Places to Visit »Abandonded Imperial Baths and Adler Hotel

imperial baths hotel adler new york abandondedSharon Springs is a quaint little upstate town that was in decay before a recent revival, indistinguishable from many except for the very interesting Sulfur Spa trade that has put the town on the map from the early 1800's until only a few years ago when all the Bath Houses and the Adler Hotel shut down, possibly for good. Through state grants and grand plans, supportively the spa and hotels will be restored and made into bigger (but not necessarily better) resort destinations.

Until then, the baths and The Adler stand like a ghost town, relics of the past, eerily with bed sheets still hanging in the windows and broken furniture lurking inside the broken glass. You can walk around the back of The Imperial Baths where a huge temple will surprise you. There you can still scoop out some sulfur water for yourself.

Up the street stands the impressive Adler, an interesting site for urban explorers and as it was built in 1929, lovers of old architecture. It's very haunted feeling, even though it was abandoned only a few years back in 2004. Up the hill in the distance was another abandoned site, but because of fences and warnings, we decided against a closer look. Here are some beautiful interior photos from a blogger with more guts.

See more: Places to Visit


2 Comments →
Posted on September 22, 2008

Desserts »Papabubble

papabubble lollipopPapabubble the world wide cult candy shop that has stores in Tokyo Barcelona, and Amsterdam opened their first American store on Broome Street about a year ago amidst much internet buzz and chat. The artful candy and the bright fun food porn shots on flickr tempted me, but it still took this long for me to make it there for a couple reasons.

I had heard it was expensive (true – a bag of candy costs $7.50) and they only sell hard candy, which for some strange reason, I am only usually interested in if it's opaque (like a Life Saver Wint-o-Green) or in a lollipop form. On my visit, I was in total luck on the second front.
A shelf in the back of the space age-y shop help a selection of cutesy, bubbly lollipops and they were on sale at only $3 a pop. Satisfied with?my purchase, which allowed me to pretend to be on the cover of I-D (what?..?how do you spend your afternoons?) I brought it to the counter where a cute, hip staff member did some low pressure sales by asking me if I had tried a sample. Why, no I hadn't! But with Despana nearby with their plethora of toothpick delights and this free sample spot, this block could be the best thing to happen to your mouth since Lip Smackers.

What she gave me was fizzy and passionfruity and, seriously, seriously good. $7.50 for a bag no longer sounded like a steep price to pay for such happiness. The tingle on my tongue and the unique flavors like mango and kiwi made up for the fact that no one was actually making candy when I visited, which made me sad. But I guess it justifies a return trip and while I'm at it another bag of fizzy candy.

See more: Desserts


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on September 22, 2008

Hunks »Falco

falco A pop sensation, Falco will forever be remembered for Der Kommissar and Rock Me Amadeus. I was escpailly thrilled as a kid who happened to be a massive fan of the 1984 film, Amadeus (a film I still consider one of the best ever made), by his spectacular, now classic video where he struts as a dapper gentlemen (no one else in the 80s pulled off a tuxedo and slicked back hair so well) and a punked out Mozart.

His fame was short lived, but he was planning a comeback when he was killed in a bus accident at the young age of 41.

See more: Hunks


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on September 22, 2008

Albums »The Dark Side of the Moon

pink floyd dark side of the moonContinuing the week of sadness, Pink Floyd keyboardist and vocalist Richard Wright died and seeing as I have never recommended one of their albums in this forum, I thought it was time. See the thing that's kept me from writing about Dark Side of the Moon, their defining work, is that really, it's all been said. I love the album, I think it's one of the most amazing albums ever made from beginning to end but people far more eloquent than me have been praising it for decades. It's the third highest selling album of all time and always makes the top best albums of all time lists.

Everyone's experience with the album is very different and no one forgets the first time they got into it. For many people this involved basement rooms with record players and drugs, my own was much less cool. I was older when I finally heard the entire album having always been misguided in high school into thinking Floyd was strictly a kind of hippie, stoner band, a band I would probably never like. That all changed when I was driving in Providence and a station played Dark Side all the way through. I just kept driving so I could hear it all and like everyone ever before me and after, in a way my life changed.

See more: Albums


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on September 22, 2008

Restaurants »BB Sandwich Bar

bb sandwich bar cheese steakAfter a bad night sleep and the slump that followed, I was starving by lunch time. I knew I wanted a sandwich, I knew I wanted something new. In a cursory search online, I found BB Sandwich Bar, home to a reportedly unorthodox but delicious cheese steak. They proclaim it to be “The Best Damn Cheese Steak Period“.

A bold statement from Gary Thompson, the man behind this sandwiches reinvention. And it's a statement bound to draw fire from those devoted cheese steak connoisseurs who make no concession about what makes a “real” cheese steak. But forget those people. If foods were always and only made the “way they were supposed to” eating out would be a very boring adventure indeed.

Besides, this is a great sandwich because Thompson's just as obsessed as those cheese steak fans he told New York magazine “I've been perfecting this sandwich for years tweaking spices, sweating onions.” The result is a five dollar delicacy of balanced tangy and salty. I'm totally surprised by the lack of a line, or even another customer when I went. It shares it's space with a cupcake shop (I'll try those later) and somehow from the street gives off the impression that it's a computer repair shop, so maybe more people just haven't been aware of it. You are not one of those people anymore, so go and have at it.

See more: Restaurants


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on September 15, 2008

Places to Visit »Farmer’s Museum, Fenimore Museum

farmers museum cooperstown nyIf baseball doesn't thrill you, there are other museums in Cooperstown, NY that might just. Located across the street from each other, and with a discount if you buy tickets to each are The Fenimore Art Museum and The Farmer's Museum.

Unfortunately The Fenimore didn't allow any photographs. But I can share images from their website with you. They featured some special exhibits including Through the Eyes of Others: African Americans and Identity in American Art which featured harrowing work and some less memorable, Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses which featured carousel horses and lions from carousels and synagogue carvings, and the small but quaint Bits of Home which featured everyday artifacts from people's homes. I was most inspired and blown away, though, from their unexpectedly first rate folk art collection. The paintings from Edward Hicks and those lovable creepy portraits of children and pets, that lined the museum's grand staircase were among my favorites.

Much fun was to be had across the street at The Farmer's Museum, where they set up an old town with people in costume to answer your questions, just the way I like it. They too had a couple exhibits: The Cardiff Giant and an unnecessarily in depth exploration of ice cream.

Outdoors we saw a magnificent carousel before trying our hand at old fashioned games under the guidance of an awesome theater girl doing well in her summer job. Next stop was the store where we didn't buy anything, but walked away with priceless information about nearby attractions to visit from the friendly shop keeper. Other interesting spots were the printing press office, the blacksmiths where a cute boy was making an ax, the medical office and herbal remedy garden, and the farm house where employees made lunch out of eggs and vegetables in their own yard.

It was a little disappointing that the stable animals were out grazing, but we did see chickens and a clan of ugly turkeys and their cute turkey babies. And any disappointment was made up for by the historic homes and their beautiful wall paper, interiors and maze garden.

See more: Places to Visit


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on September 15, 2008

Style Icons: Female »Nagi Noda

Pop Artist

Life can be very unfair and very, very sad. I fist heard of the name Nagi Noda, a thirty five year old Japanese pop artist and all around amazing person, when I read an article about her death. Surgical complications after a car accident cut short a prolific, inventive, electrifying, and diverse career.

A well of imaginative and fun ideas, her works have included a collection of fantastic hair hats, bizarrely cool over-sized half panda/ half other animal costumes called Hanipanda, a collaborative fashion line with artist Mark Ryden called Broken Label, music videos for The Scissor Sisters and Yuki, this awesome poodle exercise video, this Coca Cola commercial, and a brilliant project called Horror Caf? – an actual caf? she opened that served funny, Halloween themed food and had customers sit in coffin chairs.

She was lovely and I am sad the world has lost such a unique artist and voice. Truly awesome to the end she passed away “in her Mark Ryden dress, Chanel boots, perfect make-up with Viktor & Rolf lace black eye lashes.”

See more: Style Icons: Female


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on September 15, 2008

Hunks »Hedi Slimane

hedi slimaneAll of you out there that hate hipsters, Hedi Slimane might but be the man you could direct your ire at. The whole thin pants on men thing, his close association with the hippest (he once sent Brian Ferry's son Isaac down his runway and is loved by Kanye West and David Bowie and Karl Lagerfeld lost weight to fit in his fashions) and the reemergence of cool young men putting their all into their appearance. You really don't have to look much further than him?but complain all you want, I doubt the rail thin genius of men's design and former visionary behind Dior Homme would care.?/p>

The designer has been on a fashion designing hiatus since he left Dior, but has been behind the camera plenty and has a book called Rock Dairy out now. More photos, mostly of his fabulously cool friends like Gus Van Sant can be seen on his website.

But he's in this entry to be a hunk, so all his Renaissance Man attributes aside (he's also the editor-in-chief of Lib?ration, he designing album covers, and is always working on art shows on top of it all), he's also make-you-want-to-die dashing. He looks like an alien sent to earth with the mission to become the hippest guy on the planet.

See more: Hunks


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on September 15, 2008

Albums »Little Queen

heart little queenHeart followed up their hit maker Dreamboat Annie with Little Queen which went triple platinum. Its success is mostly thanks to the album's raucous hit, “Barracuda” but even if the rest of the album isn't quite as catchy as that and other top twenty songs of theirs, it's a strong rock classic.

Full of girl power, and not the kind of pink tweeny leopard print “girl power” of late. No, this girl power is about Nancy and her phenomenal guitar skills (see the Renaissance-y Sylvan Song and Dream of the Archer) and Ann belting it out hard (Kick It Out) and soft (Cry To Me). The title song Little Queen is my favorite, though it failed as a single when released, it's a great one.

Oh, and just in case you needed one more reason to worship Heart, you got it. Recently they ordered a cease-and-desist notice to the McCain- Palin campaign to prevent them from using their 1977 hit, “Barracuda” as Sarah Palin's theme song.

“Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song 'Barracuda' no longer be used to promote her image. The song 'Barracuda' was written in the late 70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The 'barracuda' represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there.”

This isn't the first time these spearheading, tough women have been outspoken and had to rail against bull—-. Whether unfairly characterized as incestuous lovers (an incident that sparked them to write “Barracuda”) or dealing with the mean spirited comments concerning weight, they've never backed down and they're still two of rock and rolls coolest ladies. Back off Palin!

See more: Albums


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on September 15, 2008

Songs »Ghostbusters

ghostbusters ray parker jrI am certainly not alone when I say that the first Ghostbusters movie was a majorly big deal for me as a kid. The theme song even had a particular effect on my brain prompting me at age six to ask my parents if I could be Ray Parker, Jr. for Halloween. Yes, Ray Parker Jr. Not Dana, not even Venkman or Slimer, but the mustached “Love Unlimited Orchestra” member and R&B star. (Which reminds me to remind you to start thinking about this years costume. It's only a month away, friends)

A recent article, exclaiming that a third film, written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky of The Office was in the works, got me probably naively and definitely prematurely excitited and brought back all those good memories about the fist movie. Is there even a chance that it could be good? I really hope and think so. Until that can be decided I'll stick to frequent viewings of the original and blissful repeating of this classic theme song.

And despite an out of court settlement wherein Huey Lewis claimed Parker Jr ripped off his hit I Wanna New Drug, Ray was tops. Just read this exceprt from his wikipedia entry:

“Parker was one of the first black artists to venture into the then-fledgling world of music videos. In 1978 Hollywood producer, Thom Eubank produced several music videos of songs from his first album entitled, Raydio on Arista Records. The hit single, “Jack & Jill” was the first released to air on Wolfman Jack's Saturday night television show, The Midnight Special. The music videos were also transferred to film and projected in movie theaters all over Europe. He also made two different videos for his hit “The Other Woman“. The first was Halloween-themed and centered around a haunted castle with dancing corpses and vampires. The second was more performance-oriented, with Parker performing the song against an outer space background with backup singers. Parker made the performance-oriented video because MTV refused to play his Halloween-themed video due to its depiction of an interracial relationship.”

See more: Songs


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on September 15, 2008