake shack than for lucali

That's batshit

i'm not gonna wait an hour and a half to pay $26 for a plain pizza

don't knife me bro

I mean even if you tend to eat half a pizza yourself it's $13 a person -- not really very much for a top notch food experience. It's also really not a "plain pie" the way you mean it, but w/e, be a philistine.

also the wait isn't as bad if you show up a little before they open

http://hatsoff.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Philistine.jpg

no food is worth waiting in an hour line for but be serious shake shack is super dope

― Cooper Chucklebutt, Wednesday, 21 December 2011 03:52 (7 hours ago) Permalink

and hey since there are so many now you dont have to wait!

uws location is easier to negotiate that union square

man those krinkle kut fries are my favorite, best in town next to yr favorite bistro frites

i have never waiting an hour in line for shake shack, its "overrated" i guess but dollar-for-dollar probably the best burg in nyc

max goes in through the kitchen w/ 'and then he kissed me' playing in the background iirc

they even have Shake Shack at Saratoga racetrack now. shortest Shake Shack line I have ever stood in, surprisingly

Shake Shack lines may be pretty quick at Citi Field next year

I would maybe be more impressed by shake shack if I weren't from california but that place really just seems like a pretty good generic burger place to me? except for the concretes, those are good.

ur straight trippin dawg

luv californian burger culture but shake shack is next gen futuristic magic

btw went to the battery park city one and there was like a 2 min wait

I just don't get where the amazing magic part comes in. good quality patty tho the rest of the burger is only 'okay'. fries are not bad but nobody would go out of their way for those fries alone.

ilx burger discussions are so deflating

I'm going to be in NYC from Dec. 25 through Jan 8. What's everyone doing?

eating burgers, shunning iatee for not comprehending the 2011 burger landscape

you know what I really like, the sign in the times sq area

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1v7Oe6Qd-Lg/TEOK8HiOWgI/AAAAAAAAAUA/4UoD9DVapb8/s1600/Picture+2.png

http://slice.seriouseats.com/images/2004_02_19_WPAutomat.jpg

shake shack rules, by far the best burger in the city. i've never waited more than 10 minutes, i don't think, just have to be smart about when and to which you location you go.
haven't been to lucali, but the place owned by the dude's brother, giuseppina's, was amazing and empty. especially liked the calzone.

can somebody explain to me what's so good about a shake shack burger

man the tab headlines have been apocalyptic lately

DEATH DIVE
DEATH SPIRAL
EYES OF A KILLER
BURNED ALIVE
ELEVATOR HORROR

happy holidays nyc!!

DEATH DIVE
DEATH SPIRAL
EYES OF A KILLER
BURNED ALIVE
ELEVATOR HORROR

^^^ leaked tracklist for new Wolf Eyes record

it's small, greasy, and beefy, with a lovely soft bun
xxp

can somebody explain to me what's so good about a shake shack burger

for me at least it's this certain salty char they get on the burger. it hasn't had it every time I've gone but when they get it right it's the best.

the flavor of the meat is amazing and the grease works its way perfectly into the rest of the set up

want one

sounds like they are using doctored meat

I will try one next time I am in NYC and I will hand down my pronouncement upon the shake shack

this is where the shake shack meat comes from http://lafrieda.com

the meat's good for sure, the accompaniments are half-assed imo

times magazine piece abt shake shack / danny meyer http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/magazine/danny-meyer-is-on-a-roll.html?pagewanted=all

no wai the bun is tits xp

I think I just prefer a firm bun? ya ya no pun intended. anyway I don't think it's bad just not transcendent. prob better than 5 guys but I go to 5 guys more cause I like eating peanuts while I wait.

no bun intended

iatee how does shake shack compare to in-n-out

omg 5guys isnt in the same league as shake shack, in n out is great but its sort of a diff thing, more of an irl really good fast food burger

I agree 5 guys isn't the same league it does have peanuts and they are in the area I am when I am hungry, more often

in-n-out is better on every level, also way cheaper.

in n out is awesome and cheap but lacks the haut rigor of shake shack

yeah it's like low high-culture vs. high low-culture

shake shack burgers are tasty but they are so greasy that they make me feel a little ill and they are not quite delicious enough to merit that.

most other burgers make me feel ill due to their size/amount of meat. shake shack doesn't do that. five guys is so unremarkable.

5guys is good but kinda gross

ya that's why you have to prep your stomach w/ a layer of peanuts

for the burger that's fried in peanut oil and the fries which are fried in peanut oil

yo bro heard you liked peanuts

shake shack rules, by far the best burger in the city

This is ridiculous unless you regard a burger only as something you get at a fast food chain (or, as you indicate, you don't really like meat). It's very good as far as that goes, and certainly better than In 'n Out, which I guess might beat it on fries, as Shake Shack's aren't that great, but even those too are pretty boring there. Yes, In 'n Out beats Five Guys on most scores.

C.K. Dexter Holland, what is the most you would pay for a really good burger

Shake Shack also has good dogs. Not quite Hot Doug's, perhaps, but more convenient.

Oh, and the alcohol offerings.

most other burgers make me feel ill due to their size/amount of meat.

i find the opposite to be true - the shake shack burger is just not filling, but the double is gross feeling in the stomach. the ideal nyc burger for me will always be paul's.

fast food style burger is best, fuck a lol hueg chunk patty, get w/the burger zeitgeist

http://www.yumsugar.com/New-York-Burger-Joint-Adds-175-Burger-Menu-1647349

only burger he'll touch

what's the best slider in NYC

C.K. Dexter Holland, what is the most you would pay for a really good burger

What does it come with? I'm going to say $16, maybe 18 if it's really special.

the shake shack burger is just not filling, but the double is gross feeling in the stomach

Solution - the shack stack, or a burger and a dog (which is a little much). I never eat the fries.

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/12/next-grant-achatz-dave-beran-childhood-menu-burger-review-chicago-il.html

the only burger C.K. Dexter Holland will fuck w/

I'm sorry but who in their right mind would pay for a burger w/ no gold flakes

fast food style burger is best, fuck a lol hueg chunk patty, get w/the burger zeitgeist

― Cooper Chucklebutt, Wednesday, December 21, 2011 1:58 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink

qft

I agree with ice crm I have been devoted to sliders only for a few years now

what's the best slider in NYC

― nice catch cuauhtemoc blanco niño (dayo), Wednesday, December 21, 2011 2:00 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark

what's the best slider in NYC

http://0.tqn.com/d/baseball/1/0/1/9/-/-/sabathiafollow.jpg

pretty satisfied to have my burger opinions called ridiculous by someone thinking about a really special $18 burger.

dont feel like ive had that many sliders, theres some place in the east 20s that I heard abt

I don't 'get' sliders

like how many are you expected to eat

only burger he'll touch

In fact, it contains at least one ingredient I won't touch.

3 xp

thick patties you gotta unhinge your jaw to eat, man, that's not good

smh @ all of u

you throw in some toppings, maybe a thick slice of tomato, you gotta be some kind of deep sea jaw fish to eat it

And anyone paying attention knows I'm on the other side of the aisle from molecular gastronomy.

In fact, it contains at least one ingredient I won't touch.

is the burger made w/ love?

is the burger made w/ love?

That's not generally how the foie gras production process would be described.

i think the prime meats burger is $18 or so, i've never tried one, but thought about buying a pre-made patty from their store for $6 the other day.

if i'm going to pay $18 for an entree it is not going to be a burger - though i've paid ~$12 for the burger at henry public which was worth it.

meat eater draws line @ foie gras

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/452/poultry-slam-2011?act=3

the birds have to be treated inhumanely, strapped down and force-fed huge amounts of food.

is this really that much different than how cows, chickens, and pigs are treated in factory farms

that's what generates heat in the cultural capital of America these days, burgers.

i find this burger's tempo inadequate and its melody uninteresting fuiud

I elected this burger for lunch and it's not as good as everybody said it was. In fact, it's worse than those burgers everybody here hates!

If you don't understand gastro theory then I guess you would be the kind of person who likes shake shack.

daaaaaaamn

Trying to remember if I've had the Black Label burger ($26) at Minetta. Think I might have gone for the cheaper one ($17) or a steak or something.

Anyway, Dumont (the restaurant) used to and may still make my favorite burger ($14, 16 with cheese), but I think it's slipped a bit. I also like Zuni's burger ($15).

My bog-standard burger, has inflated to $10 (plus delivery) once I add grilled onions and seven grain.

Dumont is good. Been to Minetta once but when you can get a $30 steak it seems weird to get a $26 burger. If I ever went back I'd probably get it.

If you don't understand gastro theory then I guess you would be the kind of person who likes shake shack.

lmao

that's what generates heat in the cultural capital of America these days, burgers.

hey we could talk pizza. DiFara's closed! Grimaldi's moving! improperly grandfathered-in coal-fired oven licenses!

Guys I was parodying this post from OK Computer thread, OK

"very basic musical theory" doesn't "make[]" the album "sound bad" to me, it just helps describes why it doesn't sound good.

― C.K. Dexter Holland, Tuesday, December 20, 2011 8:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Permalink

didn't difara's reopen after they got rid of the rats and slime or whatever

love me a good rat and slime burger

actually it's pizza and the name for it is 'south brooklyn style'

didn't difara's reopen after they got rid of the rats and slime or whatever

haha I think so. I've never been, it seems too annoying.

where I really need to go is Roberta's.

hey we could talk pizza. DiFara's closed! Grimaldi's moving! improperly grandfathered-in coal-fired oven licenses!

― chjips ahoy (sandbox dmr), Wednesday, 21 December 2011 20:25 (3 minutes ago) Permalink

Let's not forget that Motorino in wmsbg sank into the ground.

yeah how the hell did that happen. it was good and they were always packed.

btw I'm off all next week, shd probly go get bacon donuts w/ ian

i really like roberta's, but i am a noted philistine

xpost: No, I mean it literally sank into the ground. They had to close it due to structural problems with the foundation.

pizza needs a good foundation

I noticed another fancypants pub opened in the space that was closed-down-phoebe's for a while though. There are so many fancypants pubs in that area now and still not enough good places to eat.

god that nyc thin-crust, always sinking into the ground

never would have happened in chitown

xpost: No, I mean it literally sank into the ground. They had to close it due to structural problems with the foundation.

haha whoops obviously I'm a step behind. I did hear it closed but not why.

never would have happened in chitown

Would fall into the Great Lakes there. Might have to send the Pequod after it.

robertas is cool but all the hype around it is p mysterious, idk I went there a few times when it fist opened *sniff*

robertas is cool but all the hype around it is p mysterious

Not really. It's in Brooklyn.

I
a) like the chicago style hot dogs at shake shack
b) don't "get" sliders either
c) prefer totonnos in coney island to di fara

does this make me a philistine

i think totonnos must be what di fara was before the foodies discovered it - fairly sleepy mom & pop place

honestly di fara was pretty filthy the times I've been - health inspectors OTM

my standard for great food has always been "confers immortality" so

higgs boson otm. I suppose it would be unfair to change my handle to Higgs Boatswain.

man i read like this whole thread thinking about how i would weigh in on the burg debate and then i realized that i was under no obligation to contribute and it was like a weight had been lifted

max do you like shake shack

i made it clear above i believe shake shack is fantastic

would love to try the minetta burg too

also love in-n-out

five guys does a good burg too

underrated in-n-out style local burg chain: whattaburger

i dont get burgs that often these days tho

whattaburger is a texas chain iirc

oh i didnt know, they have one in union sq that ive been to, found it enjoyable

sometimes i go to james on monday nights for their "burger night" $10 for a fancy burger and fries and a beer

ur thinking of good burger no

btw r there any good high end fast food style burgers in williamsburg

You know what I think is pretty good that I NEVER hear repped for is New York Burger Co.

blue 9 burger is dece iirc, early ny entrant into the elevated fast food landscape

oh maybe im thinking of goodburger

does fette sau do a burger? or that bar nearby that has good fried chicken and a nautical theme

kaz an nou in prospect heights/north slope does a sick fancy "caribbean" burger with a good spice rub and fried egg and mango or something

dont think fette sau has a burger, was thinking maybe this was the nautical place u were talking abt but no fried chicken http://thedrinkbrooklyn.com << nice place btw

no thats not it... its just this real divy place on metropolitan near the milk bar? shit what is it called? starts with an A? its real popular i cant believe i forgot the name

the comodore

never been there but ive heard people discuss their fried chicken at length, i has pies n thighs today btw

thats the one, the commodore! the commodore. good friend chicken, i bet they do a dece burger--if they do a burger

ny fapping should be done at the oyster bar saloon in my opinion

park ave armory slide show: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/12/22/arts/20111222-ARMORY.html#1

I'm an oyster bar fan generally but the staff has been v rude the last couple times I was there and I'm not usually someone who gets uppity about that

like my wife went there first and was trying to save us a spot until I got there to meet her, she sat down at an open seat at the oyster counter (that had several people eating at it) and the server pulled out a little placard sign that said "counter closed" and just sat it down in front of her and walked away, didn't even say shit. that's lame

then the bartender in the saloon gave us the gasface

why is it so fucking hot

gods gift to me
i ate at pearl oyster bar tonight and the chowda and crabcake combo is what that shit is about

New York Burger Co.

not to be slept on. although I always worry they will go out of business.

Yeah I don't know why that place doesn't do better - maybe it's a marketing/atmosphere problem, or maybe there's just burger saturation and they haven't distinguished themselves.

I vote for marketing/atmosphere... it's not really very "chelsea" in there. kinda feels like it got misplaced from union square or something.

yeah the one I've mostly gone to is near Mad Sq Park but I've been to that one too.

oh shoot, I didn't realize there were multiple locations!

http://www.newyorkburgerco.com/location.html

Yeah I guess looks like they have 3, all kind of bizarrely along the same parallel.

hay guys, we've had 50 million tourists this year.

GTFO of my way

o morbsy

I like tourists, they are too slow to get subway seats

some girl I knew from years ago moved to new york some months ago and on fb she complained about how she hated tourists cause they were making it so hard for her to enjoy her favorite parts of the city: times square, going up the empire state building, seeing the tree at rockefeller center

rimshot

I find tourists on the subway really entertaining and sweet -- they get all excited and nervous about the little things you come to take for granted

only time I resent tourists is if when they stand on the left side of an escalator, but non-tourists do this too

if/when

love this sign in front of the woolworth building
http://www.deadprogrammer.com/files/u1/tourists-are-not-permitted.jpg?9d7bd4

my fave tourist quote of the year was from a Broadway showgoer on the night of Occupy Times Square. "The riot on Wall Street has moved up here!"

Plus I sort of enjoy the game of instantly recognizing tourists and then analyzing what tipped me off - khakis, columbia sportswear, etc.

could've sworn it was "stand on the right side of an escalator." Oh well, adapt and zigzag.

you can't zigzag two people standing next to each other!

you're supposed to stand on the right, walk on the left

pretend the escalator is a highway

and your ass is a car

have never driven

that's when you break out the "SCUZE ME" spoken with the same intent as "FUKKEN MOVE"

driving is a lot like being an asshole pedestrian in grand central, except sometimes you get to kill people

^pretty sure i saw this on the wall at Bubba Gump's Shrimp in Times Square

anyway, the cardinal sin is ppl walking 3 to 7 abreast on a midtown street. Go to Paree if you wanna fucking "boulevard."

people who walk three abreast, people who stop--stop!--at the top of the subway stairs, people who walk slowly: all will see the guillotine blade when i am made premiere

i do like tourists, without them how would you be able to think of yourself as a new yorker

by living off the coast of America for 20 years

that's true of people in nassau county too tho

hmmm, Nassau is existentially on the mainland.

the 1% in NYC has 34% of the income, compared to 19% in USA:

http://lbo-news.com/2011/12/12/nyc-more-unequal-than-brazil/

someone in the comments mentions that the middle class are in the suburbs, which is true to some degree and doing it w/ the metro area would prob even it out a tad, though it would also include westchester, connecticut, rich parts of jersey while also newark etc on the other side

The New York subway, for example, is an extraordinary resource for beggars. A homeless man who collects 50 cents per car panhandling on an eight-car subway train can make $4 in an hour–enough for a meal at McDonalds....

Disclaimer: No, I am not touting entrepreneurial panhandling as a solution to the problem of homelessness. I support ruinous taxation of the rich and a guaranteed income for all. Equality is better than inequality. I’m just saying.

fwiw I have never lived somewhere that didn't have a large homeless population and I'm always surprised at how generous nyers are on the subway, esp if you're willing to pick up a musical instrument.

I like tourists like in august walking through soho and it's all people speaking euro, it's like wow, makes u think

tbf I think panhandlers on the subway make a lot more than $4/hr, ESPECIALLY the ones with instruments. I usually see half-decent ones get what looks like $4-5/car and it doesnt' take an hour to cover a train.

I sort of gaved up on the speechmakers and stopped giving - they always seem to have such absurdly contrived spiels that they can't be true ("My wife died in a fire, I lost my job, AND I have this inexplicable limp, and also I talk like I had a stroke even though I didn't mention one.") I hate to think I might be wrong about that, and also sometimes I think that they must be hard up enough anyway that it doesn't matter. Other times I also wonder if they're unfortunate patsies of some crime ring, the way it turned out the *deaf* people with those sign language cards were. For a while I noticed that the kids who sold candy always gave nearly verbatim the exact same speech ("I am not doing this for a basketball team" etc.) which to my paranoiac mind seemed like a sign, combined with the fact that they have candy in wholesale boxes. Anyway.

lol @ the universal affectless speechifying style agreed upon by the hard luck subway storytellers union

If someone just has a sign that says "homeless vet" or something like that, I'm apt to believe them. Cuz there are a lot of those.

all beggars are drug addicted welfare cheats who live in mansions, everyone knows

the basketball team stuff is clearly bullshit but I like how they're kinda entrepreneurial

I guess I'm assuming they are not part of a crime ring and just some kid who bought a box of peanut m&ms?

lol one time I talked to one of those kids for a while all like 150 thats a lot for a jersey he had this whole spiel like yeah its embroidered we play in such and such league im a point guard until finally i just bought some of his candy, had to respect the prep work

instead of making individual decisions on every panhandler I just give money to City Harvest and never give to anyone on the street or in the subway ever.

I guess I'm assuming they are not part of a crime ring and just some kid who bought a box of peanut m&ms?

nah they def. get the candy from some central location I think. don't they?

I'd give it like 50% it's a ring, 50% they just share tips and go to costco

There was a guy I used to always see on the PATH who had this elaborate spiel about collecting for a homeless organization that had a shelter. He had a laminated card and whatnot. I guess I was young back then and i just never thought about it until one day this woman next to me says to me "Listen, I work for a homeless outreach organization and there is no way ANY legitimate homeless organization would ever send someone on the train to ask for money." Which seemed sort of obvious once she said it.

i ate at pearl oyster bar tonight and the chowda and crabcake combo is what that shit is about

It certainly isn't about the lobster roll. Luke's 4 lyphe.

how hard is it to get a bulk box of m&ms?

I don't deny that there's a possibility of a central location tho for some reason I always assumed it was just some kids who wanted to make pocket money

I mean I didn't think anything until I noticed that I had heard like 7 different kids use virtually the same speech word-for-word, which made me think someone was training them.

I just figured they sorta figured out 'what worked'

yeah I could see either way, it could be like a paper route

come to think of it tho, outside of peanut m&ms there is definitely a regularity of snacks offered

im thinking theres some adult hanging out in a grungy apt who picks up the boxes wholesale and fronts them to the kids

thats what my paper route was like at least

yeah it doesn't necessarily have to be a huge organized crime syndicates

unplural

I don't deny that there's a possibility of a central location tho for some reason I always assumed it was just some kids who wanted to make pocket money

No, dude.

what about the breakdancing kids

are they also working for the mob

That old secret platform at the edge of Grand Central that was built for FDR? Filled with peanut M&Ms.

Haha

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5213468&page=1

One of the groups I investigated gave the children 40 cents for each $2.50 candy they sold. The bars wholesaled for 35 cents, so the crew leaders made a tasty profit.

They sell sweets, but bite in deep enough and you will taste the truth.

REAL NEW YORKERS DONT BUY CANDY FROM KIDS MWA AH AHA AH

http://www.elisabethleamy.com/images/custom/B4S_Leamy030610_111003d.jpg

Breakdancing kids IDK -- they seem much more ragtag and there's nothing standardized that I notice.

the mob copyrights certain breakdancing moves, such as the flip the hat from your shoe onto your head

the mob also runs a ring of overly earnest hippieish 20-somethings with belt-clip amps covering dylan

one time (in the bay area) I heard 3 different buskers do 'knocking on heavens door' in one day

I think people like that one cause you don't have to remember very many lyrics, also cause if you want to 'take it to the next level' you can knock on your guitar when you say 'knock knock knocking'

favorite subway denizen is this african preacher with a long spiel about the perils of hell should one not accept jesus christ as one's lord and savior. he has fantastic intonation.

you WILL go to hell

part of the jesus mob, i guess

one time i saw this crazy subway preacher mid sermon get all offend and say 'you all dont listen to me anyway fine then im just not gonna share the lords word w/you anymore' and sit down in a huff as if we were gonna feel bad and ask him keep preaching again, it was v funny

hahaha

calling him favorite seems cruel but i'll never forget the legless amputee beggar pushing himself thru subway car singing "amazing grace" and then abruptly seguing into "do ya think i'm sexy." dude could actually sing too.

thinking about the candy-bar kids makes me wonder: do yo guys ever buy books etc from street vendors

a man singing sam cooke's "a change is going to come" on the train yesterday made me shed actual tears.

ya but it's kinda cynical for him to use 'change' like that

sometimes I'll hear people singing on the subway and think "he/she learned to sing in church" and this always chokes me up

theres a guy on the a/c line sometimes who sells dvds and hes got great patter, "forecast outside: miserable. forecast inside: $3 dvds" or something

haha there are a lot of change-is-gonna-come singers groups on the trains lately. I guess word is out about it making white people choke up.

one of my favorite subway dudes was the metrocard holder dude: "It's the NEW metrocard holder. Slides in, slides out, only a dollar."

my favorite ever candy seller spiel (an older guy, not the not-selling-for-no-basketball-team kids) was somthing like, "God told me not to rob, steal, or sell drugs. God told me sell peanut M&Ms. He said, 'White people love peanut M&Ms. And they got money.' So far he's been right."

lol

funny cause god told me they love weed

ppl haven't openly sold weed on the subway since Dinkins days, man, u kidz shoulda been here then

^^last car on the train amirite

bet it was beat

fyi if you're in asia all the panhandlers have handlers

no reason to think NYC would be different! ^_^

I don't really care though if you choose to sell candy on a train that's fine I'll buy your peanunt M&Ms

dunno dayo if you bite in deep enough and you will taste the truth

er minus 'and'

I guess the kids are probably making the equivalent of after-payroll-tax minimum wage and it's probably more fun than mcdonalds, but

I mean on one hand it's relative to their other options, but on the other hand it's the same SYSTEM that MAKES those welch's fruit snacks that leaves them with no options

yeah those welch's fruit snacks, who the hell is gonna buy that? that's really what I don't get about this scheme

if this were a well oiled machine they would be selling cheetos instead

they must be like the absolute cheapest thing you can get in bulk

guys which is the better airport to fly into: laguardia or jfk? convenience-wise

maybe the syndicate bought a single box of those at the start of the scheme and they've just been trying to get rid of them for years

I dunno why you would be grudging these kids just because they're organized. maybe because this is AMERICA where we SHOULDN'T GIVE HANDOUTS because everybody must WORK for their LIVELIHOOD

staying in brooklyn

jfk

awes, thanks

I mean CONGRATULATIONS for seeing the BIG PICTURE and having CLEAR EYES about NOT GETTING SWINDLED

where in brooklyn -- lga might be better if you're in wburg or greenpoint

ya in a certain sense buying m&ms from duane reade is prob going to even worse people in the end

wburg

are you gonna take a taxi or the train?

if we stopped giving money to panhandlers they would all just go and get jobs, right

because there are plenty of those to go around

saw a dvd seller a while ago do his spiel in english, then in spanish, then paused and did it in french -- everyone was like whooooa

cab from lga to wburg would be like $20 maybe?

dunno! might be getting picked up?

my rule is never, ever fly into laguardia if you can help it

that shit shuts down like 5 times a week

if you're getting picked up or taking a cab to wburg then yeah lga

if you're taking public transit jfk

i can get miles if i go to LGA

btw i go to new york

when

new year's

buddy of mine is buying half my ticket, so it's still OK even this last minute

oh wow I'll probably be in ny at that time too

but can understand two ships passing etc etc

why are you taking a ship

man if you come here there's gonna be a snowstorm huh

so basically i have this choice:

JFK -- $50 cheaper, Sun Country, no miles
LGA -- Delta, miles

take the miles, always take the miles

why are you taking a ship

― iatee, Thursday, December 22, 2011 3:05 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

it's an artisanal ship

my rule is never, ever fly into laguardia if you can help it

― max max max max, Thursday, December 22, 2011 3:01 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink

^^^

nye party at max's btw

I flew into laguardia once it wasn't that bad

lga isn't that bad imo but I also I could like walk there

I flew into JFK once too I don't remember that tho

I also flew into the twin towers and then bush started the war on terror and invaded iraq

sorry ya'll

o great one time dayo, leguardia experts here, iatees lived in ny for what 6 months, thx 4 the advice noobs

*stands on the lefthand side of the escalator*

ya but the 6 months were very close to lga I got time to study it

newark is the most underrated of all airports

max is from nj btw everyone

lol I've flown into newark probably the most times

I like LGA just cuz it's a shorter cabride from my hovel.

"take the miles, always take the miles" - from max's remake of The Godfather

if you're getting picked up or taking a cab to wburg then yeah lga

if you're taking public transit jfk

― iatee, Thursday, December 22, 2011 8:02 PM (13 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink

I read this as "If you're taking public transit jfc"

that too

newark is the most underrated of all airports

definitely closer if you live or are staying in manhattan

yeah but you have to deal w/ the shame factor of having landed in jersey

But yeah, laguardia is significantly closer geographically to williamsburg, although the airtrain to A to L is not terrible. Cab ride from LaGuardia is probably not expensive though -- maybe like $15 and you'll be there in 15 minutes, I'd guess? I think there are also bus lines but I never tried that.

Also LaGuardia is pretty small and in my experience the few times I've been there that's meant getting in and out fast. Guess it depends when you fly.

meant to say west side of manhattan - LGA is closer to east side

none of the bus lines is gonna be worth it from lga

are

I dunno why you would be grudging these kids just because they're organized. maybe because this is AMERICA where we SHOULDN'T GIVE HANDOUTS because everybody must WORK for their LIVELIHOOD

― nice catch cuauhtemoc blanco niño (dayo), Thursday, December 22, 2011 7:56 PM (24 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink

Lol "organized" -- you make it sound like they formed a cooperative. They are being ripped off by some old creep in their neighborhood who takes most of their proft and does who knows what else to them.

take the miles, always take the miles

thiiiisss i mean cmon now

I think it's a stretch to assume that the kids are getting molested

here i just see candy. in seoul ppl sell all kinds of cool stuff on the train. i have a square cloth with korean sign language alphabet printed on it and this great knit sponge/dish cleaner

newark airport is p bad imo, i might be conflating memory of eating a sad bagel at newark airport dunkin donuts w/a more considered analysis of its location & transport infrastucture though. i maybe just found the trains there confusing.

also

a man singing sam cooke's "a change is going to come" on the train yesterday made me shed actual tears.

― bene_gesserit, Thursday, 22 December 2011 18:30 (2 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink

ya but it's kinda cynical for him to use 'change' like that

― iatee, Thursday, 22 December 2011 18:32 (2 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink

lol

my rule is never, ever fly into laguardia if you can help it

― max max max max, Thursday, December 22, 2011 3:01 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink

^^^

― Cooper Chucklebutt, Thursday, December 22, 2011 3:08 PM (40 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink

yall are crazy, LGA's a lot easier to get in and out of

totally agree. 20 min to LGA vs 1 hr to JFK but admittedly this is just b/c i live in queens. also the bus stop is right outside my apt.

I go through LGA when I can. It's an easier/faster/cheaper cab ride to/from my aerie. If I go through JFK these days, I'll suffer the interminable Airtrain/subway ride (which isn't much better than the M60 iirc) on the way back. I appreciate EWR's public transit convenience, but New Jersey is a tunnel too far.

BTW protip if you are renting a car from NYC the airports usually have way better deals, especially if you bid via priceline.

thx dudes I go to LGA why becuase miles

how much are folks paying for internet? i have time warner and the cheapest plan when I signed up was $33/m. sometimes it's so effing slow...but I can't bring myself to pay any more than that!

yeah I believe that's what my plan costs too. I refuse to also pay $50 more for basic cable. Just have internet.

I flew into newark today and when I was walking out I passed the security screening point and they had erected these glass corridors that let people through two abreast and it was like children of mine so upsetting

i flew into newark airport yesterday and didn't think it too bad (well, until the waiting curbside for my ride to pick me up part, but that was arguably worse for my brother)

new york penn station today, otoh, was hellish

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2011/12/23/the_most_expensive_cities_have_the_highest_wages.html

people in the Bay Area, the DC area, New York, and Boston really are richer than people in Tucson and Akron it's not all given back in higher housing costs.

so I'll be in NYC from the 30th to the 4th

no plans for NYE just yet, but I should prob able to get lunch on the 2nd and 3rd while my bros are at work, I think?

ay is off til the 3rd

This year I'm breaking my streak of doing absolutely nothing for the new year and spending the day in NYC. Going to try and hit a few museums; my absolute musts are Daphne Guinness at the Fashion Institute of Technology (my last chance to see it, and the closest I'll get to the McQueen exhibit I missed) and Carsten Höller at the New Museum, but I'm going to try and fit in the Neue Galerie too if at all possible.

No real plans for the actual Eve part of New Year's, so I'm probably just going to head back into Philly and do my usual NYE ritual; pile of blankets, bottle of wine, stack of DVDs, terrible sleep-related decisions

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/30/nyregion/nyc-traffic-deaths-set-100-year-low-mayor-says.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

that ray kelly is given any credit is a joke, police dept is pretty useless.

oh wow you're making those people going 70 on a cross-street at rush hour wear their seatbelts

ray kelly gets credit for everything

was just noticing yesterday how cavalier new yorks pedestrians are, take some care w/yr lives fools!

it's just insane how casually people will stand *inches* away from cars going 60+. I think about this like 3 times a day on queens blvd.

yeah exactly i was on the manhattan side of the williamsburg bridge pedestrian entrance and people are just standing right at the edge of the road waiting for the light to change while cars are zooming so fast onto the bridge

oh yeah that's easily one of the worst areas for deaths. total clusterfuck.

i saw a guy on a bike purposely cross two lanes of traffic to wait in the three foot wide only separated by trafic cones divider

i always noticed this but being away from ny for a while now im like WTF

everytime i go out running im like omg so many cars coming for every direction wut do i do

I'm all for being an asshole pedestrian grr new york right, but anything that requires believing that nyc drivers are always gonna see you and care is a belief that borders on religious

I just pretend I'm robert duvall in apocalypse now

I also keep my parents advice in mind which is "if they hit you they have to pay the hospital bills"

only if they stop afterwards

was just noticing yesterday how cavalier new yorks pedestrians are, take some care w/yr lives fools!

driving in NY = white-knuckle city. and wtf @ ppl who jaywalk w/strollers

sad thing is all the police dept has to do is actually just enforce the laws already on the books. city speed limit is 30 mph and they have to have a publicity campaign to try to guilt people into not speeding.

speaking of speeding cop cars there was a spectacular crash outside my window a couple months ago. heard a siren blaring and then the sickening crunch of metal-on-metal. police cruiser slammed into a cab at intersection and got completely turned around. officers had to be pried from the totaled car, looked like the entire precinct was on my block. non-fatal, luckily.

they should build a device into nyc cars so that when they go above 30 mph they are automatically ejected from their cars and the cars maybe get teleported to the moon so they can't hurt anyone anymore

that is what I am going to campaign on as mayor of NYC

ime the nyc police to not enforce traffic laws unless they happen to be in some specifically set up trap or w/e, like one time i was driving down 2nd street talking on my cell phone not paying attention and took a right going south onto 1st ave which is the wrong way down a one way and almost crashed into a stopped at a red light cop car, i just turned around and the cop did nothing

btw i am fully aware this is unconscionable behavior and i apologize

sometimes I want to get a job as a nyc traffic cop and just pull people over every 5 seconds I would be so happy

they have quotas tho, whole thing's a farce

think about all the paperwork though *boom* just took you through the thought process of a nyc transit cop

(beats up protester)

traffic cop is the definition of thankless job. regular cops call em "meter maids"

they have quotas tho, whole thing's a farce

just like the narcotics division under giuliani ;-)

The lowest quality cop I ever met was the one who drove me to my car at the lot where my car got towed to, that's where they put the worst cops

ime the nyc police to not enforce traffic laws unless they happen to be in some specifically set up trap or w/e, like one time i was driving down 2nd street talking on my cell phone not paying attention and took a right going south onto 1st ave which is the wrong way down a one way and almost crashed into a stopped at a red light cop car, i just turned around and the cop did nothing

wish this had been posted with a coda of fuckin cops rather than an acknowledgement of guilt, fuckin cops

ps fuckin cops

ban cars

who wants a drink?

me

on a plane iirc

I am free tonite and tomorrow (/no life)

also psst mr dayo will be in town iirc but I dunno what his schedule is

i could be into tipping one or two back this evening

what Bklyn nabe are you staying in? I am undecided where I'm ringing in NYE... South Slope, Slope/Flatbush Ave, Wburg.

^he asks rivwolf, but any other visitors can answer

I honestly have no idea!

country mouse

lol u dont know where ur staying

dude doesnt have time for GoogleMaps during rock climbing

Surprised he can get one hand free to type these posts tbh.

you could say that about most of ilx

tip yr waitresses everybody

Boerum hill apparently

okay are you and ice cr?m still up? morbs is gonna call me eventually. I dunno what the critical mass is.

think I've had NYE plans made for me, but I'll know more once I actually arrive (in a cab)

this was w/r/t tonight

Ah. Welp we are getting dinner and then ???

guess this prob isn't gonna happen

anybody know of a place where I could pick up a madeleine pan for cheap

guess like a bakeware store, prolly not any of the restaurant supply stores around the bowery

I am in CHINATOWN!

I AM CHINA

no I am

hey now

I had dumplings fyi

i think you mean DUMPLINGS!

the friend i stayed with earlier in the month lives in little italy/chinatown - i had to restrain myself from eating DUMPLINGS! every day - of course, there are a lot of other foods too eat in nyc, so...

boarding a redeye to nyc in a few hours

Think a caught a bug on the plane, as I've pretty much been sick as hell for the week (but did store up enough energy to make it to the Bush Tetras show on Wed).

anybody know of a place where I could pick up a madeleine pan for cheap

Sur La Table?

sorry iatee, by the time I got out of ICP it was 7:30 and I didn't see a payphone.

L4urel expressed interest in FAPping on the 1st?

ya no worries I just woulda said 'nobody likes us'. that's uh, Sunday? sure.

it's good luck to be hungover on NYE right

its no problem, i mean assuming you have all yr cocaine ready to go

oh ok

guys NYC is so pleasant

do u mean Boerum Hill?

I think so?

K, dudes...leaving in a sec to bike to Gowanus. gbx, holler by txt if you're going out soon to that neighboring neighborhood cos my show might be too full to get into right away and I can easily meet you.

rewatched The Tree of Life, went to bed. Gonna write a couple checks now.