cityrag

WE HAVE THE POWER
countdown to change: on November 2 we will RECLAIM our country. we will reclaim our nation's safety, we will reclaim our nation's stability and we will reclaim our nations humanity.

this weekend TURN IT OUT AND GO FULL FORCE - if there's someone you've been meaning to call - do it! let relatives and friends know how important this election is to you. contact anyone you might know in swing states and encourage and support them in contacting others. it's our goal to think of 2 people this weekend we haven't thought of yet and contact them.

the danger of another 4 years...
SAFETY - Bush's actions in Iraq have rallied the Middle East's radicals against us. Americans have undeniably NEVER been a bigger target. Homeland security has never been weaker. Every person we've spoken to in NY feel's LESS SAFE.

ECONOMICS - Bush does not care about the low and middle class people in this country. We have trillion's of dollar's in deficit because he panders to the rich. He will continue to give tax breaks to the wealthiest, and fuck the low and middle classes. His next target will be Social Security. As he continues to bankrupt the country this system and bucket of money becomes an increasing target for him to play with.

this weekend, tell eveyone you know to get out and VOTE FOR KERRY on Tuesday!
(photos coyright: Baldomero Fernandez)

graf packing district
still life: bombed out building covered in tags in the meat packing district

Tompkins Park Dog Parade - date change
wanted to alert our readers that the Tompkins Square Park - Halloween Dog Parade has been moved from Saturday to Sunday at 12 noon the parade and events around are sposored by First Run a non-profit organization that maintains the Tompkins Dog Run.

it's a GREAT event, with wonderful dogs in all kinds of crazy and really unique costumes, games and prizes, and all kinds of awesome, fun stuff. don't miss it if you're in the hood. or check back Monday for our special coverage!
(thanks for the tip K.)

bug huntin'
such a good little watch dog, no bugs are getting by him

two cravings in one bite
we like-a da meat, but also love a great veggie burger. we like-a da Big Macs, but no likey the McD's corporate bullshit. that's why Tiny Giant's Mack Daddy veggie burger hits the spot on both ends! a perfect, thick, meaty and flavorful veggie burger, on a fresh Portuguese roll, topped with lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese, tofu bacon, pickles, ketchup, mustard and special sauce - it's DELICIOUS!

Tiny Giant is an all around great place. tons of excellent sandwiches, loaded with quality ingredients at really cheap prices and fast delivery! perfect BLT's, cobb sandwiches, a tasty buffalo chicken one; we never get bored and dinner for 2 is around $12!

through the eyes of others
the Photolog phenomenon is one of the most unique things to come from the internet. thousands of sites filled with incredible photos, each different from the next, each capturing it's own slice of life with great artistry and putting it right at your finger tips to discover.

the work is beautiful and revealing. for us it's as much about seeing the lives of people and discovering the world around them (through their eyes), as it is about the great imagery of the photos themselves. all of a sudden the world of personal photography has changed. it goes beyond recording images of one's life to remember and exchange with friends and family. it's a way to share with the world our lives, loves, and passions - anything that visually inspires us, from strange and quirky, to moving and monumental. this big planet becomes clearer and more personal - through the eyes of others.

and with that we kick off a series where we'll profile some of our favorite sites and photologs on the net. our first profile is: Michael Simon's photography site. his work speaks to us on so many levels. from capturing visions of simple beauty, to glimpses of these very raw and real scenes that make you feel like you're right there in the moment...

Subway Party, New York City.

Franky, up for adoption at "Adopt A Stray Day". Maplewood NJ.

25 ta Life, Wash D.C.

Near Portland, Maine.

(photos above are copyrighted Michael Simon Photography, and published with permission)

pumpkin moon

Halloweeny things…
while looking for ideas for cool costumes that are cheap and easy to make (since we weren't able to pick up a costume at the big sale), we got goosebumps when we stumbled on Retrocrush's HILARIOUS collection of the BEST retro costumes called - “THE WORST HALLOWEEN COSTUMES OF ALL TIME”. Robert "Baretta" Blake, Scott Baio/Chachi, Fantasy Island’s Tattoo, ahhhhhhh we want them all!

anyway, we’re still looking for costume ideas. here’s some fun, easy ones we’ve done:
- last year we grabbed a couple gauze bandage rolls from Duane Reade on Delancy, found a couple cool black hats and sunglasses, some gloves and walked around as invisible people (then ended up partying in the basement of the old Meow Mix with Joan Jet :-)
- Hugh Hefner – grey stuff for hair, big fashiony glasses, dark robe, silk scarf for ascot, pipe from tobacco store (girlfriend as Bunny - cardboard ears + t-shirt made by printing a Bunny logo, cutting out and spray painting) now that was a great night.
- fisherman who’s hooked his face - fishing pool with big hook on the end, hooked through rubber old man mask, fake blood, flannel shirt. pulled on the hook to freak people out.

if you have any costume ideas hook us up!... send an email
(and thanks for the pic Gigi!)

Update: these are AWESOME... "Forbes offers up Celebrity Halloween Masks for you to print out"

and some SCARY SHIT!

you big glorious beast
this is a photo of the 1955 subway map found in our grandfather’s drawer that’s hanging in our bathroom. it has a little pencil arrow to the last stop on the “Flushing Line” (where we lived in the 60’s)

we’ve done all kinds of dangerous and illegal stuff in the subway, various sex acts, fallen a sleep, ran into friends we hadn’t seen in years, partied and drank, rode around for hours in drug induced states, saw a few pervert's cocks and got chased by cops.

the subway is everything we love about the city. Happy Birthday you big glorious beast!... The Subway is 100 Today

for some fun and cool info - the Thigh Master packs so much great shit about the subway in this post it’ll make ya forget he’s a Merrylander.

email whoas
in the last couple weeks we've become aware that HOTMAIL sucks, and we HAVE NOT been getting a bunch of the email people have sent us! we try to reply to every email, so if you've sent us something and haven't gotten a responce, please try again (and we're working on a new email service and address.) over and out. thanks.

lil' update: BIG THANKS to the awesome peeps who have emailed with gmail hook-ups and other ideas. thinking about getting domain-specific email accounts from hostway.com (they have a cool deal where you get a bunch of accounts and email tools under your sites domain for $3.33 a month) has anyone had any experience with SiteMail from Hostway?... thanks!

scenes from a late night smoke-in
smoke-ins are better with friends. this one includes the man who started it all...

(Transfer's rant on how "Bloomy and company want to Crush Fun")

raw dog
Buddy always checks out the spots other dogs have marked...

Bush whackers
friends (and heroes) John and George are flying out to Broward County, Florida tomorrow. they are going to join the volunteer force that will be helping people get out to vote for Kerry. they love seniors and have been assigned a retirement area. John's rented a van and has a goal to get 40 people to the polls to vote (they'll be there through next Tuesday!)

our Mom is now a full on convert and Kerry evangelist. She's convincing friends in NJ that we need a new president if they want to have any chance at a safer country, better health care and a stable future for their Social Security.

more people became aware this week that this may be the most important election for decades...
Imagining America if George Bush Chose the Supreme Court
"If President Bush gets the chance to name three young justices who share the views of Justices Scalia and Thomas, it could fundamentally change America for decades."

keep the battle going - tell EVERYONE you know to get out and vote for Kerry...
The Bush Record vs. the Kerry Plan
Bush is responsible
How to Swing pt. 1, How to Swing pt. 2
Laura Start Packing: Kerry Now Up in FL, OH and PA

and more inspiring words and images... this Eminem video kicks ass, and the directors notes are excellent. this is a great link to send people who question the power of their vote...(thanks MW!)

"...on the eve of one of the most spirited elections in recent times, it’s time to try and turn out the vote... The goal was to make a video that inspired young people to vote because they too often disregard it as a powerless exercise. To show them that political decisions do impact their daily lives and that voting is the most powerful act we all have to voice our opinion and effect change."

"With more than 55 million voters between the ages of 18 and 35, this demographic group accounts for 36% of the total eligible voters in the U.S."

Frankenbust
after weeks of drills, real terror has hit 42nd St - Frankenstein is going DOWN!

update on Costume Sale!
after reading this excellent tip on Gothamist yesterday...

20,000 PROFESSIONAL THEATRICAL COSTUMES AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC - "shopping bags for $20 each.... go through the collection and fill the shopping bag with any costumes in the warehouse"

...we strategize a 10:30 am attack to see if we could get in line a bit past the dealer flood. as our cab approached from 5 blocks away we could see masses of people from all angles walking towards the warehouse, once we hit the building we saw a wide line from the entrance leading endlessly down 26th Street.

we told our cab driver not to turn off the meter as we followed the line all the way from 12th to 11th Ave and saw it go up 11th and turn around the corner to 27th. the line wasn't moving and 6 people wide. filled with pro and non pro fashionista's, it looked like the door for the best party in town!

and it was killing us as we watched these amazing costumes being rolled off trucks and into the space (maybe from another warehouse.) our eye caught a Robin Hood-ish one that looked really well made and heavy, with vibrant green and brown velvet, and lush trim. dam it all!!

4 p.m. UPDATE: a friend got in and said the crowds are insane, and there are tons of greedy buyers with loads of bags and groups of people grabbing/buying for them. they also said - at this point there's still good stuff to be found... tons of Military wear, peasant dresses, gypsy outfits, high quality stuff... but going fast and the place is getting trashed.

"return and get it"
the assistant who works with Buddy's vet in the East Village has this cool tattoo on her wrist. it's a West African Adrinka symbol called "Sankofa". she saw the symbol on Janet Jackson and liked it. but a fascinating thing happened the day we were in the office... she and the receptionist had just noticed the EXACT same symbol in the iron gates on the building DIRECTLY across the street from their office...

the receptionist said that she'd heard that African slaves incorporated tribal symbols in their work and it can be seen around the city (even as a legacy today in newer work).

looked around the net to learn more. not a lot out there but we found that many of the slaves who helped build New York were great artisans and came from the regions of Western Africa that used these symbols, and these areas/empires were specifically known for their metalwork.

the mystery was heightened, and at the same time possibly answered, with this message found in the Sankofa's meaning:
"return and get it" - symbol of importance of learning from the past

UPDATE: Black Lilly from I'm So Confused (a GREAT site you MUST check out right now!) sent a cool email thanking us for mentioning the Sankofa (she has the same one on her wrist!) she sent along some comments that provide additional food for thought...

"the one thing that annoys me about tattoos is that many people don't pay attention to the meaning of symbols. I have heard too many people describe theirs as tribal, but cant tell the meaning, what tribe they came from or even which continent."

and keep your eyes open... "You can find adinkra symbols everywhere, you just have to look."

cute works
this is Buddy's extra cute "can I have a treat" face. we think he pushes his own ear down to add to the effect. it works.

learn to kick ass
many years ago we took a self defense class. and to this day the skills we learned stay with us. Prepare and IMPACT, a great organization that holds defense training classes, is having a graduation open house tomorrow night where you can go and see first hand the excellent training they provide:

graduation/open house
Oct 26, at 8:15 p.m for about an hour
147 W. 25th St. between 6th and 7th Aves (closer to 7th) on the 8th floor.

the opportunity learn defense techniques, simulate being attacked with a padded mock assailant and learn how to react and defend yourself is an invaluable experience and one that will take you through life with great confidence and empowerment. "With this unique physical training method you can deliver full force, full contact, knock out blows to vulnerable areas on the padded assailant’s body in dynamic, interactive fights."

Laren from SweetBlogoMine is one of the instructors. and shared this with us...
"A friend brought me to a graduation a number of years ago and I was so moved by the power, strength, and confidence in the room that I knew I wanted to be a part of it -- and I've stayed long enough to become an instructor to I can share what I've learned with others. Not only do I now have concrete physical skills that I might use if I am attacked, but I have learned many other skills that have had an impact on the way I approach conflicts ... Hopefully I'll never have to use the physical ones."

desperately seeking SuperPages removal
after posting last week about the massive waste Verizon irresponsibly fills our city with each year, last night we spotted one of the Lower East Side public trash cans with a load of SuperPages. looks like people are getting desperate to rid their buildings of Verizon's clutter.

statement
broken heart found carved in old picnic table in new york park (this week's PhotoFriday submission)...

friday links
Nick CatchDubs is always finding that great shit we don't see anywhere else, 2 links from this week:
- "Holdin' down the block - This guy is crazy" (DON'T MISS THIS ONE!)
- "Are you a Sneaker Freak?"

ka-zing... Joey and Kerry are on fire! some hilarious links and lines from today's Two-Headed Beast Edition Of Tale Of Two Cities:
- "Gimme a Break!: John Stossel recruits help for his mission to fuck every gay man in New York."
- "Quit Stalking Celebrities: Until you get a better camera phone!"
- "Vegetarianism Suddenly Awful: Thanks for ruining our favorite treat, Bill!"

this post by Lindsay pointed us to a cool article and made us thunk a lot. maybe one day we'll throw up our own experiences (as a lesbian who used to fuck a bunch of her male friends :-) but for now this kinda nails it... "The girls I know who are most successful with guys are the same girls who have a lot of platonic straight male friends."

newly launched Screenhead is a fun daily cruise:
- "Because He Says So"
- "The Infinite Cat Project"

Thigh Master's whackiness of the week

scare tactics
as Witz.org points out, this is a little old, but we hadn't seen it. everyone knows the Bush campaign is practicing major scare tactics, but check out this edited footage of the bizarre REPETITION TACTICS the Republican party is using to try and brainwash the nation, it's some INSANE shit. on November 2nd show the GOP we're not a nation of idiots and vote Bush out!

(shots are from the awesome PSA's of Baldomero Fernandez)

UPDATE: more on the topic of deception, the Brazilian Muse sent over a link to this very important organization...

ElectionProtectionVolunteer.org
In the last presidential election, millions of votes were never counted. Voters in minority communities were disproportionately disenfranchised through illegal disqualification, intimidation, and faulty voting machines. The Election Protection partnership needs you to stand up and defend voting rights on November 2. Find out how you can be a pollmonitor in key states.

snuggly
such a tough guy when he's out on the street, but when we get him home he melts like ice cream...

the perfect fall weekend
if you're looking to experience the fall colors, they're just hitting peak in the upper Catskills.

here's a couple wonderful places all within about 10 miles of each other (just 2 hours north of the city) that can be combined for the perfect fall weekend upstate:

- stay in a cabin with a fireplace at the Rip Van Winkle Motor Lodge. Eat "the lumberjack" breakfast at the Logsider Restaurant next door.

- drive into the town of Leeds (1/2 mile down the road) pick up funny souvenirs at the Mohican Trading Post. go down the dirt road directly across from the trading post and visit the massive water falls at the end. eat lunch at Betty's Too the tiny town diner with great home cooking.

- drive over to Boehm Orchards - pick apples, walk the long rows, enjoy the views. Pick up cider, donuts and apples for the morning.

- have a heavenly dinner of home cooked German food at the wonderful old Bavarian Manor on Roundtop mountain. leave early to enjoy the drive and have a drink in the bar.

- the next day drive over to Olana, tour the house, hike the trials and take in the amazing endless views

- stop at a bunch of great farm stands

- take the Taconic Pky home and enjoy the beautiful Berkshire scenery (it's like a ride in the country and BAM you're in the Bronx)

How to Swing part 2
if you know someone in a swing state call them! if you have friends who know people in swing states ask them to make calls.

friends and readers keep emailing us that they've swung people over. WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!. getting your parents to see the light, or contacting friends and letting them know how important their state is has been working for many. keep the efforts going and spread the word! every vote is important, if you can convince just one person in one of these states to vote for Kerry you will have made a significant contribution to the future of this country.

the "Big Three": Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. other top states on the line: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The Swing States explained - provides detailed info including the electoral votes at stake, and the margin of victory in 2000 and maps.

General Election Cattle Call, October 19 "Kerry has taken the lead according to every single electoral vote predictor that is updated daily" (from the Swing State Project)

SUSA polls FL, PA, and NC from Daily Kos

better in the burbs
growing up in NYC we always spent Halloween at our cousins in the burbs, trick or treating just doesn't cut it in the city.

fug me hard
some snipets from Go Fug Yourself, the funniest fugging site ever. snarky to the highest power. can't wait to get to it in the morning...

My Best Fug's Wedding
"There's "aging badly," and then there's Rupert Everett"

Selma Fug
"What is with the hairline? Sweet fancy Moses, it's eating her face!"

If You Want My Body, And You Think I'm Fugly
"Rod Stewart mistakenly believes that the Royal National Institute for the Blind Gala is going to be attended only by the blind, and, thus, wears his bathrobe as an overcoat"

Legends of the Fug
"Julia Ormond thanks you all for your support of her acting career, but her decision is final: She will pursue her dream of becoming a synchronized swimmer"

high in the heavens

the many faces of Budders
we love the way Buddy fans are writing in and sizing him up perfectly. from Daisy's mom... "He is the *cutest* thing -- but obviously no wimp"

tripping over Verizon's waste
every year Verizon drops off 2-3 times the number of "SuperPages" (yellow pages) that our building needs. the amount we need is obvious, the mail boxes are right above where they drop the load. on top of that, only about 1/4 of the tenants even bother to take one. so 26 MASSIVE, UNWANTED "SuperPages" have sat in the tiny lobby of our building for over a week.

why does Verizon produce millions of these huge books, and then ship the heavy weight/bulk to millions of people, only to have them go unopened and disposed of... because their advertising prices are based on the insanely huge number of directories distributed (112 million).

in another week, our super will drag it all to the curb and the city will haul it away (which we pay for.) it's such an incredible amount of waste (both in the production and disposal on these unused and unwanted blocks that flood the city). a floor of SuperPage debris can be seen in every lobby in our hood. and that's small buildings with 8-12 units, it's hard to imagine the mountains of waste there must be at buildings with 100's or 1000's of residents.

unexpected
the weather forecast said rain, so it was a lovely surprise to see the sky on fire at sunrise...

At least she's not gay
some fucking brilliant shit from those crazy kidz at Sony. we'll let the email from our AWESOME FRIEND WITH THE BEST SCOOPS EVER (who shall remain nameless) speak for itself...

"This was hanging up by the elevators at my office. Leave it to one of my art directors to be so genius" - a collaborative effort from sony music creative services...

Times Square Anti-War Sign
the headline is a little tribute to the cool story and photo on Gothamist today. one of the things we love about the Gothamist is those moments it feels like they're feelin the same city we are...

snapped this excellent billboard smack in the center of Times Square on 42nd and Bway this morn. (hope it stays up longer than Christina Aguilera's Declare Yourself billboard)

tickle me Buddy

king of all parms
as cold weather comes around, we start craving warm, homey food, and there's nothing like a great chicken parmigiani sandwich...

one of the best in NY can be found at Lazzara's, on W 38th St. Lazzara's has been around for about 20 years, and is a midtown gem and oasis for inexpensive and delicious food. but it's their Chicken Parm that's truly king! made on wonderful fresh Italian semolina bread, amazing homemade sauce, quality mozzarella, and 2 huge chicken breasts. served piping hot and oozing cheesy tomato goodness - a massive sandwich for just $7, and one of the tastiest chicken parms around!

smashing linkage
a little old, but no mold...

- MONOBROW! (via)

- "Sharon Osbourne Still Not Dead "Gawker's killer headline on Ledge of Liberty's great story (have no fear, Sharon's still kicking)

- "What could possibly have happened to Princess Stephanie? Her face appears to be made entirely of beef jerky"

- "Coolest looking class picture of the decade for sure"

- Britney's juicy wedgie

- "Man of Leisure, King George"

*yo, we're headed out to Vegas with about 20 other crazy tattoo'd motherfuckers to drink, gamble, get lap dances and party 'till all hours and, oh yeah, watch our friends get married. got some fun stuff stacked that will be publishing automatically over the week so stay tuned, and see ya next Monday!

stop staring
there he goes again with the staring at us. if he wasn't so cute, it might be creepy.

Britney Spears: cheap = creep
while we're waiting for Brit and Kev to do it, here's a slamming story about wild child Brit getting a tattoo on St. Marks Place last year...

last summer (end of June) our boy Eric comes over and drops this bomb "I um, tattooed Britney Spears yesterday" - to which we reply "shut the fuck up" and pound him for the dirty details...

Britney Spears and a friend are shopping at Rags-A-Go-Go on 14th Street. Brit tells the owner, Susan, they want to get tattoos and asks her where to go. she sends them over to Eric working at Medusa on St Marks Place.

Eric has only the vaguest idea of what Britney Spears looks like, so when these 2 hot underdressed girls walk in and start fast-talking about what to get, he pretty much treats them like tarts and shows them some books to look through. Brit eventually (and spontaneously) decides on the Chinese character for "freedom" and asks Eric to draw a vine and butterfly to go around it.

throughout the tattoo Britney: chain smokes Marlboro Menthols, talks about sex, swears frequently and loudly (Eric says she "talks like a slut"), rocks out to ACDC, and lets her nipples fallout (and stay out) of her shirt (check out her barely-there shirt in the pic.)

we kinda loved her for all of that, until he sprang the ending on us - after she pays the cashier the $80 for the tattoo, she runs out with NO TIP! (it's standard to tip the tattoo artist, and this wasn't her first tat.) come on Brit, we love that slutty-trash style you're rockin, but CHEAP = CREEP! it might be cool to look like a low-life but it's never cool to act like one.

off the net... "Star magazine was the first to reveal that Britney Spears got a new tattoo on her foot. Britney explain that the tattoo "hurt extremely". The tattoo was described as "butterfly winging its way off a vine." Britney said, "It means free - I'm free like a butterfly." (via)

(photo is copyright CityRag.com)

come and meet those dancing police
here we go again! last June CityRag began reporting on weekly Times Square drills conducted by the NYPD. this morning, for a second week in a row, we were greeted by an infinite row of cop cars and flashing lights on 42nd between 7th and 8th Aves...

complete with riot gear armed cops in front of The Lion King, sporting scowling faces and the "just a drill" line...

here's a complete run-down of our coverage of NYPD's Times Square drills over the last 4 months

Nov 2 - we're in it to win it

What economic recovery?
"The latest job figures show that Bush has bungled the economy as badly as he has Iraq."

Economic Troubles: From Elevated to High
By Howard Dean
"Despite the president's claim that his tax cuts increased consumer spending, we now know that a big chunk of the money went to people who make over $1 million per year. That does not help consumer spending, because it has no effect on consumers who already had enough money to buy what they wanted anyway."

Expert: Bush is Disaster
"It has been one of the worst performances of an economic administration ever." "On everything from tax policy, to rising health-care costs, to economic stimulus, Kerry would make it better and Bush would make it worse"

Scorched-Earth Strategy
"After a terrible week for his campaign, Bush has one agenda between now and Election Day: attack Kerry"

Terror Fears Only Card Bush Has To Play
"Cheney Still Bluffing On Iraq, 9/11 Connection"

Cheney's poor grasp on reality

November 2 PSA

hip-hop confidential
last spring several sources broke the story that a secret "Hiphop Task Force" exists inside the NYPD. this week The Smoking Gun published 24 crazy pages of "MUGSHOT PROFILES" the unit put together...

NYPD's Secret Hip-Hop Dossier
"Cops covertly monitor rappers like P Diddy, 50 Cent, Jay-Z"

when you look past the profiling and bad scans, there's some pretty interesting info provided on many of today's top rap artists, including ages (birthdates), arrest details, real names and home addresses.

night rider
we never get tired of taking drive-by shots of NYC's bridges. the GWB is a favorite...

how to win friends in business
wanna make everyone in your office's day for $36?... pick up 2 dozen assorted cupcakes at Sugar Sweet Sunshine bakery on you way to work...

Buddy the badass
passed out on top of the mess he made tearing his toy's guts out...

Bobs against Bush
this is Bob. we met him on the subway. the cool pin on his hat says "Books not Bombs". Bob served with great honor in WW2 in the 83rd Infantry Division. Bob says Bush has no honor. Bob says Bush is a coward and is not the right man to lead this country. Bob's voting for Kerry.

up close
and kissable... Buddy says hi

photo finish
Photo Friday, a site we previously profiled, has a cool challenge today called "2 by 4" (more info below on the rules) here's our submission...

"the "2 by 4" Extra Challenge: Start outside your location (could be your home, school, workplace - it's up to you.) Travel two units straight in one direction. Turn to your right and travel 4 units. Wherever you are, your mission is to creatively interpret your surroundings. Bring back and post photographic evidence to your website"

we started in our office (waited until it got dark out), walked out 2 cubes and then turned right and went 4 cubes over. ended up at a window over looking 42nd St and capured the Friday night street life below.

secret LES grocery store
les grocery options have always been weak (travel down to the Pathmark at the end of Allen or over to Key Food on Ave A.) the arrival of Fresh Direct is good, but with the rising prices gentrification has brought to the local delis, where can you go to grab those things you need quickly mid-week?... and not have to pay $4.99 for a carton of orange juice or pack of toilet paper?!... Food Corp! the awesome down and dirty Chinese grocery on Ludlow between Rivington and Delancey...

this place looks like a small deli from the outside, but once you step inside it's another story. bigger than it looks, and the shelves are packed with all kinds of essentials at bargain prices! loads food from cookies to soup, paper goods and toiletries. a 64 oz container of Tropicana OJ for $2.99 (or 2 for $5) pack of TP for $1.99, 4 cans of soup for $3, all kinds of great bargains. they also have some nice Chinese sauces and seasoning. and they are open late! it's a cool place to have close and handy.

(little shout-out to our friends Spike and Kelly who tipped us off to this place a while back. Spike is an amazing singer/songwriter and is currently touring Australia, if any of our friends down-under wanna check him out!)

midnight walk in the LES
sampling of a late night walk with Buddy thru our hood...
- check out some naked people doin yoga through the Bikram windows

- hey there's a new Kebab place on Rivington and Orchard. $5.95 for a falafel? fugeddaboutit!
- Essex St Market looks eerily peaceful in the street lights at night

- Arlene's Grocery and Rosario's pizza are jumping at this hour

- read some new flyers (this sign says the NY Marble Cemetery is having a free open house this Sat and Sun from 10-4. a cool October weekend thing to do, absorb local history, take some pics and check out the old tombs)
- grab a pint

home again home again diggity-dog

scene stealers
jumped on our favorite V-Lounge this morning

and were snapping some photos of the deserted train, when we noticed something vaguely familiar about the Kenneth Cole "Reactionaries" ad campaign splattered across the car. although not as edgy, there's an eerie similarity to the PolaroidScene's website...

and insult to injury, it seems the PolaroidScene.com got some bullshit cease and desist letter (we can't get the main page to load today, but check there for the full scoop)

the NYPD fucked up
big score for the people who were arrested protesting the RNC and all around human rights today! Charges Against RNC Protesters Tossed Out (Gothamist)

the crazy thing is the NYPD practiced their protest maneuvers for months before the RNC. here's more of our coverage of the Times Square and New York security drills - June 23, July 1, July 16 pt. 1, July 16 pt. 2

we were one of the first sources to break info and photographs on the "surges" appearing out of no where prior to the convention. the New York Times agreed and picked up on it several weeks after us.

and check this out... TODAY as we were arrived at our office this morning on (planning to write this), we see this (below) on 42nd St between 7th and 8th Aves!...

we approached a couple of the cops and asked what's up? and were told "it's not terror related, we're trying to scare a certain element out of town" - looks like more anti-Bush protests are coming! (or the pre-election escalation of "terror scares" has begun.)

not happy
in the shot below Buddy may look happy, but he's actually sittiing in the window of his vets office freaking out.

November 2 - choose or loose
check out the compelling and moving PSA - "November 2", filmed and directed by our friend Baldomero Fernandez (it won the MTV Choose or Loose PSA Contest.)

people are listening, caring and acting...

Bush Lead Over Kerry Narrows in New Polls
"A USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll of likely voters taken over the weekend found Bush's eight-point lead over Kerry in a Sept. 26 poll had evaporated and both candidates would get 49 percent of the vote if the election were held today."

Flood of new voters in the swing states
"The surge in registration reflects multimillion-dollar efforts on the part of both parties and their allies to find new voters"

Stern gets Sirius about radio
at 8:30 this morning NY radio icon Howard Stern announced he's inked a 5 year deal with Sirius Satellite Radio that will start at the end of his KROCK contract in 15 months. we couldn't miss being the first to run this headline. and Sirius stock blows up in 5, 4, 3, 2...

open ride
the Burton World Tour hit NY this week. bringing with it tonight's grand opening of the amazing Rides of Passage exhibit, featuring 120 Burton Snowboards painted by some of the world's best tattoo artists.

crash tonight's opening party at 7:00 pm, or get your free thrill on and check out this brilliant exhibit anytime over the next 3 days here...
Milk Studios, 450 W. 15th Street @ 10th, NYC
Oct 7th, 8th and 9th, from 11:00-6:00

Orchard St undies
we were talking to a friend the other day who, like us, grew up around NYC and remembers trips to Orchard St for stocking up on underwear. the reminiscing gave us a pang to snap some of those great old shops before, LES yuppification wipes them out. it's shocking how much is gone. there's only a small handfull of stores and signs left of the Orchard St we remember from years ago...

not much online about Orchard Street's history. the Lower East Side Business Improvement District website has some good info and old photos. and the Lower East Side Tenement Museum is packed with LES history. and the museum's a cool place to visit, and especially fun when combined with your own Lower East Side Food Tour!

my gay wedding
we did not call it our wedding. it was our 10 Year Anniversary Party, dammit! but our hilarious friends knowing our feelings that "you straight people can keep your dam weddings" took great pleasure torturing us by calling it our "wedding", and still refer to it as such 8 years later.

so our gay wedding went like this...
picnic Luau, over 120 people, old stone hunting lodge in Westchester (with 100 private acres, and a pond), friends and family flying in from all over the country, festive Hawaiian fashions, badminton, swimming, drinking, feasting, champagne toasts, uncle Nick driving in with his homemade rotisserie from Michigan and slow smoking 24 whole chickens, friends who formed our "wedding band" playing everything from Let's Stay Together to Magnet and Steel, a beautiful "wedding cake" with a layer made with pot that both our Mother's tried (knowingly!), mushrooms, bonfire, karaoke, fireworks, 'smores, more feasting, sunrise.

also, at the party, we both got OM tattoos over our heart. our own version of the wedding ring exchange, symbolism thing. we held hands as both tattoos were done at the same time (by 2 of our good friends Andrea and Michelle.) and we're planning on somehow topping this for our 20th anniversary in 2006! (political side-note: after 18 years together, and paying buckets of taxes, can we get some rights here)

ending this on a tattoo note, Andrea and Michelle both have their own tattoo shops (lets hear it for the grrlz!) and their websites are gorgeous! check the incredibly rich and detailed tattoo photos (and excellent website design) at Michelle’s site for Dare Devil Tattoo, and the beautiful photos and cool information on tattoos at the site for Andrea’s Lone Wolf Tattoo

(poor quality of pics due to "ghetto scanning" = taking digital pics of old analog photos)

not another Monday
Buddy's pulls out some persuasive looks trying to convince us to stay home this morning...

peaceful and illegal
city rag smoke-ins

on the job
Buddy's off to his weekend job: being a dog

it's apple pickin' season
over the last couple weeks pick-your-own-apples mania has been hitting areas all around the city. and you won't here us complaining, what's not to love about picking apples on a clear fall day in the beautiful orchards of an old farm (and grabbing a big supply of fresh hard apples in all varieties at .29 cents a pound)

one of our all-time favorite farms is Boehm Orchards in Climax, NY. a huge old family run farm, surrounded by rural beauty; the orchard is incredible, long winding rows with striking views of the mountains in the distance.

each row is clearly labeled and they have a huge variety (last visit we were able to grab the last of the peach pickin crop.) they even make their own pies right there in the farm kitchen, with the freshest apples and a perfect crust. about the best apple pie we've ever had!

Manhattan Users Guide just published an info filled "Apples" edition. and the Chowhound Tristate board is an excellent source for finding orchards around the city. you can do a search or post a request for recommendations. here's some old posts...Where can I go apple picking in NJ?, Farmer's Markets - Apple Picking

friday links

this weeks laugh-every-time-you-see-it photo, on our new fave site Verbose Coma (via NewYorkish)

wanna know where to stalk, see or eat with celebrities in New York City... Gawker Stalker kicks-ass each week in rounding up the latest NY celebrity spotting

KDunk's hilarious "What Your Cube Says About You" is a cathartic rant for all of us that work in shitty cubed out offices.

more breaking Lesbian news - Simpson sister is a lesbian (from Unca Grambs)

we love a good burger, and New York's got a ton a great spots - on the Manhattan Chowhound board this week there were 2 HUGE burger posts discussing which is NY's best.