summer + forlorn strangers at the metropolitan.

c h s and i packed  a lot into 24 hours on a tiny budget when she passed through new york last week. first a high line bee line from gansevoort to 21st st salvation army where we found great vintage clothes and a brand new $600.00 pair of marques almeida shoes! we left s a around 6 with huge bags full of stuff, but we didn't have time to to drop them at the hotel before the cool tap jam at smalls jazz club, (every wednesday night) so we just lugged them along to the show.

in jazz tradition the tap dancer is considered a member of the band and judged more on hir* sound than visible style, and this jam, open to any dancer who shows up ready to hoof, is in that tradition.

later, burgers and beers at corner bistro- some of the tap dancers turned up there too. draft mcsorley ale is only $3. at the bistro!

finally, nightcap at the beeeeeyootiful jane ballroom!  oh, 'cause we were staying in a wee twee bunk bed cabin at the hotel.

next day we shopped chinatown dollar stores,(whence the collapsable jesus fan) ate 4 for a dollar dumplings at vanessa's on eldridge st, and stopped in mercer books where, speaking of jazz, they had the milt jackson lp.  i got to meet him once, when he played the king of france tavern, where i was the hostess when i was 17.

the bloody marys were at cafe gitane and catch roof near the jane in the meat packing district.  not always crazy about innovative bloody marys but the special one at catch had basil, cucumber and coriander along with horseradish, etc- really really yummy! gitane's "moroccan" is good too, also has coriander.

*hir is the gender neutral pronoun i'm proposing. "his or her" is just too cumbersome for modern communication.  some people use "their" but that sounds inelegant when the subject is singular, right?

recent photos.

after six months in france, chrissie could only look more french if she had a little dark blue scarf tied at the side of her neck.

nightlife at the jane hotel and smalls jazz club. it was vibraphonist steve nelson's birthday bash last week. dezron douglas on bass.  

josephine olivia. i fell...

chrissie, christina and i saw josephine perform last year at 49 west in annapolis.  this song became a real earworm for me.