"I teach lawyers how to write."

A woman sitting next to me at the park yesterday leaned over and said, "This must be the best place in the city to be right now--or even in the world." She was right--it was a perfect day: 72 degrees and sunny.

We were at Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan at the Southwest Cafe, an outdoor eating and drinking spot in the south west corner of the park sponsored by Southwest Airlines. Cute, right? Anyway we talked a little while and I learned she was a consultant to law firms. She gives one-on-one advice and conducts seminars on writing skills. Soon my husband and two of his co-workers arrived and I invited her to join us. That's what I love about New York: conversation with strangers is easy. Actually that may be more related to drinking, but I digress.

I took her business card home and looked at her web address. I liked it so much that I subscribed to her blog! You may like it, too. Here's a good article about the simple but powerful colon. And here's her picture from her website.

Image from roskylegaled.com

The Party Wall at MOMA's PS1 Museum

I wanted to take friends to the Museum of Modern Art's PS1 location near our apartment in Long Island City, but first I needed to check to see if the exhibits were not too weird. Actually, they were just as weird as the last time I visited, but I was prepared this time and that helped.

Anyway, this grand structure was being built at the entrance. It's called Party Wall and is the winner of a contest for a temporary, outdoor installation that provides shade, seating, and water. You can read more about it at www.CodaPartyWall.com. What I like the most: pieces from the wall can be removed and used as seating.

An architect's rendering of Party Wall. Image from http://codapartywall.com

I actually got to meet the designer/architect, Carolyn O'Donnell, who is an assistant professor at Cornel University. She told me a secret about the design--at exactly 1 o'clock in the month of July the wall will cast a shadow that has a message--which she didn't divulge.

Here's another good site to learn more about the Party Wall at MOMA PS1.

Captain's Tip?

Have you ever heard of a captain's tip? This was a first for us.

New York Lady Biker

She was all dressed up in a business suit with heels--wedges anyway--and trying to secure her bike on the streets of New York City. This lady apparently uses her bike for business and why not? There are many places to secure your bike on the sidewalks, and if you have to frequently get from one place to another without ruining your wallet or nice shoes---not to mention your feet---I say go for it.

Jersey Boys on Broadway

photo: Sara Krulwich, The New York Times

This show was so refreshingly fun! I intently watched and listened to get every bit of it right up until the final curtain.

The last few Broadway shows have been terrifically disappointing (yes, including Book of Mormon and Tom Hank's Lucky Guy). But when friends come to visit, you go to a Broadway show. This time I did more homework than usual.

I have discovered the website Did He Like It by Ben Brantley, the chief theater critic for The New York Times. Here various reviews are published side-by-side along with the little guy below. You can click on each summary and see the entire review but, as Brantley himself admits, no one wants to read the entire review for heavens sake.

  Jersey Boys received unanimous thumbs up reviews. I think I can trust it in the future as a general guide due to this experience.

Creepy Stuffed Dog?

What is this thing and why is it chained outside a firehouse? When my friend and I saw it, the firemen were just pulling in from a call and they grinned slyly as they saw me taking pictures. One guy yelled to us that they had just washed "it" and had put "it" outside to dry. I will try to get the rest of the story. Do you think it was an amateur attempt to preserve Old Smokey, the firehouse dog?

Paddle Boat the East River

The Long Island City Boat Club is giving free tours again this summer. Would you want to be out there in your tiny paddle boat when a ocean-going freighter comes in sight?