Every Friday I feature some fleeting moments from my week that made me stop and think, “I’m so lucky to live in NYC!” And maybe some that made me think, “Bahaha this city is ridiculous and I love it.” Here we go for this August heat wave week…

A Giant Inflatable Minute

Watching this giant, head inflate outside this Soho boutique that I’ve never heard of (*A Bathing Ape? Anyone?). It appeared the entrance to the store would be through it’s mouth. Uh, cute? I stood across the street wondering, “Is this really an effective promotion?” But I got my phone out to take a picture proving, I suppose, that it is!

A Bizarre Bike Shoot Minute

My fella and I got cookies in NoLita and sat in Lt. Petrosino Square eating them. While there, we watched a sizable film crew set up a night shoot- lights, cameras. What were they filming? A girl with long blonde hair and “camera-ready” make-up appeared in a sequin basket ball jersey. She proceeded to ride around on a blinged out bike that was waaaaay too short for her. Us by-standers were never asked to leave, though we left before any real filming began. We sat for a while eating our dessert and hypothesizing what the hell this shoot could be for. Top 3 guesses: A YouTube channel, a commercial, a comedy segment for a late night show. What do you think??

A Touching Tribute Minute

Walking to South Street Seaport, I passed a building with notes and dried flowers placed all over the entrance. This could only indicate a tragedy and I looked at the notes to learn what happened. Every letter was written to Anthony Bourdain. Messages from fans, drawings from children, an old apron and a shopping list from fellow chefs – it broke my heart all over again to see them here. At the same time, it’s lovely that they still stand, over 2 months after his death. His influence, talent, and spirit won’t be forgotten.

I later learned that the wall these mementos are fixed to is that of the shuttered restaurant Les Halles. Bourdain was the executive chef here while writing Kitchen Confidential. You can learn more about this memorial via this Eater New York article from June 8th: People Are Crowding Around Les Halles to Remember Anthony Bourdain.

A Time Warp Minute

I turned a corner in the East  Village and found myself in a time warp. 2nd Avenue was lined with old cars! The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or The Deuce must have filmed here earlier in the day. I gotta admit, I love every time I stumble into an on location film set!

Those were interesting little moments from my past 7 days. Let me know how your week was, if you’d like, and have a fantastic weekend!