Uptown

The territory north of 14th Street truly is a world apart. There is much behind the downtown mantra, I never go north of 14th Street. There is a stoic pride and conviction that virtually anything one needs can be found downtown and it is not far from the truth.

I cannot speak for other downtown residents, but I go north for specific purposes and so infrequently that going uptown is like a small vacation. I literally feel like a tourist. I walk a neighborhood, often craning my neck and standing in wonderment at the massive stone, steel and glass edifices built on the island's bedrock of Manhattan schist.

The advent of the Internet had greatly facilitated price shopping for most products and services, including New York City hotels. Since that time, my family has been able to snag deals at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, which has become their residence of choice when visiting the city. I enjoy traveling and visiting the hotel during their occasional stays.

Next door to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel is the General Electric Building. The building is sometimes referred to as 570 Lexington Avenue to avoid confusion with the GE Building built later at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. The 50-story, 640 foot Art Deco masterpiece was designed in 1931 by John W. Cross of Cross and Cross. Unable to lease the building profitably, in 1993, GE donated the building to Columbia University, gaining a $40 million tax deduction. Find more on the building here.

The base contains elaborate masonry, figural sculpture. On the corner above the main entrance, a conspicuous corner clock with the curvy GE logo and a pair of silver disembodied forearms. On August 25, 2006, I featured the lobby of the building - you can see it here.
Christopher Gray of the New York Times describes the building as a "suave fantasy of polished marble and modern metals."

Its signature crown of lacy radio-wave figures is a well-known midtown landmark, but the decoration of the lower floors is just as startling. Here a shrouded mechanistic figure huddles in a modernistic cloister, there an armored fist grabs an electric bolt. The entire facade is of a lightly variegated orange brick, which plays to St. Bartholomew's Church next to it on the Park Avenue corner.
See my photos of the church here.

When I visit the area, I am never able to resist stepping into Mr. K's restaurant, an upscale Chinese establishment located at 570 Lex. The plush banquette seating, the lush art deco interior, soft lighting all seem so befitting of the building it is in. For a little vacation, I just take the 6 train. Uptown.

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Work White Magic

It is Memorial Day weekend, and in New York City that means many things - residents leaving and visitors arriving during what is also Fleet Week, where the streets are abrim with sailors in uniform, particularly in Greenwich Village, which for many is party central. That means lots of sailors looking for fun and lots of civilians looking for Men in Uniform. The allure is obvious and evidence is everywhere.

For those looking for a quick tryst, there are both the streets of New York and now, the Internet, with a new world of options, a virtual smorgasbord.
Grindr, a gay cruising iPhone app, ranks prospects based on proximity.

Some sailors and those desiring them whether male, female, straight or gay, use the Close Encounters section of Craigslist for their brief time on shore leave.

Sexual encounters via Craigslist may be better called personal permutations, because if you are going to meet someone this way, you need to know what you want from a menu of 21 categories: w4m m4m m4w w4w t4m m4t mw4mw mw4w mw4m w4mw m4mw w4ww m4mm mm4m ww4w ww4m mm4w m4ww w4mm t4mw mw4t.

This may look rather daunting until you know the simple code: w- woman, m- man, t-tranny. A pair of letters together means a couple, straight or gay. So, we go from the basic m4w (man for woman) to the more exotic like mw4mw (straight couple for straight couple) or ww4m (lesbian couple for man).

Of course there are also logistics to work out - I was always curious about where sexual encounters with sailors might take place because although I witnessed a number of PDAs (see story here), I am sure these couples would be more than happy to oblige to take their meetings private and Get a Room. Since sailors cannot bring these women back to the ship, the classic line of the one-night stand, Your place or mine? becomes something more like Your place or thine? A hotel would be a pricey option. Some city residents have offered their apartments as a patriotic gesture to these men in service.

I am sure being a sailor is a trying lifestyle. The sexual frustration of men (and women*) at sea has resulted in innumerable troubles and solutions. I was fascinated to learn of Dames de Voyage, which date back to the 17th century. These fornicatory antecedents to the modern day party doll, were made of sewn cloth or old clothes and used by French and Spanish sailors while at sea.

But now we have Craigslist or for those who prefer the more traditional approach, the streets of New York City, where sailors have only to stand and let their uniforms work white magic :)

*Nearly 20% of active-duty members of the Navy are women.

Related Posts: Respect, Fleet Week 2009

Old New York, Part 2

(see Part 1 here)
The good news is that Greenwich Village is extraordinarily unique. The bad news is that if you want a piece of its history, good luck. The housing stock is very limited. And if you are like I am and attracted to row houses, the selection of available units is even more limited. Over the decades, I have from time to time looked at apartments to buy but rarely found anything I really liked, and if I did, the cost was extremely high.

I am forever asked why I am a renter and have not purchased a home after living in New York for over 40 years. The market in New York City is very different from anywhere else. There are over 2 million apartments for rent in the city with 65% rent regulated in some way. These regulations provide for below market rents and are a strong disincentive to move. The longer you remain in a regulated apartment, the greater the spread between your rent and the open market non-regulated places becomes - it is not uncommon for the difference to be 100% or more.

This anomaly in pricing just exacerbates the problem - tenants never move with a resultant lesser supply and higher prices for the free market apartments, whether rentals or purchases. If you are fortunate enough to rent an apartment in an historic building, it is unlikely you will ever find a place like it at any price, for rent or sale. In my own building, 3 out of four residents have lived in their apartments for over 30 years. Often, rentals in regulated apartments are no more than the cost of maintenance fees on a similar unit for sale. So why buy? Many analyses have been done demonstrating that in New York City, it can be more prudent to rent than to buy.

The 1830 Greek Revival townhouse at 23 Washington Square North has not been available for sale for half a century. It can be yours, however, the asking price is $25 million dollars. The size is 8,528 square feet or a cost of $2,931 per square foot. There are only 7 apartments on 5 floors. Do the math and you will see the problem - if this building were converted to units for sale, the cost per apartment including carrying charges would be stratospheric. Many buildings like this will often sell to one individual who will convert it to a single family home.

The rentals in this property illustrate what happens in this marketplace. A one bedroom was asking $4,775/month with the penthouse for $8,900 in 2010 and $12,500 per month in 2011. If you would like to get the flavor of what a parlor floor can look like in this type of historic building, see my photos here on the interior of number 24 next door, which one reader described as "real estate porn."

By day or night, looking out or peering in, the extraordinary historic charm is available in this rare window of opportunity to own a piece of old New York's Washington Square. Spare $25 million anyone?

Other Related Posts: The Feeling Passes, Overused and Abused, Bomb Factory, Left Bank New York

Old New York, Part 1

There are things you can't have in New York City. Many things. You can't watch the sunrise from a mountain top, hear the wind blow through alpine forests, or see the black of night. Much of what nature giveth, New York City taketh away.

The sound levels are very different here. I spoke to a friend recently from the suburbs who spent a night down the block - on the very same street where I live with the identical exposure. He said he could not sleep at all with the noise of constant traffic. The sounds of the city are only a familiar song to me - I sleep easily without window shades drawn and with all the city's ambient light and noise.

Here and there one can find tiny corners, places, culs de sac, alleys, parks, beaches, lakes, rivers - little pieces of the other world, the world outside cities. These special and often little known places in New York City provide magic carpets, that for brief moments can provide transport to a quieter, gentler city. I have shared these places with you over the years in this website.

I do love the city - the energy, vibrancy and stimulation are extraordinary. But the problem is that you can't turn it off. So for those times when I need respite and do not have the opportunity or inclination to leave the city, I seek solace in those special spots that hearken to a time gone by or a world apart.

The Greek Revival houses of Washington Square North evoke the gentility of a bygone age. Here, at the corner of Washington Square North and Fifth Avenue is a row house where I have often seen windows open, lights on and a handful of people milling about. This is the world of Henry James, 1881, setting for his novel Washington Square.

A couple relaxes with glasses of wine, one resting on the sill, complemented by the exquisite air of warm evening, which has, after a long wet and cool spring, arrived at last. There's a canopy of trees overhead and the yellow-orange glow of lamps. Everything is soft. Pause on this corner with me and enjoy the soul of old New York...

Note: If you want a piece of Old New York at Washington Square, see Part 2.

Float Master, Part 2

Anything Can Happen (See Part 1 here)

If you want to explore what New York City has to offer, you will have to mingle among the people. Unfortunately, this means all the people, regardless of income, hygiene, scrupulousness or sanity. Unless you make an extraordinary effort at insulation, you will encounter the broadest range of haves and have-nots imaginable on the streets, in the subways, shops, restaurants, parks and festivals.

In just the last five years authoring this website, I have encountered: a woman with a rat resting on her shoulder under her matted dreads, a man who pushes the limits of gender and fashion, a woman who eats bugs for a living at the Coney Island Sideshow, Walid Soroor - an Afghani Rock Star, an Alaskan Tlingit Indian musician on the road for 10 years, women who wear rooster feathers as fashion, Jenn - a very gothic woman whose circle of family and friends are subway conductors, Dr. Robert Gurland - a Professorial superstar, Will Galison - an unassuming guitar player who I later learned is legendary with an entire wikipedia entry of credits, Ferris Butler - a man who redefines quirky and is likely the inspiration for the film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a man wearing militaristic regalia with a solitary spike of hair, a tattooed and pierced ex-marine sporting plaid shorts who at one time was pursuing a masters in theology, an Albino Burmese Python slithering on the street, Water Sprites, an Urban Wood Nymph and an older man so grotesquely tattooed and pierced that I could not bring myself to photograph him.

On one occasion, I stopped to talk to a homeless man who was collecting bottles, acknowledging how his task of collection and redemption appeared to be rather exhausting. Angrily he replied "Don't patronize me." Gotcha. I was guilty as charged. Here, beware of the homeless, who are often educated, intelligent, astute, sometimes insane and/or angry and frustrated.

A peaceful afternoon in the park or strolling the streets, may or may not be peaceful. If you play chess at the various parks, expect every manner of kibitzing and trash talk. Or, as I once witnessed, someone drawing a gun and firing it at someone previously involved in a drug deal to even the score, with only a momentary break in playing the game - see Chess Monsters here.

If you are going to street perform in New York City, you had better be prepared for every manner of intrusion and disruption including but not limited to verbal abuse, physical assault or being upstaged by a lunatic. During the breakdancing show (see Part 1 here), a man from the crowd became very animated by the music and performers. I have no idea why he was wearing a full length white fur in the middle of April, nor why nearly every article of his wardrobe was white. As he began to dance, the audience egged him on and with little encouragement he did his best at an impromptu performance -



Although some may see the display as an effort to upstage, John Rich and his posse looked on in amusement, realizing that this was just another day in New York City, where Float Master or not, Anything Can Happen :)

Float Master, Part 1

No Smoking


I recall the first time someone referred to one of my products as "bad." Initially insulted, they explained that bad meant good. However, I just could not fully accept that a word could mean the same as its opposite. It took some years before I saw and heard enough examples to really get it - intonation and context is critically important to conveying this meaning. To this day, it is used sparingly and only a certain type of good seems to be bad. It was one of my first forays into urban slang in New York City, the capital of urban culture.

I never stop to see anything resembling b-boying, aka breakdancing. Born in the Bronx and Harlem, it has been done to death on the streets of New York for decades, often by those moderately skilled and certainly eclipsed by serious gymnasts or acrobatic performers. However, the group which meets regularly at the Union Square subway station main platform on Saturdays, is something else. I decided to stop and bring myself up to date on the hardest of the hardcore - acrobatic hip-hop dancers working on concrete in the New York City subway system, risking fines.

This group's leader is "Float Master" John Rich, born in East Harlem where he still lives. He is 46 years old and has been dancing since the age of eight. John has done gigs worldwide and a commercial for Puma. At this time, he prefers working New York City. Although most street performers barely survive or just supplement their incomes, never underestimate what a savvy top street performer can earn in this city - John makes as much as several hundred dollars on a good day and earns a living dancing on the streets, supplemented with occasional party jobs. He is currently attending New York institute of Technology, working towards a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

I was impressed by John's act, the finale of the show, with his skilled dancing and signature routine - manipulation of a lit cigarette with his mouth. At one point, John inverts the cigarette, completely enveloping it and proceeds to blow smoke in tune with his movements. It is best understood live (John's routine is at the end of the clip):



The skill level of the various acts was extraordinary. A standard has been set and only a fool with poor skills would enter the fray.

No brand of New York City street activity would be authentic without attitude and John Rich has plenty of that - cool, confident and exuding that smugness that nothing impresses a New Yorker. Certainly not a group of young men defiant enough to risk ticketing or feature a routine with cigarette smoking in the subway system, often with the police watching. Depending on the size of the audience the performance attracts and any other number of variables, the group is often ticketed and shut down, whereupon they take their show elsewhere.

I met John at the end of the show. He was quite personable, excited that I would be featuring him here and quite amused when I told him that I would be calling the story No Smoking. But after reviewing the photos and video, I recalled how this particular show was punctuated by a surprise impromptu visitor. In Part 2, you will meet the bizarre man who apparently thought that he too, was a Float Master...

Related Posts: Tired of Crumbs, Makes Me Stronger

Crooks and Perverts

On November 17, 1973, during a televised question and answer session with the press, President Richard Nixon said:

People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook. I've earned everything I've got.

Crook is a bit outdated, the kind of word you may have heard around my home during my childhood, along with other words like floozy, gallivanting, tramp and shindig. Today, a crook seems rather benign, perhaps someone prone to petty crimes like swindling a customer or shoplifting.

In a world of alternative lifestyles and extreme behaviors, pervert is also much less meaningful than it once was, bordering on the quaint.

Coming up with a good name for a music group is difficult - akin to finding a catchy dotcom not yet registered. There are inanimate objects - The Doors, The Cars and Rolling Stones; insects - The Beatles, The Crickets, The Hornets, Iron Butterfly, Adam Ant, Hungry Locust, Spiders from Mars; automobiles - R.E.O.Speedwagon, The Cadillacs, The BelAirs, Fleetwood Mac; animals - The Monkees, The Animals, The Byrds, The Eagles, The Turtles, Stone Ponies, The Black Crowes. The categories, single word names and simple phrases are endless, including the vulgar, irreverent, angry, defiant, lovely, ironic and nonsensical - The Sex Pistols, Led Zeppelin, Leftöver Crack, Pavement, Mötley Crüe, et. al.

When I first heard Crooks and Perverts play, they immediately exuded a feeling of authenticity. When I spoke to them, I learned that their members are from Georgia. They have a unique blend of authentic southern roots, rough country boys with an urban sensibility and musical sophistication - I recently saw them in Matt Umanov Guitars sampling the wares.

However, regardless of changing times and mores, I would still be wary of anyone who calls themselves a crook or pervert :)

Note: Crooks and Perverts are now based in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and can be seen playing the streets of New York City. You can find their website here with music samples, videos, etc.

Related Posts: The Real Peel, Tired of Crumbs, Street Poet, Makes Me Stronger, Famine and Feast, Sieve, Street Magic

One Word 2

Perhaps one of the most prescient pieces of business advice ever given in a film, and certainly one of the most enduring lines in film history, is that which is said to Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate. In this scene, Ben is chatting with a few women at his college graduation party, when Mr. McGuire comes to take Ben outdoors for a serious private talk:

Mr. McGuire (to Ben): Come with me for a minute. I want to talk to you. Excuse us Joanne.

[Mr. McGuire takes Ben to the back yard of the house to the pool area.]

Mr. McGuire: I just want to say on word to you, just one word.

Ben: Yes, sir.

Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?

Ben: Yes I am.

Mr. McGuire: Plastics.

Ben: Exactly how do you mean?

Mr. McGuire: There's a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?

Ben: Yes, I will.

Mr. McGuire: Shhh ... 'nuff said. That's a deal.


The word plastics has never had a positive connotation, always tainted in some way. At the time of the film in the 1967, there was a sense that plastics were part of the space age. However, it was also commonly used to mean fake, phony or artificial and hated by many, as author Norman Mailer said in an interview: "Plastic is the excrement of oil." Although not really a scathing work, Mailer endorsed the book Plastic: The Making of a Synthetic Century.

Today, specific plastics are promoted for their strength, performance and/or special properties in particular applications - polymers such as Lexan, Delrin, Kevlar, Teflon, Cordura Nylon, Gore-Tex, Viton, silicone, polyurethane, etc. However, when used generally, the word plastics brings up images of a world mired in plastic bags, bottles and other waste.

In today's photo, we have a solution to plastics recycling as well as rain gear, occasionally seen among the homeless in New York City. This man had crafted a very extensive wardrobe that appears to be extremely well suited for a day of predicted rain during a very wet spring. His possessions were neatly packed in bags, also made from plastic. Whether seen as a cultural metaphor, an icon of evil by Mr. Mailer, a promising future by Mr. McGuire or used as an impromptu raincoat, all agree on the importance of One Word :)

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Electronics, Not Acid

If you would like to see hard evidence of the decline/death of print media, take a walk to 60 Fifth Avenue and see the historic 12 story, 122,000 square foot shrine to publishing. The large limestone edifice has always intrigued me. It is so prominent on lower Fifth Avenue and its Greenwich Village location between 12th and 13th Streets always seemed such an unlikely location for corporate headquarters for Forbes, most well-known for its flagship business magazine of the same name.

The structure was built in 1924 for book publisher Macmillan & Co. It was designed by architectural firms Carrere & Hastings, responsible for so many New York City icons such as the New York Public Library and the Frick Museum. Forbes took occupancy of the building in 1962 when Macmillan moved uptown.

The American Institute of Architects is not, however, so enamored with the structure:

For four decades, Macmillan conducted its publishing in this pompous limestone cube whose boring surfaces are embellished here and there with echoes of Rome's glories.

In 2007, during a much headier real estate market, Forbes nearly sold the building for $120 million ($140 million listing price) to Renta, a Spanish real estate company. By 2010, the market had declined substantially and the property was sold to NYU for a reputed $55 million. NYU will not occupy the building immediately - Forbes has a five-year lease-back agreement.

The sale did meet with community opposition as does every NYU property purchase. On April 16, 2009, in Gorilla and Cookies, I wrote:

NYU is seen by many Greenwich Village residents as the neighborhood 800-pound gorilla. Every real estate move it makes is highly contentious and seen by opponents as the act of an avaricious behemoth whose appetite for properties is never sated. Perhaps a new variant of an old joke might be: "What real estate does an 800-pound gorilla buy?" "Whatever it wants."

Limestone is commonly used as a building material, including libraries as well as the Forbes building. However, it is partially soluble. We worry that the acid in rain damages limestone and that the acid in wood pulp destroys the paper in books and magazines. We never saw the future and that the real enemy of print media and the limestone structures that house them would be electronics, not acid...

Harder to Keep Full

In the 1980s I used to frequent the Comedy Cellar on MacDougal Street regularly, sometimes more than once a week. What drew me there was New York City comic Gilbert Gottfried. His work and style are very New York-centric. I have found that many non-New Yorkers do not really enjoy his humor.*

One bit he did regularly in his comedy routine was about plankton. Gilbert would tell how some comedians may do a joke or two about plankton, but that he did a full routine on the subject. He then launched into a rant about how he knew that someone in the audience would say that they knew a place in Brooklyn that had good plankton. Gilbert would then point out that yes, they did have it, but it was not fresh, but frozen.

This material is brilliant because it illustrates exactly how the true New Yorker thinks and speaks - a smug confidence and security that New York City has everything with many choices, even in areas that are extremely narrow and specialized. And we are picky. Good, special, unique places are accumulated like feathers in one's cap. The sentiment concerning security in knowing that all is here was echoed by Woody Allen. I wrote about this on December 24, 2007 in Being There:

It reminds me of a Woody Allen comment about why he needs to live in NYC - that there's a restaurant in Chinatown where he can get a certain favorite dish at four o'clock in the morning. Not that he ever has or will go there at that time. It's just knowing it's there.

The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory at 65 Bayard Street has been in business since 1978 and is run by the Reid family. Though heavily touristed, as one might expect given its Chinatown location, many still love the range of exotic range of ice cream flavors including avocado, banana, tangerine, black sesame, almond cookie, pandan, green tea, ginger, peanut butter and jelly with sorbets such as lychee, strawberry shortcake, taro, longan, zen butter and mango-papaya. There are naysayers, as always, but reviews are typically good with the feeling that everyone should visit at least once.

As business ideas are copied, appropriated worldwide and even imported into our city, those places that are unique to New York are becoming fewer and fewer. Many a New Yorker is like a proud warrior, collecting feathers as he or she can for a cap that is becoming harder to keep full ...

* I was saddened to hear about Gilbert's news scandal regarding jokes he has made, distributed on his Twitter feed about the Japanese tsunami. Known for his voice as the Aflac duck, Gottfried has been fired by Aflac. He has since apologized.

Teleportation

In New York City, people are driven - it's the classic work hard, play hard. Regardless of how incongruous it may appear, with ease, ingenuity or great difficulty, you will find city residents participating in the most unlikely activities imaginable, using variants or adaptions as needed.

No mountains to climb? Then scale buildings instead (see Urban Night Climbers here). In New York you can find cross-country ski during blizzards, windsurfing, tennis, golf, farming, gardening, birding, fishing, biking, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, sledding, jet skiing, sailing, horseback riding, hiking, camping, wind sailing and the flying of radio controlled jets. Of course, whether the big leagues or amateur, the major sports are found here too - football, basketball, baseball, softball and soccer.

And surfing.

While in Quiksilver* on Broadway in SoHo with friends from out of town, displays of full size surfboards really surprised them, particularly when they learned that they were not just decorative but that those in racks were actually for sale. I further explained that these were not only sold for those who may travel outside New York to surfing destinations but if you wanted to go ocean surfing, the real thing was available within city limits at Rockaway Beach, Queens.

Rockaway Beach faces the Atlantic Ocean and is the largest urban beach in the United States. There is a surf community and surf shops. Perhaps the most remarkable, the stretch of beach is directly accessible by subway. In the 1970s, I had a short-lived romance with surfing, influenced by a love of the tropics, the California dream, the Beach Boys, and images of what appeared to be one a way to commune with nature and one of the most exhilirating activities.

I quickly learned that surfing required more skill than I had imagined and more effort than I was willing to expend. To make matters worse, because of storage limitations, I purchased a short board, which I subsequently learned was not the board of choice for beginners. I was told that a very long board, essentially a big boat, made learning much easier. I "surfed" a few of the beaches on Long Island as well as Rockaway Beach.

In Rockaway, the train is elevated. On return from one outing, I boarded the A train in beach attire and my board. At the start of my ride back, my appearance was not particularly startling, given the proximity to the beach. However, as I approached Manhattan, the closer I got, the more bizarre and inexplicable my appearance was - evidenced by the type and increasing number of stares. At the point I reached Wall Street in a train car during rush hour packed with businessmen in 3-piece suits, I am sure the sight of a surfer in flip-flops, shorts with a wet board dripping on the A train floor, looked like nothing short of a teleportation...

*Quiksilver is based in Huntington Beach, California and is one of the world's largest manufacturers of surfwear and other boardsport-related equipment. There is an extensive clothing line and a number of stores can be found in Manhattan.

Good Connections

Connections was a BBC TV series hosted by British science historian James Burke. I enjoyed many episodes of this tour de force, each show exploring a nearly mind numbing web of interconnections, driving history and innovation in what the program called an "Alternative View of Change."

The prospect of living in New York City for many is intimidating. Apart from the costs, many feel that a person can get easily lost and devoured by a large monster, leaving no traces. There are countermeasures, such as making connections, which make the difference between feeling like an outsider versus an insider or a bystander versus participant. Friends and family are key, like anywhere else, to a quality life. Connections with colleagues, coworkers, business owners, etc. also aid to make New York feel like home and not the cold, impersonal place that visitors or observers may perceive.

If one is fortunate to have relationships with accomplished individuals, they can provide the personal connections to people and things that make New York City the great place that it is for advancement and pursuit of dreams and goals difficult to achieve elsewhere.

Those obsessed with brushing against the powerful, hoping mere proximity will bestow fame and fortune, will find any real benefits to these pursuits to be illusory. But when kept in proper perspective and for those with skills who can truly make use of opportunities, connections to the talent pool of New York City can be instrumental in success. It's not just the cliched who you know, but what you do with the privileges granted by who you know.

In the 1980s I was introduced to an exceptional graphic artist, Michael Samuel, whom I hired to do freelance illustration. On one visit to his office, I asked to see his portfolio of work - I was impressed to see the History Channel logo, something he designed while at William Snyder Associates, who used to work with legendary CBS television designer Lou Dorfsman.
The concept was something heraldic, royal and classic but not specific. I have seen this logo and billboard for years on my many trips out of the city. Every time I pass by via the Willis Avenue Bridge, I think of Michael, his exacting work and how lucky I was to have someone with his expertise working for my small business. He says about this logo:

One of the highlights of my career is this logo for The History Channel. Developed with William Snyder Design, this remains one of my favorites. Computer memory was so limited that each facet had to be saved in a different file. A relatively unknown station in it's infancy, this cable channel has become famous for their interesting and diverse programming. The 60 foot, 3-D, glowing billboard at the end of the Triborough bridge in the Bronx doesn't hurt either.

Be not deceived however, because in this city, talent is often found in the least likely places - like a man's artwork displayed on the roof of a building in the Bronx and most often viewed from a bridge or behind a chain link fence. I wish you good connections :)

Boxing Al Fresco

Once upon a time, I became intrigued with biofeedback for stress management. My interest in biofeedback was something that dated back to my college years, when many were experimenting with a number of modalities of biofeedback and equipment. Many types of body control were documented. Later, some styles were adopted by the medical profession for a variety of conditions.

A well known psychiatrist located on the Upper East Side had provided a testimonial on a stress management book. I contacted his office. He was expensive, but this was to be a limited number of sessions, training under his guidance, in his office and with his equipment. I was told that insurance would cover the program (it did not).
The sessions became ones of psychotherapy - I never did get to train at all on his equipment. When I confronted him about this, he said that there was no value to biofeedback training if my behavior and mental processes were just to undo the relaxation I achieved. True, but was not what what I had…and I saw this would become a long extremely expensive process with no end in sight, so I quit after a short number of sessions.

However, I must admit that I have never met a person who could read me so quickly and thoroughly. I was like a pane of glass to him and he was in my head. He made a number of observations that I remember clearly to this day. I told him of my interest in cello and that I was taking classes with a woman who was an alumna of the Juilliard School. Proud that I had the privilege to study with someone like her, his response surprised me. Bad he said. "Why?" I said. "Because you turn everything into a job." He knew that learning to play cello was a serious commitment and would do little to bring me pleasure, only to add another burred to my life. He was right. I quit the cello after six months, telling my teacher that dragging my cello out at night to practice was feeling like a job. She heartily agreed that this was not good at all and she encouraged me to quit.

My doctor suggested instead that if I wanted to learn music as a hobby, that I try something much less demanding, like a recorder, where I would not be dragged into a hobby that was like study at a music conservatory. He also demanded that I take a Saturday and squander the entire day away, i.e. waste time frivolously. He knew my temperament all too well, that I always had a hidden agenda and only felt good if I could justify my activities as "productive."

Recently, in the early morning, while writing near an open window facing the park, I heard a very peculiar slapping type of sound. It was unique to me and I could not guess what was going on. Getting up and looking out through the foliage of spring, I saw a woman sparring with her trainer in the raking early morning light.

I could not help but reflect on how so many residents of New York City were overachievers with schedules packed with activities, whether cultural, interpersonal, hobbies, classes, training, meetings, business functions, gallery openings, theaters, clubs, bars, festivals, etc. To ask them to do something is like a request to be penciled into the appointment book of the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

I fully realize that this woman may in fact be a well balanced person. Being physical is great for mental and physical health. She may not be overextended. Or perhaps she is a neurotic New Yorker, type A personality, choking with activities and entrenched with the busy busy ethic. Or, perhaps she is a young woman, freshly arrived straight from the corn fields of Kansas, just enjoying a little boxing al fresco.

Grace Under Fire

Once privileges are given, they are soon seen as rights - taking them away will not be well received. This scenario is common in New York City, such as in quality of life campaigns when circumstances beg for attention and there is a broader and stricter enforcement of existing laws. This, of course, invariably precipitates public outcry, particularly from those who are more politically active and vigilant concerning civil rights.

Recently, there was a small show of force and ticketing of street performers in Washington Square Park. This is an extremely contentious issue for a number of reasons, particularly since the area has a history of musical performance, one of the dominant reasons many visit this area. The Village has been known as a center for artists and musicians for a century. Apart from the rights to free speech and expression, however, there are nuances of other laws coming into play regarding busking, solicitation, noise, public disturbance and unlawful assembly.

Shutting down and ticketing performers was met with hostile reaction ranging from anger to outrage. After the recent sweep, the park personnel who had done the ticketing were nowhere to be found - a smart and understandable move. Two officers were on hand however, Alberto Alicea (photo rear) and Tom Grace of the 6th Precinct. The flurry of fury was constant, with a crowd of individuals venting and fuming. Being on the receiving end of a barrage of angry music lovers requires composure because hell hath no fury like an artist warned.

As is the case with many police actions and the law, most citizens are inadequately informed, misinformed or just too angry to have thought the situation through. I knew I was not dealing with the typical "cop" as I first approached the group where Tom was at work explaining a broad number of concepts including exigent circumstance in United States law.

I was extremely impressed not only with Tom's composure and patience, but with his knowledge of the fine details of the law, its intent and interpretation. In addition to his understanding of the academic side of the law, he has a good working knowledge as to its application and the use of common sense and discretion. I spoke with Tom's partner, Alberto Alicea, during these goings on. Al assured me that Tom's intellect and talents at interpretation and explanation of the law were well known. Tom told me he loved to read and also informed me that policemen were now required to have at least 60 university credits to become an officer. Born in New Jersey, Tom now lives in Brooklyn and has been on the police force for 8 years.

He was the perfect spokesperson to have on hand after an event of this nature. I saw one individual after another arrive angry and leave unwillingly satisfied. Tom's approach was not one of debate, but of discussion with calm and clear explanation of the law, the circumstances and police response, always addressing the individual's questions directly.

Being an officer in the New York Police Department is not an easy challenge. Here we have every variant of lawbreaker imaginable, from the innocent tourist committing a minor infraction to seasoned criminals and scam artists who have as good a working knowledge of the law as the police themselves and are often able to ply their trade and evade arrest. Disrespect and defiance is common. I have spent hours conversing with police officers in Washington Square Park. Bicycling in the park is common but a violation, which is clearly stated on numerous signs. Officers typically ask riders to dismount and walk their bikes. Responses vary from polite complicity to open hostile remarks.

Tom quickly volunteered that he saw a police uniform as clothing, behind which were a broad range of individuals like that seen in the population at large. He was not a man to defend the actions or character of any man in uniform and acknowledged that laws are often improperly or unevenly applied.

In the case of the ticketing of the street performers by park officers, many felt that quotas may have been a factor and that many performers were unfairly and unjustly targeted in the action. A few may have been overly zealous and aggressive in their solicitation. Others, however, performed as they always had and were exercising their rights, not enjoying privilege. I'm glad I did not have to defend the actions of the park personnel. To stand amongst an angry mob takes composure and guts. By guts, I mean Grace under Fire :)

Note: Some comments for this posting were lost due to a blogger outage.

Everything Looks Like a Screw

Surgeons like to cut.
I have always had a morbid fear of surgery. There's just something about all that cutting that bothers me. However, I do understand that surgeons like to cut and I can imagine why. As a small manufacturer, I often have to troubleshoot products and there is nothing as effective as opening something up and getting inside to really see where the problem lies. Why play with less direct solutions if the problem lends itself to a mechanical solution?

Builders like to build.
Robert Moses was New York City's master builder. He the most often cited figure in this website. This New York City planning czar had an unstoppable drive. He was never elected to public office, yet was responsible for the creation and leadership of numerous public authorities. He built bridges, tunnels, highways and shaped shorelines in New York City and environs.

One of Moses' projects which never came to fruition was the Lower Manhattan Expressway. This extremely controversial plan was to be a ten-lane elevated highway, I-78 & I-478, extending from the Hudson River to the East River, connecting the Holland Tunnel to the Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges. It was seen by Moses as a much needed thoroughfare to ease congestion in Manhattan providing a roadway connecting traffic from New Jersey to Brooklyn and Queens. It was conceived by Moses in 1941 but delayed until the early 1960s.

The highway plan would have required many structures to be demolished along Broome Street, passing through Little Italy and what is now known as SoHo. Community activists led by Jane Jacobs effectively thwarted the project. The effort is now seen by many as instrumental in preserving the character of lower Manhattan.

Robert Moses and his works saw much public criticism. In 1974, The Power Broker was published. From the New York Times:

He indicated no wish to change with the times, but held to his views more ardently than ever in his later years, dismissing community opposition to his vast projects by saying, as he did in a 1974 statement, ''I raise my stein to the builder who can remove ghettos without removing people as I hail the chef who can make omelets without breaking eggs.''

The statement came in a much-publicized 3,500-word rebuttal that Mr. Moses offered to a highly critical biography of him by Robert Caro published in 1974, ''The Power Broker.'' The exhaustive 1,246-page work, which won the Pulitzer Prize, was written from the perspective of the newer approach to planning and redevelopment, and it contended that Mr. Moses had callously removed residents of neighborhoods undergoing urban renewal, had destroyed the traditional fabric of urban neighborhoods in favor of a landscape of red-brick towers and throughout his career had worked somewhat outside the normal democratic process.


Screwdrivers.
Surgeons like to cut, lawyers like to litigate, and builders like to build. For someone with a screwdriver, everything looks like a screw...


Photos: The upper photo is one of the supports of the Manhattan Bridge as seen from the walkway. The lower photo is a plan of the proposed Lower Manhattan Expressway.

Note: It is ironic that Robert Moses, a man who favored highways over public transit, did not hold a driver's license.

Bamboo Big as Pipe

I have had a small obsession with bamboo for decades. Like palm trees and tropical islands, they are things rarely associated with New York City, so I have had to travel and explore to feed the passion. In the 1980s, my fascination with bamboo reached its apex. I purchased a hard cover coffee table book on bamboo, helped my father fabricate bamboo fly fishing rods and sought out bamboo bonsai at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

The pièce de résistance was a trip to the island of Nevis in the West Indies, where I sought out my ultimate dream - a bamboo forest. My sister and her husband, who were traveling with me at the time, however, did not share my dream, but tolerated it, hoping that after an excursion, I may regain my sanity and normalcy. I did.

On such a small island, networking to find services is virtually an effortless process. Shortly after arrival, I was able to find a local guide who would take me to a tropical jungle. This was easy, but the most imperative for me was whether or not we would see bamboo in its native habitat. He assured me yes, I would see "Bamboo Big as Pipe."

Bamboo is a remarkably versatile material and is used in furniture, flooring, molding, fencing, textiles (I have a bamboo t-shirt), paper, as a food, musical instruments, to build homes, scaffolding, even bamboo bicycles. All taking advantage of many unique properties of the wood - it is denser than oak, harder and lighter than maple. It is very attractive, distinctive and maintains well. It is stronger than wood, brick, concrete and steel and less expensive than many other woods. Unlike many trees, which can take 20-50 years to mature, bamboo takes only about five years, making it environmentally sustainable - this is the big plus from a marketing and consumer perspective. Some are calling this wonder grass the super material of the future.

The appreciation and use of bamboo with related imagery permeates Asian cultures. This is true to a much lesser degree in the United States, however, I am not the only New Yorker to enjoy the symbolism of bamboo - scores of restaurants, spas and other shops use the word bamboo in their name.

Recently, I found a retail store display of bamboo cutting boards. Nearby were two signs - one promoting bamboo as eco-friendly and the other, "why use bamboo?", featured 5 bullet points: renewable resource, resists odors and bacteria, naturally beautiful finish, harder and lighter than maple, stronger than steel. At a number of home furnishing shops I am seeing more bamboo furniture.

I am happy to finally see bamboo sprout all over the city in so many ways, helping to complete the overused but apt metaphor of New York City as the concrete jungle. No need to travel to the forests of Nevis - just look up and imagine Bamboo Big as Pipe :)

Room and Board

When in high school in the late 1960s, I worked many part-time jobs, including McDonald's. The working environment was brutal by today's standards. At McDonalds, there was Zero tolerance for idleness - we had to remain moving at all times. If we had no customers, we were to clean and if there was nothing to clean, we were to clean again. And again. No exceptions.

The manager would stand, arms crossed, in the center of the dining area behind the customers. If there were any lines, the manager was extremely displeased. Regardless of customer volume, and whether it was humanly possible to serve quickly enough to eliminate lines was of no matter. We would hear the terrifying "I see lines, gentlemen."

In this work environment, it would be hard to imagine an event momentous enough to warrant the entire staff taking a break. The world's first manned moon landing on July 20, 1969 was just such an event. Someone had brought a small black and white television, placed it on the counter to see the moment Neil Armstrong take that first step onto the moon's surface. The entire staff and group of customers all watched in silence for what was one of mankind's greatest technological achievements, fulfilling President Kennedy's vision nearly a decade earlier. We heard Armstrong say "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." And then it was back to work - customers were waiting.

Although the deployment of technology was not perhaps as rapid and voluminous as what we have today, it was still an exciting time and the appetite for the newest and latest was as ravenous as it is now. With a smaller number of consumer product innovations, many new things were given attention, things which in today's environment would likely be overlooked. It seemed everything had to be improved, and in some space age manner, if at all possible.

One of these was 3D chess, where 3 or more chessboards are stacked above one another. A variant, Tri-D chess, was seen on the first series of Start Trek in the late '60s. It was during this time that someone introduced the game to our high school chess club, of which I was a member. Most of us, however, saw it as rather gimmicky, adding complexity to a game which already offered enormous challenge and which diluted the beauty and classicism of the 2D version of the game.

Chess is commonly seen played in the streets and parks of New York City, sometimes with makeshift setups. The resourcefulness of New Yorkers and their willingness to accommodate never ceases to amaze me. Here we have a world class city fully immersed in the technology of our time, yet should the conditions require it, there is a willingness to do whatever is necessary to achieve an end, regardless of how primitive the solution. At times, New Yorkers can be like spoiled children, but when duty calls, we can, like most people elsewhere, rise to the occasion.

In today's photo, we see a player in Union Square Park with a milk crate for seating and a table so bowed it clearly demonstrates that to play 3D chess in this city, if the money, means or technology is not available, a New Yorker only needs a little Room and Board :)

More Chess Stories: Good Fortune, Chess Monsters, Marshall Chess Club, Solid as a Rock, WFF 'N Proof, Xiangqi, Guns or Big Heads.

Who Can Believe It?

Many cling to the remnants of things whose lives are fast diminishing or have diminished - technologies made obsolete and things that technology has made obsolete. We look for stability in a world of change, and as physical beings, we like physical things - it gives us comfort. We are tactile, and for many a reader, the feel of paper and the benefits of print are still preferable.

One area in transition is that of books, newspapers, magazines and other printed matter. Perhaps it is a small act of defiance or display of iconoclasm, but the avid readers I know have all stated a preference of print over ebooks or other electronic versions of print media.

This year it appears that ebooks are having a serious impact on the print business. According to the Association of American Publishers, in February 2011, ebook sales in the United States for the beginning of 2011 were up over 200% over the same period in 2010 and were the top selling format in all categories for the first time in publishing history. This one-month surge is primarily attributed to a high level of strong post-holiday ebook buying, or “loading,” by consumers who received the devices as gifts. However, industry experts now feel that it is no longer a matter if ebooks will overtake print, but when. The shift may not occur as dramatically or as completely as did vinyl records to CDs. The tide will turn when critical mass is achieved, or the tipping point, as Malcolm Gladwell may have it.

Coming on the heels of this trend, my recent foray into ebook publishing (along with a purchase of a Kindle and Nook) and given the relative affluence of many New York City residents, it was ironic to see the row of book readers in today's photo with not an ereader in sight (or was there one being used by the man behind the tree?).

For the avid reader, a library can be a source of pride and show that a lover of books and reading is near, with the selection as a barometer of interests. Guests can peruse and discussions are inspired. Works of non-fiction and those that are photo heavy can be shared and circulated. A work like Ulysses on the shelf makes a strong statement as well as lively discourse.

I feel great comfort and security surrounded by books. A library is an arsenal, with books as firearms and words as ammunition, all serving well to protect and defend against ignorance. What are we to do now? If I tell you that I have an enormous library all on a tiny electronic device on a coffee table and that I have read most of the books loaded on that ereader, will that be adequate evidence? Will you trust me or will you see me much like the huckster selling strawberries, whose refrain now you will repeat - who can believe it? :)

Really Long Shoes

I have always been envious of horses who can sleep standing up. As I have tried to cram more into my life, I have contemplated for years how useful it would be to acquire the ability to sleep while standing. In addition to the short naps one may take at various times and places while sitting, now, sleep could be had while in the most inauspicious circumstances.

And one can certainly learn to tune out the environment, even in New York City. I recall attending a talk where a well known yoga master was speaking of relaxation and meditation. He was making the point that the conditions for relaxation did not depend on a serene environment - he cited the enormous number of people that sleep on the streets of Calcutta daily, oblivious to the world around them.

Add sleep deprivation and exhaustion to facilitate sleeping in atypical places and positions. I once read about patients complaining to a doctor that they were at wit's end because they constantly felt sleepy. Upon inquiring about their sleep habits, the physician would typically learn that the patient was only getting a few hours per night. The remedy was simple - they were sleep deprived and just needed to sleep more.

I have of late been guilty of getting too little sleep. I find myself falling asleep in places - like sitting up in restaurants, sometimes woken by food being served. Or at my desk in my office, home, or in parks. Or worse - while driving. As a child, I went through a period of occasional sleep walking, good early training for a life of too much to do and not enough time to do it. So, in one way or another, sleep has been one part of my multitasking activities - whether attempting to walk and talk while sleeping or sleep while working, dining or driving.

I have never seen a more convincing and peculiar example of sleeping while standing than our photo subject in today's photo. A feat that many deem impossible seems to have been achieved by just a handful of adaptations - super long shoes to provide a good base and what appears to be a horrific posture evolved over time to become S-shaped, providing a place to rest one's head, much like the flamingo who sleeps standing on one leg. This man was taking catnips while onlookers stared in disbelief. While awake, his posture was not markedly different, seeming always to be poised for the next nap.

I think I am ready now. Inspired by our photo subject, I see that what I thought was impossible may be possible. I only need to undo all the learning and efforts of others to maintain good posture. And I think you have to have a pair of really long shoes :)

Lonely in a Crowded Room

There was always a bit of drunken revelry - such were the times and so was my family. Alcohol provides not only a social lubricant, but often social embarrassment. Now out of harm's way, those times provide rich fodder for stories never told.

Those parties were some of the highlights of my sisters' and my childhood. Family was involved and so they were much more than parties, they were reunions. The affairs I have attended at gallery openings and such in New York City always feel so vacuous to me. Admittedly, their function and the attendees reasons for attending are entirely different, but nonetheless, I cannot help but feel disappointed.

One trend in retail in recent years is the pop-up store or gallery. As our economic times worsen, many businesses look for new ways to market existing brands, feature new products, sell seasonal goods or just make some needed cash with reduced rent in a temporary space. Marketers are all looking to create buzz these days, and in Manhattan, many of these pop-ups will certainly create some buzz.

I strolled through SoHo with a friend when returning from our expedition to Nom Wah Tea Parlor in Chinatown. At 18 Wooster Street, we stumbled upon a major soiree in full swing, with the gallery's front completely open to the street. It was a Fiat pop-up store. The front was cordoned off and the entrance guarded by the requisite bouncer and a woman with the guest list. There are the practical concerns of controlling attendees, however, I suspect the greater reason for admission is to create the illusion of exclusivity and desire to get in, a technique employed for decades in private clubs. After all, what retailer really wants to restrict admission to their showroom?

When we arrived however, there had been a break in policing the gate and we were encouraged by a bystander to enter. The place was replete with booming music, fashionistas dressed to the nines, hors d'oeuvres and snacks on immaculate trays offered by formally dressed servers. There was all manner of meeting, greeting, eating, drinking and flirting.

Oh, and yes, there were a few that looked at the new Fiats. A few snacks and the feeling for a few minutes that I was worthy to be at an event so important was enough. But really, deep inside, I was anxious to go home. There was no better evidence of how someone could be lonely in a crowded room ...

Rattus rattus

I am very disappointed to learn that the species of rat most common to New York City is the brown rat or Rattus norvegicus and not the black rat, Rattus Rattus. The repetition of genus and species seemed to fit so nicely with the popular: New York, New York, so nice they named it twice.

The rat commonly seen in New York is the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), aka the common rat, sewer rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Brown Norway rat, Norwegian rat, or wharf rat. It is one of the world's most common rats. The name is actually a misnomer as they do not originate from Norway. After human beings, the rat is the most successful animal on the planet, having inhabited virtually every country and land mass. Read more here.

Rat also is used to characterize New York's landlords and store owners - see the use of the large inflated rat in my story Attention. For those who want to embrace the rat in order to appear edgy, there are establishments that use the rat for imaging and naming, such as the trendy SoHo shop Yellow Rat Bastard. According to the New York Times:

When the flagship store opened in 1994, it installed cages with several dozen rats in its front window to create buzz. The rats were eventually removed from the window, but many employees said the rats continued to run around the store and the basement storeroom.

The shop encouraged graffiti artists to tag the exterior of the shop. Ironically, in 2008, the store agreed to pay $1.4 million to settle a lawsuit over unpaid wages and overtime, paying back wages to more than a thousand employees.

We have so many rats in New York City, that in a way it is a shame we do not have our own species. It would be so befitting of a city with such a large ego to be able to lay claim to Rattus rattus...

Photo note: I ran across the piece of graffiti in the photo on East 2nd Street in the East Village.

Related Postings: I have done numerous stories on rats: i'm lovin' it, Rats Gone Wild, Rats R Us, Attention and Wildlife Control.

War Against Disservice, Part 2

For Part 1 of this story see here.



I was discussing with a friend, Hellen, the extraordinary service I was experiencing at a local Indian restaurant I was frequenting at least once per week. The staff was now treating me like family. When the owner, Chandra, is present, I am not even given a menu - we only have a discussion. I am offered items not on the menu, free appetizers and dessert. In short, the experience was now tantamount to eating at home.

Hellen told me of her own recent experience at Nom Wah Tea Parlor in Chinatown, where Wilson, the owner, was also personally very attentive to a customer's needs. In Hellen's case, she requires a gluten-free diet, a tough call in a Chinese restaurant, which sadly for her is her favorite cuisine. On her first visit, Wilson sat with Hellen and went over her dietary needs and food preferences. She is now a happy camper indeed and she and her husband are regulars at Nom Wah. She was eager to share her discovery with me. Weekends are quite busy, so we chose a weeknight which gave me the opportunity to meet the owner.

Nom Wah's specialty is dim sum, a Cantonese style cuisine involving small portions of food - various types of steamed or fried buns, dumplings and rice noodle rolls, filled with a variety of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetables. The small portions enable diners to sample a wide variety of food items. The meals are invariably eaten family style. Traditionally, dim sum was served from steamers on trolleys, wheeled through the restaurant. Nom Wah now uses a menu and checklist system where items are checked off and submitted with one's order. Nom Wah also offers a broader menu for those wanting dishes other than dim sum.

Originally dim sum was meant as a snack but now has become an entire meal. It is typically served from early morning until mid afternoon and is often a weekend family outing. Nom Wah is unique in that it serves dim sum for all its operating hours. Tea is a big part of dim sum - the overall dining experience is known as yum cha. Nom Wah has an extensive tea selection as well as dessert items and their almond cookies.

Nom Wah Tea Parlor is a 90 year old establishment located at 11-13 Doyers Street. Nom Wah Tea Parlor first opened at 13-15 Doyers Street back in 1920 as a bakery and a tea parlor. Wally Tang, who worked there since 1950, purchased the restaurant in 1974. Wilson Tang, his nephew, took over the business and renovated in 2010. preserving the vintage look and ambiance, keeping the fixtures and decor of the original establishment with its bright yellow walls, red and white checkered table cloths and antique tea tins. A poster by Milton Glaser hangs in the vestibule. See the Nom Wah website here.

The exterior is a wonderful throwback with its faded red and yellow sign, awning and Chinese characters. Porcelain lucky cats wave from the behind the windows.

Wilson, now 32, comes from a mixed background of finance and food service, working some years for Morgan Stanley and ING Direct. He also owned and operated a bakery in the Lower East Side for 5 years.

Might Wilson be the type of person that really goes the extra mile? On Friday morning, when writing Part 1 of this story, I was curious if I could get Wilson's take on the restaurant service experience I had in the Chelsea restaurant. I sent an email at 7:40 AM leaving my phone number - I received a reply at 7:50. He was leaving for work and on exiting the subway, a few minutes before 9 AM, Wilson called my home and discussed his take on my story. A number of additional emails were exchanged that morning. Here is his email response regarding the Chelsea incident:

Brian,

To answer your question, as a restaurant owner, I would never have any dispute with the customer. If there was a mistake with the food, I would always comp the item or do whatever they wanted to ensure that they are completely satisfied.

In the restaurant business, it is very important to have repeat customers whose positive experience will spread with word of mouth. It's not worth the few bucks of food cost that can turn the experience negative.

Wilson's policy is that of the fine dining establishment which will comp an entire entree if a mistake is made. Atypical perhaps for a lower priced eatery, but Wilson knows that there can never be too many examples of good management and that it will take many battles and warriors to win the War on Disservice :)