“Fish in the Dark” & The Critics Love to Hate

The critics have spoken on Larry David’s Fish in the Dark.

The New York Times: …set postures, lines and deliveries, while throwaway humor has been exaggerated in ways that perversely shrink its impact.

The New Yorker: …sour-voiced schtick…a cynical manipulation of sentimentality and humor.DarkfishThe Wall Street Journal: (Larry David’s) playwriting debut, a poor and embarrassing excuse for the kind of Jewish humor that went out of fashion with Gertrude Berg, (is) bursting at the moldy seams with embalming fluid.

It’s not as if Larry David made any highfalutin’ claims. “I saw Nora Ephron’s play, Lucky Guy. I just thought, ‘That must be a really interesting thing to do.”54c16d2f10516d590a7b15ac_fish-in-the-dark-larry-david-broadway-vf02

The hate from New York’s papers is perhaps best summed up by the theater critic in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s BirdmanI’m gonna turn in the worst review anyone has ever read and I’m gonna close your play. Birdman-Michael-Keaton-Underwear-Times-Square-NYC-Film-Locations-43rd-Street-Times-Square-St.-James-Theatre-Hotel-Edison-Rum-House-3Would you like to know why? Because I hate you and everyone you represent. Entitled, selfish, spoiled children. Blissfully untrained, unversed and unprepared to even attempt real art. Handing each other awards for cartoons and pornography.

Luckily, the real-life critics aren’t having so much luck. Larry David’s play has broken box office records and been greeted by constant laughs and ovations every night. article-davidweb-0203Fish in the Dark, as Mr. David is not ashamed to say himself, is “pre-tty, pre-tty good.”

Overlooked Manhattan: Dubuffet’s “Group of Four Trees”

Chase Plaza, between William and Broad Streets in Downtown Manhattan, offers that rare trifecta: light, space and art. Overlooked Manhattan: Dubuffet's "Group of Four Trees"Jean Dubuffet’s Group of Four Trees dominates the space. Overlooked Manhattan: Dubuffet's "Group of Four Trees"Made of fiberglass, aluminum and steel, Jean Dubeffet’s work was erected in 1972 and stands four stories tall.Overlooked Manhattan: Dubuffet's "Group of Four Trees" Overlooked Manhattan: Dubuffet's "Group of Four Trees" Overlooked Manhattan: Dubuffet's "Group of Four Trees"The sculpture is one of the 14,000 works in Chase Manhattan’s private collection.*Overlooked Manhattan: Dubuffet's "Group of Four Trees"This being one of the few that the public can see.

(*According to Manhattan’s Downtown Alliance)

Overlooked New York: Federal Hall National Memorial

Popular tourist destinations in Downtown Manhattan include the 911 Memorial, City Hall and Wall Street. Overlooked New York: Federal Hall National MemorialEven though many tourists stand in front of Federal Hall National Memorial, and take pictures of the statue of Washington on the steps, only a few actually go inside the historic site.TOverlooked New York: Federal Hall National Memorialhis is odd because it’s not only free, but also quite warm.Overlooked New York: Federal Hall National Memorial

Overlooked New York: Federal Hall National MemorialThere’s interesting things to learn. Overlooked New York: Federal Hall National Memorial Overlooked New York: Federal Hall National Memorial Overlooked New York: Federal Hall National MemorialAnd best of all – no guns are allowed.Overlooked New York: Federal Hall National Memorial

Manhattan’s East River Begins to Freeze

February 2015 has been reported as the coldest month in 35 years for Manhattan. 20150224_17120920150224_171440The East River isn’t frozen yet. 20150224_17051620150224_170319But it’s getting there. (Click here or the images below for video.)Screen Shot 2015-02-25 at 8.11.58 AMScreen Shot 2015-02-25 at 8.12.40 AM

Overlooked New York: The Cunard Building

Overlooked New York: The Cunard BuildingBuilt in 1921, the Cunard Building stands at 25 Broadway, above Bowling Green, at the foot of Manhattan. Overlooked New York: The Cunard BuildingOverlooked New York: The Cunard BuildingOverlooked New York: The Cunard BuildingBest known for housing the Cunard Shipping Lines, which built famed ships, including The Lusitania, Mauritania, Queen Mary & Queen Elizabeth. Overlooked New York: The Cunard BuildingOverlooked New York: The Cunard BuildingThe building is also cited by Daisy Buchanan in The Great GatsbyThere’s a bird on the lawn that must be a nightingale come over on the Cunard or White Star Lines.Overlooked New York: The Cunard BuildingPerhaps Mrs. Buchanan, if she were here today, would have even visited the Cunard Building for an afternoon meal.
Overlooked New York: The Cunard Building

February in Manhattan’s Financial District

Few are braving the cold and ice in Manhattan’s Financial District this February. February in Manhattan's Financial DistrictFebruary in Manhattan's Financial DistrictFebruary in Manhattan's Financial District February in Manhattan's Financial DistrictFebruary in Manhattan's Financial DistrictFebruary in Manhattan's Financial DistrictExcepting of course the tourists… February in Manhattan's Financial DistrictThe TV show camera crews…February in Manhattan's Financial DistrictAnd the delivery guys. February in Manhattan's Financial DistrictAfter all, the show must go on.February in Manhattan's Financial DistrictFebruary in Manhattan's Financial District

BAM Marathon: The Iceman Exhausteth

The Brooklyn Academy of Music is currently staging Eugene O’Neil’s marathon play, The Iceman Cometh. BAM Marathon: The Iceman ExhaustethAt just under five hours (!!!), the play delivers its message in the form of a blunt object (“the pipe dream”) ad nauseum, inducing an uneasy drowsiness for actors and audience alike.BAM Marathon: The Iceman ExhaustethWhile the acting of Nathan Lane, Brian Denehy et al is solid, as are some tableau moments, the trauma of this painfully slow drama begs the services of a certain tool. BAM Marathon: The Iceman ExhaustethThe highlight of the evening was in fact the relief of it being over and then getting on the NBA All-Star subway train home.BAM Marathon: The Iceman ExhaustethAlthough even this moment of reprieve became painfully slow.BAM Marathon: The Iceman Exhausteth

Confused Signs in New York City

There are a lot of signs in New York, many of them densely worded: Confused Signs in New York CityConfused Signs in New York CityOthers are altered to present contradictory messages:Confused Signs in New York CityConfused Signs in New York CityConfused Signs in New York City

Oak Alley: History on a Louisiana Plantation

The property at Oak Alley Plantation is something to behold. One of dozens of Louisiana plantations along the Mississippi River that once oversaw the farming of sugar cane, this house features 300-year-old oaks lining the walk. Oak Alley: History on a Louisiana PlantationThe history of the Creole family who owned the home is also intriguing; ice was imported, at a cost of thousands of dollars per week, for their regular dinner parties. Oak Alley: History on a Louisiana PlantationAnd the fact that you can drink a mint julep throughout the tour is hard to resist.Oak Alley: History on a Louisiana PlantationBut no matter how hard they might try, and how sweet the drink, none of it works. Oak Alley: History on a Louisiana PlantationHistory gets in the way.Oak Alley: History on a Louisiana PlantationAnd then the mint julep isn’t so sweet; none of it it is.

Oak Alley: History on a Louisiana Plantation

A partial list of slaves who lived and died at the Oak Alley Plantation

It becomes a dark place with a dark past, and nothing, not even the lovely avenue of trees, can change any of that.Oak Alley: History on a Louisiana Plantation

Sparks Fly from Santiago Calatrava’s Oculus

New York City’s PATH Transit Hub, designed by Santiago Calatrava, is starting to look like something. Sparks Fly from Santiago Calatrava's OculusThe so-called Oculus, to be completed for an estimated $4 billion, is supposed to open December 17, 2015. In the meantime, the sparks continue to fly. 
Sparks Fly from Santiago Calatrava's OculusClick on the full two-minute video here, to see all the sparks:

Sparks Fly from Santiago Calatrava's Oculus