The snow’s been coming down at a steady clip for a couple of hours here in NYC, the wind’s really starting to kick in, and Biscuit, once again, just brought her special version of hell down upon us, so we’re going to run outside and play in the beautiful, beautiful snow. I know a lot of our staff and readers are in the line of today’s blizzard, so here’s an open thread to discuss what’s going on in your neck of the woods.
Listen, I love pizza. If I had to pick a last meal, chances are pretty good it would solely consist of or at least include pizza. I would have sex with a well-made pie if it had a hole in it. I LOVE PIZZA THAT FUCKING MUCH. But I’d never ever pay $5 for a plain slice regardless of where it was made.
And let me tell ya something very few people are willing to admit (because they’re assholes), Di Fara’s pizzeria is probably the most overrated eating establishment in all of the five boroughs. Don’t believe the Chowhound message boards, home to some of the most loathsome, crumb-covered, head-butt-deserving douchebags in the world, where Di Fara’s is adored and fawned over like a cheesy Holy Grail. DI FARA’S IS NOT WORTH IT. Getting there is a pain in the ass (even if you live in Brooklyn), the whole ordering process is about as pleasant as getting a colonoscopy, and the resulting pie, which you NEARLY HAVE TO DIE FOR, ain’t all that. It’s way too oily, the crust is overly-charred, and even the goddamn fresh basil (fresh=grown in the window of a decrepit Brooklyn pizzeria), which Domenico meticulously (and slowly ... SO FUCKING SLOWLY) cuts over each pie with a pair of scissors, is really nothing more than the equivalent of an erratic BeDazzling.
I mean, look at this pie that I had to shoulder-out a sneering Russian day laborer to get for nearly a half hour (after already waiting twenty minutes at our dirty table) AND I ORDERED THE DAMN THING:
Inappropriately burnt crust, enough olive oil on it so that I could slip ‘n’ slide my way home instead of taking the bus, expensive as shit (before this latest price increase), an ordering process that’s just plain fucking cruel (TAKE YOUR NAME WITH YOUR ORDER? WHY WOULD THE DI FARA ZOMBIE STAFF WANT TO DO THAT?!?), and, on top of it all, look at the crap basil job I got from Dom, the only person allowed to touch the pies at Di Fara’s BECAUSE HE IS JESUS H. CRUST. If I’m going to wait even longer for basil to be slowly scissored over my pie a) I want it all cut and b) I want it somewhat evenly distributed.
So thanks to the vastly (and, obviously, maddeningly) overrated Di Fara’s, plain slices in NYC will probably be $3 by the end of the summer. And I can’t even enjoy a $2.25 slice now, while it still exists, because I’m on a goddamn diet. SO I WANT TO KILL EVERYONE NOW.
As my lovely wife Chris and I were headed to Sunday’s Williamsburg Waterfront concert we took a detour through the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast and were lucky enough to catch the dance of the Giglio. Even better, we got to catch the Giglio meeting “la barca” (“the boat”) at the intersection of Havemeyer and 8th (video below the fold). I’ll let the chairman of the festival explain:
The Giglio [weight: 3+ tons—KK] is a statue on top of about a 65- or 70-foot tower decorated to look like a lily, and the statue on top is St. Paulinus. The Giglio is made up of a steel and aluminum frame, and it’s in three or four sections that are hoisted into place with a crane. The face of the Giglio, which is the lily, is made out of papier- maché and wood and cardboard tied to the frame ... and the face of the statue is painted. So the statue of Paulinus sits at the very top of the lily tower, and on the base is a 10-piece band that plays music (and the guys in the band like to eat - they’re pretty heavy!) and the Giglio “dances” to that music when lifted.
So why do neighborhood men risk throwing out their backs to hoist it?
Well, it’s a reenactment of the ritual that took place. Roughly about 100-130 guys pick up the statue, and the statue is lifted several times through the afternoon, and we dance through the streets to the music. And then, of course, the boat [another 3 tons, requiring another 100 men] is lifted at the same time, which signifies St. Paulinus coming back to Nola, and the Giglio is the lily meeting him. And the boat and the Giglio are lifted together a few times during the festival and come together. The dancing of the Giglio happens three different times during the 11-day festival, beginning today.
Not only is this a bad idea because it’s impossible to scrape together ten Oscar-worthy films in any given year, but why would you do this when you’ve got an awards show that’s renowned for running painfully long? I’m with the wingnuts now. Fuck Hollywood!
p.s. If you’re a NYer (or maybe even if you’re not), you should definitely bookmark and/or blogroll The Village Voice‘s Runnin’ Scared. Roy Edroso of alicublog is doing a bang up job running it and it’s become a daily read for me.
In celebration of a very nice kick-off to the wonderful Celebrate Brooklyn music series in Prospect Park, here are two visually stunning videos from the N.A.S.A. collaboration for songs featuring David Byrne. This first one is both gorgeous and disturbing, and showcases art by the extremely talented Marcel Dzama:
willregistersoon
Wed Mar 25, 2009 11:44 am EST
I heard that there was a fire at the dry cleaners on 9th st and 8th ave this morning. Lots of fire trucks and ambulances. I know this is where they’re also setting up to film the Nicholas Cage movie tonight and tomorrow. I wonder if they film equipment or cables started the fire? Or how this will affect their filming. Anyone have more info on this?
Flynn
Wed Mar 25, 2009 11:45 am EST
if it keeps nick cage from making another movie it could be seen as a blessing.
SIDE NOTE: Is my lovely wife Chris the only person who’s driven crazy by Cage’s lack of sideburns over the past several years? I may have to go track down his trailer and plead with him to grow them back.
Say what you want about ‘em (and I have), but they really deliver on occasion…
Here’s the related story about a former Project Runway contestant. I guess you can do the walk of shame in the comments by admitting that you watch the show.
Two questions:
1) How come no one at the skool picked up on the typo and, if they did, why did they still use the sign?
2) When do the NY1 cameraman and editor who worked on this piece get their well-deserved raises?
The only thing missing from this image is my lovely (crazy?) wife Chris trying to swat the plastic bag out of the tree with a couple of long sticks held together with duct tape. Plastic bags caught in trees is what we refer to in our house as “the haunting.”
Check all of the absolutely wonderful NYC-themed LEGO interpretations here.
Seriously, I don’t know who won. Obama was solid, vigorous, knowledgeable, direct, and fearless—but McCain was engaged and scrappy. I guess it’s a question of whether you favor sharp-witted maturity (Obama, the grown-up) or the sneering contempt of a wily old bastard (McCain). My guess: McCain gains a bit, just because he’s been looking like a buffoon lately and he didn’t look like one tonight, but any bounce dissipates soon.
This was my favorite part [hat tip udjo y.], but I think Obama could have used a few more zingers. It’s too bad this will be the last debate about national security because I think this one that I just wrote for him would have killed...
And, Jim, you know while we’re talking about our current financial crisis and national security in this debate, I think it’s time that we considered saving the taxpayers money by rolling back production of some of the armaments that went out of style with the end of the Cold War. And judging from John’s sleeve length over there, I’d say he’d probably support arms reduction, too.
MORE: What happened to the old Joe Klein and can we make sure the hostage release money is never delivered?
UPDATE: Wow, Luntz’s focus group weighed heavily in favor of Obama. I guess while there were high expectations for Obama (and low ones for McCain), Barack also had to convince a lot of undecideds that he was “presidential” last night and he clearly did that. Good roundup by the Politico staff here. This pretty much says it all:
Declared Obama the winner: ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, pollster Frank Luntz on Fox, Slate’s John Dickerson, TIME magazine’s Mark Halperin, CBS News instant poll and CNN post-debate poll.
Declared McCain the winner: Politico’s Roger Simon (“The Mac is back”), Fortune magazine’s Nina Easton, The Weekly Standard’s William Kristol and Fred Barnes, Fox News Texting Poll and Drudge online poll.
MORE: Okay, we decided not to go. Too far of a walk in the rain. Just read this great post by Nate Silver. You should, too. [hat tip Allan in comments]
CORRECTION: The Williamsburg Obama fundraiser is TOMORROW NIGHT, Saturday the 6th. I apologize for any confusion.
Don’t like what you saw for the last three days? Cleanse your palette with this video and make a donation. And if you’re an NYC resident, TOMORROW NIGHT’S Obama fundraiser in Williamsburg (featuring one of my favorite new bands La Strada) is worth checking out. I’ll be there, so if you plan on attending, drop me a line at kevin—at—rumproast.com (or use the contact link in the top right sidebar) so we can say “howdy” and stuff.
