Dutch Treat

I’m in Rotterdam for two weeks – and it’s great to be back in Europe for the first time since I moved back to the US. They even have BBC 1 and 2 in the hotel so I can catch up on cheesy Brit TV.

It’s funny -- one of the first things everyone asked me when I got here was whether I was sad to be missing the inauguration at home. But in fact it was great watching it overseas (thanks to Internet streaming at CNN) – as an American living abroad during the second W administration I saw just how far America’s reputation overseas had fallen.

But watching Obama take the oath of office yesterday was a proud moment for America, and the several nationalities of colleagues in the office here were all enthralled and inspired by yesterday’s speeches. We even went out for apple pie last night.

But in a funnier look at Americana abroad, I snapped this pic of a cheesy American-themed bar in Rotterdam that has this tacky Deliverance-style tableau set up on the roof. Juxtaposed with the classy new Rotterdam film festival logo.

The festival gets underway tonight – so stay tuned for more from Rotterdam soon.

Hair skills and haute cuisine

Today's shout out has to go to that amazing pilot who landed a plane in the freezing cold Hudson without anyone being seriously hurt. miraculous.

And on a much more inconsequential note, I wanted to call attention to a great hair salon that I've discovered (via Carrie) that's cool and (somewhat) affordable. It's called Hayato, and it's run by a bunch of very hip Japanese people.

In addition to their hair skills, I love the fact that they give you a free 10 minute back/shoulder massage and that they have a handy list of NYC recommendations they pass out, old-school style, as copies of a handwritten document. The list points clients to cool restaurants, bars and shops.

I figure you can definitely trust Japanese expats in their choices of Japanese food, so here's a few of their picks of Japanese restaurants to try (I'm only including the affordable downtown options):

Ippudo, 65 Fourth Ave.
Kyoya, 94 E. Seventh St.
Setagaya, 141 E. First Ave.
Gyukaka, 34 Cooper Sq
Shabu Tatsu, 216 E 10th St
Sobaya, 229 E Ninth St.

And turning my attention to NON-affordable restaurants, I accidentally found myself with friends last night at one of the hottest restaurants in NYC, Ssam , part of the Momofuku empire that recently got a NY Times three-star review . I've now realised why I tend to avoid NYC's "hottest restaurants." The food was pretty stunning, but we calculated we might have had to spend $100 a head to get enough sustenance to actually have a dinner-sized meal. Instead we
got shavings of raw country ham, one bite each of an amazing beef pasta, and some spectacular stir-fried brussels sprouts -- all delicious but more like a tiny appetizer with a big dinner price. So with our stomachs primed but still mostly empty from three-star cuisine, we dashed across the street to fill up on fantastic zero-star free pizza at the Crocodile. That seemed more agreeable with the credit crunch and my freelance "income."

Golden Globes, Dim Sum & Docs

Cheerfulness this weekend came from:

Eating dim sum in snowy chinatown. I think in London I was eating dim sum once a week somehow, thanks to the film business being located a block or two from Chinatown and to the ubiquitous branches of Ping Pong. So I was really craving it and Carlene and I got the full 'carts and hundreds of diners' experience at Jing Fong. I thought the dim sum itself was good, maybe not mindblowing, but the atmosphere was fun. I'd go back and maybe try a few more adventurous tidbits like those scary fried things larger than my head.

Then thanks to my friends at Tribeca I went to see two of the long-listed Oscar docs that I'd missed -- At The Death House Door and They Killed Sister Dorothy. Very different films, both admirable, yet I think Death House will probably stay with me longer. Great weaving of the two interconnected stories -- campaigning for the innocence of a previously executed man and the remarkable prison chaplain who oversaw dozens of executions over the years. I can't wait to see what Peter Gilbert and Steve James do next.

Sunday of course I was just thrilled to be in the right time zone to watch my first US awards show in 4 years. Cheesy as it is, I do love a red carpet. Kate Winslet was one of my personal fashion faves, looking classy and sexy. Salma Hayek and Anne Hathaway also looked great. I even loved Drew Barrymore's big hair!

Highlights of the show? Tracy Morgan telling Cate Blanchett to deal with it; Tina Fey addressing her internet haters; Ricky Gervais bringing his pint glass on stage; tiny Sally Hawkins - who I was so scared might forget to thank Mike Leigh; Sacha Baron Cohen and his quips (thank
god the Brits livened up the show!); Kate Winslet's genuinely flustered speeches; Colin Farrell winning for the wildly underrated In Bruges (get it on DVD now!) and his cocaine quip; Mickey Rourke thanking his dogs; Darren Aronofsky giving Mickey a good natured finger; and Vicky Cristina Barcelona winning over Mamma Mia! - we shouldn't encourage Pierce Brosnan's singing career. As usual E! has the most exhaustive recaps, they might even be able to explain JLo's "Mama Talkin!" outburst or why the Jonas Brothers were presenting.

I really enjoyed Slumdog Millionaire, and even thought it's not my personal top film of the year, but I was so heartened to see it winning. Danny Boyle and Christian Colson -- the British film industry doesn't get nicer than those guys and it was fantastic to see them taking center stage over more typical awards-y fare. And all the shout outs to Tessa Ross are a good sign, not just for the night, but for continued funding for Film4 to keep backing some amazing films, larger and smaller, British and international.

My Globes evening was helped along by pithy comments from Eamon and Andy -- "did she get dressed in a Victorian junkshop?" -- and tapas I made from the amazing El Parador cookbook Stu & Tiff sent me. Delicious, even if I can't get all the best ingredients at the ghetto Foodtown in Bed Stuy. On that note I'm going to go eat leftover tortilla and albondingas.

Blindingly Good?

So some of you have already heard that Glasvegas might be my fave new band of 2008. I finally got to see them live last night (thanks, Heather). Because I'm trying to stay positive-only in this blog, at least for a full week, I will leave the commentary on those insane blinding lights to this guy, this guy and this guy, but I will say it was a real treat to finally hear "Geraldine" live. And I got a reminder of just how great a song "Flowers And Football Tops" is. You can stream their debut album here.

Planet Earth, Brooklyn Style

Today is the first official day of my fabulous brownstone sublet in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn (the same place I was in more temporarily in December). So I'm glad to be back in Brooklyn, even if it is a bit further out than my old Brooklyn home, the Hot Bird. There's some cool stuff in my new 'hood, namely the great bar/restaurant Peaches around the corner.

So in honor of Brooklyn, I have to share the story of what I witnessed in my backyard in December -- a fight between two squirrels and a stray cat over a piece of pizza. Not sure where the slice came from. But it was one of the most entertaining things I've seen in a while. Brooklyn squirrels are tougher than London squirrels. Here's some blurry pictures of the winning squirrel with his prize. Pretty impressive climbing a fence with a slice of pizza bigger than your body.

Elizabeth Peyton

There's a great Elizabeth Peyton show at the New Museum. It runs through January 11 if anyone's interested...

This one, Roseland, was one of my faves.

Films I Loved In 2008

It's that time of year, and because of my day job -- errr, my freelance career -- I get asked for film recommendations a lot. So here's my favorite 12.5 films of 2008, mostly in order:

The Visitor
The Wrestler
Frost/Nixon
Waltz With Bashir
Man On Wire
Rachel Getting Married
Gone Baby Gone (may have been an 07 release in US but was 08 in UK!)
In Bruges
Genova
Burn After Reading
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Hunger
Wall-E (first half)


and the book I loved the most: Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (belated thanks for the bday present Louise)

An inspiring start to 2009. Thank you Jim James.

Hello friends, I've decided to blog again.

So the idea is that I've become too cranky in my old(er) age - and New York can be a place full of complaining even though it's the greatest city in the world. So I want this blog to be a celebration of things that make me happy, inspire me or are just cool things that deserve more attention. The idea is partially inspired by Carrie, whose new motto is "positivity in '09." Oprah would be proud.

Because of said crankiness I almost didn't go to see My Morning Jacket ring in the New Year at Madison Square Garden -- I was thinking of all the excuses not to go -- it would be too jammy, too big a crowd, too much money. Boy was I wrong, it was a fantastic, inspiring show and a great way to start the new year.

So I'll kick off this new blog with a list of 10 things great about last night:

• A fun pre-show drink at Me Bar (La Quinta Inn hidden rooftop bar) and some funny college kids in the elevator
• The guy in the pink buttondown constantly dancing up and down the aisles
• MMJ and Nicole Atkins covering "Islands In The Stream"
• Grellan crossing the stadium to come over for a visit
• A friendly, fun crowd - especially the guy in front of us rocking the Daniel Plainview look
• White balloons, confetti, and Jim James boogeying through "Celebration" and "Get Down On It" -- I can't think of a better way to welcome in 2009
• lots of beautiful white balloons bouncing around in the crowd
• getting a cab in about 3 minutes despite the freezing cold and it being just after midnight
• Gallons of champagne, free pizza, and good friends, at a West Village penthouse after the show
  

(Here's some pics on Facebook.)
Stay tuned for more things I like in 2009!
Wendy