TGIM! TGINPD! TGIPS! TGIE! I’m really excited today. It’s a time full of celebration! Bet you didn’t even know!
Thank God It’s Friday! I’ve been temping all week, filing and indexing legal files. It’s almost as bad as last time for dentistry customer service. But today’s the last day! At 6PM tonight I’ll never go into that office again! Hooray!
Thank God It’s May! May is finally here. The loveliest month in New York City is upon us. The temperature sits in a pleasing spot, it’s still too early for air conditioning. Everything is green, flowers are every where, and my spring wardrobe is my favorite. This year that means crop tops. Hey, 30 is not so far away. I gotta show my midriff the light of day while I still can.
Thank God It’s No Pants Day! Say what? Yep, this is one of those funny little celebrations like Talk Like A Pirate Day. They’re just fun. Or you can take them very seriously. Some of my friends wrote a song and made a music video to honor this special day.
Spring is all about occasions to undress I guess! April 29th was One Day Without Shoes. Last year I made money by standing on the street not wearing a shirt. That’s not how it sounds! Here, read about it if you don’t believe me!
Thank God It’s Picnic Season! I love picnics more than most things.
Thank God It’s Easter! Ok, so I know it’s not actually Easter. But I just got a package in the mail I’ve been waiting for since then! The lovely @Missy_Chances sent me a fantastic assortment of Easter candy from the UK!
Candy is just better when it’s foreign. It’s going to be a struggle to not eat these all in one day. But I don’t want to celebrate crippling stomach pains. Follow @Missy_Chances on Twitter, she’s seriously the best.
Happy to finally announce the WINNER of my Shakespeare Give-Away! Congrats Jennifer! I’ll contact you about getting your copy of THOU SPLEENY SWAG-BELLIED MISCREANT! Thank you so much to everyone who entered!
Are you celebrating anything today? I hope so! Happy May 2nd!
If you like the pictures from this post, you’ll find more by following me on Instagram! @MaryLaneNYC
There are few things that will pry me out of bed at 3:30 AM. I can think of only three: flood, fire, and family tradition. My New York family- the fast friendships I have made over these almost six years- has developed a tradition of going to Coney Island on Easter morning. To watch the sunrise. A trip that requires one to get on a train bound for Coney Island just as the bars are closing.
Wrenching myself out of bed after 3 hours of sleep? Sitting on a subway car for 1.5 hours amid the drunks and bums? Standing on a cold beach in partial darkness? These were all reasons I had resisted going before. But this past year I’ve needed and appreciated my friends more than ever. If they said it was worth going, fine, I’d trust them.
Trusting your friends: one of the best decisions a person can make.
We got off the last stop of the D train in pitch darkness. The late April air was chilly, I wished I hadn’t refused to wear my winter jacket on principle (it’s spring, damn it!). Stopping at Dunkin’ Donuts made everything better. With hot cocoas warming up our hands, we walked toward the beach.
Stepping on the wooden slats of the boardwalk, glory greeted us. There’s no other way to describe the display of colors in the sky. Bright, beautiful, awe-inspiring. Better than any sunset I had ever seen. Breath taking. So vivid even a mediocre iPhone camera couldn’t miss the splendor of the sky.
We sat on the wall of a jetty, sipping our cocoa, passing ’round a bottle of whiskey, our beds completely forgotten. No one could imagine wanting to be anywhere but on that cold, beautiful beach.
New York City is a struggle. It’s a city of dreams. Dreams are made, dreams are dashed, dreams are changed. My friends and I are all dreamers, all desperately creative, passionate individuals. What other type of person would sit on a cold, deserted beach taking in the sunrise?
None of us chose the easy way. We chose paths of constant struggle, constant rejection, constant doubt. Sometimes it feels like it’s all worthless. Like you’re reaching for the impossible. What’s the point? That’s when your friends drag you out of the darkness and together you watch the sunrise.
Metaphorically and today literally.
Nothing but the beauty of and the love of friendship. It was an hour of living truly in the present. We had no where else to be, nothing else to do but enjoy each others company and the rays of the sun.
Then suddenly, even though we had focused on it for almost an hour, morning snuck up on us. The sun was out! Easter and spring: times of rebirth. Nothing has illustrated this so well as watching dawn arrive to New York City. We’re gonna make it friends. But before we do, I’m gonna get as much out of this sunrise metaphor as humanly possible.
Some of us have begun to see hints of color, hope and prospect. Some of us are still in the blackness, with no hint of what’s to come. We gotta stick together. That sun will come out, it’s only a matter of time. When it does, it’ll all be worth it. As tempting as it is, I can’t bury myself under the warm covers of my bed.
Thank you friends, thank you readers, I’d be nothing with out all of you. The next time you have a chance to watch the sun rise, say yes. The next chance you have to spend time with people you love, say yes.
Now I get why there are so many songs about this, they’re all spinning through my head right now.
The sun’ll some out tomorrow
Here comes the sun
It’s gonna be a bright, bright sun-shiny day
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
Yep, all of the above.
♥
Thank you for reading. If you liked this post, please consider sharing it. And if you follow me on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram I ♥ you as much as I ♥ NY!
Tuesday April 22nd was the 50th anniversary of the New York World’s Fair. The structure that remains from the 1964 event, the New York State Pavilion, was opened to the public for a few hours on Tuesday. I figured I’d check it out, it was right by the gig I’d be working that night. I arrived in leisurely in the afternoon, fashionably late, an hour or so after the event started.
Corona Park, Queens with the New York State Pavilion on the horizon
Turns out this was a huge deal. The biggest event that the borough of Queens has seen since last year’s All Star game. Thousands of people were waiting on line for hours, just hoping for a glimpse of what had been closed to the public for years. 27 years to be exact. My entire lifetime. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I was going to miss it! Then I got my golden ticket.
My friend Frank from Life Is But A Theme had been waiting on line for 2 hours. This guy grew up in Shea Stadium, he has more ties to Queens than any one I know. His Dad was even at the event in 1964! Of course he was dying to see the inside of the pavilion, has for 27 years. It was not to be- a stroke of luck for me. Right when I arrived was right when he had to leave the line for work. He gave me his place on line, making me promise to blog about the experience extensively. I felt so grateful and determined take enough pictures so Frank could live vicariously.
Tag team!
Greetings from Mary Lane, waiting in line for the second 2 hours!
I still had quite the wait after Frank left. It was a beautiful day, Corona Park was lovely, I didn’t mind. I learned a bit about the World’s Fair. Its significance in 1964 as a meeting of minds from all over the world. The ultimate showcase of science and technology. Overheard conversations from baby boomers who remembered attending the event. After two hours my number, really Frank’s number, was up! I put on a mandatory hair net and hard hat and walked into the entrance of the former “Tent of Tomorrow”.
I’m very proud of the fact I’m photographed wearing a crop top and hard hat simultaneously. What, you didn’t notice? You were too mesmerized by the pavilion? Fine. I don’t blame you.
Standing inside the pavilion was awesome and eerie all at once. It was like walking back in time, experiencing a shadow of 1964. The high hopes for the “tomorrow” which is my today. Structures that once seemed so futuristic now seem so retro. The rust, decay, and neglect of a pavilion that was not so long ago the pride and joy of New York State.
Thousands of visitors, all wearing hard hats inside the part of the pavilion open to the public.These people all waited at over four hours for this look!
Signs painted a picture: here stood a stage, over there a food court. The iconic UFO observation towers that once traveled up and down now stand frozen. They gazed down upon us visitors: the people from the “tomorrow” they initially heralded. An expanse of pebbled ground took up most of the space under the steel spider web that once supported the world’s largest suspension roof.
Sunshine and clouds through the skeleton of the former “Tent of Tomorrow”
I learned the pebbles were placed to protect what remains of the Texaco floor map. This map was an incredibly detailed mosaic of New York State. Now the map is in ill repair, ravaged by the elements. This map cost one million dollars in 1964. That’s a lot to spend on a floor map in 2014, let alone 1964! All that money and no one thought to protect it in any way when they took the roof tiles down in 1976.
Pebbled expanse and an entrance on the side that lead to the towers and other exhibits.One of the better preserved titles taken from the Texaco map.
There has been a movement building in momentum recently to restore this pavilion. My friend Tolly wrote an article about this in February. Unfortunately, it’s an incredibly pricey endeavor: $43-$70 million.Considering the number of people who came out for a peek inside the pavilion on Tuesday, coinciding with an announcement of “National Treasure” status from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, maybe restoration isn’t out of the picture. Or perhaps like the flying cars and under water habitation people dreamed of at the World’s Fair, a restored New York State Pavilion is just a dream for tomorrow. I hope not.
This is the every day view of the structure, seen from the outside.
One thing is for sure: you won’t have to wait 27 years to get inside again! On May 18th you’ll have another chance to look inside as part of a Corona Park celebration of both the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs. Frank, if you want to go, I’ll wait two hours on line for you. I mean, I kinda owe you that!
Check out these great articles for more information, I got some of my facts from them:
And if you want to see more of my pictures, head on over to New York Cliché on Facebook: album here!
Thank you for reading. If you liked this post, please consider sharing it. And if you follow me on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram I ♥ you as much as I ♥ NY!
April 23, 2014 is the 450th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s birth. As an actor and a writer, I’m inclined to celebrate such a historic event in some dramatic and literary way!
Thus I have decided to spend the day bellowing Shakespearian insults throughout New York City. Why?
I’m great at bellowing. You probably wouldn’t know it from this blog, but I have a seriously loud voice.
I’m tired of the New York cliché anthem, “Fuck you, asshole”. It is said and heard so many times in this city that it no longer carries the same weight as it does in say, Cleveland.
Shakespeare was a master insulter. Perhaps the best on record. Now I wouldn’t doubt he said “Fuck you, asshole” when some idiot knight cut off his horse once. But in his plays the variation of insults, many take the “fuck you” sentiment above and beyond, is astounding.
It’ll be easy because I just got this super fun book.
Authors Sarah Royal and Jillian Hofer have compiled over a hundred of Shakespeare’s best insults into a mix-and-match book called THOU SPLEENY SWAG-BELLIED MISCREANT.All I have to do with this handy dandy book is flip up from the 3 sets of pages and I have juicy things to yell at cab drivers! You PERNICIOUS, HARPY, WHORE-SON- I have the right of way! You almost killed me!
At jerks who cut lines: Get to the back of the line you FOUL-REEKING, SWAG-BELLIED, PUTTOCK!
At bitches who shove and grab clothes out of other people’s hands at sample sales: Those shoes are mine you DOG-HEARTED, DEBOSHED, HARLOT!
How fun is that? I’m seriously giving this book to all my New York actor friends: together we’ll change the way this city curses! Best birthday present ever, right Shakespeare?
That’s my present to Shakespeare. To you readers, I’m giving away a copy of the book! Yep, it’s a Shakespeare birthday giveaway! To enter this give-away all you have to do is share this post on Facebook or Twitter. Then just leave a comment below saying you shared it. That’s it! You have until Sunday April 27th to enter. I’ll announce the winner on Monday! And if you can’t wait until then, find it at your local bookstore or online.
Don’t be a SPLEENY SWAG-BELLIED MISCREANT, enter my give-away! 🙂
Book copy for give-away provided by Perseus Book Group, who contacted me to write this post. That said, I was not otherwise compensated to host this give-away.
The Easter Parade is hands down my favorite New York City parade. It’s not about getting drunk, there aren’t any marching bands, no gigantic inflatables, and best of all there is nothing corporate about it. By the people, for the people, the event started in the 1800s because people wanted to show off their Easter Sunday best. 150 years later, the Sunday best has certainly changed, but the event itself is much the same. Centuries of people watching at its best.
Some dressed like they’d walked out of a different era. From the past.
And from the future. Can you believe this guy’s costume? Imagine how long that took to make!
And he brought his own float! Very out there, very strange, utterly unique, but still very much in the theme of Easter and spring!
Many dapper, impeccably dressed gentlemen.
And lovely ladies.
It was so bright out, the sun shining gloriously, the sky a perfect blue. Hats made a perfect refuge from the glare, to the dismay of thousands of photographers.
The amount of creativity on display is the highlight of the event.
The majority of the hats are home made, some beg the question, “how did they make that??”
But this is NYC, artistic capital of the world, so really the level of craftsmanship shouldn’t be such a surprise. Did they make those bunny heads? You better believe it.
Sometimes simplicity is just as effective as a grand display. This guy made a mohawk of peeps! A mo-peep! A peep-hawk! What ever you want to call it, it made me grin harder than any sugar rush. When he and his friend clinked ice cream cones with a “cheers!” I thought my smile might split my face.
That’s the thing about this parade. It’s so joyous! Every one is in a good mood, friendly, happy to pose for pictures, conversing with strangers. It’s all bright colors, flowers, smiles, and spring time. In the middle of Manhattan. It’s truly magical.
The event is so inclusive. Anyone can show up wearing a hat and be part of the fun. Even if you forgot a hat, there was a balloon sculpture on had to make you one. Genius business plan, balloon sculptor guy!
Your truly was among the hatless. A shame, I know. After attending last year, I planned this year to see what the experience would be like as a bonneted participator. Oh well, there’s always next year! At least my other accessories were well in the spirit of spring!
Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend whether you celebrated Easter or not! I really just enjoy it as a celebration of spring. It’s fun starting traditions, like going to the Easter parade. Or watching the sunrise at Coney Island. Say what, you say? Don’t worry, you’ll find out all about that on Wednesday!
If you can’t get enough of these bonnets, check out my post from last year: Easter Parade 2013
Thank you for reading. If you liked this post, please consider sharing it. And if you follow me @NewYorkCliche or on Facebook, I’ll ♥ you as much as I ♥ NY!
Sage is an actor, writer and director. He may look familiar because you’ve seen him around my blog before. We went on a Chinatown adventure together that he vlogged about. He wrote a guest post about meeting his rock idol. And of course, Sage still holds the title as the best thing I ever got out of online dating. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen the guy. If I was a total cliché I’d assume he was mad at me, that I’d done something, that -OMG- he was avoiding me. Instead I just asked. “Dude, long time no see! What’s up?” Good thing I asked because I learned about the incredible project he’s undertaking.
Sage has written a parody of the TV show 24. It is aptly titled 12. The twelve (surprise!) episode web series will be available for anyone to watch on Youtube. Here is the trailer for it, shot on location in Times Square.
I asked him some questions about his experience thus far:
What’s it like to shoot in Times Square? That must have been crazy! It was. I almost got shot by a police officer doing it.
Thinking back on it now, the idea was absolutely insane. Somehow I managed to pull together 40 extras to play tourists, all of whom had to be fluent in different non-English speaking languages, find 7 assistant directors, build two fake prop bombs from starch, secure equipment, find some PA’s and rent a van all in about two and a half weeks.
And then there the entire idea of trying and “steal” a the very long, uncut shot, in one take, with a very good chance of me going to jail, or worse, being one of the consequences. I was so nervous before we did it that I was shaking.
Thankfully, I am still here. I did not get shot. A police offer grabbed and read me the riot act for shouldering through a group of Russian tourists. What the officer didn’t know was that that those tourists were my extras. And since we didn’t have any permits, I sure as heck wasn’t going to explain that to him.
Once I apologized the officer I got all of the actors ready and took of running again. The GoPro camera that was mounted on my chest had never stopped recording. And we “got” the shot. The officer yelled after me and tried to catch up, but by that time we had gotten what we needed.
I singled to all the actors to disperse, and there was nothing the cop could do. He couldn’t chase 40 people who were moving at the same time. All of whom disappeared into see of faces of a crowded Times Square.
I never, in my life, thought I would say this but… thank god for tourists.
I don’t watch 24. There’s probably no point in me watching your parody then, right? Only if we’re not funny! Everyone can enjoy 12. If you like edge-of-your-seat thriller shows like House of Cards, Scandal, Homeland, and Breaking Bad, then you’ll fit right in with 12. There are a bunch of jokes in the script that are aimed at the genre as a whole. Plus the plot and characters are easy to follow. Besides, it will be filmed on location in NYC, and I know you love watching anything that showcases this city.
Sage is producing this project. This is his baby. He’s in the middle of an IndieGoGo campaign to raise $50,000 to make this web series a reality. He’s going about it in a unique way: trying to get as many $1 donations as he can. An ultimate example of crowd funding, something that is never easy.
The pitch video for this campaign is really the best I’ve ever seen.
More questions!
Do you know 50,000 people?
Boy, I sure wish I did. I’d probably be sleeping a bit better.
The answer is no, I don’t know 50,000. But I do know that there are millions upon millions of 24 fans “out there.” As well as the fans of the other shows I mentioned above. The challenge, the thing that has been the hardest, has been trying to connect with those people in an open and honest way. That has been, thus far, very difficult.
Which is more frustrating: Moving in New York City (most New Yorkers agree moving is the worst) or crowd funding $50,000?
This crowd-funding campaign, without doubt, has been the most stressful and frustrating thing I have ever done. I could move four times in NYC in three weeks, two of those places could have bed bugs, one could be roach infested and it wouldn’t even come close what this has been like.
How much does it cost to see a movie in NYC? How much is a Netflix subscription? How much is a cable box? And how much does it cost to watch your web-series?
A movie in NYC – $14 to $16. $21 for IMAX.
Netflix streaming – $8.99
Cable box – Honestly, I have no idea. We haven’t had cable in my apartment for 3 years now. We stream everything through Netfilx. Time warner still charges us $64.50 a month though, for pretty terrible internet service. 12 – 12 will be free for everyone to watch and enjoy. Funding 12‘s creations – As low as $1
I believe everyone should be able to enjoy stories. That’s why, when people donate $1 to 12’s campaign I send them fun making-of video.
This video is supposed to be only for donors, but I’ll share it with you guys. If you like it, please donate $1 to $24 to our campaign:
Why is giving you my $1 better than giving it to the mariachi band on the subway?
I mean, those guys’ hats are pretty cool.
The whole idea for 12 is that it’s a low-cost investment with a long term and entertaining reward. That fun and professional shows can be made, for everyone, by everyone, at little cost to donors. The end result would be creators with 100% percent control and, hopefully, some very happy viewers.
Also, those mariachi guys are with you for about one or two stops. Let’s say that’s about five annoying minutes. With 12 the end result will be about 96 minutes or gripping and funny content. That won’t make you think violent thoughts! It’s a lot more bang for your buck.
Can I really donate just a dollar?
Yes! Just a dollar. Or more, if you’d like.
The only thing I ask is that after you donate you tell everyone what you’ve just done on Facebook or any other form of social media.
If the word does not, “get out,” then 12 will definitely not get funded. If it does not get funded I will not be able to make it.
Yeah right. I’m gonna have to sign in a bunch of information and then get spam from IndieGoGo forever, right? I bet there’s a fee for donating. Ugh, I don’t have time for that.
There’s no fee for you to donate, you can select not to receive updates from IndieGoGo. The only email you will get from us at 12 will contain links to our behind-the-scenes videos.
I’m actually the one who gets charged a fee. If you donate through Paypal, they take a percentage. If you donate with a credit card, well then, you rock extra hard. IndieGoGo also takes a cut from me after the campaign is over. It’s not fun but that how the game currently works.
What is a great story about a connection you have made so far because of this project?
It’s more of an experience.
Making our pitch video was difficult. It was the middle of winter in New York City. It was absolutely freezing. Getting New Yorkers to stop and talk to us was not easy.
But the look on peoples faces after we explained what we were trying to do and how we were going to try and do it was incredible. If you add in their responses to the Times Square chane video (I recorded everyone watching it on an Ipad or Iphone) it was almost magic.
Everyone was soaked, cold and miserable. But somehow, these complete strangers, of all different ages, turned into little kids right before our eyes. Their faces would light up, full of energy and undeniable life, all because of what we had shown them.
Those were very powerful moments.
It’s becoming more apparent every day artists must produce their own work. Sage does this more than anyone else I know. The amount of hard work and dedication he puts into all his projects is really, truly inspiring. If you want to support an NYC artist, consider tossing him a dollar https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/12-the-series#home. Or show his pitch video to your friends who love 24. I can’t wait to see what he does with this web series, I know the will be worth watching. In fact, I so believe that, I’ll back it up with a guarantee. If you donate a dollar and end up being disappointed I, Mary Lane, will personally refund your $1. Now you have nothing to lose!
If you want more info, check out 12 the Series on Facebook and Twitter.
He wanted to kiss me on the first date. I could feel it.
It had been a great night of beer and chicken wings. Laughing at the smear of blue cheese on my cheek and our matching buffalo sauce claws. Easy conversation shouted over a live band. Saying yes to a third drink and getting tipsy enough that when he asked me to dance I said yes yet again.
He spun me around as the band played a song we both knew, but I can’t for the life of me remember. I grinned, in part because it was nice to be in the arms of a man, but also because I knew we were the epitome of white people dancing. The song ended and I quickly rushed my date out the door. In part because it was almost one in the morning, but also because I was a little self-conscious. Did I mention we were the only ones on the dance floor? Still, I’m a sucker for a fella who’s not afraid to dance (as you have seen before many, many, many times).
As we walked down Bleecker Street towards the subway, he reached for my hand. In the chilly, spring, after midnight air, it felt especially nice to have warm fingers grasping mine.
“This is a good first date,” I thought to myself.
Anyone who has ever dated in NYC knows the rarity of that sentiment.
I have no qualms about a kiss on the first date, so the thought was on my mind. No, I wasn’t going to make the first move. Yes, I certainly have before. I made the majority of first moves with the last guy- we all saw where that got me. So, naturally, this time around I wanted everything to be different. But when we reached the West 4th Street station and descended the stairs, I knew there would be no kiss tonight.
The harsh glare of fluorescent lighting bathed us a jaundice hue as we said our good byes. The dirty tiles on the walls the backdrop to a drawn out farewell. A homeless man lay sleeping in the corner on a bed of cardboard boxes. Dozens of people sauntered in and out of the turnstiles, passing us. Yes it was 1AM but remember, this is the city that never sleeps.
I have come to cherish first kisses. They are fleeting, lovely moments. I missed them when I was in a 9 month relationship (red flag much?). It was then I realized when I find the person I want to spend the rest of my life with, I will (hopefully) never have a first kiss ever again. Hey, I told you I was a hopeless romantic. So while I have no problem kissing on the first date, there was no way it was going to happen in a shitty subway station.
Before he could make a move, I made mine. Pulled him in for a hug and offered him my cheek. We parted ways: I went uptown, he went downtown.
That first kiss would just have to wait until next time. I felt pretty confident there would a next time. (I was right- read about the next time here.)
Thank you for reading. If you liked this post, please consider sharing it. And if you follow me @NewYorkCliche or on Facebook, I’ll ♥ you as much as I ♥ NY!
feature image from http://cheezburger.com/3653270784
Congrats Jennifer! I’ll contact you about getting your copy of THOU SPLEENY SWAG-BELLIED MISCREANT! Thank you so much to everyone who entered!
