Publishing Insider

Chumley's progress slow

Well, it's slow and I am hankering to see those author photos on the wall and have a beer at those carved up old tables. Sigh.

small victories of city living

Catching 50 green lights going up 6th Avenue Sunday morning, after putting car through its first winter car wash. Ahhhhh, says I and the car seconds that emotion.

Darwin award goes to...

..the woman riding her bike up Madison in flip flops, no helmet, and yakking on cell phone.

Bill Withers

Walked home past a guy last night singing along the Two of Us on his ipod. Bill Withers is one of the great overlooked singers of our time.

Prisoner of 5th Ave.

I feel like Jack Lemmon in Prisoner of 2nd Ave., starting to lose his mind over the noise and pressures of city life. Here at 10 E. 50th we are a few months into a building demolition next door and now the jackhammering of Manhattan's schist from 7 AM - 5 PM. It is really loud and I am a man on the edge.

airports

Sorry for being out of touch; been in FL with sick parents. But they are better and we did have a few yuks after all. But I'm here to report that I used the RailLink to Newark Airport and it was very good! The cab to Penn Station + $14 for the NJ Transit train, then monorail to airport was a LOT less than the absurd $50 cab ride to the airport. The JFK train is also a big moneysaver...although in both cases, once you hit 3 people, long term parking is the way to go....NOT the official airport ones but offsites. Let me know if you need tips on those.

this morning

This was the type of almost-fall NYC morning when the city gleams, despite the noise of garbage trucks and buses, despite the gleam in the eye of the mechanic when I take my car in for servicing this AM. Sidewalks are washed down, kids are walking to school, joggers are out. The city is not up to full speed yet, and the sunrise makes buildings sparkle. But then, I see they've torn down what I thought was a landmark structure, an old Horn & Hardart Art Deco building that also housed the first bookstore I worked in when I moved to the city. Very, very sad. How was that allowed to happen?

bee season?

Passed both a dead bee and dragonfly on 53rd St. yesterday. Weird. Had never seen either of each in NYC and there they were, deceased on the sidewalk. Hmm. And how's this for a painful segue? Have Akeelah and the Bee on DVD to watch tonight.

Bar none

Ah, those Guinness marketing folk. Love their new countdown to St. Patrick's clock. Not as good as the Bush countdown clock but still pretty good.

bowling with a buzz

The best wine value in NYC? The huge $5 chardonnay at the Port Authority Bowling alley! Not kidding. The shoes suck and the place needs a paint job, but 10 pins are 10 pins and the vino it is yummy.