I could live my entire life in Central Park. The rolling hills and ancient rocks remind me of the New York that exists in my mind’s eye. This is a good thing because, you see, I’ve got a problem and it’s a big one. New York is not the diner on every corner, Gershwin playing, Woody Allen muttering, J.D Salinger paradise I thought it might be. It’s a dirty, over-populated, consumerist hell-hole, fit for only the overweight mid-western so-and-so’s that spend all their fat moments talking loudly in Times Square. Disappointed? I sure was. But I found that there are more people that think this way, and one person in particular is the Vocalese extrordinaire, Kurt Elling.

Kurt Elling is a jazz singer from Chicago. His records have earned him many Grammys and fans around the world. Tonight he played a show at Charlie Parker’s old haunt, Birdland, on 44th St. After the show I asked him, “Kurt, I hear you’re living in New York now. Why? Gershwin’s New York doesn’t exist to me yet. Where is it?” To which he replied, “Everyone wants to live in New York sometime in their life. Just like everyone wants to live in Paris or Milan or…” Then he wailed his arms in the air like a bat with enormous wings. “New York is hip, you’ll find it. There are pockets where Gershwin lives. You just gotta know where to look.” Then he signed my record and I walked to the Flatiron building and decided to stay a while.

06/17/09 -- Central Park > New York > Times Square -- 3 Comments

The Meatpacking District is where all the ‘meatpackers’ hangout… Apparently. There are a few stores and cafes where these ‘meatpackers’ spend their time, packing meat and other such things. I don’t know if they really do that. I didn’t take much notice, as I was heading straight for The High Line.

The High Line is this new public space/pseudo park that used to be a train line running above the streets of New York. It’s really a good example of how New Yorkers understand public space. Especially now that it’s summer, everyone is out and about drinking up the sun with their skin. There are parks literally everywhere. And these parks are generally where they do the majority of their skin-drinking. Every park has an assortment of places to sit, play, shade, talk, relax, play chess, play table-tennis… Lots of good things.

On the High Line there are lots of benches to ‘chillax’ on and even a theatre-type seating area where the ‘play’ is the cars driving by on 10th Ave below. There were lots of people milling about today, so I assume it’s a success. It’s a nice urban alternative to hanging out in a traditional park.

Oh and there’s this big amazing building on-top of the High Line named The Standard. It’s a hotel owned by the uber-everything entreprenuer Andre Balazs. Apparently the thing to do at the moment is to hire a room and have sex up against the window. Patronage at the cafes below is skyrocketing.

06/16/09 -- Meatpacking District > New York -- 0 Comments