Nuance

Today's posting is more about a personal frustration than something that is strictly related to New York City. I have had this photo for quite some time - I always loved this small elegant sign hanging outside the fine tiny French restaurant, Le Gigot on Cornelia Street in the West Village. But how to use this photo? There really isn't anything about it which is particularly remarkable, but it is quite elegant. Ah, there's the source of my irritation - subtlety, nuance and understatement.
I recall years ago have a conversation with an acquaintance regarding the perpetual debate regarding Apple vs. Windows based pcs. Ease of use, graphics or music professionals do not explain much of the large user base - there are plenty of scientists, business people, attorneys and computer geeks who use Apple. At one point I stated that many of the differences were due to nuances in the interface like subpixel font smoothing and that customers are willing to pay for that difference. My friend concurred and make the statement that subtlety and nuance were things all too underappreciated in this country. But nuance is the very thing that typically separates the ordinary from the finer things in life whether it is clothing, food, wine, cameras, furniture.
So in light of a culture dominated by bigger is better, deep discount big box stores, reality TV shows, gratuitous violence and other extreme, in-your-face manifestations of a utilitarian, dumbed down world, let's celebrate nuance today ...

OTB

OTB is a rather invisible enterprise, lurking in the underbelly of New York City. This is the type of place that caters strictly to a niche clientele and those not seeking to place bets through the city's Off Track Betting parlors, will probably never notice there existence.
This is one of the few things in New York City that I do not consider a must see. In fact, the atmosphere is rather unsavory, perhaps seedy. Unlike racetracks themselves which have the added elements of horses, paddocks, jockeys and an outdoor environment, OTB is stripped of all these human and equine elements and has reduced horse racing to a betting experience. Although one can feel some excitement at the close of a race, there is the distinct sense that the excitement is largely predicated on winning money with a leveraged bet. Unfortunately, It is also the home to many the disenfranchised hoping to hit it big, with a longshot or perhaps a gimmick bet like the exacta or trifecta.
At one time these parlors were smoke filled, adding insult to injury, but certainly providing a sense of authenticity - a smoky haze conjures the right images for this type of place, evoking the feelings one might have in a poolhall or a dart area in the back room of a bar ...

History of OTB: Approved by voters in a 1963 referendum, the official history of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation began on April 22, 1970. NYCOTB was designated to operate as a public-benefit corporation, a relatively new form of governmental entity run along the lines of a private enterprise whose profits accrue back to the taxpayers in the form of public revenue. The mission given us was three-fold: to raise needed revenue for the City and State, to combat organized crime's hold on gambling by providing a legal alternative and to help New York State's racing industry.

Fung Wah

If you're going into business, I would not suggest competing against members of the Chinese community. As we saw in my recent posting Ridiculous, produce can be had in Chinatown at an absurd fraction of going retail prices elsewhere. If you are traveling to Boston or any other number of select cities in the Northeast, the price of a bus ticket from Fung Wah or other competitors makes one wonder - how do they do it? and will I get there alive?
I was first told about the Chinatown bus phenomenon by a college student, typically a good source of information on the latest in deals and discounts, online and off. Word travels fast in the price savvy and networked student community and it was not long before the larger world of New York City became aware of pricing that was, well, just astonishing.
Of course like anything deeply discounted, the phrase Chinatown bus, connotes different things to different people. To the cost conscious on a very tight budget, it is a blessing. To the well heeled it is perhaps a good example of how not to travel and you get what you pay for.
Bus travel is the lowest common denominator of the commercial travel options. From the perspective of utility, buses will transport you from here to there at the lowest prices. In 1997, Fung Wah, operating as a local dollar van service, took bus pricing to new lows. The pioneering effort was started by Pei Lin Liang. Liang saw the need for competitive pricing to Boston where many students were located.
There are now a number of companies in this cut throat business located on Forsyth Street (photo at right). There are various destinations available, typically cities with Chinatowns such as Philadelphia, Washington, DC or Boston. Employees hustle anyone who walks the street there, as if price alone will be an incentive to travel. Admittedly, at times I have been tempted to get on board just to take advantage of the extraordinary deals. A one way ticket to Boston costs a mere $15, with buses leaving hourly.
Reviews are mixed with some reports of overworked drivers, poor service, inadequate number of stops (in vans) and above average number of accidents. At these prices, however, most travelers will tolerate a lot. The only expectation is to get to their destination and get there uninjured ...

Sir Shadow

I am not going to render an opinion here on Sir Shadow's art, but I will report that it is certainly a phenomenon. After gleaning his website, I see that he is on the road to becoming a one man industry. As I have written here before, it is always so surprising how one can be unaware of people, places or things in this city which are virtual institutions, in many cases having had major news coverage such as articles in the New York Times. A good example of this is Joe Ades, the Gentleman Peeler, a character who has based himself in Union Square and about whom I have previously posted - see here.
Sir Shadow, 59 years old, was born Thomas Allen Paxton and grew up in Jamaica Queens, New York. Paxton, a high school drop out, has never gone to art school. He resides in the last flophouse on the Bowery, with recent plans for conversion.
New York City has the population density, diversity and tolerance to embrace and nurture any self promoter who has good schtick and chutzpah. Self-confidence in tandem with a creative mind will permit virtually any endeavor to become a potential success - there are always patrons to be had, even with the most bizarre products or services. This city is a cauldron, always brewing soups with unconventional unique ingredients.
I was amazed at Sir Shadow's fluidity. He is a master of the flow (part of his tag line) and improvisational poetry, describing his work as The One Line Art & Flowetry of Sir Shadow. He creates highly stylized line drawings in one continuous movement, never lifting the pen. A drawing in his signature silver ink is completed in a minute or two. For $20, he will make a personalized piece for a customer, while reciting a poem particular to that individual. See more photos here.
Although I imagine art snobs may turn their noses at such a commercial endeavor, this man has created his own business and taken himself from homelessness. He has a website, blog, online shop, a book, a fan club, youtube videos and a myspace site. A master of self promotion, Sir Shadow is now offering $1 million dollars to anyone who helps him earn $2 million ...

Banana Too

I've always had a love affair with the tropics and its icons. I share it with many denizens of temperate climates who at times look for transport to a more benign climate - armchair travelers looking for a quick sojourn to the tropics, former citizens reminiscing or those who fantasize a vacation or perhaps a residence in an idyllic world of perpetual summer. On a cold night during a long winter, the sight and sounds of palm fronds rustling in a balmy wind warms my spirit.
I feel like I have a radar operating subconsciously, scanning for all things tropical, whether real, such as plants or fruits, images in books or perhaps a magazine cover reporting on the latest roundup of best rated island destinations.
So I was quite shocked to see this enormous banana plant thriving in Tompkins Square Park as I entered the western entrance to attend the Charlie Parker concert. I was certainly not completely alone in my interest in photographing this anomaly - whether others recognized it as such, I do not know. I asked one woman with a point and shoot camera whether she knew anything about banana trees, hoping to get some information regarding the ability of a tropical species to survive a temperate climate. She knew nothing of such matters and did appear to share my penchant for the tropics.
So, I have spent the morning reading about banana plants. However, I can not report with any assuredness specifically what species of plant this is nor any history as to its planting.
I did learn however, that there are non-fruiting ornamental varieties which can withstand winters - Musa Basjoo, Saja, and Ice Cream. The Basjoo can even withstand sub-zero temperatures. Any plant aficionados who want to jump in on this?

Note: The banana plant is actually not a tree but a herbaceous perennial. It is a giant herb of the genus Musa.

The Bottom of Things

Now you know there has to be a story behind an "ordinary" drinking glass that you find in so many NYC restaurants. I see this heavy duty glass with the five-sided base everywhere. I was a math and science person, so the pentagonal base always appealed to me. And I have spent years looking at them while waiting for a meal and admiring the style and heft while drinking from it. Rather attractive for something so common and utilitarian. Like the Chinese soup spoon. So I could stand it no longer - I need to know - who makes them and where? Is there anything special about them?
The problem is that no one really cares about a heavy duty commercial drinking glass, so to find information one has to really dig. Dig deep. An online search really isn't going to be easy. You are going to have to look at hundreds of images of beverage glasses for the restaurant industry and hope to get lucky or find your treasure through pure tenacity.
But find it I did after downloading and skimming a 124 page catalog. I believe our subject is made by Libbey Glass and is one of their Inverness Duratuff Tumblers. They make this style glass in a number of sizes. They also make a number of paneled (faceted) tumbler styles which are very recognizable. I feel so much better now after finally locating my quarry.
I never see these glasses break. From the Libbey literature you find: "DuraTuff treatment is a special thermal after-process for "pressed” tumblers and stemware that produces durable glassware with prolonged service life for the foodservice industry."
However, there is plenty more to know - the company (established in 1888), the history, the inventor, a timeline and why the base is five-sided. The pentagonal bottom is not even addressed in the Libbey catalog. Most things are forgotten except by a few. If I was doing a major story, I would call Libbey and find those few. In fact I would GO to their factory in Ohio, do some interviews and really get to the BOTTOM of that five-sided glass ...

Back to Boyhood

There are a few things that to me, that really epitomize the countryside on a summer evening. And two of them are fireflies and cicadas. And, yes, you can find these in the parks of New York City. This one was photographed on the arm of a friend in Washington Square Park. Many nights this month we were witness to a wonderful light show. I attempted unsuccessfully to capture one glowing. I was reassured however, that capturing this was not an easy feat by my photographer friend Bill Shatto who is an expert at insect photography. You can see his work here on his flickr site.
There are many fascinating facts about fireflies such as the light efficiency of bio luminescence - 90% of the energy used is actually converted to light (as contrasted with an incandescent bulb which is only 10% efficient). The production of light is primarily a tool for mating - males exhibit courting behavior in the form of flashing patterns while flying. Females generally do not fly but respond with flashes. You can read more about them here.
I like the gentle flashing of fireflies - it is so emblematic of a warm summer's eve. I immediately enter into a comfort zone, transported back to my boyhood in New England ...