so, here we...

are in Brooklyn, a break from the usual early Sunday afternoon visit to Cobra, instead I sit at the Library, after a long and fantastic walk south on Bedford from Fulton to Eastern Parkway, and then west to the library. Also took a side route south on Franklin past the Parkway, up to Crown, then west on Crown to Washington then north the three blocks to the parkway. Again Washington, off Crown allows me to visit those art deco buildings that I am so infatuated with---buidings that represent to me my childhood, in an all white neighborhood in the Bronx. Would this neighborhood have been similar, in population, in economic strength in the upwardly mobile Jewish vision that has shaped so many of my contemporaries. I think so?  Interesting, that with a choice of staying in Manhattan for a possible movie, or exploring the streets of Brooklyn, the latter seems much more meaningful to me.
So there it goes.
 Not much to report re Friday---finished work, then visited my friend Bob, the owner of La Flaca.We had a long talk about the problems he is having keeping his restaurant---he is muddling thorugh it, but really dealing with each problem as it comes up in a very level headed way. I really admire him for this. More reason for a commercial rent control law. Must be done.  After the visit,  a little walk through the ever changing lower east side and then home---very tired, and slept a lot Friday night.
  Yestrerday evening, I lucked into an inexpensive ticket to Todd Haynes' cetnerpiece film at the New York Film Festival. Yes, the energy there is  remarkable---just the idea of being there is meaningful. There is someting unique about experiencing a movie which you know has not opened yet, and which you have read no reviews, therefore have no fixed vision in your head what it is about. The movie itself, Wonderstruck, was beautifully filmed---it was great to watch it on a large screen---but itself, while never uninteresting---ultiimately turns mawkish and incredibly sentiimental. In order to do this, the plot holes must be enormous, and they were. Wonder what kind of reviews the movie will get, the director is very well respected, yet the flaws in the plot are obvious. Well, anyway, it was  solid experience, may not be my last one at this year's festival, depending on a number ot things.
  Looks like my time is up at the computer---have to run---will report on rest of today, tomorrow and afterwards, as it happens