Remembering 9/11

The media has been filled with commemorations of this somber tenth anniversary. For Americans, especially those of us who lived close enough to know the Towers well, the shock has never really gone away. Perhaps the world did change after these attacks, or at least the individual world for many people. Suddenly the world did not seem to secure, and the home that had always seemed safe, that had never been invaded, that was half a world away from any horrors of war-- suddenly war had come to our shores, killing thousands of innocent civilians.

We never will forget, and every five or ten years we will focus all of our energies again on contemplating this anniversary, remembering where we were and considering how the world has changed since that date. The victims and heroes will always be honored, and I hope that future generations who do not have personal memories of the horror will still keep this day hallowed. We will look back to Sept. 10, 2001, and all the days before it as the golden era, the days free from fear or threat. They were not, but with the nostalgia of hindsight, they will seem calm and serene in the chaotic decade that followed.

We'll never get over it, nor should we; the anniversary from a New Yorker's POV

The Man in the Red Bandana

Chomsky's views on 9/11 and the aftermath

Eleventh Day: The Full Story of 9/11 and Osama Bin Laden, book promotion interview

Remembering United 93, let's roll

The Life and Fall of the Towers, photo montage from the 28 year life of the World Trade Center

My first visit back to Ground Zero, summer 2008 before any construction on the memorial had begun

Time-Lapsed NYC

Another video of a city: A beautiful glimpse of New York City in three minutes. This one definitely deserves a full screen.

NYC - Mindrelic Timelapse from Mindrelic on Vimeo.

Street pianos

Here's a beautiful project by artist Luke Jerram to bring a little more music into our everyday lives. Recently installed in New York City, Jerram and his piano concept have been traveling the world and enabling ordinary people to sit down and create music amidst the city cacophony. Artists decorated over 60 pianos and placed them in public places across the five boroughs--and don't worry, music enthusiasts, I can personally testify that the pianos were covered during rainy weather (which sadly prevented me from playing). After the installation, the pianos were donated to local schools and community groups.

Next up, Belfast, Pécs, Cincinnati, San Jose, and Grand Rapids will get to enjoy this communal masterpiece.

Museum Mile Festival

The annual Museum Mile Festival is tonight in New York City. From 6-9pm, gain free access to nine of the museums in the Upper East Side--including the Met, the Neue Galerie, the Guggenheim, and more--and enjoy live music and art everywhere in between. This festival is usually held each year on the second Tuesday of June.

'Tis the Season

I loved this article on Weihnachtsmärkte in Germany. Such Christmas markets can be found across Germany, but the Berlin markets have especially specified and diversified. The NYT offers examples of a market for kids, a market for GLBT, and a market for environmentalists.

Hurry, because these markets traditionally close by Dec. 24!


Can't get to Deutschland or Österreich this year? A number of U.S. cities have adapted the tradition and added their own Christkindlmärkte.

Frohe Weihnachten und ein gutes Neues Jahr!

A Budgeted New York Travel Itinerary

Because sometimes it seemed easier to find the cheap spots abroad than in our own American city: The Frugal Traveler takes on NYC

Goin' to Bethlehem

I traveled one last time for the summer this past weekend and went to Bethlehem, PA. This small city in the Lehigh Valley is a great get-away from New York.

Getting there: I took the Trans-Bridge bus from the NY Port Authority terminal to Bethlehem. Tickets work like those for a commuter bus, so you purchase a ticket to the location and you can get on any bus you want (no set date or time). Round trip cost about $40 from NYC; the ride was only about 2.5 hours each way, and the bus came frequently. Not bad!

Things to See Around Bethlehem: Bethlehem is a very relaxing place and a great break from the hustle bustle and crowds of Manhattan. In its heyday, it was the home of the great Bethlehem Steel Mill, the remains of which still stand by the river and rust away. (This otherworldly collection of massive brownish-red pipes, towers, cranes, and warehouses served a great otherworldly backdrop for some footage in the upcoming Terminator film). Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley are also home to many colleges, and the town caters to its college populations. Finally, Bethlehem is a great location for the history buff; it was founded in the 1700s by Moravian settlers seeking freedom of religion and still has many signs of this long history.

However, I came to town for MusikFest, one of the many festivals hosted by the city. As such, there were plenty of crowds, but this had the feel of more of a carnival-craft fair-concert rather than a daily rush. This year, MusikFest started August 2 and continued until the 9th. Everywhere there were signs of the festivity--food vendors along the river*, craft stalls selling everything from quilts to sprinklers to Native American art. Stages were set up all over, and crowds gathered to hear rock, celtic, bluegrass, jazz, funk, opera, punk, and more unique performances, including the performers dancing on flexible stilts and the Phantom-like Bell Master who played the carillon. I loved it all. The Main Street was also very interesting, but packed around 9 at night as the crowds surged toward the stages and bars. I rather wished for more time on my visit to be able to check out all the fascinating little shops that lined the street. Ah well, that will have to be another trip.

Be sure to check the festival schedule before planning your trip--there always seems to be something going on, and something not to miss! However, even if it is a quiet weekend, there will always be something to do in Bethlehem, even as simple as a walk through the old cemetery, a drive up to an overlook of the steel mill, or a picnic in a park along the river. True to its name, there is a star on the hill above the city; it is turned on every night and lights the way to all those around.

*Most of the vendors refrain from using cash this weekend. Instead, the festival sets up booths by each entrance for visitors to purchase tickets worth 50 cents each. Visitors pay the food vendors in tickets rather than cash, and vendors later turn in those tickets to get their profits.

The Towers

I've been living in New York City for two months, but it wasn't until last weekend that I finally made the necessary pilgrimage to Ground Zero. I had not been to the site since August 2001, on a family trip to the city. It is a visit that I put off, but I needed to do.

It was confusing at first. I got off the subway and followed the swarms in the direction of the PATH station and "WTC" signs. I followed the crowds onto a tunnel-like pedestrian bridge that crossed above the site of the Towers. Tourists and cameras lined the walkway, peeking through the grates on the walls to try to get a view of the site below. Just seemed like a lot of cranes and dirt. There were a lot of families present with young children; I remember wondering how these children, who were born after the Towers ceased to exist, would find any meaning in the place that just seemed to be a construction site. I kept walking.

On the other side of the walkway, I saw the water and was determined to keep going. It was coming back quickly now--the dock, the playground, the restaurant. As I got closer, I saw Lady Liberty at last--my first clear view since arriving in this City. I saw Ellis Island. And I saw, as distinct as ever, the white Colgate clock on the opposite shore in Jersey City. For years, we parked our car in the lot beside that clock and caught the ferry across the Hudson, docking each time right below the WTC. The water and park were just as I remembered them. A large stone pathway for runners, a playground a bit farther north (I remembered playing there once after seeing Annie), lots of trees and space. The yacht harbor was even still there, as full as it had been at my last visit.

Turning, the World Financial Center, which I will always think of as the glass Marriott, looked as if nothing had changed--glass and steel, perfectly reconstructed. But there was a severe absence. It was not the construction site that hit me--that is what remains. It was the open space, the absence of two looming towers flanking the small glass building. I could almost see them as I looked up, their space carved out perfectly by the buildings around them, like the empty holes of a puzzle missing two crucial pieces. I had to look away.

Though the outside was deceptively the same, the inside of the glass Center was painfully different. The palm trees are there. The sweeping central staircase is in its rightful place. The glass and steel ceiling is as grand as ever. But the restaurant is gone. I remember sitting at that restaurant after a Broadway matinee, playing with my unwanted water by adding sugar packets and wetting straw wrappers. I don't remember what it was called or what I ate, but I distinctly remember entering the main front doors of the glass center and the restaurant being on our right. Its strange the details that the mind stashes away, the unusual bits of memory that remain vividly alive. It was semi-fancy, and I was being uncooperative that day. We sat at tables just outside the restaurant in the central plaza. There are some tables still there and benches below the palm trees. But the restaurant is gone. The space that once held it has been reconstructed.

The Financial Center which used to connect to the Towers now has large glass windows on its back through which visitors can solemnly view the abyss. There's not much to see. Surrounded by families and whining toddlers, yawning teens, and tourists wearing headsets to tell them about the site, it can be a discouraging visit. The World Financial Center feels like a shopping mall and visitors center; it is eerie to not see the suited men and business women rushing through, grabbing a coffee, and running off to their next meeting. At least Merril Lynch and Deloitte are still there. Maybe cynicism got the best of me; it was a weekend, after all, so naturally it would be devoid of workers and full of tourists. But regardless, I couldn't join the masses by the window; I had to retreat to a forgotten corner of the building and sit and think.

This entire entry has been transcribed from the post-it notes that I scribbled it on while sitting there.

West Side Story Revival

A few years ago, I had heard talk of a revival of one of those old Broadway classics, West Side Story. I grew up on this musical and was thrilled at the chance to see it on Broadway myself. Unfortunately, talks of having a revival ready for fall 2005 died out quickly.

Now, it looks like it is finally happening. Though as the NYT announced, this will not be your standard revival. They are not merely adding a new song or scene, but using the story's cross-cultural message to create a new experiment for Broadway--a bilingual musical.

I mentioned this to a few people and received mixed reviews. Who wants to see a musical that they can't understand half of it? Sure, there will be translation screens, but how strange that would be! What about singing along to "America"?

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I'm in the opposite camp--I love the idea! Granted, I'm a huge linguaphile and I'm comfortable hearing another language and not understanding, but what better musical than West Side? Everyone is familiar with the basic story (what? two feuding families/gangs, two lovers, and a balcony?) and many people know the music. In the past, too many productions have been accused of casting "fake" Puerto Rican Sharks with very poor imitation accents; this production is seeking authentic, native speakers of each language and culture. Isn't that the story anyway--two separate cultures that struggle to mesh, but finally come together? Previously the audience has only been looking through the window in on this world; now we will be able to experience it.

And what better time then now, when Spanish is rapidly becoming the unofficial second language of the US? NYC subway cars are often divided with at least half the signs written in or including español. Many schools are beginning instruction in Spanish at a younger age. Has there really not been a Spanish musical on Broadway yet, or at least a musical incorporating a lot of Spanish? 

Regardless, West Side will always hold a special place in my heart, and this new interpretation takes it even further.  I can't wait!

The Quest for Gelato in America

New feature: Reviews (of restaurants, books, movies, or whatever I feel like talking about).

Today's review is of L'Arte Del Gelato, a gelateria in lower and midtown Manhattan. After spending a semester in Vienna (be sure to check out Zanoni & Zanoni near Stephansdom!) and 10 days in Italy, I have become very picky about my gelato. I'm not a fan of the American imitations that are basically just ice cream and sorbet. With nostalgia and a craving for the European flavors, I am determined to find authentic gelateria... and what better place than in New York City?

Background: For those who are unfamiliar with this artful cuisine, gelato is an Italian dessert that is often mistranslated as ice cream. However, it is creamier and more flavorful than ice cream or sorbet--ice crystals are broken and smoothed when the gelato is made, resulting in more flavor and less watery taste. L'Arte Del Gelato explains the differences in its own words. Like ice cream, gelato is often made from sugar and milk, but with minimal air; some gelato includes eggs and many have fruit. Some of my favorite flavors include Stracciatella (the best chocolate chip you will ever taste), Nutella, Melon, grapefruit, peach, mixed berries, and more. Many good gelaterias also offer experimental flavors, such as apple and rosemary or Twix.

The gelato options might look like this (picture from a 70-flavor gelateria in Firenze):

For more information, see Wikipedia.


The Location: After some googling and reading about the owner's return to Italy and dedication to the old gelato-making traditions, I decided that L'Arte Del Gelato would be my first stop. I tried stopping by the Chelsea Market location during the week, but discovered that that location closes at 7pm on weekdays. Yesterday, I instead tried the location by the NYU campus at 7th Ave and Bleecker street and had success! If I am not mistaken, the Friday and Saturday hours at this location are 11am-1am... not positive about weekdays, but give it a shot! It is right around the corner from the famous Jekyll & Hyde dinner theater, and with lots to do on 7th and on Bleecker (i.e. there was street fair this weekend).

The Details: I stepped in the small shop and examined the options. There were many of the usual suspects--Cioccolato, Nutella, Coconut, Banana, and many more. The workers were very eager to offer samples. I chose a small bowl ($4.50 for two flavors) and settled on my usual of Stracciatella and decided to try passion fruit. In addition to a decent portion of each flavor, the server surprised me by placing a free hefty sample of Frutti di Bosco (mixed berry) on top; she thought I might like this and it would help offset the two extremes of creamy Stracciatella and refreshing fruity passion fruit.

Still, I miss the 3-flavor huge portions of the 2 euro Blümen Tüte (flower cone) at Zanoni & Zanoni.


My Verdict: Not bad! The Stracciatella was excellent! If you have never had gelato before, I strongly recommend heading down and checking it out. The chocolate flakes were just right, and it was richly smooth and flavorful. However, the passion fruit could have been better. Though refreshing and rather flavorful, the consistency reminded me too much of the poor imitations; I had to let it melt a bit before I found it smooth enough.

I'll have to head back in a few weeks and try some alternate flavors--the Nutella looked very tempting! I'm curious as to whether all of the fruit flavors are too stiff, or if it was just a bad day for passion fruit. The mixed berry sample was rather good, but I'll just have to get more to be sure. More gelato to try--what a shame! :)

Day 1

And NYC Lesson #1: If you have to walk 3 blocks to the subway and then another 4 blocks after you arrive at your stop, do NOT wear heels. Especially not when it's 97 degrees outside. Instead, do what the smart kids do-- wear sandals and just change into heels outside of your office building.

Needless to say, my feet are not too pleased with me right now. I don't wear heels on a regular basis, so the uneven pavement, desire to get out of the heat, and lack of practice walking was not a good combination. It was a miracle that I didn't fall on my face.


Otherwise, my first day was great. Learned one of the perks of working at a publishing company--namely, free books. Today I got a travel guide to New York City. ^_^ It was exhausting though, and after the long trudge home during rush hour, it was a relief to get home and find that I had AC at last. The past few days were rough-- record temperatures, and I was only armed with a small fan. Much better now.