Atlantic City

My friend, Kiki, took me on a short trip to Atlantic City. We hopped on a Greyhound Bus here in NY with a bunch of people who looked pretty down-and-out, and exited on what felt like another planet... Many of the people who go to A.C. are incredibly obese, heavy drinkers, and I got the feeling that gambling was the least of their worries... Being in NY, I often forget about 'Middle America', that term that loosely describes traditional, conservative, middle-to-lower classes working families. The entire experience was fun, but incredibly strange...


Kitsch, all the way... Hotels often have themes, which, I suppose, are meant to make their guests impressed by an opulance by which they are not accustomed. Over-the-top mirrors, lights, glitz...


And yet all of this glitz only covers up the Atlantic City of yester-year. There are signs of older times everywhere. Many businesses along the boardwalk don't even bother to take down the signs of their predecesors, but hang new ones directly over them. Above and below, the remnants of an old concrete dock.


And a decrepid, unused billboard- it looks like it hasn't been touched for many years. Amid the hubub of the boardwalk, one barely notices the thing is there.

New construction are going up all over the place. Apparently the poor economy doesn't stop people from gambling. I wonder how many people on the verge of losing their homes make a trip to Atlantic City to try their luck at the tables?


There are three groups of people who go to Atlantic City... Young families, partiers, and the elderly. Kiki and I walked into one bathroom where there were, no joke, about thirty-five ladies over the age of 75.

Every other storefront on the boardwalk advertizes henna tattoos. If I had to choose one, perhaps it would be the Snoopy with the sunglasses? And you?

We stopped at an outdoor bar on the boardwalk that had Jagermeister and Absolute shots all ready to go. No, we did not partake.

The bar had an Anthrax cover band. It was about 2 in the afternoon, but they were playing for the small crowd as though they were playing at night to thousands of people in a mega-stadium.

The beach is rather lovely.

Wind power.

Relaxing, post hot tub, sauna, steam room, pool, and shower. About to leave for dinner...


Should a girl worry when the bathroom at the restaurant has a giant crab on it?

Below is a picture of the place we stayed. There were huge clouds in the sky, illuminated by all the lights of Atlantic City.

We ended the night at a bar inside the casino, and watched the worst band on the planet. They were so bad, I had a hard time taking my eyes off of them.

This couple seemed to really like the band.



The trip was so much fun- it was nice to get away with Kiki, have some great conversations, a few drinks, a great dinner, and pretty walks on the beach. I'm always disturbed, however, by gambling, it being an addiction my biological father dealt with (he worked at a Greyhound racing track for much of my life). I think gambling helps destroy many people's lives. I'm not talking about the uber wealthy, who have money to throw around, but people who don't have a lot of money, who dream about winning big, or winning anything at all. It makes me sad that luck is such a strange and disabling concept, which for gamblers, often does not manifest into anything besides more misery.

Anyway- big thanks to Kiki for giving me a getaway- it was fun to relax, and interesting to be so removed from my daily life.

Goggles...

Raver, circa 1993? Or my sweet girl, so excited to go to the pool that she wears her goggles all over Brooklyn?

You decide...

The Gowanus as Muse

Check out a little article about Jose Gaytan's photo series of the Gowanus Canal, and make sure to click on the 'Lens: Essay' to see his beautiful photos. Brooklyn, represent.

Jose's work will be on display at the main branch of the New York Public Library through August 29th.

Tillin' the earth in the BK

My building has been given the go-ahead to use the empty lot next to us for a garden. Yay! It's a lot of work, however, and we'll need an enormous about of topsoil, which is kind of pricey. Hopefully we'll be helped out by GreenThumb, a NYC organization that helps out people starting community gardens. I'm thankful to the folks in my building who spearheaded this project (ahem, Dana), and look forward to seeing all of our work pay off!

Anevay helped clear a lot of rocks...

So did Dasha!
Alberto attacked weeds. He also happens to be helping with the design of the garden (he's an architect)...

Amie, raking rocks.
Annee, picking up crap in the lot that has accumulated over many years. Some residents of our building apparently have even thrown garbage from their windows, trying to make it close to the dumpsters (which are located in the lot). WTF?!
Chris welding a sharp tool. What are these things called?

Our mascot?

Wish us luck... We're going to need it!

What are these flowers called?!

I call them 'fliff-fluff' flowers; Anevay calls them 'fliff-fliff' flowers. Sure would be nice to know what they're really called. I've tried explaining them to people, and sound like an idiot as soon as I call them by the name I've given...

Recession street art?

4th of July

This was a FANTASTIC way to start the 4th of July, with a Bloody Mary's at Dumont. It helped to diminish my wretched PMS. (pic by Clare Hambly)
I assure you, I wasn't saying anything amazing, but I like how I placed my hand on Orit's shoulder for emphasis... (pic by Clare Hambly)

Part of our gang at Dumont for brunch...

The second part of our gang.

Alexander opening wine. After one glass while sitting in the sun on Orit's patio, and I was sleepy...

Kafi, Eram, and Cassie.

Anevay at Orit's place.

Cassie and Anevay on Orit's patio.

We left our first group of friends late in the afternoon and made our way over to Jessica and Gil's for a BBQ. Anevay and Leo started making mixed drinks for Tom... In this one, they added apple AND pickle juice, potato chips, tomatoes, and blackberries.

A break from mixing drinks for some ribs...

The completed most disgusting drink on the planet.


Here's drink number two...


Brave souls, all who gave it a try...

The onset of evening meant that Anevay started to feel excited about the fireworks.

Unfortunately, our view was terrible. Oh well.

Riis Park Beach

Thursday night, Anevay and I watched Leo so that his mom (Jessica) could go out with girlfriends, and his dad could go to work. Above, a pic of the kids piling into Jessica's bed to wake her up so that we can go to the beach!

Nicole, wearing one of the best beach outfits EVER.

Strawberries!

Leo's shirt drying in the sun.

Leo buried Anevay...

Although he forgot to cover her toes.


Look closely and you'll see that not only is there a man hanging from the ladder, but that the side of the helicopter says 'GI Joe'. Weird...

Universe of Keith Haring

Last night Anevay and I watched 'The Universe of Keith Haring', a documentary by Christina Clausen about the life and art of the artist. Living in NY, one gets a glimpse of his work just by walking the streets. How many millions of times have I walked by this mural?

But Keith Haring's work goes far beyond large mural pieces... Hoards of people wear the sort of iconic linear designs that made him famous:

Keith Haring was concerned with semiotics, and spent time early in his career crafting his own set of recognizable, repeated symbols. Many try to do this, but what makes Keith's work so unique is that it is truly recognized after seeing just two or three simple lines. Not many are able to do this- it's partially what made him genius. I'm not particularly in love with Keith's aesthetic, but I do appreciate the art of recognition.

Another aspect of his genius is how he helped revolutionize the art world. He took his work outside of the gallery, into the street. He made art accessible to the masses- by putting his image on t-shirts and other small items, he made his work affordable.

One of the best quotes in the documentary was from Yoko Ono:

Andy Warhol made art that looked like it meant something, but it meant nothing. Keith Haring made art that looked like nothing, but meant a lot.

The documentary was filled with much footage of Keith Haring, and chock-full of friends and family offering glimpses into his life. The man truly lived and breathed his art... He traveled all over the entire world, invited by prestigious galleries to put on exhibitions- his condition for doing this was that he be allowed to make a public-art piece- a mural... This was the art he would leave behind for everyone. Told by many throughout his life to make less art (which some gallery-owners and collectors thought would increase his prices and demand for the art), but he did the opposite. He drew on clothing and shoes for for anyone who asked, and created more in his short lifetime than would seem possible. He had an incredible drive and sense of self which has really been maintained, and in fact, cultivated, since his death.

After Keith Haring learned he was infected by HIV, not only did he became an even more prolific artist, but he founded the Keith Haring Foundation:

The mission of the Keith Haring Foundation is to sustain, expand, and protect the legacy of Keith Haring, his art, and his ideals. The Foundation supports not-for-profit organizations that assist children, as well as organizations involved in education, research and care related to AIDS.

Keith Haring (1958-1990) generously contributed his talents and resources to numerous causes. He conducted art workshops with children, created logos and posters for public service agencies, and produced murals, sculptures, and paintings to benefit health centers and disadvantaged communities. In 1989, Keith established a foundation to ensure that his philanthropic legacy would continue indefinitely.

The Keith Haring Foundation makes grants to not-for-profit groups which engage in charitable and educational activities. In accordance with Keith's wishes, the Foundation concentrates its giving in two areas: The support of organizations which provide educational opportunities to underprivileged children and the support of organizations which engage in research and care with respect to AIDS and HIV infection.

Keith Haring additionally charged the Foundation with maintaining and protecting his artistic legacy after his death. The Foundation maintains a collection of art along with archives which facilitate historical research about the artist and the times and places in which he lived and worked. The Foundation supports arts and educational institutions by funding exhibitions, educational programs, acquisitions and publications that serve to contextualize and illuminate the artist's work and philosophy.

The above description is taken from the Keith Haring website. Click here for more information.

My daughter and I got a lot out of watching the documentary last night. Perhaps you will, too. Check out the trailer:

Part girl, part fish.

Anevay and I joined the pool in our neighborhood today. The pictures, unfortunately, don't convey Anevay's extreme excitement over this (she likes to act blase infront of the camera...). She's determined to become a stellar swimmer this summer- she just recently learned how to swim, and isn't yet proficient, but it will come. Today I taught her the breast-stroke, how to tread water, and we worked for awhile on dunking her head under the surface of the water. Apparently the pool has a swim team- Anevay wants to join! I think she'll work hard this summer to learn most of the strokes, and we'll see what happens come fall (when the swim team resumes). I told her to be patient... if the team doesn't work out, then perhaps a swimming lesson to work with a group of kids on her techniques.

Until lately, Anevay was terrified of the water. The fact that she's worked so hard to overcome her fear makes me an incredibly proud mama...