The First Snow of the Season in NYC

First Snow Day of the Season

This morning we had the first snow of the season. For a person that usually goes to work by bike, this is not a good sign. We just started December and the flakes are coming down already. If we compare with what our brothers in Europe are experiencing this days, we are still enjoying a good weather.

However, historically, it doesn't start to snow so early in NYC. At the same time, this doesn’t mean too much, at least for now.  Last year, for example, we had the snowiest February month in the history, reaching 36.9 inches (and prior to that it was 2005-6 with 26.9 inches). In 1960-1 no record was broken, but with three months in a row snowing more than 15 inches, it reached 54.7, against 51.4 of last year.

It is interest to compare that from 1868-9 to now, NYC started to have more concentrated winters (3 months instead of 4). In addition, historically, the snow starts early, the winter finishes early as well.

On the other hand, if we disregard the snow, and check just the temperature, we will see that NYC is in the average for December 6, which had its minimum temperature on -16o. C (today is around -1o. C) and a maximum of 22C(!) (www.weather.com).

Source: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/

So, it is not just a matter of snow, but how cold it is now compared with the last 150 years.  Here the National Weather Service has the Monthly and Seasonal Snow Fall at Central Park, and you can check the quantities of snow per month on each year since 1869. You will see that the weather doesn't have a pattern. I know this analysis is very superficial to enter into a discussion about global warming and climate change, but at least to me, it is just the earth following its natural cycle.

Source: http://www.climatestations.com/images/stories/new-york/nydect.gif

Moreover, it is important to mention that snow itself doesn't reflect the coldest winter, since it can be the coldest and the driest.

That said, let's hope the predictions are wrong about the coldest winter in years in NYC.

And remember: keep warm!

Best Cocktail Bars in Manhattan

Following my search for the best Manhanttan, I started a search for the best cocktails bar of Manhattan.  The next step is to drink a Manhattan on each one of them, to have, then, my final veridict.

The list is below:

Name	Location
Babbo Restaurant	110 Waverly Place, New York
Tropica Restaurant	200 Park Avenue, New York
Flatiron Lounge	37 West 19th Street, New York
Temple Bar	332 Lafayette Street, New York
Milk & Honey	134 Eldridge Street, New York
Bemelmans Bar @ Carlyle Hotel	35 E 76th St, New York
Blue bar @ the Algonquin Hotel	59 West 44th Street, New York
King Cole Bar @ St. Regis Hotel	2 E. 55th Street, New York (Invented the Bloody Mary!)
Angel's Share @ Village Yokocho	8 Stuyvesant Street, New York
Little Branch	22 7th Ave S, New York
Employees Only	510 Hudson Street, New York
Old Homestead Steakhouse	56 9th Ave, New York
Brandy Library	25N Moore Street, New York
East Side Company Bar	49 Essex Street, New York
Pegu Club	77W Houston Street, New York

* M&H will be hard to go, entrance is by referral and appointment only, by paying an annual fee of approximately U$500. Perhaps one of this days I call London and convince Jacqueline to let me in (http://www.mlkhny.com/new-york.php).

John's Pizzeria

In a country that loves to rank everything I went to what so called "the best pizza place of Manhattan": John's Pizzeria (http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com/).

John's opened in 1997 and is located in Times Square at 260W 44th Street and has 3 other branches, including one in New Jersey. The pizza is really good, tiny crispy charred crust, which makes us almost forgot the "normal American pizza" with pan crust (or Chicago-style Pizza) that we are used to see in Pizza Hut, Domino's or Papa Johns. Actually John's Pizzeria stress the fact they are not a Chicago Pizzeria, with pan crust or too many toppings. As they recall, they are a New York Pizzeria.

1/2 Mozzarela and 1/2 Pepperoni

Based on that, their pizza are really good and tasty and worth a visit, and is a good option of an after Broadway dinner. Or if you prefer, you can order, since they are accepting deliveries now.

I don't know if they really have the best pizza of NYC; but sure the price difference among John's and the $1 pizzas I reviewed weeks a go is recognizable, both by the taste and freshness of the ingredients.

They also serve pasta, salads and sandwiches, but come one, don't let anyone see you ordering a salad on a pizza place! Ah, and don't forget to order their signature "garlic bread"!



A melted mozzarela cheese over a tiny crispy crust. How about a bite?



Roger Waters and his Wall - The Wall Concert Review

Last November 6, I went to the Roger Waters The Wall Concert. After two days of sold out concerts on October, he came back to a one day concert.

The concert took place at the Madison Square Garden. I went to his Dark Side of the Moon Concert two or three years ago in Brazil, at Morumbi Stadium. Differently from what happened in Brazil, despite the fact that everyone had a "seat", nobody would annoy you if you decide to stand at any point of the show. In Brazil, if you did that, the staff would come immediately to you asking you to seat..... I don't need to mention that we almost arrange a fight for that.. but nevermind.

The Concert started with a half built wall, with Roger Waters playing in the middle. He tried to re-create the movie, but in a mixture of opera-rock-concert adapted to new changes of the world. Instead Cold War, American Supremacy, Terrorism and Religious War. The sound was outstanding! Just perfect.

While he was playing, the bricks were put in place, building the Wall . After, the first half (of the first part of the show - the show was divide in 2 parts), it became impossible to see RW or his band playing, and the concert started to be a little bit boring. Almost the end, just three holes inside the wall separate RW from the public. At the end of the 1st part, the wall as entirely build.

The 2nd part, RW used the wall as an huge screen, projecting images and intercalating with some occasional openings of part of the Wall. I looked like he was inside a theater, trying to connect to the audience; however, the size of MSG did not permit that, and instead, the public kept not connect with it. The result was a mixture of good and bad moments, depending on where RW was.

The Flying Pig was amazing, and after that the Band appear from the ground, connecting itself again, and few songs after disapearing as if never have been there.

At the end, the Wall as demolished, and with it RW (as the Pink Floyd did) tried to demonstrate we don't need the government as he needs us.

Messages as "Don't trust the government", "fear builds walls", images showing bureaucrats as pigs and even a mention to Jean Charles (the Brazilian who was killed by the English Police inside the subway) appeared, trying to develop the revolutionary spirit of the crowd. During the intermission the "Wall" showed persons who were killed (in wars or terrorist acts).

The other amazing moment was during "Another Brick on the Wall Part I" when about 20 to 50 kids from the Boy's Club of New York, helped RG singing the lyric.

The setlist was:

Set 1
In The Flesh?
The Thin Ice
Another Brick In The Wall, Part 1
The Happiest Days Of Our Lives
Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2
Mother
Goodbye Blue Sky
Empty Spaces
What Shall We Do Now?
Young Lust
One Of My Turns
Don't Leave Me Now
Another Brick In The Wall, Part 3
The Last Few Bricks
Goodbye Cruel World

Intermission

Set 2
Hey You
Is There Anybody Out There?
Nobody Home
Vera
Bring The Boys Back Home
Comfortably Numb
The Show Must Go On
In The Flesh
Run Like Hell
Waiting For The Worms
Stop
The Trial
Outside The Wall

   

Why Spend More? II - 2 Bros Pizza

Continuing the review I initiated in the last post (Why Spend More?), this pizza place is located at the corner of 40^th Street and 9^th Avenue and its called “2 Bros. Pizza”. They have another branch really closed to this one at 38^th Street and 8^th Avenue..

The place is larger than $.99 Fresh Pizza. Here you can “enter into” the place, you can seat if you want, or just eat standing in one of the standing tables. One more time, it is not a wood burning brick oven, but I was not expecting that anyway.

Regarding the pizza, before get into the oven they stay at the balcony, close to the people. Not that I am a guy who thinks about health concerns, but for sure I prefer the way .99 Fresh Pizza does it. And after they are ready they stayed over the oven, I don't know why, maybe to cool it down?!



My Mushroom Pizza. As you can see, not so fresh.



But, whatever, I went for the pizza, so I ordered one. A mushroom pizza. The slice was the same price as .99, $1.50. If you go for cheese than you gonna pay a buck. The slice didn’t came so fresh. It appeared the pizza was hanging there for at least 10 to 20 minutes. Not cold, but not fresh. A disappointment in comparison with .99.

So, the final thought. If you are there, move your legs 100 meters northwest and go for .99 Fresh Pizza, it will worth. Trust me.