feel the beet… everywhere
Molly took me to see this outrageously hilarious duo called the Wau Wau Sisters. It’s hard to describe and best witnessed live. All I have to say is that I never wanted to be like anyone else until I saw these ladies. If only I could spin in the air, sing, drink, and be funny all at the same time. Alas, I am left to drinking and occasionally being funny.
Address
Ars Nova Theatre
511 W. 54th Street
Map
This tiny place obscured by the midtown misery is amazing. Kashkaval takes its name from a yellow cheese produced in Bulgaria and Romania, sometimes apparently referred to as the “cheddar of the Balkans.” The store fronts mostly as a cheese market and though I’ve walked in here before to purchase cheese, I never suspected that the small, dark backroom holds a sit-down eatery. Upon entry, it’s hard to pass up an opportunity to sniff at delicious cheese selections, olives and other snackables. Aside from staff and customers, an ever-changing cast of kitties permanently resides at Kashkaval. Strangely they show no interest in the customers or the cheese and laze about the store or sit by the door looking on to 9th Avenue. Read more…
So I am back to New York from Saint Petey. The city met me with thunderstorms and rain and that is actually a good thing. Enough of the nasty, muggy sun already. Let it just be muggy and nasty clouds. How is it that two of my favorite cities have the worst weather conditions known to man in the summer and winter both?
In any case, life is back to usual: coffee, subway, cube, more cube, unbearably more cube, and finally subway back to Brooklyn. This underground route and even a quick detour to East Village on Friday have not left me at all shell shocked from such a fast cross continental transition. Finally, yesterday I surfaced near my office building and slightly freaked- Manhattan, large, dusty, with hellish clouds of steam coming from somewhere below, touristy crowds, cops, homeless people… ALL moving in MY direction. Help! Where are the beautiful bridges? The rivers, the white Northern nights? The Baroccoan houses? Well, and um, why is everyone speaking English?
What I learned about Moscow: It’s huge and allergy inducing. It’s also very pretty, but um… did I say huge? I mean I am no stranger to a big city, but this ancient capital is a true giant. Compared to all the other large cities I know it is not only densely populated, it is also extremely broad and solidly massive. No narrow streets here, no small three story buildings, nothing tiny about this city. Perhaps that is why I feel lonely and dwarfed or perhaps it’s PMS, either way walking around Moscow I feel tiny.
Other highlights of my visit to the homeland’s capital include the tour of local coffee and eating establishments. So far pure delight. Read more…
Today my Godson and I went to a brand new shopping center, built where a children’s ground once stood and where dog owners used to walk their pets. The shopping center, reminiscent in size, shape, and steel lining to a Titanic, or some other massive ship, filled me with a feeling of anxiety as we approached. Dragging Kirill away from mean Russian drivers I guided him to the automatic doors.
I remember that when I was Kirill’s age automatic doors could be found only in one location in Saint Petersburg and seemed to be the most amazing thing that ever existed. Kirill passed through without even noticing.
And I am off to the Motherland, clean, and loving the YMCA.
I just put up a new shower curtain in our bathroom. It’s a fabulous work of art on plastic performed by someone in China. But that’s beside the point - we have NO HOT WATER! How tragic. I mean seriously, I am only going to Russia - the land of summer hot water outages - in three days and was hoping to launder myself thoroughly on American soil. Thank God for my YMCA membership. I am off to pretend exercise and shower now but wanted this blog to be less of a dead land. Lots to post before I leave for the homeland.