New York Stories, Part 2
While in NYC we met up with one of my old friends. Prior to the Saturday night before Memorial Day, I had not seen him in about a decade. We tried to meet up in the summer of 2001, when we were in the City for a cousin's wedding, but it did not pan out.
What a pleasant surprise! We were able to communicate and meet with him! He's plenty busy. Not just with work but also with a large, active network of friends. He had been planning to go to a neighborhood BBQ, where "there will be Christians who drink beer," but instead met us at Motorino, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.
We were tired after a day on Long Island, but took a breather and headed to the G train and northward. Anyone who's ever ridden the NYC subway on the weekends knows how unpredictable it can be. We were not looking for adventure, but...the dreaded announcement came as the G stopped and people began filing out. Da train ain't goin' no futher. Transfer to da city bus. We ascended and luckily, a bus was right across the street to complete the journey the G shoulda. I was glad that bus was there, because the neighborhood, well, politely stated, was not that welcoming. I'm not at all crazy about city buses, but we made good time.
After some GPSing and phone calls to my friend, we found Motorino, on Graham Avenue. Good, diverse, pizza options; just right crust, decent wine selection. Unfortunately, almost everything my wife tried to order was out, but otherwise, a good experience. It wasn't the sort of knockout fantastic Brooklyn pizza to which
I have been accustomed, but still worthy. It was mainly about the company this night. And we had a ball. How can it be otherwise with this old chum?
In my view, the guy has made an interesting journey over the years. When I met him, he was a guy from Snellville, GA with enviable artistic bents. He still is that person. However, he has become a New Yorker. Bound to happen after 15 years? Sure, he's more cynical, peppers a sentence here and there with an expletive. But, it's much more. I was listening to his summation of West Palm Beach, a place in which he spent about 6-7 years going to school, working, finding some artistic fulfillment in the theater. For the latter, he had first won an apprenticeship at what used to be called the Jupiter Theater (previously the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater), then stayed on there as a stage manager. Solid gig. But, Jupiter quickly became too limiting.
He moved to the Big Apple in 1995 and has since been a "man about town", toiling in a variety of theatrical and culinary pursuits. His main passion is film directing, and I believe he has the stuff to be a working director. As we sat at the restaurant and chowed on pizza and ale, he disagreed. It was a bit of a lament, as he matter-of-factly stated that he doesn't feel he has that skill or magic that the good auteurs display. It seems he's not trying to pursue that path now, but happily is still interested in the arts, making a living in it somehow. He is a terrific writer and should do more. Who knows what the second and third acts have in store?
As he had done during a visit to West Palm several years back, he explained that Florida seemed to be suffering from a lack of ambitiousness. Too pleased with the abundant sunlight and casual pace. He needs action, drive, hunger in the air. "I want challenge" he more or less expressed into the wee hours. NYC is perfect for him. He tried L.A. years ago and it did have a lot of the same energy, but it was not the same. New York is a one-of-a-kind place. A dreamworld, yet still as stark and real as that rat scurrying on the subway platform. That is what appealed to me as a twenty-something, before I fell out of love with it the first time. I have a very complex relationship with that town. MY New York story? Will be another part of this series.
We took a taxi back to Park Slope, only a $20.00 or so ride. A television monitor mounted on the seat behind the driver entertained/annoyed us with local news and a segment on the latest SEX AND THE CITY flick. We were spent. It was good to see my friend in person again. Seeing him in his element, completely at home. He reminded me of Lou Reed, playing the "man with strange glasses" in Wayne Wang's BLUE IN THE FACE. When asked when he will move away from New York, he replies, "I don't know anyone in New York who doesn't say 'I'm leaving'. I've been thinking of leaving New York for... uh... thirty-five years now."
What a pleasant surprise! We were able to communicate and meet with him! He's plenty busy. Not just with work but also with a large, active network of friends. He had been planning to go to a neighborhood BBQ, where "there will be Christians who drink beer," but instead met us at Motorino, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.
We were tired after a day on Long Island, but took a breather and headed to the G train and northward. Anyone who's ever ridden the NYC subway on the weekends knows how unpredictable it can be. We were not looking for adventure, but...the dreaded announcement came as the G stopped and people began filing out. Da train ain't goin' no futher. Transfer to da city bus. We ascended and luckily, a bus was right across the street to complete the journey the G shoulda. I was glad that bus was there, because the neighborhood, well, politely stated, was not that welcoming. I'm not at all crazy about city buses, but we made good time.
After some GPSing and phone calls to my friend, we found Motorino, on Graham Avenue. Good, diverse, pizza options; just right crust, decent wine selection. Unfortunately, almost everything my wife tried to order was out, but otherwise, a good experience. It wasn't the sort of knockout fantastic Brooklyn pizza to which
I have been accustomed, but still worthy. It was mainly about the company this night. And we had a ball. How can it be otherwise with this old chum?
In my view, the guy has made an interesting journey over the years. When I met him, he was a guy from Snellville, GA with enviable artistic bents. He still is that person. However, he has become a New Yorker. Bound to happen after 15 years? Sure, he's more cynical, peppers a sentence here and there with an expletive. But, it's much more. I was listening to his summation of West Palm Beach, a place in which he spent about 6-7 years going to school, working, finding some artistic fulfillment in the theater. For the latter, he had first won an apprenticeship at what used to be called the Jupiter Theater (previously the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater), then stayed on there as a stage manager. Solid gig. But, Jupiter quickly became too limiting.
He moved to the Big Apple in 1995 and has since been a "man about town", toiling in a variety of theatrical and culinary pursuits. His main passion is film directing, and I believe he has the stuff to be a working director. As we sat at the restaurant and chowed on pizza and ale, he disagreed. It was a bit of a lament, as he matter-of-factly stated that he doesn't feel he has that skill or magic that the good auteurs display. It seems he's not trying to pursue that path now, but happily is still interested in the arts, making a living in it somehow. He is a terrific writer and should do more. Who knows what the second and third acts have in store?
As he had done during a visit to West Palm several years back, he explained that Florida seemed to be suffering from a lack of ambitiousness. Too pleased with the abundant sunlight and casual pace. He needs action, drive, hunger in the air. "I want challenge" he more or less expressed into the wee hours. NYC is perfect for him. He tried L.A. years ago and it did have a lot of the same energy, but it was not the same. New York is a one-of-a-kind place. A dreamworld, yet still as stark and real as that rat scurrying on the subway platform. That is what appealed to me as a twenty-something, before I fell out of love with it the first time. I have a very complex relationship with that town. MY New York story? Will be another part of this series.
We took a taxi back to Park Slope, only a $20.00 or so ride. A television monitor mounted on the seat behind the driver entertained/annoyed us with local news and a segment on the latest SEX AND THE CITY flick. We were spent. It was good to see my friend in person again. Seeing him in his element, completely at home. He reminded me of Lou Reed, playing the "man with strange glasses" in Wayne Wang's BLUE IN THE FACE. When asked when he will move away from New York, he replies, "I don't know anyone in New York who doesn't say 'I'm leaving'. I've been thinking of leaving New York for... uh... thirty-five years now."
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