Surf n' Turf

We spent a large part of the weekend on this hammock overlooking Fort Pond in Montauk. I cannot say for sure that this is a repeatable experience. The Surf Lodge is, without a doubt, about to become the ne plus ultra of party spots in the Hamptons for the summer.

If you do try it out, order at least two Montauk Storms, The Surf Lodge's outstanding, extra-gingery take on the Dark & Stormy.

http://www.thesurflodge.com/index.html

Soccer 1, Mugabe 0

Writing about Robert Mugabe's violent refusal to let Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change take his position as voted in president in the New York Times today, Peter Godwin says:

"Of course, South Africa could use its economic power to draw Mr. Mugabe’s rule to an end in weeks rather than months. Yet Mr. Mbeki has steadfastly refused to act, providing a protective cloak for Mr. Mugabe’s repression. And just a few weeks ago, even as opposition members were being tortured, Mr. Mbeki visited Zimbabwe, allowing himself to be garlanded at the airport and displayed on state-run TV with a broadly grinning Mr. Mugabe. In the United Nations Security Council, where South Africa currently has a seat, Mr. Mbeki has opposed attempts to put the political situation in Zimbabwe on the agenda."

And, in the light of South Africa's plans to use the World Cup 2010 as its "coming out party": "Maybe Zimbabwe should become to the South Africa-hosted World Cup what Tibet has been to the Beijing Olympics — the pungent albatross that spoils every press conference and mars every presentation with its insistent odor."

Read the rest here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/opinion/24godwin.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Life at Page Six

My interview with Ann Leary "Secrets of an A-List Marriage" ran in Page Six Magazine today. Take a read

http://www.nypost.com/pagesixmag/issues/20080622/Real+Life+Ann+Leary+Reveals+Secrets+List+Marriage

The Antidote to Construction Fury...

I saw this sign while walking in past one of the NYU buildings in the West Village today. No doubt it's a noble endeavor, but I can't help wondering if there's a second agenda here: Perhaps, the thinking went, if they make this about the environment, they won't incite as much anger in the students, residents and neighbors when the construction takes months longer than it should. It always does.

Morbid Fascination

Spotted at the ICP final year show. Art everywhere...on the walls and even on someone's back.

A Cafe That's as Good as a Holiday

Albertus Swanepoel invited me to join him and Marianne Fassler and her husband Charles Bothner for dinner (see picture above) at the New Leaf Cafe in Fort Tryon Park near the Cloisters. I took the A train from midtown to 190th Street and it took me no more than a half hour to get up there. When I exited the subway station, it was as if I had taken a vacation a million miles away. The area is manicured and peacefully silent. No honking horns or sirens. And very few cars on the road. I walked through the grand gates into Fort Tryon Park which is just beautiful--lush and green. It had just finished raining and the sun was slowly setting as I meandered along the path to the restaurant, a charming 1930s stone structure nestled between the Cloisters and the park's main entrance.

The New York Restoration Project, which is headed up by Bette Midler, bid on and won the contract to operate the concession in Fort Tryon Park in 2001. The New Leaf Café is a for-profit restaurant operated by a not-for-profit, so you can eat with the knowledge that all net proceeds support the restoration and maintenance of Fort Tryon Park. And the food is delicious. I had an artichoke and fresh mozzarella salad to start and a delicious duck as a main. We all dived into the chocolate souffle.

For reservations call 212-568-5323.

The Affordable Art Fair

I fell in love with this affordable-for-some oil on canvas painting by Martin La Rosa, an Argentinian contemporary artist who references the Dutch masters like Vermeer in his work. Some of his painting are still lifes with the paintings--like Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring tucked into a glass on the table next to the fruit (Views of Delft. I liked this simple painting that was going for $6000.

The fair was on at the Metropolitan Pavilion on 18th Street between 6th and 7th Ave. Hopefully it returns next year.

How Cool Is This?

Veuve Clicquot hosted polo on Governor's Island this past Saturday for the first time in 70 years. It took just two minutes on the Governor's Island ferry to get to this little green oasis surrounded by Manhattan's skyline. Pretty impressive. Pack a picnic basket and head out there. The ferry is next door to the Staten Island Ferry. Picture is courtesy of Veuve Clicquot

Keith and the Street

We were walking home tonight and at the corner of Prince Str. and Broadway, P turned to me and asked if the geometric patterned scratched into the concrete we were standing on could be Keith Haring. Could be. Had he not succumbed to AIDS at age 31, Haring would have turned 50 this year. I remember another time, walking home with A, when we passed Billy's Antiques & Props on Houston and saw Haring's iconic anti-apartheid statement. I should have taken it home with me.
If you're a fan, visit Skarstedt Gallery on the Upper East Side to view a 14-piece tribute to the artist. Look out for the early chalk drawing that Haring posted illegally on a blank advertising board in a New York subway station. Tues.–Sat. 10 am–6 pm, until June 28, at Skarstedt Gallery: 20 E. 79th St., skarstedt.com, 212-737-2060.