Outside the Beauty Bar, on 14th Street

Photo by myself on 14th Street and Second Avenue, in the East Village.

The Beauty Bar enjoyed popularity back in the day when many bars had different 'themes'. The vintage sign and storefront make a distinctive impression.

Mark and I were surprised this bar was still open, when we walked by, Sunday afternoon. There was a Halloween display in the cool front window. My memories of this place are extremely hazy.

--Apologies for the on-and-off and delayed posts, folks. I'm once again going through a low point with taking photos. Absolutely nothing seems to look good.

Fortunately, I see these periods as more positive rather than negative. These days are not easy, but to me, they are periods of growth. At least, that's what I tell myself.

Anyway, please bear with me. Happy Monday, everyone!

Related posts: Maitre D's, on Broadway, Cheers from the Boat Basin Cafe, on the Upper West Side, and At the Bar, at Old Town.

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Maitre D's, on Broadway

Photo by myself on Broadway and 26th Street.

A little dog and some young ladies welcomed guests to Toshi's Living Room, in the Flatiron District. The little dog looks to be a Schnauzer and belongs to the bar's owner.

Toshi's Living Room features live music almost every night. The day I walked by, a jazz quartet was setting up.

For the bar's website, which includes a list of scheduled events, click here.

Related posts: Bright Lights, at the Beacon Theater, Twinkly Lights, at the Breslin, and What's Playing Around Town and at Home.

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Outside the Blue Note, in the Village

Photo by myself on West 3rd Street and Sixth Avenue, in the Village.

A photo from the stash.

The Blue Note is a club for live jazz that has been open since the early 1980's. Nearly all the world's jazz greats have performed there at some time or other. I have never been inside, but the online reviews seem very good.

These folks must have gone to one the Sunday jazz brunch performances, which are held every Sunday at 12:30 and 2:30. You can just make out that the front canopy is in the shape of a grand piano.

To check out the online schedule of events, check out the Blue Note site, here.

Related posts: Bright Lights, at the Beacon Theater, Twinkly Lights, at the Breslin, and The Royalton, Renovated.

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Bright Lights at the Beacon Theater

Photo by myself around 74th Street and Broadway, on the Upper West Side.

People were hawking tickets outside the Beacon Theater on the Upper West Side, Tuesday night. The group Deep Purple, an English group from the 70s, was scheduled to play.

I've never been to the Beacon, but I know from walking by that they show lots of well-known musicians. A quick glimpse of the schedule shows KD Lang, Peter Frampton and Alicia Keys in the coming weeks.

The Beacon recently renovated its signage to use LED lights. Now the canopy scrolls through different shows in color and the lettering is BRIGHT.

Broadway is very wide in this neighborhood - two lanes of traffic and a bus lane on each side of a wide median strip. Broadway is similar in layout as Park Avenue on the Upper East Side, though the two streets have a very different vibe. Park Avenue is limited to mostly pre-war apartment buildings and there is no illuminated signage.

For a look at the Beacon's schedule, click here.


The new animated LED canopy is easily seen across Broadway.

Related posts: Only in New York, Cluttered Sidewalks in the East Village and Bright Lights at BAM.

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At the Bar, at Old Town

Photo by myself at 18th Street and 5th Avenue, in the Flatiron District.

Old Town is one of the few remaining old bars in New York. It is usually packed every night with business people in the early evenings, and kids in the wee hours.

As you can see of the bar, Old Town is not pretentious. You would never know it's located steps away from trendy restaurants and luxe furnishing stores.

Old Town has been known as a 'writer's bar'. Frank McCourt, Nick Hornby and Seamus Heaney used to come here. Some of their signed photographs are on the wall.

For the Old Town website, which includes their menus and some historic photos, click here.

--
Apologies for the delay in posting. I had a devil of a time figuring out what photo to show today.

I'm writing from Los Angeles, which is beautiful and sunny as usual. Some photos from our stay here, coming soon!

Related posts: Alone with People, on the Lower East Side, Before the Game, in Alphabet City and Over Drinks, in the East Village.

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Cozy Interior on Perry Street, in the West Village

Photo by myself at Perry and Greenwich Streets, in the West Village.

It's a cold and rainy weekend here, in New York.

As an antidote, I'm posting a photo from a walk about the West Village, earlier this month. At Aria Wine Bar, small plates such as salad, prosciutto and meatballs are served alongside tumblers of wine.

Exposed brick, wood rafters and subway tile make the interior rustic and charming. This looks like the perfect place for a romantic date.

This bar does not have a website. As with any restaurant, please check out reviews before visiting.

For reviews on Yelp, click here.
For a review on UrbanDaddy, click here.

--
Note to photographers: since I took this photo a few weeks ago, I could not remember the name of this restaurant. All I knew was that it was on the north side of the street, near Magnolia Bakery.

The word 'cucina' is printed behind the bar, which means 'Kitchen'. So, yeah, I did about 20 searches for 'cucinas' in the West Village. Going through restaurants one-by-one on Google maps solved the mystery...and sent me to the loony bin.

Moral of the story?

Take notes on where you take photos, or at least a shot of a sign as a reminder for later on. Avoid the crazy.

Related posts: Riding in Style, in the Village, Before a Tour, Pedicab Style and Pedaling in Style, on Central Park South.

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Twinkly Lights at The Breslin

Photo by myself at the Breslin Bar, at 29th and Broadway.

The bar at The Breslin is laden with neon, twinkly lights and mirrored reflections.

This area of town is a bit of an in-between zone, just south of the Empire State Building and north of the Flatiron Building. These few blocks are usually deserted, since most of the gift shops and stores close at night.

The Breslin Bar recently opened as part of a complex, along with the The Ace Hotel and John Dory Oyster Bar in the same bulding. They've gotten rave reviews. Suddenly, this area has become a destination. The interiors are evocative of aged British pubs, complete with water-stained ceilings.

Porcine specialties include pig's foot and pork belly. Have a snack of a Scotch egg or caramel popcorn. If you're looking for a meal, the lamb ribs with creme fraiche or duck sausage with fennel sound delicious.


The Dining Room part of the Breslin offers cozy booths and soaring ceilings.

Check out The Breslin's quirky website here.
Read a detailed (rave) review in the Times here.

Related posts: Lure Fish Bar, SoHo, Colorful Eats, at Kelley and Ping, SoHo and The Royalton, Renovated.

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Over Drinks, in the East Village

Photo by myself, somewhere in the East Village.

Two friends exchanged stories in a bar.

I wish I remembered where this was, but it was snapped in a hurry, just as we passed by.

Related posts: Casimir, on Avenue B, On Mulberry Street and Small Packages and The Royalton, Renovated.

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The Rat Pack, on Avenue C

Photo by myself at 8th Street and Avenue C, in Alphabet City.

The roll down door of this small bar is decorated with a mural featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. The word "Loisada" is another name for Avenue C. This area used to be dangerous but now it's very safe.

I've never been to The Summit bar, but from the reviews, it seems quite good.

--
Mark and I got in very late Monday night. Our plane was scheduled to land at 11:00pm but was delayed by 3 hours because of a mechanical issue. Aargh!

I wish I had filmed Rupert's expression when we came home. He twirled around on his hind legs and zipped back and forth about the apartment. Dogs are incredible in how emotional they are.

It's good to be back, though it's chilly here. Brrr!!

Related posts: In Full Color on Houston Street, Street Art, Soho and Art, For Public's Sake.

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It's a Dog's Life, at the Mad. Dog Run

Photo by myself in Madison Square Park, at 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue.

The dog run at Madison Square Park is appropriately named 'Mad Dog.' Here, dogs of all shapes and sizes get their run on.

Above, an eager Jack Russell waits for his owner to toss a tennis ball.

--
New York humans have their parks and fancy gyms. New York dogs, on the other hand, have their dog runs.

Without backyards to romp around in, dogs have to share their outdoor spaces and play nice. Public dog runs usually have separate spaces for big dogs and small ones. Often provided are fresh water and benches for humans.

It's not easy being a NY dog. You have to abide by a tacit set of rules (no humping, no biting, stop play when yelps occur). You have to tolerate traffic and crowded sidewalks. There isn't much grass.

Incidentally, check out the Times for a series called 'The Puppy Diaries', documenting a puppy's first year of life. This week, Scout, a gorgeous labrador retriever, visits New York for the first time. It's a familiar scenario, where an owner wonders whether the city is the right place for a dog.


Above, a Shibu Inu surveys all from his perch.

Related posts: Off Leash, in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Sharing a Moment and Keeping Your Dogs in a Row.

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On What's Playing Around Town and at Home

Photo by myself on Fifth Avenue, around 22nd Street.

Like any good capitalist city, New York takes advantage of available ad space. Any construction site is fair game for posters.

Above, billboards announce The September Issue, a documentary about Vogue Magazine's Anna Wintour, which opened last week. Coming up, the Black Crowes are playing in Central Park on September 2nd. Mark and I are tempted to attend.

--
I haven't posted much about our little family, since there's not much to tell. The summer has zoomed by. Work is much less demanding. I stumble in later, I leave earlier. A luxury.


Much of our time is spent playing with Rupert, who is a whopping one year old. He puts all his energy into playing until he plops over exhausted.

Above, he stands patiently with his rope toy. He is saying, Momma, enough with the photo-op, let's play!

Related posts: Who's Playing, the East Village, A Rupert Update and What's Black and White and Red All Over?.

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Lure Fish Bar, Soho

Photo by myself at Lure, a restaurant on Prince Street in Soho.

This restaurant/bar in Soho is just around the corner from the Prada store.

--
I dined at Lure this week, which was a treat. Their mostly seafood fare and drink never disappoints, and the interiors are an architect's dream. There is an attention to detail evident in the nautically inspired hardware and sumptuous surfaces.

What I love about this place is that it's partially underground. Large round 'porthole' windows reveal the legs of New Yorkers walking by.

I'm not a Sex and the City expert, but I can guarantee the girls dined and drank here. It's swanky and sleek, modern yet warm, and almost always abuzz with energy.

Plus, the food is good!

Incidentally, a photo of mine made it to another blog recently, Tasting Table. Check it out, if you need to find a good spot to eat in New York or LA.


A glimpse into the wood paneled bar. A huge opening provides a view of the sushi bar.

Related posts: Calling All Keepers, Taxi! and Cold Noodles and Hot Shows.

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The Royalton, Renovated

Photo by myself in the lobby of The Royalton, the swanky hotel at 43rd Street and 6th Avenue.

The downstairs bar and restaurant are dramatically lit. The interiors were originally designed by the innovative Phillipe Starck. A complete renovation was done in late 2007.

There are a few Starck-designed hotels that were hip in their day, including The Hudson at 58th Street and Columbus, and The Paramount at 46th and 8th Avenue.

You can check out the original Starck design for the Royalton, before the renovation here. It was strikingly different - modern and quirky, much less homey than it is now.

--
Interiors are changing all the time. I guess people need to feel like they're experiencing new things, even if they're drinking the same drinks and talking with the same people.

These days, the exterior and interior of a building are seen as separate entities. The building exterior stays more or less the same, while the interior changes depending on the tenant, or the decade, or the season.

In architecture school, we are taught to think about the inside and outside of a building at the same time. Exterior and interior were seen as bound up with one another. In architecture school, there was no such thing as an interior designer or even a client. You, the architect, did it all.

How different it is in the real world!

Related posts: On Living in a Petri Dish, It Takes a Village and Architecture, A Glorified Profession.

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What the World Needs Right Now

Photo by myself before the Fuerzabruta show in Union Square.

The audience was bathed in red light before the performance. Music thumped and we were left to look about, chit chat or display affection publicly.

--
Last weekend, Mark and I visited the Boston Terrier puppy we intend to adopt. He is really, really adorable.

He's only a couple months old now, and we'll be bringing him home for good in mid-October. Right now we're facing the name dilemma.

We've been kicking around a lot of options and have narrowed it down to Rupert, Wyatt or Virgil, although other names keep popping up. I prefer more flamboyant names like Enrique, Pepe and Roberto.

We've considered Wendell, Lionel, Ziggy, Brutus and Reggie. There's Amos and Maurice and Newman and Steve. Suggestions welcomed for names!

I love all animals, and have an immense guilt complex about animals out there in shelters or without homes. I hate to single out any one...but this little face is absolutely adorable, no?







With the climate these days both economic and environmental, what the world needs are more puppies and hugs.

(Above puppy photos by Mark).

Related posts: Fuerzabruta, Now Thrilling Union Square, Sharing A Moment, Keeping Your Dogs in a Row, and Our Four-Legged Friends.

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Celebrating Another Week

Photo by myself at Cafe Steinhof, an Austrian restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Mark and I love this place, which serves schnitzel, potato pancakes and sauerbrauten. It has a homey vibe with a long wood bar and special events, like movie night Sundays.

Oh, and did I mention the bar?

--
I'm wondering whether I should post a bar scene every Friday.

It turns out I posted a similar photo in April. I'm not sure which one I prefer.

Mark and I don't frequent many bars. We've become homebodies who stick to a handful of very good, trusty restaurants. If only I were more young at heart and adventuresome!

Here's to the weekend.

Related posts: Chin Chin, Cheers and Reflections Apres Happy Hour.

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Cheers

Photo by myself in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

One of the many bars in Williamsburg. There's an old-timey feel to this place.

--
My Dad has a fantasy of traveling to China and eating at a different restaurant for every meal. He could travel from town to town and could go on forever.

So I bought him the Lonely Planet guide to China a couple Christmases ago. It's enormous, about two inches thick. Of course he hasn't gone yet, and when (and if) he ever goes, the book will be out of date. But it's the thought that counts, right?

In the same way, you could have a drink each night in a different bar in New York and Brooklyn and not run out of places until your liver gave out.

There are sports bars and old timey bars and very, very trendy bars. There are hotel bars and tacky theme bars (airplane interiors, beauty parlors, thatched tiki huts, old railway cars).

There are underground bars without signs. There are wine bars and champagne bars. And on and on.

Related posts: Pub Crawl.

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Lost in Translation

Photo by myself in Koreatown, on 32nd Street and Sixth Avenue.

There is always an assembly of smokers outside this building. Mostly Korean businessmen while away their stress, regardless of the weather.

--
After a long week of quiet dinners and drinks relaxing with Mark, last night we went a little nuts (hence the delayed post).

An old coworker friend was leaving her job, and a group of us went out for drinks, followed by a few hours in a karaoke booth. A couple of martinis, beer and sake later, I was giggling uncontrollably, watching Mark belt out 'Hotel California'.

If you're interested in a surreal, 'Lost in Translation'-like experience, karaoke is the solution. Every city with a strong Korean or Japanese population has these places - small karaoke booths where you can sing and celebrate and embarrass yourself.

Each booth is individually climate controlled. There are unlimited drinks and food. People pay a set fee per hour to have free reign over the karaoke machine. Meanwhile, cheesy dated images of couples and sunsets play on the video screen with subtitles.

In New York, there are some random bars that have Karaoke night, but the individual booths in Koreatown are the real deal. Walking down the hall to the ladies room, hearing the various parties around me, I felt like I was in another land.

Even though the experience was tame, the place felt seedy and transient. Everyone was engaged in pure excess - food, drink, enjoyment.

I'm not sure Mark and I would ever do it again. We'll have to recover from last night first.

Here's the trailer of 'Lost in Translation':

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