another eye opens

It was a beautiful week to ramble around Central Park.

Andy and I sat in line for 2 1/2 hours to get free tickets to Shakespeare in the Park Saturday night. Nearby, a team of triathletes conducted their regular training, doing chin-ups and practicing their balance along the fence rails. Alas, this show turned out to be much more edifying than Daniel Sullivan’s production of AS YOU LIKE IT, which was so unengaging that we left at intermission. Surprisingly nice musical score by Steve Martin, though, played by terrific musicians (including Tony Trischka and Jordan Tice).

my new favorite beverage — it also comes in grapefruit and blood orange flavors

Sunday afternoon we took part in the Silent March to End Stop and Frisk, intended to put pressure on Mayor Bloomberg and the NYPD to end a policy that amounts to selective harassment of young men of color.

We met up with my demo buddies Jonathan Lerner and Mike Spiegel, along with Mike’s wife Sheila and their daughter Ruby, on 110th Street.

Silence once we got to Fifth Avenue was definitely the best part of the march — no crappy rap bands, no inane speeches, no throat-ravaging chants.

The turnout reflected the great diversity of New York culture — all ages and colors, Grannies for Peace, folks in wheelchairs, lots of unions (nurses, UAW, writers), a substantial queer contingent, and of course Occu-pup.

Since the march ended at 78th Street, that meant walking home down Madison Avenue — a whole other New York culture.