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NYC v LA Round 6: Sports Culture

September 9, 2010 in lists, los angeles, new york city, nyc vs la | 6 comments

If you want to read what this series of posts is all about, go here.

Disclaimer:

So I thought I’d do a pros and cons for each of the cities (NYC and LA) based on 15 categories of my choosing – i.e the kind of things that are important to me about a place that I chose to live. For example, since I don’t have any children, so you won’t see “education” on the list, but I do love to eat sandwiches, so “food” will definitely be on the list.

Keep in mind these are MY pros and cons…pros and cons that I have come to after living in LA for five years (2000 – 2005) and then living in New York for five years (2005 – 2010). This is intended to be a fun (and funny) list, and is not to be taken seriously, but I hope some of you, especially those of you who have lived in both places (or experienced them) will enjoy it. Come back tomorrow for Round 7.

06. SPORTS CULTURE

***Unhappy with the direction these lists are headed, Adam has taken over for Round 6***

In tackling the issue of sports culture, Kelly thought it would be wise to draft my services. While I am a big sports fan, and an educated sports fan, I am not a fan of any sports team in New York City or Los Angeles. With that out of the way what evidence supports each city’s claim to the crown of “Best (or better) Sports Culture”?

To the naked eye New York City, with it’s two football teams(Giants, Jets… who actually play in New Jersey), soon to be two basketball teams (Knicks, Nets), two baseball teams (Yankees, Mets), hockey team (Rangers), as well as hosting the US Open and countless other sporting events that I’m forgetting, wins the city battle in a landslide.

However, Los Angeles, with their dynastic basketball team (Lakers) and the high profile fans that support them (Jack Nicholson!), make a cosmetic push that keeps them in the conversation. Los Angeles also has a rich baseball history (Dodgers… originally from Brooklyn, and the Angels), a hockey team (the Kings…full disclosure… I don’t like hockey, or know much about it), and… oh… they have another basketball team (Clippers) and they used to have two football teams. That is something. LA does dominate in college sports. Now this suddenly looks like a landslide.

How about the fans? What is more important to a sports culture than the fan. Los Angeles has the big stars (see above) and the beautiful people. Seeing a Lakers’ game, with the crowd on their feet, is a sight to behold. The Clippers have a loyal fan base, in spite of their perpetual losing ways. Loyalty is good. What about New York?

Simply put, and I’m not a fan of the New York teams, and I can still see they have some of the most passionate, knowledgeable fans in the country. Listen to a sports talk radio station in NYC and you will hear in depth analysis of last night’s long relief pitching in the Yankee game from a guy who lays pipe for a living. It is impressive. Baseball is the true pastime in New York, as even the casual sports fan, the one seen at that super bowl party who doesn’t know how many points a TD scores, watches games every week, even crappy games against teams without the Yankee payroll. The Knicks, who have been terrible for years now, fill up the stands with die hard fans right off the bus at Port Authority, fans who know what True Shooting Percentage is and what Wilson Chandler’s +/- is. That is a real fan. I know, because I’m a real fan of my teams… none of which are in New York or Los Angeles. In fact I hate the Lakers, and the Knicks, and the Giants, and especially the Yankees but I can stand up and recognize that New York has better sports culture than Los Angeles.

Besides, why would you want to be indoors when it’s so nice out. We should drive down to the Santa Monica Pier and ride the Ferris Wheel. Advantage: NYC

NYC v LA Round 5: Pets

September 8, 2010 in lists, los angeles, new york city, nyc vs la | Permalink

If you want to read what this series of posts is all about, go here.

Disclaimer:

So I thought I’d do a pros and cons for each of the cities (NYC and LA) based on 15 categories of my choosing – i.e the kind of things that are important to me about a place that I chose to live. For example, since I don’t have any children, so you won’t see “education” on the list, but I do love to eat sandwiches, so “food” will definitely be on the list.

Keep in mind these are MY pros and cons…pros and cons that I have come to after living in LA for five years (2000 – 2005) and then living in New York for five years (2005 – 2010). This is intended to be a fun (and funny) list, and is not to be taken seriously, but I hope some of you, especially those of you who have lived in both places (or experienced them) will enjoy it. Come back tomorrow for Round 6.

05. PETS

I have been craving having a pet that’s not a goldfish for a long time now.

I used to want a dog, and though I still want a dog I’ve become a bit obsessed with kitties (this is mostly Adam’s fault). I’m getting old…I want to be a grown up that has a pet and maybe access to outdoor space that doesn’t also belong to the rest of the world. These things don’t seem to be possible in NYC the way they might be in LA.

Reasons why I can’t have a cat in NYC:

My current apartment is stuffed to the gills, with not a square inch of space available for a litter box.

My apartment gets zero air flow and cross breeze, even when it’s windy outside (though I will never understand how this is possible). So the smells that are in this apartment? Are REALLY in this apartment. It’s bad enough with two people in here…adding a pet is not a good idea.

This apartment is small…it’s two people living in 450 Square Feet…450 well laid out, well organized square feet, but still. I’d feel bad adding a pet to that equation.

I’m broke all the time, which is not a good environment to bring an animal that needs food and toys and likely regular medical care (which I don’t even get) into.

Technically I’m not allowed to have pets in this apartment (though it doesn’t seem to stop some people).

Reasons why I can’t have a dog in NYC:

All of the above “cat” reasons, plus I live on the fourth floor and am way too lazy to take a dog out as frequently as he needs and deserves.

Plus, I don’t want to add to the piles (and smells) of shit, even though I’d always clean up after my dog, that line NYC streets with regularity.

Do some of these apply to LA? Sure, but based on where and how I lived in LA previously (in ground floor apartments in neighborhoods conducive to walking pets, in large roomy apartments, with windows that frequently caught lovely breezes) that it’s much more doable, realistic and less painful in LA than NYC.

I REALLY want a cat, hence – Advantage: LA

Tags: nyc v la

NYC v LA Round 4: Green Living

September 7, 2010 in lists, los angeles, new york city, nyc vs la | 2 comments

If you want to read what this series of posts is all about, go here.

Disclaimer:

So I thought I’d do a pros and cons for each of the cities (NYC and LA) based on 15 categories of my choosing – i.e the kind of things that are important to me about a place that I chose to live. For example, since I don’t have any children, so you won’t see “education” on the list, but I do love to eat sandwiches, so “food” will definitely be on the list.

Keep in mind these are MY pros and cons…pros and cons that I have come to after living in LA for five years (2000 – 2005) and then living in New York for five years (2005 – 2010). This is intended to be a fun (and funny) list, and is not to be taken seriously, but I hope some of you, especially those of you who have lived in both places (or experienced them) will enjoy it. Come back tomorrow for Round 5.

04. GREEN LIVING

Because LA is so beautiful and has so much nature in it and surrounding it, I’d be inclined to give the advantage to LA, but the reality is, if only because I don’t own a car and generally commute by walking or mass transit (and yes, sometimes, too frequently, by cab), my PERSONAL environmental footprint is much smaller in NYC than it was in LA where I commuted via car from Studio City to Santa Monica five days a week.

I miss my car. I sometimes cry for my car. However, it’s cheaper, faster, and more earth friendly to live in NYC and travel by train, bus, foot, and occasional cab ride. And whenever I’m missing my car too hard, I try to remember that hour long commute from work every day that had me ready to gouge my eyes out with cupholders by the time I left LA in 2005. Sometimes (okay, often) the subway is inconvenient and a pain (and there are rats! Aggh!), but the car was sometimes too (well, no rats)…in addition to being an expensive liability

In both LA and NYC I recycled and did my best in other ways to be green, although I certainly do more now than I did in 2000 to 2005, if only because times are changing. But the reality is that the car is that thing that really makes the difference, and as much as I love it and miss it, I can admit that it’s better for the rest of the world that I don’t have it. The goods news is that if/when I move back to LA, they’ve made great strides (not enough, but still great) in automobiles and I can get a Hybrid for a semi-reasonable cost that will be much less harsh on the environment. Still, Advantage: NYC

Tags: nyc v la

NYC v LA Round 3: Food

September 3, 2010 in lists, los angeles, new york city, nyc vs la | 8 comments

If you want to read what this series of posts is all about, go here.

Disclaimer:

So I thought I’d do a pros and cons for each of the cities (NYC and LA) based on 15 categories of my choosing – i.e the kind of things that are important to me about a place that I chose to live. For example, since I don’t have any children, so you won’t see “education” on the list, but I do love to eat sandwiches, so “food” will definitely be on the list.

Keep in mind these are MY pros and cons…pros and cons that I have come to after living in LA for five years (2000 – 2005) and then living in New York for five years (2005 – 2010). This is intended to be a fun (and funny) list, and is not to be taken seriously, but I hope some of you, especially those of you who have lived in both places (or experienced them) will enjoy it. Come back tomorrow for Round 4.

03. FOOD

People are going to kill me for this, because NYC has great food. Pretty much any food you can imagine, and some of the most amazing restaurants in the world. But it’s a long held belief (stereotype?) that NYC has mediocre Mexican food (one of my favorite cuisines) and it’s pretty well proven out. I’ve found a few places I like, but nothing that beats the Mexican food I had in LA.

In NYC I will miss: Ithaca, Urban Lobster, Pearl Oyster Bar, Katz’s, Corner Bistro, Acme, Sabor a Mexico, Olives, and the powerful margaritas at Cilantro.

But in LA I have long been missing (and sometimes dreaming about): Bay Cities, Malibu Seafood, Casa Vega, Matsuda Seafood, Fritto Misto, Kay & Dave’s (best hamburger I’ve ever had), Little Toni’s, Taverna Tony, La Serenada, Fred 62, and even Baja Fresh.

NYC does have one secret weapon working for it and that is LOBSTER ROLLS. Many of you have heard me rave about how much I love these and I will miss them immensely when they become more difficult to obtain (LA has only two restaurants that definitely carry them as far as I can tell – but I’ve yet to do the taste test).

But LA has a secret weapon too, and that secret weapon is YELLOW MUSTARD. You would not believe how difficult it is to get simple yellow mustard in New York. Not only that, but most New Yorkers apparently do not understand what you’re saying when you ask about it. Watch this reenactment of me ordering a sandwich:

ME: Do you have yellow mustard?

NEW YORKER: Yeah, yeah, sure.

ME: Not brown mustard – yellow.

NEW YORKER: Yeah, we have yellow.

ME (unsure): Okay, then I’d like some yellow mustard on the sandwich too.

NEW YORKER: No problem.

Two minutes later, opening my sandwich in the park.

ME: Sonofabitch!

Imagine a sandwich drenched in brown mustard.

This has happened no less than two dozen times to me verbatim in New York. Eventually I learned to just stop asking. But I’m still miserable. In a city that has EVERYTHING why can’t I get a sandwich with yellow mustard on it? Access to lobster rolls cannot defeat something as simple as the ability to have a sandwich the way you’d like it. Advantage: LA

NYC v LA Round 2: Weather

September 2, 2010 in lists, los angeles, new york city, nyc vs la | Permalink

If you want to know what this is all about…go here.

Disclaimer:

So I thought I’d do a pros and cons for each of the cities (NYC and LA) based on 15 categories of my choosing – i.e the kind of things that are important to me about a place that I chose to live. For example, since I don’t have any children, so you won’t see “education” on the list, but I do love to eat sandwiches, so “food” will definitely be on the list.

Keep in mind these are MY pros and cons…pros and cons that I have come to after living in LA for five years (2000 – 2005) and then living in New York for five years (2005 – 2010). This is intended to be a fun (and funny) list, and is not to be taken seriously, but I hope some of you, especially those of you who have lived in both places (or experienced them) will enjoy it. Come back tomorrow for Round 3.

02. WEATHER

On the surface this seems like an easy one, as it’s beautiful in Los Angeles for about 360 of 365 days in a year, but living in New York did make me remember how much I missed actual seasons.

It’s wonderful for fall to arrive and kill summer with its lovely breezy death blows. And spring is all the more rewarding to see and feel on your skin after a long winter. And I actually don’t mind winter. It’s a nice chance to wear all those cute clothes and there’s something cozy and deliciously romantic to me about winter in New York (although it feels less so in late February and March, when you’re really ready for winter to be over)

But summer.

Summer is what loses this battle for New York.

If New York weather was 9 months of spring/fall and 3 months of winter, I think I’d give it to New York, even though some of those winter days I know I’d be wishing for sunny days and balmy LA breezes.

But there’s maybe nothing I hate more than summer in New York. Hot, sticky, and miserable. It’s three plus months of misery and I catch myself spending much of the year dreading those coming months. Advantage: LA

NYC v LA Round 1: Culture & History

September 1, 2010 in lists, los angeles, new york city | 17 comments

This massive multi-part post is spawned by the fact that I’ve been pretty mopey about missing Los Angeles lately (summer in New York does that to me), and Adam’s been pretty “Eh” when I talk about how great L.A. is.

Adam and I do plan to move back to LA eventually, but since life is currently in utter chaos i.e. I’ve recently started working again after a long bout of unemployment; my book is out to publishers…sort of, and who knows if or when it will ever sell; and the city of New York continues to build the Second Avenue subway right outside my bedroom window; and for some reason has been constantly shutting off our hot water, or just our water period, we really have no idea when we’re going to go back to LA. And frankly, Adam is hot and cold.. He has always said he’s going, and that he wants to go, but he has other legitimate priorities some of which are best accomplished here. The same way there is always another reason to add to the list for me going, I can see him finding another reason to add to the list for staying, which is only fair, he loves it here, and if we do ever move back I know he’ll miss the city like crazy. It got me wondering what I would miss if we moved to LA?

So I thought I’d do a pros and cons for each of the cities based on 15 categories of my choosing – i.e the kind of things that are important to me about a place that I chose to live. For example, since I don’t have any children, so you won’t see “education” on the list, but I do love to eat sandwiches, so “food” will definitely be on the list.

The first one, CULTURE & HISTORY is below…but come back every day for a new round.

Keep in mind these are MY pros and cons…pros and cons that I have come to after living in LA for five years (2000 – 2005) and then living in New York for five years (2005 – present). This is intended to be a fun list, and is not to be taken seriously, but I hope some of you, especially those of you who have lived in both places (or experienced them) will enjoy it.

01. CULTURE & HISTORY

LA is a much more culturally rich and diverse city than many people think, but at the end of the day I just don’t think it can compete with NYC.

NYC is older and more beautiful in everything from its buildings to its parks. It seems to have more museums, more history, more preserved culture, more diversity, more historic landmarks, more festivals, more street fairs, and even more film festivals – which is kind of embarrassing considering LA is a city built on movies.

I would say that while pound for pound it’s possible the cities are equal if someone did a scientific study, the difference is that in NYC you feel it without even trying, whereas with LA I feel you have to seek it out a bit.

Even without being a person who deliberately tries to experience culture you feel it here in NYC – whether it be a trip to Ellis Island or just driving down Fifth Avenue and experiencing the architecture. For example, if you walk across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan (an iconic, historic, and culture rich experience in and of itself) you can see the Statue Of Liberty to your right, the seaport to your right and below you, Brooklyn stretching out in front of you, and probably a million other things I don’t even realizing I’m seeing. And then on your way back you can see the whole massive impressive breath of Manhattan.

There are other ways in which LA can totally hand NYC it’s ass (like Mexican food!), but this just isn’t one of them. In my five years in LA I never had an experience like that…like walking the Brooklyn Bridge and feeling both the history of the Statue of Liberty and then the immediacy and potency of the city skyline full of life.

LA is a fantastic city and there truly is no end in sight for the culture available to explore if one is so inclined, but it just can’t compete with one of the most culture rich cities on the planet, in NYC you don’t have to want to explore it…it’s at your front door, on your street, in your walk to work, at your favorite lunch spot…you can’t escape it if you wanted to. Advantage: NYC

Tags: nyc v la

The 15 Covers I Wish I’d Included…

July 20, 2010 in anniversaries, blog-o-versary, comics, DC Comics, lists, marvel comics, vertigo | 10 comments

A year ago I posted a list of 100 of my favorite Comic Book Covers. But as with any list…as soon as you hit publish you can’t help but think what you’ve missed. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I missed and regret not including that first time around, so I decided, in honor of San Diego Comic Con 2010 and the three year anniversary of this blog, to give you the “15 Covers I Wish I’d Included”.

Now, some of my second guessing came immediately after locking the list (where was Skottie Young?) others came up later and some even from discussions others were having about my list (to say some discussions were more civil than others would be a massive understatement).

The biggest legitimate complaint I heard about the list beyond certain creators being missing was that there wasn’t enough diversity – and I agree. I don’t know if these covers will remedy that, but I think at the end of the day I’ll feel better about the list as a whole once it’s been modified.

The most interesting thing that happened while I was revising my list was the order. I was never that convinced that even if I had the right covers that I had them in the right order, and doing these new 15 really proved that out – because when I looked through the covers I didn’t feel confident just lopping off the last 15, instead I went through and picked out all the ones I was reconsidering, and replaced them.

In keeping with the rules of the original list, I limited this list to US saddle stitched issues – so you won’t find any graphic novel, anthology, or non-US covers here. And since comics from July 2009 to July 2010 weren’t eligible for the first attempt, I didn’t let them in this time either (but I do have a fun post for those ineligible covers coming up soon). As was true of the original list, the revised list continues to skew hard toward X-Men, badass chicks, some nostalgia and iconic imagery. What can I say? We all like what we like.

You can find the original 100 here, here, here, and here.

#015.

Catwoman 19. Javier Pulido. This Pulido cover looks like Cooke to me…but it’s not (see the update below) Regardless, what sells it for me, and why I think it belongs has more to do with this being a moment I have YEARNED for in comics, and that Pulido managed to turn it into a really iconic lasting image. The image of Batman and Catwoman, still masked, kissing on a cover is an image that will stay with me forever thanks to the iconic choices made here.

Update: I originally wrongly attributed this cover to Cooke…and honestly, if I tried 1,000 more times I’d still think it was Cooke’s work…but regardless it’s not and apologies to both Cooke and Pulido as well as to commenter Stuart that pointed out the error.

The cover it’s replacing? #95 – Kick-Ass #1 by John Romita Jr.

This was honestly the easiest cover to remove from list as I was never entirely convinced that it belonged there in the first place and I’m not personally a huge fan of John Romita Jr.’s style. It’s a solid cover, but does it belong on a 100 Favorites List? Not mine.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 100 Favorite Comic Covers, 100 Great Comic Covers, San Deigo Comic Con, SDCC

Top 5 Cancelled Shows Of The Decade

January 4, 2010 in best shows you're not watching, blogging, lists, television, television reviews | 6 comments

The article is up on Best Shows You’re Not Watching. Enjoy!

1979 Semi-Finalist’s Top 25 Films Of The 00’s

December 31, 2009 in lists, movie reviews, movies | 12 comments

So everyone is doing their “best of the decade” lists and apparently I’m no exception. Though the Aughts (also known as the 2000’s) were horrible in a lot of ways for the world – or at least for the US (Bush years, ongoing wars, September 11th, massive recession and economic meltdown) there were also some great things and going through my list of films that came out from 2000 – 2009…it was a VERY strong decade. So strong in fact that I can’t bear to just post a Top 10…so I’m doing a Top 25.

As usual, keep in mind that there are many movies I have not yet seen that might have made the list but just didn’t have a chance because I haven’t gotten to them yet…notably missing off the top of my head are: The Wrestler, The Cove, 35 Shots of Rum, Revanche, Wendy and Lucy, and Synecdoche, New York.

I’d also like to offer up honorable mentions to the following: The Station Agent, Ballast, Police Adjective, Friends With Money, The Savages, Syriana, Children of Men, Monster’s Ball, Michael Clayton, Go, Lovely & Amazing, Requiem For A Dream, Irreversible, Brodre (Brothers), The Incredibles, and Dead Man’s Shoes.

Okay, onto the list!

25. The Dark Knight

24. Dogville

23. Movern Callar

22. The Departed

21. Brick

Read the rest of this entry »

1979 Semi-Finalist featured on Pop Candy

August 3, 2009 in art, artists, comics, lists, pop candy | 4 comments

Hey all you Comic fans, Pop Candy fans, and 1979 Semi-Finalist fans – check out Pop Candy, which linked to 1979 Semi-Finalist today for the 100 Best Comic Covers post. Anytime I can get featured on Pop Candy by the delightful Whitney and mentioned in the same article as Jeffrey Brown, the world is a very very good place. Thanks Whitney! And welcome to any newcomers that stop on in. I hope you stay a while.

Kelly aka 1979 Semi-Finalist

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