reefer madness

this is one of my favorite pieces of graffiti i have ever seen in the city. it appears at the high street subway station in brooklyn heights, on the A/C line. sure, it's a pretty simple joke. the simplest pun imaginable for the word high, and i love stupid pun jokes. but that's only half the reason i like it so much. this tile appears on the other side of the tracks from the platform, and that's what makes it so good. someone risked their life, facing the possibility of electrocution or being hit by a train, to make a stupid stoner joke. and it was so worth it.

rock, rock, rockaway beach

saturday morning adrianne, harrison, iliana and i hitched a ride with andy down to rockaway beach. it took a little while to wind our way through queens but we got there and quickly set up our spot on the beach. we brought along plenty to entertain ourselves with. while the girls read, harrison and i threw a football, imitated pitchers, juggled, played one-man badminton and watched crazy drunk girls run around the beach; all the things one hopes to do on the beach. andy, in the meantime, was on a conference call. eventually andy joined us with enough time for some touch football.

it was a lot of fun. was it better than long beach? hard to say, but i was glad to get out there, if only for the new york experience and as an excuse to endlessly listen to the ramones' song.

sun's out, time to do stuff

now that the clouds have parted and the sun is streaming down, it's safe (not bone chilling) to venture out and see the city. starting on thursday night adrianne and i joined the rest of the pasquarelli pack for a night at the opera to see "la traviata". before entering we enjoyed the first outdoor meal of the season at a small cafe across the street from lincoln center. as we made our way in the sunset was reflecting into the lobby (the picture above). as we were seated i was able to snap a picture of the stage before the usher advised me against it. the performace was very enjoyable. with verdi productions there is always one noticeable tune and the singing was phenomenal.

the following day adri and i were joined by harrison and mary for the mets-braves match-up at shea stadium. the seats were high but we had a great view of the field as well as the jets flying out of laguardia. unfortunately the mets put up a listless effort. after hotdogs and beers and several braves runs, we left in the eighth inning. a special thanks to ed pasquarelli for trading a pint of his blood for the tickets.

the weekend itself was filled with outdoor escapades including walking through the city, whiffleball and frisbee in central park, working on and riding bikes and drinking milkshakes in greenpoint. sorry, no pics. we were too busy having fun, finally.

greetings from...

adrianne and i took advantage of the long weekend by making it extra long (we took friday off, suckas) and setting off for lake placid. we didn't have too much planned except relaxing, getting room service and bobsledding.

the first went off without a hitch. we had a cozy room at hotel saranac with a king-sized bed and quiet neighbors. (there was a christian retreat at the hotel.) we also enjoyed the feeling of space provided by long views over frozen lakes.

our second objective was less fulfilling. neither of us had gotten room service before so we were excited to have breakfast delivered to our room saturday morning. our excitement quickly faded after receiving our meal. the plates arrived on a tray covered in plastic bowls instead of on the cart under silver covers we imagined from watching too many movies. unfortunately the food was even worse than the presentation and the bad food ended up being a theme of the trip.

the third item on our itinerary was a major success, bobsledding was awesome. when we got up to the starting point we were quickly given helmets and placed in a sled. before we knew it we were gently gliding down the course. two turns later and we were whipping through the curves. left, right, left, right, done. it was over. when i looked back adrianne had a dizzied look in her eyes, but she pulled herself together for the victory photo.


the snow that greeted us when we awoke on sunday made for a lovely, if sometimes tense, drive through the hills back to the interstate. it was a great trip and i'll try to add some more photos later.

update: we set a course record!
adrianne on the medal stand
me on the medal stand

sneakers of 11 spring

#18
Originally uploaded by jordan_knott.
over the weekend a graffiti/street art exhibit opened at 11 spring street in soho. the show was only open for three days. adrianne and i went on the last day, sunday. when we got in line we were almost three blocks away from the entrance. after about an hour in line someone with the exhibit instructed that everyone after a point about 50 feet in front of us in line was unlikely to get in. since i wouldn't be able to photograph the art inside the building, i chose to document some of the many cool sneakers worn by those in line. i hope you enjoy the set.

sneakers of 11 spring photo set

party crash!

adrianne scored two tickets to cablevision's "holiday rock & roll bash 6" last night. this was the cablevision company holiday party and they go all out for their party. and adrianne and i were glad to take advantage of james dolan's largesse.

upon entering the b.b. king blues club in times square we checked our coats and immediately hit the open bar for beers and glenlivet. hell yeah free glenlivet! we then walked over to get our picture taken with a couple of rockettes (above), awesome. we got in line for the dinner buffet and piled our plates with mac and cheese, salmon, and fillet. after finishing dinner a group of 14 rockettes walked out and performed a short routine with high kicks and all. rad!

we then started through the crowd in front of the stage when i saw isiah thomas! i got a picture of him and me that will be uploaded later. we continued through the party, hit the bar again, got a second picture with the rockettes, ran into james dolan and got a picture with him and his wife. then it was off to the dessert buffet where we helped ourselves to a variety of treats.

after deciding it was time to go we headed off to the coat check where we were given gift bags that included a shoulder bag and insulated coffee cup. hell yeah swag! what a great night. thanks, adri.

Update: here's that photo of me and isiah.

greenpoint of view

there has been some recent webpress on a "satirical" essay that appeared in a haverford college alumni newsletter. the essay, by a haverford alum who resides in greenpoint is about gentrification, specifically in greenpoint, a prodominantly polish neighborhood and the place i call home. the author makes a series of bad polish jokes mixed with lame prose that, if one was not sure of his intent, makes his essay appear more bigoted than satirical.

now, i live in greenpoint and am aware that i am a "gentrifier". this is something that i have felt conflicted about since i moved here almost 2 years ago. i love the neighborhood, but many of the things it has to offer aren't for me. for instance, there are about five 99-cent stores in a four-block range on Manhattan Ave. 99-cent stores don't have merchandise i want to spend my money on. so i would be glad if, say, a few of those closed and other businesses took their place.

i think that someone who is commited to a neighborhood and wants to see that neighborhood thrive should support businesses in that neighborhood, but only those that provide goods or services of good value in close proximity. for example, the best donuts i have had in the city are made at Peter Pan Bakery. this place is definity polish owned. you can get a huge, hot cinnamon bun for a buck, but their coffee, while cheap, kinda sucks. so if i want a lattee (i know, the icon of lame whiteness) i go a few blocks away, to Cafe Grumpy, to get a lattee that tastes great, is bigger than and costs less than a small at Starbucks. but Grumpy is definitely owned by people who moved to the neighborhood. and that "Franklin Street 'coffee shop'" the author talks about was not opened by native greenpointians. i don't go there either, not because they don't serve "Venti Caramel Macchiato", but because it's further away than Grumpy and the food and coffee aren't very good.

it's a struggle to be a gentrifier and avoid gentrifying your neighborhood. i know the line between neighborhood revitalization and gentrification is thin if it exists at all, but this conflict will probably be rendered moot in a couple years when the waterfront is developed with condo high-rises. oh well. i, for one, welcome our corporate overlords!

Moved to Speak: "The Black Squirrel's Burden" (original essay)
Gawker: "Polaks Protest Haverford Alum's 'Satire'"
Gothamist: "Satire or Stupid to Slam Greenpoint"
The Onion: "Sometimes I Feel Like I'm The Only One Trying To Gentrify This Neighborhood"

empty subway train!

adrianne, harrison and i took the G last night for a short trip to southside williamsburg. much to our delight we had a whole train car to ourselves (almost). so, of course, we took the opportunity to use the car as our own personal jungle gym. we also had plenty of space to lounge for the remainder of our quick ride.

i guess the train was so empty because of the hour we took the train and the fact that the G is running with eight cars on weekends now. regardless, i have always liked the idea of having a car to myself because it seems impossible that in a city the size of New York and on a transit system as widely used as the MTA one would never be alone on a train. in a town where there's always someone around, it would be nice to have the time and space to yourself.

in reality, we weren't the only one's on the car. right before the doors closed an older lady walked on. but she sat at the very end so we were able to create the necessary illusion of having the train to ourselves. oh well. maybe another time.

who wants some candy?

the hightlight of saturday morning was suppose to be brunch. brunch was nice but the real jewel of that lovely day was economy candy on rivington and essex in the LES. adrianne and i first went in while walking around the neighborhood before brunch. the first thing you notice is the store smells exactly like the hollow plastic pumpkin filled with candy after a night of fleecing neighbors for their candy on halloween. after browsing through a selection of the world's candy, ranging from rich swiss chocolate to cheap candy dots, i bought some candy cigarettes, which i hadn't had since i was a kid, buying them for a quarter from hinkle's.

after brunch, we returned. adrianne said she saw a wonka bar. i've never had a wonka bar. the association with gene wilder's willy wonka was temptation enough for me to buy it. secretly, i was hoping for a golden ticket. alas, there was none. only a sugary chocolate bar with graham cracker pieces and "wonka" emblazoned in three inch letters across the face of the bar. the bar was too much to eat all at once, but i couldn't resist the bar sitting in my jacket pocket. i ate half, sitting on a curb in the sun. but after only a half an hour, and a stray shot of jager, i finished the bar. a smile on my face.

fright night

adrianne and i went upstate last weekend to attend the world renowned headless horseman haunted hayride and houses. that's right, i said houses, plural. there's three of those bad boys.

at first i was a little skeptical and cynical with the bad teenage actors trolling the grounds as witches and the undead. but once we started the hayride i was a believer. from the start there were all manner of goblins, zombies, and ghosts jumping out of the dark woods scaring the crap out of everyone on board. the appearance of the eponymous horseman was great. because of the cool temperatures and the low, bright full moon the first thing i saw was the clouds of breath from the black horse's nostrils. i was an awesome image. sorry i couldn't capture it, no cameras allowed.

after the hayride there was a path to follow through a cornfield. this stage started with what felt like 50 yards but was probably more like 10 in total darkness. the whole time adrianne is holding on to me for dear life.

after the maze we made our way through each of the houses, each one ratcheting up the screams. the final house was great because of the way the ghouls would distract us until one of their comrades would come up behind us and scare the living daylights out of our group. it was a great production.

the image above is after we completed our harrowing journey. see how close we are? nothing brings people closer than ghosts and goblins jumping out of dark shadows in the cool autumn night.

let's go to the fair!

the dutchess county fair! it's the biggest fair in the state!

since the beach was a bust, adrianne and i were stuck inside. that is, until harrison called saying he, andy and jon were going to the dutchess county fair. adrianne, who is from dutchess county, and i burst into action and were out the door headed to brooklyn to catch a ride upstate. we made it into the fair in a flash, thanks to andy's driving, and we were on to the midway. there was food, livestock, and, of course, rides. i convinced adrianne to join me on the cliff hanger. look at us. we're flying!

after gorging on a smorgasbord of fair food, including corndogs, french fries, roasted corn dipped in a vat of butter, caramel apples, hot roast beef sandwiches, and apple crisp sundaes, we made our way to the shopping tents. there, andy bought a sharp brown vest and the rest of the boys tried on cowboy hats. "hey there, buck-a-roo."

after the fair, we all visited the pasquarelli compound where we enjoyed some rousing games of scrabble and scategories. the next morning, adrianne's dad made some delicious eggs for breakfast and we were out the door headed back to the city.

we're going to the beach, beach, beach...

adrianne and i are going to long beach on saturday. who's in?

update: it was cold and rainy on saturday so instead of going to the beach we went to the dutchess county fair with andy, harrison, and jon. see next post for details.

Thursday: I have a slurpee!

it was hot on thursday. adrianne and i were walking down to madison square park to attend a reading of breakfast at tiffany's. when we passed the only 7-11 i know of in the city, i wanted to "cool off!" i walked straight to the back where i saw they had eight flavors of slurpees. i think the most spouts i've ever seen in a 7-11 are four with only two ever working. of course i had cherry and of course i put the top on my cup and filled it all the way up. i haven't had a slurpee in forever. this was so good. i seem to recall always finishing the flavor before the ice but that didn't happen this time. i was able to savor the sweet cherry goodness all the way through the shoe-shopping tangent and the entire reading. (it was only about 20 minutes.)

oh, if you want a slurpee now, the 7-11 is on 23rd and park.