TV Party Tonight

New York City is the capital of anything goes, so when it comes to unusual behavior there isn't much that is off limits. You don't see this happen very often, but don't be surprised if you see a guy wearing earphones (better to block out the street noises) who finds a clean lamp post on 57th Street across from Bergdorf Goodman, opens it up to hack into the electricity, plugs in a old school full size television set and sets up a chair Archie Bunker style right on the sidewalk at 10PM. It's unlikely anyone will bother you, so cozy up next to a telephone booth and you can watch all your favorite shows in relative comfort. The fall weather in the city has been exceptionally nice so bust out the wide screen and get out on the street.

Weiners and Losers

Embattled former mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner appeared at Connolly's Pub in New York City to concede the Democratic Primary on Tuesday evening. It's clear he came in a dismal fifth place because he couldn't overcome his recent scandalous activities and capture the interests of New Yorkers. His online paramour, Sydney Leathers, was rumored to be waiting outside the pub on 47th Street in midtown to greet him, but I didn't see any sign of her. He is in the middle of a large group of reporters as he leaves the bar right after giving his concession speech to an obviously disappointed group of animated supporters.

Snake Charmers

It's only once a year, but it is one of those events that is always sure to create some sort of chaos or at least a lot of loud noise all day long in Midtown. I'm talking about the Puerto Rican Day Parade. The yearly parade is a huge source of pride for the island, one of only six inhabited unincorporated territories of the United States. In case you were wondering, the others are American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Wake Island. I've never heard of Wake Island and neither have you unless you play the game Battlefield.

Invariably, at one of these large parades rolling down 5th Avenue, you will find a couple of what I call "the snake charmers." These are always virile young men who think it is exceptionally cool to walk around with a slithering legless reptile strapped around their neck. I am not entirely sure, but there must be a group of women who find this really appealing. To the people that aren't repulsed by these creatures (the snakes, not the young men), they are endlessly fascinating. I'm not sure it's healthy to bring your snake to a loud outdoor event, but since most people think snakes are deaf anyway, I'm sure it doesn't matter much to these snake charmers.

A Sunny Day For Cameron Diaz

Did you ever notice that the sun always falls just right on Cameron Diaz? Spotted on 41st Street and 5th Avenue at 3PM today.

Christmas in Midtown

There are an enormous number of hotels in Midtown, but if someone else is paying or you are splurging on a nice place then The Peninsula Hotel is as nice as any. It's located steps away from 5th Avenue and has a great luxury breakfast place on the 2nd floor that's expensive, but perfect for a business meeting. There's also a great bar on the rooftop. They did an excellent job on the Christmas decorations this year.

Cartier Christmas

The high-end jewelry store Cartier has an fairly incredible location at 52nd Street and 5th Avenue right in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Every year at Christmas they cover the building with some type of enormous ribbon or beautiful lighting, but this year alongside the usual lights they added their signature panther high up on the upper floors.

I find it sort of confusing though because Cartier has the trademark on "Panther" and they have a Panthère jewelry brand, but some people say it's not really a panther at all, but is actually a leopard. You'll see what I mean when you look at this commercial. Isn't that a leopard? I have no clue and I suppose it doesn't matter either way. Their classic men's timepiece is the Tank watch so I assume it looks a lot nicer to put a ferocious wild animal in lights on the building than a ferocious military vehicle.

Above The Star

A view down on the Crystal Snowflake on 57th Street from the windows of Bergdorf Goodman. This is a nice view of the Bulgari and Tiffany stores that you don't see very often from this perspective. It's actually the UNICEF Snowflake and was designed by Ingo Maurer and features over 16,000 Baccarat crystals. UNICEF's marketing department does a totally crap job of promoting the snowflake because everyone knows about it cause it hangs in the middle of the city for six to eight weeks every year at the corner of one of the busiest intersections in the world, but no one has any clue that it's put up by UNICEF. Where's Audrey Hepburn when you need her?

A Trip Down 57th Street

Rush hour on November 10, 2010.

Random Midtown Corner

This picture gives you a brief sense of how busy it sometimes gets on the streets of my neighborhood during the middle of the day.

Directly across from the the architectural monstrosity called Trump Tower is the busy NYC location of Abercrombie & Fitch. The worst thing about it, aside from the idiotic line to get in, is that they pump tons of A&F scent into the street and it smells awful. If you are allergic to bad cologne and find yourself in Midtown, steer clear of this corner. You can see Tiffany's and Louis Vuitton in the background. Gucci is across the street too. It's a busy retail location.

I have no idea who the gentleman is who happened to be standing there right at the precise moment I took the photo, but I must have seen his blue jacket and I decided to capture his stoic countenance. So good and serious.

Brushes of Teeth

They always have great displays at Paul Smith. I feel pretty strongly that with your toothbrush it's better to go with quality over style. Don't screw around with oral hygiene.

I'm sticking with a Spinbrush (now curiously owned by Arm & Hammer) or an Oral B because they're the best. But if I was deciding on style alone I'd go with one of these colorful brushes. I should get a few spare ones for the country house or the private jet for guests who forget their toiletries.

St. Patrick's Day Traffic

The traffic department sure knows how to get into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day by towing your car away and charging you a huge fine.

Cracks in the City

Earlier this week the German artist Jan Vormann came to the city and plugged all the cracks up with his wonderfully inventive Lego sculptures. But by the time I got there, someone had taken all the art. (You'll need to click this link to understand what I'm talking about) This was very disappointing. However, now that I think about it, this guy in the picture kind of looks quite suspicious, doesn't he? Is it possible that he could have a small cache of Lego art hidden in his bag there?

(On a side note, thanks to Bess for my lone blog comment yesterday. I was expecting to hear from you after my tale of broken elbows. So no thanks goes out to you comment deadbeats in Hawaii, France, Germany and at the University of Washington. You know who you are!)

Who Likes Chocolate?

It's usually a very good thing when you see a big bold sign in all capital letters reading "CHOCOLATE." Last night, after spending my day going to a few of the art shows, it seems I stumbled upon just what the city needs: an excellent new chocolate shop. It's located on 20th Street just east of 5th Avenue in what some people call the Flatiron area. L.A. Burdick is a relatively new chocolate shop that supposedly offers some of the best hot chocolate in the city. Let's pray for some more cold days in March because I need to get back there to try it out for myself.

5th Avenue Ticket

Just a second, sir. I know it's in here somewhere.

Hot Dogs for Lunch

It's a quick lunch on the go. You aren't a real New Yorker if you haven't mastered the art of eating a hot dog on a crowded sidewalk

Cookie Monster at FAO Schwartz

Everyone likes the Cookie Monster.

Pretzels & Chestnuts

I've never ever had chestnuts on the street before, but they are available at all of the hot dog and pretzel carts in Midtown.

Harry Winston Jewelers

It looks like the luxury jewelry salon Harry Winston needs to give their New York lettering a good polishing.

We Buy Gold - 2

They want your gold. Unfortunately, I don't have any.

We Buy Gold - 1

47th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue is the place to go if you want diamonds, gold jewelry and other shiny objects to wear. Prices are a lot cheaper than Tiffany & Co. that's for sure.