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Grasshopper on Ludlow Street

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

I went to see Grasshopper, among other noise bands, again at The Cake Shop last night, and have decided that I can only describe this medium through metaphor. Therefor, I now introduce to you my very first NYCultureblog Poem, Grasshopper on Ludlow Street:

Grasshopper on Ludlow Street
Between smooth jazz and torn steel,
Metallic street signs warble,
bending to the will of the wind.

An elephant devours a canary mid-song,
and complains of indigestion.

crystal rims shrill in the darkness
to the accompaniment of chainsaws.

Sound lurches fiercely against the bars of its cage,
crying out that struggle
is freedom.

A calm sets in,
a shattered silence,
and distortion becomes clear.

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Another NYC winter

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

Hat? Check. Gloves? Check. Scarf? Check! Are you ready for a big bad New York winter? I know I am!

Rumor has it, it’s gonna be a cold one, and since it’s been pretty mild the last two years, I thought I’d download some of my thoughts on New York City when general winter breaks out the big guns.

First things first though: nostalgia. I remember the New York winters of my youth as being some of the coldest of my life. Seeing the Macy’s windows decked out for the holidays, visiting FAO Schwartz with no intention of buying anything, skating in rockefeller center… All good memories that pale in comparison to the vivid and visceral experience of feeling the bighting wind cut across my face and steal the warmth from my tightly bundled body. Needless to say, good times were had by all on those brisk visits to the city.

Today, winter in the city is a bit different for me. For one thing, I live here now, for better or worse, and there begins a whole world of difference from the jaunts we made from New Jersey in years past. Now there is no escape!

Probably the nastiest bit of work is the commuting situation. We may be relatively safe from the bad driving conditions (read: don’t own a car) but there’s plenty to worry about. For most of us, walking is a mainstay, and that means exposure to the elements during a sizeable portion of our commute.

I just have one thing to say about this: BUNDLE THE F*CK UP!

Seriously, a 10 minute walk doesn’t seem so bad until you have to do it in a 0 windchill. Layering and covering extremities is of course a must. Also, when going to a place you haven’t been before, figure out your routes well ahead of time. It’ll save you that all too familiar pain of knowing you’re two blocks from your destination, without knowing which two blocks it is.

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Comedy in the Park

Sunday, July 1st, 2007

Last Friday I decided to lighten things up a bit and check out some more comedy. As luck would have it, I happened upon a very interesting, very comprehensive list of free events in the city, and comedy was on the menu in Central Park, compliments of Comedy Central.

So we headed up to the park after work, hoping to catch the show, but to my surprise, there was actually a massive line that had formed to get in! I had been under the mistaken impression that the performance would be on one of the big lawns and that space would be more or less unlimited, but the show was actually being held in a much smaller (though still quite expansive) amphitheater in the middle of the Park. The line moved quickly however, and we managed to get in right around the start of the show.

Comedy Central (Park)
To my great delight, I found that the show was actually being introduced by Dave Attell! In a word: Awesome!!! Dave Attell was fantastic with a quick round of opening jokes including some very dirty jokes, which he apologized for when he remembered that there might be families in the audience…but not really. Thank god for unabashed adult humor!

Of the acts that followed, all were pretty solid, save one poor woman who just couldn’t seem to get the crowd excited. The jokes weren’t bad, but somehow they weren’t getting through to the crowds funny bone, so she kind of struggled for a while. The other comics, and Dave Attell of course, had a good bead on what tickles a New Yorker’s fancy though, and the show went very well indeed.

The Space
The space was a little cramped, owing to it being a free, public comedy show featuring some very funny and talented comics, but I didn’t mind so much for the most part. The only time when this became a problem was when a group of about eight or nine highly inconsiderate people came and put down a blanket next to us (we were all laying out on some kind of turf) and proceeded to talk amongst themselves loudly through a good portion of the show. How unnerving.

The Bottom Line
It’s hard to go wrong with free in this city, and this was no exception. I was exceptional in that we got to see over two hours of what really was top notch comedy with little more sacrificed than about five minutes in line. I’d definitely recommend any free performance in the park with gusto. There’s really no reason not to go, so check it out.

Posted in Uncategorized, Live Performance | 4 Comments »

Calendar Update: The Brooklyn Brewery

Thursday, March 22nd, 2007

Event Scheduled for 3/24/07

I’ve decided on a tour of the Brooklyn Brewery as my replacement event for this week, after having to postpone my live music expedition to 55 Bar due to conflicting obligations. Tours take place every saturday from 12 - 5 pm on the hour, so I think I’ll shoot for the last one and just start the night off early! As I mentioned, 55 Bar isn’t getting cancelled, just postponed till next thursday, 3/29/07.

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

UCBT Update

Friday, March 16th, 2007

Hi all, I’m just making a quick update before I get carried away on my vacation weekend. For those of you who were wondering, yes, I will still be attending the improv show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre tonight despite the horrendous weather. Then I’ll be in transit most of the afternoon tomorrow and celebrating with my family in sunny Florida immediately thereafter, so I probably won’t be making my usual weekend update until Sunday or Monday. In the meantime, here are a few great New York based sites for you to sink your teeth into:

MikeyBoom.com - Some unique insights into the city we call home

Overheard in New York - Hillarious and enlightening conversations overheard in public

The Gothamist - Something newsworthy happens in this city every minute and these guys never miss a beat

That should keep you all busy for a while! Enjoy, and have a great St. Patrick’s Day weekend!

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Upcoming Events

Wednesday, February 28th, 2007

So until I figure out how to make a calendar for this blog, I’ll be posting my upcoming events here. Feel free to follow along, or come and check them out for yourself!

Friday 3/2/07: The Guggenheim

5:15-7:45 pay what you want
9:00-1:00am First Friday

Friday 3/9/07: Point Break Live!

A live performance based on the wonderfully ridiculous movie starring Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, and Patrick Swayze

Friday 3/16/07: Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre

8:00pm Paincake & The Al Pacino School of Acting
9:30pm THE STEPFATHERS

Saturday 3/17/07: St. Patrick’s Day in Tampa

A whole day of who the hell knows what!

Saturday 3/24/07: Brooklyn Brewery

Tours from 12:00-5:00pm

Thursday 3/29/07: Live Music at 55 Bar

Wayne Krantz at 10pm

Saturday 4/7/07: The Brooklyn Museum

First Saturday 5:00-11:00pm

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

About Me

Tuesday, February 27th, 2007

Hi, my name is Tony Floriani and I’m the mind behind NYCultureblog.com. This, of course, isn’t exactly my day job. I currently live in Brooklyn and work in internet marketing for a Manhattan based interactive company. I’ve been in the city since Summer, 2006, and as of the creation of this blog, have been mostly overwhelmed with working and trying to make a smooth transition into being a New Yorker.

Going back a little further, I attended undergrad at Northwestern University in Illinois, about ten miles north of Chicago where I studied English and Sociology. I also belonged to a fraternity where I made some of the best and worst mistakes of my life.

Going back still further, I grew up in Morristown, New Jersey, where I swore I’d never ever live in New York. Funny how times change, no?

Anyway, now that I’m here, it’s time to make the most of my stay, and that’s what this blog is all about.

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About NYCultureblog.com

Sunday, February 25th, 2007

My NYCultureblog is a site about New York and the endless possibilities for cultural enrichment that exist here. I’ve heard it said that you can do anything at any time in this city, but most of us never bother to try. Well I, for one, have spent enough nights in front of the TV. It’s time to find out what the city that never sleeps really has to offer.

Thus, as part of an ongoing project, I will be going out into the city at least once a week to do something that I might not ordinarily try, and then I’ll write about it here in the hope that others will follow my example. The only unifying point to these adventures will be a focus on cultural experience and growth. Culture exists all around us, and there are a million different ways to experience it here in New York, whether it be through a simple walk in the park, or a wild indie rock concert. So if you think of culture as being something confined to the halls of a museum, prepare to be challenged.

Finally, I want to promote participation in this project by readers and fellow bloggers. Bearing that in mind, I’d be thrilled to hear other people’s stories of quirky or casual adventures in the city via email at afloriani@gmail.com, and will offer to post any appropriate stories that i recieve. If you don’t have a story of your own, but maybe have a suggestion about something you’d like to see me write about, I’d love to hear those too! So read and participate and together we can really paint the town red!

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Grasshopper on Ludlow Street

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