This post is for Bone, Doug, and Dan for living through the prior one. They’re all exceptional bloggers with totally different blogs but are single, (well, Dan’s love life is an interesting subject into itself) straight, from different areas of the country, and I could go on and on but read their blogs.
I’m going to have a post in Bring it on! on Tuesday entitled The belle of the brawl It sounds whiny but is really a political statement about how we devalue aging and every person and thing associated with it.
That title isn’t original to me but is the name of Sar’s new blog. Sar and I began our blogging friendship in what seems to be typical fashion for me, we sparred.
When I lived on East 63rd Street my block was often closed for dreaded parades; that was bad enough. But seemingly weekly until the city made ordinances against filming in one area or one block too often my block was closed off for movies, TV, commercials, et al. They all seemed to star Hal Linden, who looked just like my father. This is important only because I would mistake Hal Linden for my father and tell him he needed to call first. My father thought he owned my apartment which was weird as it was a rental and I held the lease
In the mid 80’s I didn’t know anybody who had a cell phone; in the late 80’s I would see people on the Hampton Jitney make really important calls to their wives to tell them to meet the bus or have dinner ready. On Sundays, not Saturdays, they would have their phones at Main Beach in East Hampton, my sister’s favorite beach since in the off season she would run into Paul McCartney. I have never quite understood who is so important that they need to have their phones on the beach on Sundays in August when your broker, accountant, lawyer, and everybody else are at the same beach, but…
Back on East 63rd Street off Fifth I didn’t have a cell phone, but I did get phone calls and didn’t like to spend my time on public phones getting messages when I had perfectly good phones at home. Little problem: often my street would be cordoned off and I would try to walk past the horses. A young woman, always dressed in sweats with varying layers depending on the weather, would stop me:
“Can’t go down the street. Production in progress.”
“I live here?”
The young woman would strut her shoulders to show her authority. She couldn’t compete with me in the shoulder strutting world as this was the 80’s and I had big hair and shoulder pads surgically attached to my shoulders.
“the street’s closed off.”
“And I live here. Am expecting very important phone calls.”
The production assistant finally takes the gum out of her mouth
“Well, ya’ll have to wait five minutes. The street is closed.”
“Sorry but as I said I live here. Residents always get priority.”
That had worked once.
“No they don’t. (Places gum back in her mouth.) This is very important to the city’s economy.”
I would shrug.
“Is that what they teach you in PA school? I could have been home already.”
I can be very obnoxious. I would always get the street open. And I have a bazillion of these stories because they were a frequent event.
When The mirror has two faces was filmed, Lucia’s street was filmed at night. Giant lights went into the apartments in the middle of the night in a block where many families have school aged kids. It was totally gross and unnecessary. I’ve never seen that movie in protest though I’m curious.
Last week on Little Luce’s 15th birthday we saw giant white discs that looked like huge moons that fell to earth. Just new fangled night production lights.
Today I was walking on Broadway and 73rd Street to the bank. There was a cute double Decker tour bus parked outside of Gristedes which is located in the Ansonia, a faded beautiful beaux arts building restored to its original grandeur. In the 70’s it was the home of Plato’s Retreat, and I ain’t telling you about that. Never been there; it was totally gross. On the other hand the new Ansonia is the home to the most famous Weight Watcher’s meetings in New York. Lucia’s going and I will be there eventually. It’s an Upper West Side woman meeting magnet for new friends. Kind of like any writing class I have been in but with a different type of competition.
Back to Broadway today. Everybody on the tour bus was a bit too perfect but I was plotting out my Bring it on! post and not really paying attention. When I came back from the bank there was a lanky young woman shouting out that the street was closed, and that we should find alternate means of going somewhere. She actually used those words. It didn’t make sense because when I stepped off the sidewalk, there were wooden horses made for pedestrians to walk down.
Didn’t even have a reason or time to get angry. They’re even friendly at my bank. New York’s going through a niceness epidemic.
Yeah, I like it. But what am I supposed to write about? How every time Law & Order films in Lucia’s building they do something to make the building prettier?
I have a small but luxurious one bedroom. If Nora Ephron or somebody like her would like to use it…Law & Order also, any of them….
I think the shoulder pads would have killed me I have very broad shoulders for a person that is not very big.
I hate the filming; they film stuff here all the time and the tour buses…do people point at you and say…”that’s a real new yorker”? One time a bus was at union square and one guy is yelling and pointing..” LOOK there are some real nyu students”… like what an abnomaly.
Don’t let them film a murder scene in your bathroom…ewww as much as you like bathrooms that would haunt.
I’m suRe the single men got over your previous episode; I doubt they are in the total dark although I cold be wrong.
They almost completely shut down the northern MN town of Virginia to film part of North Country.
Of course, after shutting down the downtown area for most of a day, there’s a minute or less of the scene they shot in the final film… Ah.
Thanks for the lovely shoutout Pia. You know I’m your bitch.
Regarding the niceness epidemic, you’re showing symptoms yourself. Better get that checked. In LA, for interrupting filming they’re allowed to shoot you.
It’s like that time on Seinfeld when they’re shooting a Woody Allen film down the street. And George is parking cars, and Elaine’s older boyfriend passes out, and Kramer puts a cookie in his mouth. “Well I got him chewing, but I don’t think he’s gonna swallow.” 😀
Ugh, I gotta get a life. Or at least a new TV show.
I witnessed my share of impromptu movie sets when I worked on Wall Street, including Ghost, but that’s likely a tired story by now.
Thanks for the nod, Pia. And here’s to us no longer sparring. 🙂
DID SOMEONE SAY “A MIRROR HAS TWO FACES!!!!”
AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Dang, I can’t imagine living that kinda life! Here a parade is a big event and the only movie ever shot around here was the remake of “Huckleberry Finn”. I love hearing your stories, they sound like a fairy tale to this little ole country girl.
Oh, my god, I can’t believe I found a blog written by a celebrity! Are you really truly the daughter of the guy who people thought looked like Hal Linden?
Haha i love your blog and your comments on New York. I had the amazing opportunity to visit last year and even me who hates cities LOVED it. You really capture the energy and chaos of the city. Michele sent me.
Just tell the PA your with the sound guy.
No one ever gets to know the surly sound guy and no one wants to risk pissing him off.
It always works. 😉