An evening of New Yorkers and their hair.

Stemming from the pod cast recommendation of a friend, I attended a Moth StorySLAM last night. The storytelling evening was hosted at the Nuyorican Poets Café on East 3rd Street in the East Village; a gem of a venue tucked away between avenues B and C.

A Moth StorySLAM is centered on a general topic and provides ten people the chance to tell their theme-related stories. Names are pulled out of a hat and the lucky winners get five minutes to entertain the crowd. Three panels of judges (I’m still confused as to how they’re selected) rate each storyteller and the winner moves on to a future GrandSLAM, which are the source for many of the pod casts. In between the stories and score tallying a hysterically sharp hostess kept the crowd full of laughs and drinking into the night.

Hair was tonight’s theme, and there was certainly no shortage of compelling storytellers. A Louisianan recounted his successful yard sale bargaining for a chest of wigs. A young woman with daddy issues fell for her bald rock climbing partner. There were tales of waxing gone bad and breaking up with and moving on from a childhood 1950’s-style barber. The storytellers brought their experiences alive (or not so much) with vividly entertaining recounts of times won and lost, all for the sake of hair. Negative points for the hipster how dissed the Astor Hair shop I devotedly frequent.

It was my first Moth evening but certainly not my last. If you’re in NYC or plan to be in the near future I highly recommend sitting in one evening. It was fantastic entertainment in the simplest, purest sense of the idea.

Okay, GM - game over.

Announced this morning was General Motors' surprising $6 billion quarterly loss. Why was it surprising? Because analysts predicted a loss of $6.7 billion. Almost a billion dollars better than expectations! Go team!!!

Global sales - down 40% for the quarter. Money borrowed from American tax payers - $15.4 billion. Requesting more - $11.6 billion more. Give me a break.

Stay tuned to the news today because the EXCITING stress tests will be released just in time for the market to tumble faster than kindergartners in gym class.

TGTheDayIsOver - daily edition.

Daily picks from today's reading.

Penn State apparently learned its basketball lesson from last season, adding a team with an RPI less than 1,386 to next year's schedule. [penn live]

Tortoises really are smart if they can survive in the Bronx. [Gothamist]

PSU students in need of beer money will need to find a new way to generate capital this fall. [Daily Collegian]

I would support this being passed by Congress. [Dealbreaker]

This cannot possibly end well for NYPD. [NY1]

Daily dose of Hump Day goodness.

TGIFriday's switching to $5 sammys and salads. The good news? They're full portions. The bad news? It's TGIFriday's. [USAT via Grub Street]

I might be one of two New Yorkers that doesn't love Porchetta's pork sandwich. [Midtown Lunch]

Quite possibly the coolest subway read of the year. [Pentagram via Curbed]

Daily readings from inside the cube.

Apparently the Yankees accountant thinks $1,250 is the recession-friendly value of the new stadium's best seats. [NYP]

This swine flu just won't go away. [Gothamist]

The music industry wins a $7,000 music piracy lawsuit, loses money on lawyer fees. [NYT]

Celeb Twitter approval matrix. [NYMag]

Only in Staten Island. [Gothamist]

Cheers to the hump being here.

Almost Totally Famous!

It might have taken weeks, but the quote I posted here finally got published on Overheard in New York. Official quotage here.

Bam. Little kid roasted.

Links

Five restaurants opening this week, four of them in the East Village. [Grub]

With the exception of vacant luxury condos, this is going to be AWESOME. [Curbed]

Water jugs keeping One Madison from tipping over? No thanks. [NYTimes]

I understand that the economy is in the toilet, but do you really want to live in one too? [Curbed]

Finally, this is why white guys shouldn't dunk the rock.

Hey State Farm, how should she shake it??

Pay attention at the 42-45 mark. Whoopsie.

Daily check, please.

Saw this yesterday but couldn't find the link when it came time to post. [Huffington Post]

Well, at least someone is hiring. [Dealbreaker]

This dude better land a gig. [NYMag]



Have a good weekend everyone. Look for more posts this weekend.

Daily linkage.

In an attempt to write more, I'm stealing CJN's thunder. I will start posting daily even that means a list of links (like tonight!).

How do you follow up the Greatest Depression and the Downturnaround? With a Richhunt, of course! [Daily Intel]

This would have been downright awful. {Vanshnookenraggen via SecondAveSagas]

Don't listen to your mother.

Walking up Avenue A on Sunday, I passed a little boy out for a scooter ride with his dad. The following conversation took place as the afternoon rain shower commenced:

Son: But daddy, the rain is all wetttttt.
Dad: Rain? You're three years old. You don't even know what rain is.

Too good not to share.

The Best of (My) New York

Unlike my recent steadfast devotion to my other blog, I admit that this one has taken a bit of a backseat and never took off like I hoped. Heavy on the possibilities, I haven’t found time to write much. All that is changing.

New York Magazine’s most recent double issue spelled out their choices for “best of” for 2009. The brilliantly-talented and always witty writers of NY Mag’s Daily Intel blog followed up with a reader’s poll. Like any subjective argument, some of the answers I agree with and some are just simply baffling. To counter the magazine’s readership, I give you my Best of New York list. Remember – I haven’t been everywhere, so do not be offended by this list if you think some staples are missing. I very rarely leave the East Village. Is that fair? Probably not but this is my list, not yours. Leave your comments below.

Because I need to be productive at work, I’m going to break up my responses over the course of a few days. Today’s categories – Best Pizza, Out-of-Towner Showcase, and Bagel.

Best Pizza

Nino’s - A certain friend will definitely balk at this one, as he has tried for months to get me trek to Brooklyn’s Di Fara, but let me explain. When I want pizza, I’m more times than not under the influence of Yeungling. Nino’s is cheap, close by, always open. An additional point for serving the most massive lamb gyro this side of the Atlantic.

Crocodile Lounge – Technically this pizza is drunk crap food and served to one of NYC’s most eclectic crowd of bar goers, but in Recession 2009, this free personal pizza (toppings are a few bucks extra) earns consideration. Tip the pizza makers and you’re suddenly next in line. Photobooth is $3 extra.

Artichoke – The new 14th Street hotspot needs no introduction – heavenly artichoke/spinach dip on a thicker-than-usual-by-NY standards pie is a devine combination. The secret to success (and beating the ridiculous line) is to order a whole pie for pick up. Coming in around $26 for the pie might seem like a rip, but consider you're typically shelling out $4 a slice. You’ll never wait in line by yourself again. No guarantees that the commoners in line remain peaceful when you swoop in for your private pie, though.



Best Place to Take an Out-of-Town Guest

The Hudson River – Usually a day of sightseeing involves walking amongst the granite and steel towers of midtown, however it is refreshing for visitors to see more than the Empires and Chryslers of the city skyline. People watching opportunities abound, as do the off-shoots of possibilities of things to do. Watch the trapeze classes, dart into a watering hole, or pay your respects at the World Trade Center. Even better, hit up a bodega, buy some 40’s, and make a toast to The Man. The soon-to-be completed High Line Park will provide an additional photo opp, not to mention sick examples of “When Luxury Real Estate Goes Bad, NYC Style.”

Brooklyn Bridge – Another money conscious spot, the bridge provides awesome views, good exercise, and great conversation. Plus if you reach the other side, technically you’ve been to Brooklyn, right?

Brunch – This one will cost a few bucks, but few things scream “weekend in New York” more so than doing brunch. It is neither breakfast nor lunch, so don't bother calling it either. Put on your Sunday best, pull up a chair at a tiny village café, and enjoy your company. The eggs are actually good, the coffee strong, and hopefully the alcohol is flowing. Don’t feel rushed – it’s the one meal of the week that is relaxing because there are typically no other plans for the day. Brunch is the plan. Every New Yorker has their favorite local establishments; mine earn a future category all to themselves.


Best Bagel

David’s Bagels - Sorry, NYMag writers and readers – you effed this one up. David’s Bagels is hands down the best damn bagel in the city of bagels. Maybe it’s the water, maybe it’s the dirty counter, but their bagels are the perfect combination of what makes a bagel a bagel (take notes, Pepperidge Farms) – hard crust, dense but chewy interior, served hot with three times the necessary topping. It’s a shame that over-inflated rents forced their 1st Ave/14th Street location to close a few months ago, but they live on at 1st Ave and 19th Street. Normally I would shutter at the idea of spending $3.25 on a bagel when the corner cart sells the same for $1.25, but there’s no comparison. My newly discovered go-to combination – sesame with garlic & chive cream cheese. It’s a combination not safe for close conversation but otherwise delicious.

Ess-A-Bagel – honorable mention for their convenient midtown location. They’re good bagels. Added points for being a decent hangover cure.

Agree? Disagree? Leave your comments. Next up – Best Brunch, Best Street Meat, and Best Way to Blow Your Money.

E train shiny and new, still a gate to hell.

Standing at the downtown E/V stop at 53^rd and Lexington, I saw a strange glow rising in the tunnel inbound from Queens. Hoping for the trademark rusty car with round blue E to show its face, I was confused when a red blur came into focus. Could it be? Brand new cars on the E train! At first I thought it was a new N train that got lost somewhere along the way but I stand corrected.

Typical modernized train. Nothing different that what’s running on the N line now, but infinitely better than the used and abused trains from the 70's. I snapped a quick picture with my CrackBerry to prove that it was not a figment of my imagination.

Realize that new trains do not change the fact that the E line is still the Devil’s commute.

The only 9-5 I know equals 4.

Welcome bored white collars of the blogging underworld. This is the virtual home of my thoughts, findings, rants, and everything else that comes my way throughout the day (or night). Don't expect anything grand and you will hopefully enjoy what comes along. Also, do not be surprised if the meatier postings happen post-8pm during the week. Pomegranate martinis might be the new black, but 8pm is the new 5.

Please by all means, leave some feedback. Good, bad, ugly, and even morning-after-"I hope she left yet oooooo crap she didn't"-ugly is acceptable. I'm here trying to get through the day - hopefully this place will help you do the same.

Late night readings, courtesy of my ever-mounting Google Reader subscriptions:

• My home state is the new New York. Well, not quite. There will never be a new New York. There will never be another New York. But if you're going to try to make the comparisons, what better way to do so than using Atlantic City, Newark, and Jersey City?
• Yes, the Giants lost to the Eagles. Yes, Eli looked like the Eli of old, the offensive play calling was more predictable than an episode of the Hills, and the o-line was flat (among other things). Yes the Giants lost it more than the Eagles won it. Moving on.
  
• Bobby Flay vs. the Dessert Truck. The Dessert Truck is infamous around town, conveniently parking outside my office in midtown during the day and moving to my neighborhood in the evening. Airing this Wednesday on the Food Network, this should be a good one. They are an inventive bunch, as typically is Flay (carrot sticks and flavored dipping sauce with chicken wings? Are you kidding?). Hopefully the dishes' creators are not obvious to the judges.
  

Tomorrow is terrible Tuesday. Good luck to everyone as the week grinds into full gear.