Walking around was a mix between the first scene of Vanilla Sky (where Tom Cruise is running through an empty Times Square) and the turn of the 20th century. There were no cars. Even if they wanted to drive, most streets weren’t plowed yet. And the ones that were plowed had more people walking than cars driving.

Below are some photos I took. You can click on any of them for higher resolution

A street in Astoria, Queens

Buried cop car

Jay St, Brooklyn

Walking down Smith St, Brooklyn (extremely strong winds forced me to walk backwards for a couple blocks)

Everyone walking down Smith St

Father, Son time

Most streets looked like this

And a funny bonus vid. These pigeons were incredibly confused and kept eating snow thinking it was food. I didn’t get a lot of it recorded because some guy scared them away.

Chase has figured out how to recoup their losses, and it’s ingenious. Don’t give out money, but pretend like you did.

Let me explain.

I went to an ATM today and requested forty dollars. I don’t know if I’m the only one, but every time I’m at an ATM I have an irrational fear that it’ll screw up the counting and nobody will believe me when I try to correct the mistake. I always think this, but of course, it has never happened.

Today was worse. It said, “Please take your cash” and did not give me anything to take. I didn’t request a receipt, because they always end up in the trash two seconds later.

A woman saw my confusion and said, “Did it not give you your money? That happened to me. You need to make like 10 calls to your bank, a few calls to the number on the ATM and it’s all super annoying, but you’ll eventually get your money back.”

I went into the Duane Reade that houses the ATM (for those who don’t know, Duane Reade is like a CVS or Walgreens) and told the manager that the machine was broken.

He said, “Sorry, we can’t put a sign on the ATM. Chase doesn’t allow us to.”

I was stunned. Not only do I have to go through this hassle, but every person for the rest of the day will also get screwed.

Now, here’s the best part. The fact that you have to jump through hurdles to get your money back makes it just like mail-in rebates. There’s simply some percentage of people that will not bother or forget about it. At that point, it’s turned into free money for Chase. Woo! Financial crisis over.

I don’t actually believe this was their motive, but it’s quite ridiculous that they won’t allow employees to mark the machine out of order. Then again, are banks sleazy enough to have thought this through?

But don’t fret too much, there are still a few people walking around, whispering in your ear, “prada prada, gucci, movado?”

Here’s something you may not know about New York City. Bars need a special permit for dancing. The signage for it is still hilarious to see.

I took this in a pub last night.

I wonder what their definition of dancing is. Would they escort me out if I start bobbing my head?

According to this article:

Nightclubs are also restricted in zoning, meaning cabaret licenses are only granted to venues in major commercial centers, industrial or manufacturing districts, effectively making it illegal to dance in any residential area. In 1960 there were 12,000 cabaret licenses in the five boroughs. Now, in 2006, there are less than 200.

The permit process is long, costly and uncertain. Approval is required from the Department of Consumer Affairs, the NYC Planning Commission, the Fire Department, Buildings Departments and local community boards, among others, all of whom work independently of each other.”

I pay a lot for a closet-size space in New York. To make things worse, my building is under construction and I just got a smoking neighbor (smoke constantly seeps under my walls (and there’s no law for that, I checked)). In short, I’m not liking my apartment anymore.

The management company does nothing. I have no power. I’m starting my passive aggressive rent paying. Check back next month for Part II

Here is a great idea in theory, but the execution falls short. There are billboards in the subway that allow you to plug in your headphones and listen to John Legend’s CD. Neat idea, right?

Someone (I swear it wasn’t me) decided to pull off the protective cover and take the contents. I wonder what type of device the thief nabbed. Photos below:

UPDATE: The batteries that were left over are now gone too!

Carved out of a literal hole in the wall is a spot in New York City that makes, hands down, the most delicious sandwiches. In that 45 square foot space (which costs $700/month), you’ll find Joey Cramarossa, a staple of SOHO’s lunch menu for the last 8+ years. That’s all about to change because he’s about to lose his lease on Feb 1, 2008.


The man who delivers scrumptrulescent $6 sandwiches and free bottles of Poland Spring is being bullied out for the construction of….well nothing. The manager and lackey of the building, Robert Ross, seems to have his knickers in a twist and is forcing Joey out of the space. Joey believes that if the actual owner of the building, a Mr. Heller of Heller Realty was actually informed of the situation he wouldn’t be forced to shut it down.


Joey has done hundreds of mitzvahs throughout his reign as sandwich king. He lets people pay later and says you’re “never short” when buying a sandwich. He’s also consistently fed the homeless and 5 years ago, while walking to work saw a kid lying in a refrigerator box with a dog. Joey took the kid (Johnny) under his wing, gave him a job, and he’s worked at Crosby ever since.


Joey thinks that the little guy can’t take on big business and big realty. I told him not to underestimate the online community. So I’m calling for everyone out there to help save this truly amazing gem. Here are a few ways to help:

• Spread the word! The more people who know, the closer we could get to informing Mr. Heller.
• E-mail Robert Ross at RobMRoss@aol.com
• Mail the realty company (or tell them in person)

  BMH Realty Ltd d/b/a Heller Realty
  745 Fifth Ave Suite 1250
  New York, NY 10151
  

• Sign this online petition

If you’re in the neighborhood, Crosby Connection is located at 172 Crosby St (Map) and they’re open in the afternoon till “4ish”

Watch the video here or by clicking the screenshot below:

You can also read their article about it too.