8 posts tagged “new york city”
I attended my first Masala Bhangra class today at the New York Sports Club, taught by Sarina Jain, who created the workout. Hmm, I think she looks a bit different from these videos? It was a great class, a very good workout. Typically most NYSC classes are 55 minutes, but this one was only 45 minutes. Yeah, I thought I could handle this one. Well, I almost DIED at the 30 minute mark. Yes I persevered to the end, but I was looking at the gym clock so frequently I really thought the clock was broken because it just wasn't moving! I guess I will give it another try next week, ha ha:) Most people in the class know the routine pretty well, so it's going to take a while for me to catch on.
It's the summer in New York City, so it's that time again when the American Ballet Theatre performs popular productions at the Metropolitan Opera House. Last year I saw Giselle, Manon, and Sylvia with Gillian Murphy, one of my favorites. This year the ones I want to attend are: La Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty, and maybe Cinderella or Swan Lake (w/ Murphy again).
This last saturday I saw La Bayadere with Diana Vishneva and Ethan Stiefel at the lead. It was a great production, lavish sets and costumes, grand choreography, and great performances by the cast. What Gillian Murphy holds in technical prowess, Diana Vishneva has in expressive lyricism. Vishneva is definitely one of the most expressive ballerinas I've ever seen. Last year she did a great job with Manon as well. With Ethan Stiefel, they make a great pair for these ballet tragedies. It's surprising how many ballets there are where the heroine dies in the first act. I always get a bit nervous when Ethan Stiefel does these ballerina lifts and twirls, but since Vishneva is so tiny, they actually look great together.
I seldom attend the more avant-garde performances during the year, since I don't really consider myself a ballet connoisseur. These more *mass market* performances, however, are so great for entertainment on the hot summer afternoons.
New York City seems to have two of everything - opera troupes, baseball teams, and two ballet theatres as well, and both are world class. Besides the ABT, there is also the New York City Ballet, which does wonderful performances.
A couple of years ago when Target rented a cruise ship, named it the Target Boat, stocked it up with goods, and docked it at a Manhattan pier so they can cater to New York holiday shoppers, I thought I had seen it all. But no! This holiday season, the "Only in New York" Award goes to Charmin's Restroom Extravaganza at New York's Time Square. Yes, from November 20th to December 31st, 8am to 11pm daily, next to the Virgin Megastore on Broadway, you can access 20 themed Charmin Bathrooms complete with its own on-line Flush-o-Meter. Free of charge. There is even a waiting room with couches, flat-screen TVs, a fireplace, and a kid's play zone. According to the Associated Press, an estimated 10,800 rolls of (presumably Charmin brand) mega-tissues will be used for this endeavor.
Yeppy.
Ugh, partied till 4am for the past two days. Somebody tell me again why clubbing is fun? We were packed in like sardines, barely able to move, huge fire hazard with people illegally smoking cigaretts and pot, watching drunk scantily clad girls whoring themselves, alcohol spilled everywhere, with strange men stalking you and groping your body parts. I was one lychee martini away from punching people out for feeling me up. I wonder if my friends would have gotten my back if I did. I've never gotten into a drunken fight before but I swear I can shove his nosebone into his brain. I am also now deaf from the music, blind from the stoke lights, and with a sore throat from too much karaoke. I am too old for this shit. Man, the things I do for my friends....
OMG, I have more to say. So we were standing outside of Lotus and a friend of a friend started going off on how he doesn't want to go to a club that's too pretentious. We are in the middle of the Meatpacking DIstrict, its entirety built on the premise of seen and being seen, and you don't want pretentiousness? You are on the wrong part of the island!! Anyways, I tried to console him by adding that I'm not easily impressed, but I don't think he understood me. I am just glad we eventually found a club that everybody liked. I still thought it was pretentious... but isn't what what people go for anyways?
This city never ceases to amaze me. Every once in awhile I would be walking down a random street, looking at the people, the architecture, the shops, and this wonderful feeling of belonging would overcome me. Just the sheer happiness of beinging there, right at that moment.
I had another one of those moments again, but it's really the culmination of everything this week.
This Week I...
I think that's it. The rest of the week was pretty boring, work, dissertation, procrastination, the usual stuff. But beinging here makes it all worthwhile!Walked home via Central Park.
Got farm fresh baby arugula and spinach at my neighborhood farmer's market.
Got served by two hot mini-skirt clad cross-dressers at a Chelsea Thai restaurant.
Enjoyed the Jefferson Market Library.
Attended a lecture by Habermas.
Had crystal baby shrimp dumplings delivered to my office for lunch.
Took a belly-dancing class at my gym.
Had a moment of excitement when a plane crashed into a nearby building. Then took the rest of the day off.
Had cream puffs from Beard Papa's.
Saw a guy wearing nothing but a potato sack (and Italian leather shoes) as a fashion statement.
Attended my first mass ever at a church designed by James Renwick Jr. and chowed down on Soul Food (how totally appropriate!).
Decided I am going to build an herb garden!
Got some Chinese DVDs from Chinatown that turned out to be bootlegs. Had a Beijing subway bootleg raid flashback.
MONDAY:
- OMG this is the reason I cannot chastise my friend for not waking up early. We were suppose to go to Jean Georges again for lunch, and our reservation was first made at 12:45. I woke up AT 12:30 and I just could NOT roll out of bed!!!! Called them to reschedule lunch to 1:45. Went back to bed. Next, woke up at 1:30!!!!! AND I was still having a really hard time getting up. Ugh. I originally wanted to do my friend's make-up, but forget it.... I barely could get any colors on my face.
- While on the Subway we made up this whole story.... we were going to pretend that we had a meeting with our subcontractors and they were just too incompetent!! That's why our meeting went way over time and we were late to the restuarant, ha ha:)
- Good thing Jean Georges was not too busy. They had these folded gardinias in the hallway pond that were very aromatic. Kind of reminded us of the folded lotus flowers at restaurants in Saigon. The food was WONDERFUL as usual. They didn't change their menu from last Friday though.... CHEATERS!!!
- Did Karaoke AGAIN. I think three hours is really pushing our limit.... Okay I'm not going to say more, too embarassing... But my friend has a great voice for rock songs. She should consider it as an alternate profession.
- Went to see Failure to Launch. Okay at first we were going to go see the Hills have Eyes. I have to admit I did not want to see a bunch of hillbillies on my birthday. At least Sarah Jessica Parker had good cruise-worthy clothes. Man, this is not a date movie. It's a pure chick movie. There was like 3 men in the entire theatre. But it was cute. I've always thought Matthew McConaughey is greasy, but he was very charming in this movie. I think it could have been much darker, though. But it had good laughs.
- Had birthday cake at Cafe Mozart. Man, humans really are habitual animals. We tend to do the same thing and go to the same places. But hey it's my BIRTHDAY so I can do whatever I want!! Plus last time we went to Spice Market and Lotus... was it that much more exciting?? Not really.
- Finish my doctorate degree.
- Be at my optimum weight.
- Have a steady and well-paying career that is also fulfilling and interesting.
- Be married.
- Have a child (or two).
So back to Birthday Weekend, ha ha:) I know it's so weird to blog about the past. But that's my life for you! I'm ALWAYS behind!! Even in blogging!!!
So for my Birthday Weekend, I forgot to talk about Thursday night. We went to Hard Rock Cafe in Time Square!!!! My friends are so wonderful and understanding that they totally indulge me in my fascination for themed restaurants. One of my favorite themed restaurants in New York is Mars 2112. It's exactly as New York Mag described, a sci-fi b-movie set. AWESOME!!! But we have our sights set at Ninja. Think Bruce Wayne's Tibetan Ninja experience from Batman Begin, complete with a bunch of white people, and you are ready for a meal at Ninja!! There is no reason to question the reality of white ninjas training in Tibet when you can JOIN them!!!
I have to say, though, that Hard Rock Cafe was kind of lame. The food was bad, the desserts were okay, but it was nice that we sat in the Madonna section. Her lace & leather S/M outfit was very nice. Makes me totally lust after theigh-high boots. But it just wasn't fun as the old days when the Paramount was the WWF themed restaurant complete with a wrestling ring and arena in the middle of the restaurant. Now that was cool!!!
Themed restaurants are the most American of all places, ha ha ha, need I explain?? There are a lot of problems with the current administration, but as an immigrant, I can testify that America is still the best place to be in the world. So what do I do to demonstrate my patriotism?? Eat at themed restaurants!! When we were in Shanghai, where do we go when we just couldn't take it anymore?? STARBUCKS!!!! When you think of all american, what else gives you the most joy but themed restaurants and corporate brands? Yes they are gawdy and stink of capitalistic bourgeoise, but in their artificial and superficial way they are also a unique and fascinating social product of the US Empire.
The Hard Rock Cafe is exactly as it should be. Huge, manufactured, managed, gawdy, and crude. It's the best and worst of our culture, all reproduced and centralized in one location. For one of the largest restaurant in New York, it is managed to a T. We got a ticket from the waiting station, were told an exact amount of time for waiting, watched a well organized seating priority list on a flat screen TV, and just followed the production line when our name showed up indicating our table was ready. Totally touristy, totally bourgeoise. A truely masochisticly arousing experience for an anti-anarchistic iconoclast. Viva America!!
