Fuel For the Soul

New York comes to my rescue every day.  I have a tendency to get sad without warning and my fail safe method of battling the blues is meandering New York City streets on my bicycle.  I find beauty everywhere I turn. My family took 2000 photos of the city going back to 1906 and I constantly revisit these places to remember and reinvent them. Many times discovering lost treasures or a lovely thing I never knew existed. What I see comforts my soul the same way a three pack of Yankee Doodles soothed my belly when I was a kid.

Last September, Kennedy Moore, founder of Ask A New Yorker, contacted me after reading this story blog. Kennedy invited me to write a weekly column for AANY ~ a remarkable site that brings all the pleasures of New York City together in one publication. I was honored and accepted his offer immediately. I wanted to be part of it. New York is a five senses explosion and Ask A New Yorker dives in with gusto.  As much as I’ve enjoyed writing for AANY these past ten months something was missing.

The nature of media is a lot of the time you don’t meet the people you work with.  You read their work, sometimes see their photos, but there is no face to face.  I miss that. I crave tactile. I love people’s expressions and hearing the voice to go with the words. This past Monday, Kennedy Moore and Emily Sproch, AANY’s Managing Editor, hosted a party for AANY’s staff writers. For the first time, I met Emily and several of the writers who share my love for the city.  We gathered at Toshi’s Living Room in the Flatiron Hotel at 9 West 26^th Street. We spent a portion of our time on the penthouse deck staring jaw dropped at the Empire State Building.

My circle with AANY is complete. I’m indebted to Kennedy and Emily and all the other writers for their warm friendship and support. This morning my AANY coffee mug reminded me that I’m a lucky boy on a talented and dedicated team doing its best to bring the city to everyone.

Here is a link to several photographs from the AANY party at Toshi’s Living Room.

The Essence of St. Patrick's Day

Third Ave El 1900

The essence of St. Paddy’s to me has always been to celebrate our ancestors. Not just the Irish but anyone from elsewhere in the world who courageously or otherwise came to this country, worked hard, took care of what they had, and improved it for their children. 

How I best observe St. Patrick’s Day is walking around the city and renewing my love for New York.

Thinking of my Irish grandfather, Thomas Pryor, born on the 3rd floor of a walkup at 50^th Street and Third Avenue in 1900. First four years of his life, dirty steam engines roared past his family’s front windows facing the Third Avenue El (the tracks were electrified in 1904). 

Imagining my Italian great-grandfather, Antonino Cuccia, making red wine in the cellar of 1403 York Avenue since the fruit stand at 1405 wasn’t enough to support the family of five. Nan told me he was embarrassed he couldn’t learn English so he always had a puss on his face.

As my family strolls through my head, the buildings I see, the points, the locations, the way the lights hit the brick, drive me giddy to distraction. I’m in awe. I walk around and consider my daughter at my age seeing many of these places years from now, maybe with her children and these buildings, these spots still delight, reminding her where we and all this comes from and she fondly recalls her ancestors and their work. 

Here are pictures from yesterday’s walkabout and three songs links in the photos captioned:

"Hail, Hail, Rock N' Roll," "Time Tangled Up," & "Waiting For The Man."

14th St & 7th Ave Fire Escape Party

Hail, Hail, Rock N' Roll!

Broadway on left, %th Ave on right ~ Bottom of Flatiron

St. George shuts up Big Mouth

1900

Hugh O'Neill Building

Time Tangled Up

Waiting For The Man

If only the city still had more corners such as this one

Old Hospital, Mental Ward, Military Prison & Pepsi Cola

looking towards Hoboken

Washington Street final blast of sunlight

Charles Street

Charles Street

Hudson St on left, 12th St on right

12th Street

The New York Times Publishes Two ~ Next Storytelling Show is Valentine's Day

 Hi Folks, today my Yorkville neighborhood story was published in The New York Times Home & Garden section on the front page.  

Here is a link to the story: "One Foot Planted Firmly in the Nest."  

Two weeks ago, The Times published my story about playing indoor tackle in York Hill Co-op and scamming New York Giants tickets at Loftus Tavern in the mid 1960s. 

Read here: "When the Fire Hydrant Was the End Zone."

Vinny loves Teddy

Our next City Stories: Stoops to Nuts storytelling show at Cornelia Street Café is Valentine’s Day, Tuesday, February 14^th @ 6 pm. 

I promise a great show with these artists: Steve Northeast, Jana Peri, Thomas Pryor, Daniela Schiller, Katherine Wessling & Nick Zaharakos.

Admission is $7 and that includes one free drink.

It’s Flatiron Time.

Saying Goodbye to September in the Flatiron District

Rushing through the Flatiron neighborhood on the last night in September, I crossed Fifth Avenue at 19th Street looked north and stopped dead. The Empire State Building in twilight was brilliant. I put down the flowers intended for Karol Nielsen on the launch of her terrific new memoir, Black Elephants and started snapping away. Here are a few photos and a link to more. Always sorry to see September go.

Downtown Walk in January

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPhZH46VM5s