A few odds and ends from my experience at the Cs:
1. I had a felafel sandwich at one of the street vendors outside of the Cs. The guy who was running the cart promised me it would be the best felafel sandwich I have ever had. If it wasn't the best, it was close. The man was a study in systems theory. He adjusted his social interactions to increase or decrease timing on dozens of things that were happening in his cart (while the chicken was cooking, he discussed the weather with the people who ordered chicken kebabs and then used the extra grease to quick-fry gyros for his other customers). I hope Johndan discusses one of these cart virtuosos in his work/space project.
2. I feel bad that I couldn't afford to stay Saturday night, if only because I missed this talk. I got to say "hey" in the hall, but that is no substitute for seeing a talk. Of course, he didn't come to see mine...
3. Didn't go to any of the publisher parties. Didn't miss them in the least.
4. Tried like hell to get to some of the "cheap eats" places that Mike Salvo so kindly provided a link to. No dice. I just have bad luck guessing when these places will be open.
5. Got a free ticket to Wicked (Thanks Carly!). Unfortunately, I thought the end of Act I was the end of the play. I'm just too damn subtle to know that when Elpheba gets on her broom and starts to cackle, the transformation isn't complete. As soon as I got out the front door and realized that it. Was. Just. Me. I had to shrug and laugh. Broadway ain't Joyce. Denouements and climaxes look pretty much the same with ten-million watt sets and songster accidentals.
6. I WILL meet more of the bloggers next conference. I WILL meet more of the bloggers next conference.
7. New York has some GREAT comic book stores. I'm not a comics guy, but I could not drag myself out of those stores. Truly amazing.
8. My favorite part of the entire conference was sitting at the counter of Cosmo's Diner and watching the counter attendant work the counter like a keyboard. He recalled people who had not been there for years, made bargains with regulars, and introduced some Australians to the concept of Texas Toast for breakfast. The guy code switched with some of his Cenral American co-workers and an amazing range of customers over and over. I think one of the reasons I love New Yorkers (other than the fact that they hosted the best marathon I have ever run) is that they find a corner and defend it more fiercely than anybody. This strikes many as "attitude," but I think of it as a type of forced excellence. I have always gotten along with New Yorkers once I recognize what it is they are defending. In fact, I have come to lean on these fierce loyalties and fiercely-defended islands of expertise while I visit their fair city.
1 comment:
I think I was going to the wrong falafel & gyro carts. Every time I ordered something, the guy at the cart would turn away from me and begin preparing something, then mumble questions at the grill. I'd say, "What?" then he'd mumble something else at the grill. I'd repeat my order, but that didn't seem to have any effect.
Most of the time I walked away with something that had little correspondence to what I'd requested, but it was damned good anyway.
- Johndan
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