The weather is changing in NYC. It is getting colder. The leaves are starting to turn. Rides in the park require pants and a light jacket. I am ready for winter, although I am sad to see summer go. I have really enjoyed this one. Poppy and I have done around 3,000 miles on our bike this summer. So good. Thankful.
Our upcoming Mayor of NYC Zohran Mamdani is so amazing in his support for trans rights, free busing, and riding a bike in NYC. Mamdani reveals just how much the Democratic establish sucks. He is so natural and caring. He is so genuine in his messaging. It makes me happy that we live in New York City right now.
I love / hate Portland, OR. It’s a great place. Lots of good memories there. Lot’s of not so good memories. But the protest videos I see on the Blueskies seem like something we need a lot more of. Armies and armies of inflatable characters. Putting the absurdity of this moment out front like this is what is needed.
When we walk through the corner of Central Park each morning we always walk by my favorite tree, and under the bridge it inhabits. I ride by the tree twice each day as I make my way around the park loop with Poppy. I’ve watched the tree evolve for a couple of years now, and look forward to watching it for many more.
Audrey and I went to see Ron Carter and Bill Frisell at the Birdland on Thursday. We absolutely love Ron Carter, but Bill Frisell added such a beautiful layer on top of, and in exchange with Ron’s magic. We had our usual front row seat experience that leaves me just in awe of being alive while I sit there soaking it all up.
We went to Stretch Pizza down by the Flatiron building. It was one of those perfect pizza experiences. We had a pepperoni square and al pastor pizza. The pepperoni crust was more bread than crust, but it worked very well. The al pastor crust was nothing short of perfect, and the toppings pushed forward my definition of what goes on a pizza.
In addition to the pizza, I also had a Aval French cider, but it was the soft serve desert that really drove things home for me. It was the best vanilla ice cream I’ve had in a long time. It was deep and rich, and then when you poured the hard shell Toblerone topping, it was out of this world. It was the perfect ending for a perfect pizza outing.
I love that Zohran is focusing on transportation issues. I spend a lot of time thinking about car culture as I make my way around NYC on foot, bike, and subway each day. I am so happy to be outside of, and on the edges of car culture for the second half of my life. I really do believe it is the secret to having a happy and healthy life.
“The world reveals itself to those who travel on foot” - Werner Herzog
