cityrag

Last Meal at HoJo's
the closing of the Howard Johnson's in Times Square has been in the news. according to the employees, there's no set close date yet, but we headed over grab one last meal with some friends in case it happens fast...

and it was great. same classic bright orange interior, moldy smell, slow service, and totally empty at lunch time. the food was actually really good. Clam strips were super crispy, chewy but still tender and a nice tangy flavor, with the classic Hojo's parker rolls, fresh cole slaw, great fries and a yummy chocolate malt on the side. a friend's western omelet was huge, fresh and tasty. just like we remembered (like lots of old school NY clubbers, we've hit Hojo's many times over the last 20 years.) the prices are ridiculous, total Times Square tourist rip off ($17.95 for the clam platter and $6 for the shake.) still all in all it was a fine lunch. gotta hit happy hour one more time before close.
Chef Can't Imagine Times Square without Fried Clams
Goodbye Cheap Cocktails No Mo Hojo in Times Square

newyorkish
Kim's Video employee's busted for counterfeiting CD's
NY's 100 best and most inexpensive restaurants
Taking urban street biking to the track
Showering in the Bryant Park fountain
Since I've been living in NYC...
Brazilian Beat Brooklyn
From the street
NewYorkology

Winston has a website!
Winston, the cutest cat in the world has a webpage... and it's fucking HILARIOUS!! go there now, read his great story and laugh your ass off!...

and while you're at it check out the new site FourFour. hot off the press with lots of cool stuff including an a bucket load of awesome MP3's you can snag and some great shots of Lady Kier spinning at Luke and Leroy's We Care a Lot party last Friday.

city ball
summer B-Ball in full effect at Sara Delano Roosevelt Park in the Lower East Side...

We are the Starbucks Children
Has anyone calculated the amount of free advertising Starbucks is getting from all the photos that make the rounds of today's hottest A-List celebrities holding tight to their cups?...

It has to be over a 100 million bucks - they're getting both free endorsements from the most expensive stars AND free placement as the photos make the rounds in the thousands of media outlets, from TV to magazines to websites. We spent a short time collecting photos from the past few months, and found more than we could possibly post... Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, Mary-Kate Olsen, Drew and Fabrizio, Jessica and Nick, Nicole and her DJ, Pamela Anderson, Macaulay, Jessica Alba, Renee Zellweger, Madonna!

It is possible they're paying for the exposure, but couldn't find any "official" endorsements, and it seems unlikely (just in terms of the tremendous money it would cost to get all these top stars.)

There's almost a cult thing going on as Britney Spears rushes into strip malls to get her fix and Mary-Kate Olsen clutches cups to her breast as if they were the sweet nectar of happiness. There's often Starbucks signage in the background. And we like Madonna's strategic placement of her cup at her side and in front of her at children's book readings. and the subliminally seduced is working!, these days when we see a picture of Brit we think "ummmmm Starbuuucks". WE ARE THE STARBUCKS CHILDREN!

Update: a website devoted to Starbucks Gossip asks "Which celebrities have you spotted in your Starbucks store?"
And here's a photo that may prove Britney is working for Starbucks!

the architecture of São Paulo
through the beautiful photography of Thomas Lock Hobbs we're falling in love with the amazing architecture of São Paulo Brazil

Oscar Niemeyer's Parque Ibirapuera
Downtown São Paulo
Post Modernism without the Irony
Paulista Skyline

caught
...making a face behind our back

Yoshimi Instrumental
some awesome MP3's up for grabs on Bedazzled!... "The Flaming Lips- Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Instrumental). That's right, the entire LP stack-o-tracks style. For a limited time only." truly wonderful, download 'em while you can!