First House Guest

Everyone, calm down. Erik's arm was long enough to take this photo. He absolutely DID NOT allow anyone to touch his camera.

Also, Karen forgets how short she is all the time and M. was a great first house guest, despite not arriving bearing Jerry. (Future guests, please do not take his lead . . . There is a 1 bottle admission to enter the Burgs for an overnight stay.)

April Showers . . . Except it's Almost July

The weather has been positively goofy since we arrived in NY. Rainy and warm, rainy and sunny, suddenly gorgeous, suddenly raining. It's a constant game of "Should I Bring My Umbrella?"

Everyone keeps assuring us it isn't always raining here. But I'm one proper plate of Fish and Chips away from being convinced we actually moved to England.

Goodbye, Wet World

An umbrella was found hanging from a piece of scaffolding on 58th St. between 6th and 7th Aves. Fellow rain-repellent gear described him as being despondent in recent days. In a long-winded and self-indulgent note left behind, he described himself as "a parapluie in a bumbershoot world."

Subway Etiquette, Part 1

That's just good advice.

Alternate Name: Spencer's Gifts

Oddly enough, they don't just sell Seinfeld masks, Annie Hall ties and Statue of Liberty hats. For the most part, it's exactly like any stupid costume and novelty store you'd find in any city in the county. Main difference? My intense sense of disappointment when I realized this was not the place to get my Travis Bickle mohawk . . .

Erik needs help.

Erik visited Strand Bookstore on 12th Street and Broadway today. Strand is home to "18 miles of books" and he saw a couple that he thought about purchasing. However, he controlled himself.
 Devotees will remember that Erik has something of a problem.

Aaaaah! *

*That's the actual sound Karen made when she saw this photo. There are a lot of upsides to living in this city, but the rampant infestation of rats with wings is definitely not one of them.

More convenient than what?

I know it's a computer store ad, but it really makes it sound like there's some big rumor running around the city that Brooklyn is inconvenient. But to what? How? Why? I'm pretty tempted to call the store and ask . . .

Close but no...wait, not close at all.

New Yorkers really think this is the restaurant capital of America. And for the most part this is true, except when it comes to Mexican food.

Want a sloppy joe on a stale packaged hard taco shell covered in tomato paste? Great! I've got a few places for you to try . . .

It's not like Mexican food is hard to make, but we haven't seen a decent plate of it since we crossed the Mississippi. It's starting to make me a little batty.

Redundant.

It's like seeing travel board commercials for the Grand Canyon when you live in Arizona.

Mike Birbiglia on Bleecker St.

Karen and Erik saw Mike Birbiglia's show "Sleepwalk with Me" at the Bleecker Street Theater the other night.  It felt like a little like a casting call for a Wes Anderson film . . . Karen wanted to yell "Hey everybody, Ira Glass is on the sidewalk signing This American Life CD's!" but she figured it was a little like yelling "Fire!" in a movie theater, and didn't want to get stampeded. Also, Mike Birbiglia is really, really funny.

Free Books!

In Brooklyn, it's fairly common to see books lined up on stoops or sidewalks --  books no longer wanted by their owners and free for the taking. Sometimes you'll happen across a cool find.

This is a bad example.

"Someone" thinks this is a sign . . .

I think it's just part of a billboard peeled off on the sidewalk near our train stop. (Karen has a lot of crazy ideas lately . . .I think it's the altitude.)

Not a Dream Sequence

Just some really gorgeous light on our street during a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Sadly, Erik took this on his walk home from work. For the record, working on the weekend is lame. . .

I don't get it?

In places other than Brooklyn, NY, you can say things like "yeah, he's really kinda of a Guido" and it means something very specific. In our new neighborhood it's just someone's last name. Lesson learned . . . (For the record, I AM Italian, but Erik feels like I'm being a racist . Va Bene!)

Bottle Shock: Part II

One of the great things about California (and the southwest in general) was BevMo! We had the bright idea of circumventing the NY blue laws and enjoying some cheap, cheap Jerry. Unfortunately, Mr. Blue Law seems to be wise to our schemes.

The Late Show with Erik & Karen

Yeah, we got tickets, and yeah it was kinda fun. The guest? Paris Hilton. The irony? Very high. But it was good for Erik to visit the television home of a man who gave him so much of his comedic style.

Today is gonna be the day...

. . . that Erik makes a lame Oasis joke. By now you should've realized how bad the reference is. But maybe, you're gonna be the one that gets it. And after all, Erik's usually funny.*

*Note: this should be sung to the tune of a certain song, ahem.

Hello, Atlantic Ocean

On Sunday, Karen and Erik took off their shoes, rolled up their pantlegs and walked around in the Atlantic for a change. The water was warmer...and, oddly enough, smarter.

The Coney Island of My Mind

It was a lovely day this Sunday, so we went to Coney Island. Erik had his first Orginal Nathan's Frankfurter and is convinced he can take home the coveted Mustard Belt. Nothing says summer like fried clams, boardwalks and the beach.