NYC-1- "A NEW FRONTIER"

A RESPECTABLE 42ND STREET

I'm sprawled out on a guest futon in my own little corner of George's studio apartment on West 46th with a fan blowing hot air on me. I'd forgotten what the city feels like when it gets hot. The plane ride was a bit bumpy and a little uncomfortable thanks to the drunk woman sitting in the middle seat with her legs spread so far apart, you'd think she was at the gynecologist. 

Unpleasantries aside, I arrived at JFK in one piece and  immediately became terrified when the crazy driver of our van nearly took me and her 3 other passengers off the 495. Welcome back to New York.

Emerging from the tunnel, floods of memories came washing across my mind's eye as my journey down 42nd Street towards Port Authority came to an end. The New Amsterdam Theatre, home to "Mary Poppins", erasing images of live sex shows, run down porn palaces, hookers, pimps, drug addicts and the like. The 42nd Street of old, when I first stepped off that bus in 1985 to begin my internship at Soble/ LaPadura Casting, now but a faded memory and replaced by what looks similar to Universal City Walk.


I walked up 8th Avenue and passed Show World - still open. Thank God there is still just a glimmer of sleaze to remind me of giggling at the Triple Treat Theatre and witnessing an enormous man of color doing unspeakable things to a naked 300 pound woman--who looked positively bored out her mind.

At last, some familiarity at 46th Street. George and I went to Galaxy Diner for breakfast. And then he told me the bad news--West Side Cottage II -- the place where I always got cold sesame noodles is gone. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

So the search is on for decent cold sesame noodles in Hell's Kitchen since most of the Chinese restaurants have been replaced with Thai. 

Back on the futon in the corner, sleep is overtaking me. Simon, George's cat, has found a new best friend, and together we are going to recharge our batteries, drained from the flight (me) and the New York morning heat (both of us). 


Tonight - "War Horse" and drinks (non-alcoholic of course) at the swanky Ink 48 - Press Lounge.


Laters.