Secret Agenda

I'm trying to demystify New York, mostly for my own sake. I'm taking down the big city barriers of commuters and crazies and tall buildings and numbers and replacing them with the most mundane activities I can think of, to my delight. I want the most dynamic part of my urban experience to be me, exploring the surrounding environment with the same open, squirrely eyes that I once explored the wooded trails of the Vosges. The manner in which I go about my journey never changes; it's what I find that might be different.

Brooklyn Flea/Home Brew

Hipsterism has, among other things, given rise to a surprisingly (and ironically) capitalistic level of competition within its trendy community of arts and artistic product -- which I think is great! It has given rise to handmade goods (like t-shirts from Species By The Thousands) and artisanal cooking (like pastries from Whimsy & Spice); increased awareness and appreciation of obscure objects and art; and opened up the passageways for creativity in all directions. (Of course, hipsterism has also given rise to fake, plastic-rimmed glasses, girls dressing like grandpas, and an absurd too-cool-for-school attitude, which I don't care for.)

So when it comes to uber-trendy things like the Brooklyn Flea, I don't care who's hosting it, who's attending, or where it is, as long as I can find something awesome. (Sounds like perv's outlook on house parties.) I went last Saturday morning with Nicole and Chris, and was stunned by the variety of products on sale, both edible and non. Among my purchases were a bag of beer and salted caramel candies from Liddabit Sweets, spicy pickle relish from McClure's, a sturdy basket/shopping bag from some crotchety old vendor, and a mimosa pudica plant (which is not doing too well...).

But the true highlight: a homebrewing kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop. For $40, they include everything you need to brew your own beer, including all of the grains, yeast, and hops; rubbing tubing; a glass gallon container; and a Pyrex thermometer. $40 for knowledge! Its a pretty great deal, since I am now set for all future brewing endeavors. I bought a kit to make one gallon of "Rye P.A.," a basic India Pale Ale that uses both rye and a little honey to enhance the flavor. The site sells a couple dozen more flavors, like Blackberry Red Ale, Pumpkin Dubbel, and Chocolate Maple Porter. (The secret to flavored beers: all you do is add what you want to the grain mash, i.e., just throw a couple pieces of fresh apple and a cinnamon stick into the mix.)

The process took about five hours, and made a huge mess. It involved two steel stockpots, a strainer, and several hours of Super Mario Brothers Galaxy 2. Don and I finished the process two nights ago at 3:30am, and the beer is now secreted away, fermenting in my closet. (Pictures for later.)

A gallon of beer only makes about five bottles, but perfecting this process on a small scale might lead to unforeseen advancements!

Bronx Botanical Garden

Wednesday is free day in the Bronx -- I'd recommend hitting up both the Bronx Zoo and the Botanical Garden if you want to make the most of your day. The Zoo I've done multiple times (and could probably do lots more times, too), but the Garden I've never seen. A few snapshots from my tranquil afternoon:

the conservatory (which was closed)

f

from the Rose Garden, which was fully in bloom

the entrance to the Children's Adventure Garden

To my mild surprise, the Botanical Garden was not as carefully manicured as I had expected. The Rose Garden, greenhouses, and Edible Garden were, naturally, quite well taken care of, though the majority of the park was simply wild, native forest. The Bronx Botanical Garden contains the largest swath of the original forest that once covered all of Manhattan, a historical piece of nature that the workers there try hard to preserve. They routinely remove all invasive and exotic species (of plants) from the acres of forest that make up the Garden, and replace them with native species, as if continually retouching an old masterpiece. There are miles of trails in the forest, too; I came across about half a dozen runners while I was there.

The Garden also features a marsh area; a Magnolia Orchard; an upcoming Azaela Garden; a Children's Adventure Garden; and a swanky cafe. The fact that the place was empty made the experience much better for me; I was left alone with my thoughts, the plants, and the Bronx River (the only fresh water river in New York City!).

The tranquillity, however, came only after an hour and a half of public transportation, in full all-of-the-Bronx-high-schools-just-got-out mode. I took the M60 from Astoria Boulevard to 125th Street, then got on the 4 train to nearly the end of the line. I then took the B32 (or something) to the gates of the Garden. A transportation success! It really does take time to master this system.

Work...

So I applied to be a freelance translator for Applied Language, an online translating and editing company. We shall see!

NYRO

Although my attempts to replicate the activities of my college days haven't been exactly successful, they've been rewarding in a different way -- namely, because I have to work my ass for every damn thing these days, instead of trotting over to the UD recreation center with my racquet in hand. Yoga is back in my life, thanks to Yoga Agora, a great little studio that gives 85-minute long power vinyasa sessions for only $5. Racquet sports and horses are sadly out of the picture but, after a long hiatus, the violin is back! Practicing solo only motivates me so far... and not far. I had my first rehearsal with the New York Repertory Orchestra last week at their beautiful venue in Times Square, and felt the pulse of musical life juice its way back through my veins. It felt like the missing piece in my life, actually; I'm really looking forward to this week's practice.

Saint Mary the Virgin Church (can you believe this is hidden in a city block near Times Square??)

We're playing some obscure and complicated pieces: Carl Nielsen's Symphony No. 4, "The Inextinguishables"; Albert Roussel's "Concerto for Small Orchestra"; and Astor Piazzolla's "Four Seasons," and Argentinian take on Vivaldi's piece of the same name. Check out this insane recording of Piazzolla's "Summer" movement:

Besides being able to share in my sense of personal fulfillment and happiness, the best part (for you) about me joining this orchestra is that the concerts are FREE! My first one is on Saturday, October 23rd, at 8pm, at the above church. Come czech it out!

U.S. Open

Having obtained tickets from a well-connected dentist (Don's mom), Don and I thus spent our Labor Day evening at Arthur Ashe Stadium, in Flushing, Queens. Unbeknownst to us, we were carrying some heavy-hitting tickets; we both flushed with pleasure when, upon arrival, we were permitted to fly past the long peasant line and breeze through the side V.I.P. gate. We drank ourselves silly at the "Restaurant Club" bar (not free drinks, unfortunately), and eventually staggered to our "box" seats, which, though they weren't in a proper private box, were still roomy and away from the aforementioned peasants above us. We saw two quarterfinals matches: a women's match (Petkovic vs. Zvonareva), and a men's (Federer vs. Melzer). Federer oozed arrogance and ease just walking around the court, like a racquet-brandishing George Clooney. Don got a free U.S. Open 2010 holographic cup with his beer, and we left the stadium just before midnight.

our view from the Loge Box

hehe

Petkovic vs. Zvonareva

Federer killin' it

 

Electric Zoo

A quick description: New York's second annual electro-techno festival, held on Randall's Island over Labor Day weekend, fully sold out (25,000 people each day!). Headliners: The Chemical Brothers, Bassnectar, Moby, Fedde Le Grande, Armin Van Buuren. 11am to 11pm. Pure bliss.

Last year was Electric Zoo's first, though with DJs like David Guetta and Markus Schulz it still drew an impressive crowd. This year, the guidos, ravers, and hippies came out in full hedonistic force, enveloping the festival in a seamless blanket of human. By the end of the night, the grounds were literally covered with bodies and neon lights -- pacifier-sucking girls laying atop one another in piles, breakdancers, hula hoopers, shirtless dudes sprawled out on blankets. I've never felt less like an individual, in a good way.

In addition to mindlessly enjoying the mainstream, headlining bands (Dirty South was outstanding), I discovered a couple truly excellent DJs whose trip-hoppy, dubstep styles I enjoy: Pretty Lights, whose entire discography is available for free download online; and Flying Lotus, who helped mix Radiohead's In Rainbows album. Check 'em out!

Pardon the blurriness of the below pictures; I think you get the point.
 

Gareth Emery (he sucked)

waiting for Dirty South to take the stage

Flying Lotus

The Chemical Brothers