Rêve

Seule

On finira tous seul dans nos cercueils

Et pourtant on passe notre vie à s'entourer

Famille, amis, amants, joies, peines, doutes, calmants

D'un jour à l'autre tout bascule

Sans cesse

Angoisse perpétuelle

Tu es là

Tu n'es plus là

Tu m'aimes

Je t'aime

 Tu ne m'aimes plus

Je t'aime encore

Encore, encore

Vide sidéral

Ça recommence

Pourquoi

Simplicité, ce mot n'existe que chez moi?

Je voudrais m'enfuir, m'enfouir

Disparaître dans un tableau de maître

Une bouffée d'air

Une sortie de secours

Illusion

Rêve, ce n'était qu'un rêve

Rendors toi

Y croire encore?

Fermer les yeux

Vivre

Oui, je le veux

1,2,3, A,C,E, N,Q,R, WTF!

Who said the subway in New York is a mess?

Seriously, once you have understood the basis such as:
- there is a specific downtown or uptown stairway
- you can have to wait a looong time out of the rush hours
- there are express and local trains
You are approximately ready to jump in this new adventure.
And if you are lost, you can always talk to people who will always be willing to help you.

Now that I feel like a fish in the sea whenever I take the subway, I have plenty of time to question myself. "Why does N,Q,R means?", "why this color for this line?" and so on and so on.
Don't you?

So after some days of research and inquiry in the darkest corridors of the subway (or maybe few intense minutes on the web, armed with my magnifiying glass, at least), here is the secret.

~roulement de tambour~

As usual, the main reason is historical. Back in the days, before the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) was created, the railways were owned by 3 different companies. First, the BMT (Brooklyn Manhattan Transit) created in the 30's then the IND (Independant System) and IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit).

Long story short, the numbers that we know today (1-2-3, 4-5-6, 7) comes from the IRT codifications. The "1" was the firstline to circulate, then the "2" and "3" were added as express on that same line. "4" and "5" were the second line created , "6" was added as the local on that same line. Finally "7" has appeared as the Queens IRT line.

Regarding the letters, they are a heritage of BMT and IND. The first line created by IND was the 8th avenue line : "A" (express),"C" (local). Same thing with the second line running on 6th Avenue with "B" (local), "D" (express).The "E" and "F" come from Queens, E runs on 8th Avenue and Fon 6th. The "G" train goes to Brooklyn and Queens.
In fact, BMT created the "B","J","M","N","Z" and "L". IND the rest.
The "J" is the Jamaica Avenue line on the BMT.
The "L" cuts Manhattan horizontally from Brooklyn to14th Street
The "M" connects with the "J" in Brooklyn and runs alongside for a part and has a skip stop service with the "Z" which runs rush hours.
The "N" runs into Astoria and through Manhattan and Brooklyn. The "Q" trains runs express in Manhattan along with the "N" and "R" (the "R" which runs local in Manhattan)

The newer letters are "V" and "W"...the "V" would be considered IND and the "W" would be considered BMT.

"S" stands for shuttles...the Grand Central/Times Square shuttle runs along the original 1904 subway line. There is another Shuttle next to JFK.

Anyway, today, everyone knows the MTA and that's it.

But, you can sometimes hear people who try to drop a BMT, IND par ci par là in the conversation. It is a romantic, nostalgic way of remembering those glorious day where the subway was the latest attraction, and also a way to remind you how they own New York deep in their heart.

For the curious, more details here: http://www.nycsubway.org/faq/subway-markers.html

Yeah, once again, you will be the one shining at your next dinner!

Knock knock who's in the Box?

 When someone puts a box in front of you, it is usually synonym of a surprise.


Well, the box I am telling you about tonight is not only a surprise, it is a complete crazy incredible thing!
Honestly, I still can't believe it actually exists for real. I kind of need to check it a second time to be sure.
Any volunteer?

Les images parlant plus que les mots, here is how my box looks like:

 

 First thing to know: anybody cannot get in. So, I suggest you to suit up, bring your cutest, hottest, sexiest girlfriend, wear your brightest smile and here we go! 

Yeah I know this sounds ridiculous, but you feel lucky and special onece inside. It's how it works after all...

Anyway, inside, it's a whole world of bling bling and show off in there with those luxurious chandeliers, red canapés,shiny varnished tables. You will very quickly hanged by the move. The DJ is fucking good here man! Let's dance and drink all night long surrounded by those rich (or pretending rich) and beautiful people.

Suddenly, the curtain opens! (Yes there is a curtain)

Oh my god! This is insane!!! A complete new world appears in front of you, cutting your breath, blowing your mind, your eyes will be stick, see you don't believe it neither!

Between trash and amazing, the whole show is worth to see once in your life. It is this kind of experience that does not leave you innocent. Kind of a lost of virginity on a way...

Nothing that vulgar though (except that Mr Pussy thing, yark disgusting...)

Anyway, photos are forbidden, so let'skeep it secret.

Go check it, that's the only thing I can tell!

The box

189 Chrystie Street  New York

Between Rivingston & Stanton

Subway : F - 2 Av

http://www.theboxnyc.com/

Afterwork at Carnegie Hall

I wish I could be a man in love just for a night.

I would suddenly call my girlfriend in the middle of the afternoon and tell her "Chérie, I'll come pick you down to your office afterwork tonight, is that ok?". Of course, she would say yes, because I would be the greatest boyfriend anyone could have...

Anyway, I will go pick her, warmly hold her hand and secretely take her to this mythic place:

 

Honey, we are going to Carnegie Hall tonight.

As amazing as it looks like, this place germed in the middle of the Ocean from a funny meeting on a ship between the ridiculously rich Andrew Carnegie (on the way to his honeymoon) and the young Walter Damrosh who had just finished his second season as conductor and musical director of the Symphony Society of New York and the Oratorio Society of New York, and was traveling to Europe for a summer of study.

Few jokes, talks, drawings, visits later, this place was born scealing the friendship between the two men.

Opened in 1891, Carnegie Hall has been the place where distinctive artists of all stripes have come to make their names in New York City. This tradition of excellence has made Carnegie Hall an essential part of the city’s cultural fabric and one of the world’s most famous concert hall. In fact, when you are inside, it looks very simple. But just close your eyes, listen to the music and imagine Franck Sinatra, Sarah Bernard, the Beatles, Maria Callas, Liza Minelli, Gustav Mahler, Mark Twain, Theodore Roosevelt...the list is infinite and I hope it will never end.

Let's hope that if the world was ending tomorrow, this place would be one of the latest to disappear...

Check the shcedule here under and well, don't wait to be a man in love, just go...
http://www.carnegiehall.org/

57th street & 7 ave
Subway : N-Q-R 57th St

Zimmerperspektive mit einwohnern

(Paul Klee)

 

Like an ugly bee stuck behind a window

Like a fool staring at me in the middle of the night

Like an annoying piece of bread in my teeth

Like a non stop sizzling radio station

Like a frozen blast in my neck

Shitty life, I wanna yell at you

Fucking life, I wanna hold you so hard

Strangled, all in this same invisible cage

Strangers, all in the same sinking boat

 I don't wanna die

I don't wanna loose

See this tiny little glow

Feel this tiny little hope

Follow me, my name is liberty

Follow the Fluxus

If I had to choose one thing you cannot miss currently in New York, I would definitely recommend you this exhibit at the Moma:

I had vaguely heard about Fluxus but I did not really know what it was before I discovered this exhibit thanks to Diego Riveira!

Fluxus designate a contemporary art movement born in the sixties and mainly related to visual art, litterature and music. Influenced by the dadaisme and a philosophy of zenitude, fluxus aims at systematically rejecting any institutions or form of art as a work. Fluxus embraced many of the concepts and practices associated with the post-war avant-garde of western Europe and North America, including those of Lettrism, concrete poetry, concrete and random music,

The manifesto of 1963 exhorted the artist to ‘purge the world of bourgeois sickness, “intellectual”, professional and commercialized culture … dead art, imitation, artificial art, abstract art, illusionistic art … promote a revolutionary flood and tide in art, promote living art, anti-art, … non art reality to be grasped by all peoples, not only critics, dilettantes and professionals’. The Fluxmanifesto on Fluxamusement used innovative typography and ready-made printed images to communicate the concept of the self-sufficiency of the audience, an art where anything can substitute for an art work and anyone can produce it.

I have rarely seen anything so cool as Fluxus, it makes me feel like joining it such as John Cage, Joseph Beuys, Yoko Ono,Nam June Paik, Robert Filliou, Dick Higgins, Henry Brecht, Henry Flyn, Ben Vautier and so many other great people you will get to know.

 

A découvrir de toute urgence!

Definitely go, check it, it might change your life!

 

@ Moma until January 16

Vin et fleurs

Vin et fleurs has always been one of the best duo for a romantic night?

Well not only!
People who have opened this restaurant in Soho have very good tastes.
Romantic yes for sure, but also a nice quiet little place for sharing time with friends or family around a drink or one of their delicious meal. You should try the salmon tartare, it is pretty awesome!

I will not tell you more. Good things don't need much words...


69 Thompson St
(between Broome St & Spring St)

www.vinetfleurs.com/

Subway:

Spring St (A, C, E)

Canal St (1, 2)

Canal St (A, C, E)

Hours: Mon-Sun 11 am - 2 am

Having a drink like a spy?

Are you ready to play 007 tonight?

Follow me sssssh...tip-toe, tip-toe...

Down in the night, walk in the darkness of this tiny little street next to Grand Central,
Yes pull that door with those golden letters engraved on the top : CAMPBELL APARTMENT...
Mmmh come on, take those huge stairs on the right, and here we are:

This place looks like an old British/Irish apartment with his huge stained glass window, curtains, a fancy bar, luxious chandeliers, amazing sofas where you can just lay down and stay for hours sipping your coktail and observing those people who enter and leave this place like in a novel wrtiiten by Hemmingway!

My dream here : crossing the road of an old man smoking a pipe who willtell me a secret about this incredible city, New York, mon amour.  Or crossing Rita...

Just check it out, cocktails are known to be one of the bests in town.
Count around $16, calm and volupty has a price sometimes...

15 Vanderbilt Ave.
Grand Central near 43rd St
Mon-Thu: noon-1am
Fri, 12pm-2am
Sat3pm-2am
Sun, 3pm-11pm

Subway
Grand Central-42nd St. 4,5,6,7

Do you like soul...food?

Yeah baby soul can be eaten,bitten, swallowed, whatever you feel like doing with your mouth!

Just take a deep breath, walk to South Harlem, dare pushing this door :

And here you go, ejected to the South of U.S.A, invited to taste the typical Southern food in a Southern ambiance. Try to grab few different suffs like the sample plate with chicken wings, ribs, corn bread stuffing, spinache, rice&beans...

Be careful though, control yourself!
You can get fat so easily in this country. Let's savor it eating slowly and then you can always have a nice walk nextdoor in Central Park singing like our old friend:



Miss Mamie's spoonbread
366 W 110th St
www.spoonbreadinc.com/ 

Nearest Transit: 

Cathedral Pkwy (110 St) (A, B, C) 

Cathedral Pkwy (1) 

103 St (A, B, C)

Hours:

Mon-Thu 12 pm - 10 pm 

Fri-Sat 12 pm - 11 pm 

Sun 11 am - 9:30 pm

Bread or bread?

Looking for a cute place where to bring your cher et tendre?

Check this out!

Bread is a little restaurant in a cute little neighborhood.
You are typically in Nolita (which means North of Little Italy for those who were still wondering).

Hard to get disappointed here, I can tell you!

The place is clean, brand new with a point of arty/modern/industrial touch.
Everything has been arranged such as a cute story you could tell to little girls.
Even the bathroom is beautiful!

What about the plate would you think.
Of course, that's why we are here after all! Nothing to complain : simple and good.
+1 for the salads, the bread (of course), the meatballs andalso the brunch menu that you will enjoy without staying on a line nor overpaying.

Perfect isn't it?

Oh noo wait for it : the coffee is incredibly good : a real espresso!!!

Well I think it has something to do with the Italian taste of this place

Si si signori, signorita, Andiamo!

20 Spring St
(between Elizabeth St & Mott St)

Subway:

Bowery (J)

Spring St (4, 6, 6X)

Grand St (B, D)

Hours:

Mon-Wed, Sun 9 am - 12 am 

Thu-Sat 9:30 am - 12:30 am

delivery : http://orderbreadsoho.com