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Hilly Kristal moves fast: CBGB is opening its retail store this Friday at 23 St Marks Place, as previously reported by the great TwoWheeler on this site. I also saw the Joey Ramone Place sign Mr. TwoWheeler pointed out that I missed the last time I walked up the Bowery, but I think there was a second sign that is actually missing. Well maybe not. Anyhow (212) 982-4052 is the number for this great store, and Hilly himself is hanging out there every day. The nice white tile inside is so clean I had to ask: When is the graffiti gonna come?
It's kind of funny ... how all the anti-establishment punk rock music n stuff has been commercialized. I mean, when I was a kid St Marks was full of punks, now the new baby punks are everywhere. I saw one with Anti-Nowhere League written in Liquid Paper on her leather jacket going into the Japanese market. 20 years ago, she would have been in your face demanding half of whatever you were eating. Well whatever.
Tags:
bowery, cbgb, hilly kristal, st marks place
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Posted on 11/20/2006
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Uh so CBGB's closed three weeks ago and there is nothing left. It's gone and forgotten, every indication on the outside that it was never there. And the Joey Ramone Corner sign in memory of the greatest Ramone—ripped down too. Next stop: Las Vegas?
Tags:
cbgb, hilly kristal, ramones, vegas
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Posted on 11/10/2006
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I watched at 9:15 this morning as the festivities got underway: The U.S.S. Intrepid was gonna move from its berth, the first time in 24 years. All the massive tugs from McAllister were in place. There were plenty of veterans and active-duty service members on hand, NYPD helicopters in the air, FDNY guys on the stern of the ship, Coast Guard vessels in the Hudson, several hundred onlookers, Steve Forbes' yacht The Highlander and did I leave anyone out? Oh yes, the NYPD brass band, which struck up some patriotic military tunes as well as local favorites like "On Broadway." After a while, there came an announcement: "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Intrepid has moved five feet." Another eternity passed, and another announcement: "The Intrepid has now moved ten feet." People were getting restless. Some left. The party on Forbes' yacht looked like fun—cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. The cops looked bored. The band left. I took off on the bike path. The Intrepid was stuck. Everything had seemed in order: today is the highest tide of the year. The weather was picture-perfect sunny. 600 tons of water were sucked out of its ballast tanks. The river was dredged a bit. But then there was one hitch—a big hitch: the propellers had were stuck in the bottom of the Hudson. Looks like some more dredging is necessary.
Too bad about the Forbes yacht party; a lady from the Intrepid's Education Department told me the yacht had planned to follow the Intrepid downriver and have a nice celebration.
Tags:
broadway, fdny, forbes, highlander, intrepid, mcallister, nypd, tugboats
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Posted on 11/6/2006
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Just before visiting Province Chinese Canteen in Tribeca today, I experienced one of the most exasperating Canal Street post office moments ever. There was actually no one in line, which I think never happened before at 11:45 am. But I had to wait four minutes because the clerk behind the window was busy talking to another clerk. At which point I went over and said apologetically: "I am so sorry to interrupt."
Clerk: What you need?
Bulldog: I'd like 50 two-cent stamps, please.
Clerk: I ain't go no 52¢ stamps.
Bulldog: I said fifty, five-zero, two-cent stamps please.
Clerk: Oh. (Clerk counts out 52 two-cent stamps.)
Bulldog: You are being too nice, let me give these two extra stamps back to you. (Hands over two stamps and one dollar.)
Clerk: But you said 52 two-cent stamps.
Bulldog: Have a nice day.
Then I noticed this weird flyer tacked up on the bulletin board at the head of the line titled WHY BUY STAMPS? Although it was typed, it was illiterate nonsense that mentioned a number of bizarre things, including a discussion of whether Moses might have used express mail when delivering the Ten Commandments. (Never mind whether theological discussions are pertinent to the sale of postage stamps.) So I asked the chatty clerk who had been speaking with the window clerk about this WHY BUY STAMPS?
Chatty: What are you talking about?
Bulldog: That display over there.
Chatty: What about it?
Bulldog: Who put it there?
Chatty: Why you asking?
Bulldog: Because it's the most illiternate thing I've ever seen in a post office. Looks like a second-grader wrote it. But that's just one guy's opinion.
Chatty: Have a nice day.
Bulldog: You too.
Did I mention the grilled chicken sandwich, srved on steamed mantou at Province is really great? Two for $7.50 (opening week price was two for $7). Hold the two-cent stamps.
Tags:
canal street, chinese canteen, post office, province
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Posted on 9/8/2006
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