Creepy Subway, The Best Pizza, Big Gay Ice Cream: Scenes From a Brief Trip to New York

There are few things more unsettling than sitting on an almost empty Subway car in New York — and then realizing, as the rest of the people get off the train, that you're the only one there. That happened during my most recent trip to New York City... and yes, after snapping this pic, I decided to switch to the Subway car next door, which had several people there. Hey, gotta be street smart!

In New York to hold a series of work meetings, I, of course, made sure to hit some of my favorite spots — including Posto Pizza (the best thin crust anywhere), my fave in all of NYC, and grab a Salty Bea Arthur (now called a "Salty Dorothy," I assume due to legal reasons) at Big Gay Ice Cream. I also enjoy hitting the free galleries at the New York Library (located close to my office), where the display looked back at the freewheeling 1960s.

Some pics below:

That New York Times Piece About Los Angeles: Symptomatic of a Larger Problem?

Every time I want to once again support the New York Times, the paper comes up with a story like this. And so my money continues to go to the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and a few other journalistic outlets. But NYT, why is Los Angeles still such a mystery to you, in the year 2018?

"For all its successes, Los Angeles has not developed the political, cultural and philanthropic institutions that have proved critical in other American cities." — No, Los Angeles didn't turn into New York. (Although, with so much being built in downtown and elsewhere, it's sure moving into that direction.) But it was never going to be — it's an entirely different kind of city, something that the LA Times' architecture writer Christopher Hawthorne recently wrote as an attempt to explain how the NYT ruffled so many feathers:

People who are accustomed to making quick sense of the world, to ordering it into neat and sharply defined categories, tend to be flummoxed by both places. And reporters at the New York Times are certainly used to making quick sense of the world. If there's one reason the paper keeps getting Los Angeles so spectacularly wrong, I think that's it. Smart, accomplished people don't like being made to feel out of their depth. Los Angeles makes out-of-town reporters feel out of their depth from their first day here.

Their reaction to that feeling, paradoxically enough, is very often to attempt to write that feeling away — to conquer that sense of dislocation by producing a story that sets out to explain Los Angeles in its entirety. Because it's a challenge, maybe, or because they simply can't be convinced, despite all the evidence right in front of them, that Los Angeles, as cities go, is an especially tough nut to crack.

But of course, it's hard not to see where things went so wrong in the story. Equating "the turmoil at The Times" with the retirement of Eli Broad, for one. Or this: The idea that the problem is there are many cities in Los Angeles County. (Doesn't New York have plenty of suburbs as well?) "People here are more likely to identify themselves with the city or neighborhood where they live — be it Glendale, Compton, Beverly Hills or Whittier — rather than Los Angeles" — but again, that's true everywhere. In NYC, don't you say you live in Brooklyn, Queens, the Village, Hoboken or wherever? We're ultimately all still Angelenos in SoCal — driving on the same freeways, going to the same stores, looking at the same skyline, rooting for the same teams. We all know that our tacos are what really make New Yorkers jealous.

I mean, I don't even know where to begin. Watch Nathan Masters' "Lost LA" series on KCET. Go through the archives of L.A. Observed. Eat at a few Jonathan Gold-recommended restaurants. Check out the Natural History Museum's "Becoming L.A." exhibit. And I invite the authors of this piece to join us in November for the 13th annual Great Los Angeles Walk.

Honestly, this piece seems to be a part of the larger trend of the NYT continuing to focus on the contrarian — Los Angeles as foreign, in need of help; and of course, its obsession with focusing on angry white voters, the ones who elected Trump, rather than the majority of voters (like African American women) who voted against him, and have their own stories to tell. In all these cases, there's a story to tell, yet the paper is asking the wrong questions. In the case of the decline of the Los Angeles Times, it was years of negligence by out-of-town owners, some really bad decisions and an overall changing media environment that hurt the paper — not a confusing metropolis. The question isn't why the City of Los Angeles couldn't support the L.A. Times, it's how the decline of the L.A. Times has impacted the City of Los Angeles. (And as a sidebar, how the L.A. Times has managed to still pull off some amazing scoops in the past few years despite the utter incompetence of its owner.)

Rate-A-Restaurant #369: The Halal Guys (New York)

Restaurant: Halal Guys

Location: 53rd and 6th Ave. (New York)

Type of restaurant: Mediterranean/chicken



We stipulated: For my last afternoon in New York, I decided it was time for some street food -- and a visit to the famed Halal Guys was long overdue.

They stipulated: "The Halal Guys legend began in 1990, when the three founding partners opened up a hot dog cart on West 53rd & 6th Avenue in New York City. As business grew, they recognized a huge demand from Muslim cab drivers looking for a halal food meal. That is when the famous platter of chicken and gyro over rice was born. Fast-forward 25 years, five carts, two New York City restaurants, and millions of diverse customers served, The Halal Guys is growing yet again. Fans no longer have to be in NYC to experience The Halal Guys as they look to share American Halal Food all over the country and the world."



What we ordered: chicken plate ($7)



High point:  Lots of food -- a hearty meal. And that red sauce is SPICY. Like I like!
Low point:  I thought the chicken was surprisingly dry.



Overall impression: It was fine -- but I must admit, I was expecting something more to it. Maybe I'm spoiled by Zankou.

Will we return: I feel like I've been there, done that. Not sure.

It's Warm Here, But Winter Remains in New York at the Rockefeller Ice Rink

It may be 90 degrees here in Los Angeles, but over in New York, it's still full-on winter. Back there last week for meetings, I made a return trip to The Rink at Rockefeller Center, a tradition that remains in full swing through April.

As a matter of fact, even though the December holidays are over, the rink has various packages timed to Valentine's Day, afternoon tea, breakfast, drinks and more.

Sessions are 90 minutes long and kick off at 8:30 am, lasting until midnight. Adults are $25, while kids and seniors are $15. Group rates, for crowds of 15 or more, are less. The VIP experience also gets you to the front of the line, plus includes treats, coffee and hot chocolate.

Some pics from the rink last week:

The Holidays Are Here: A Trip to New York's Rockefeller Ice Rink

Yes, the holiday season is here -- or it soon will be. Surest sign yet? I was in New York last week, and had a chance to do a quick skate at the famed The Rink at Rockefeller Center.

The Christmas tree isn't up yet -- it's coming -- and the temperatures aren't quite crisp. But lacing up skates and taking a spin below Rockefeller Plaza is sure to get you into that fall spirit.

The prices are between $25 and $32 (depending on time of year), which is a bit on the pricier side, but it also keeps the rink manageable. The rink also strongly recommends taking the first session, at 8:30 a.m., in order to beat the crowds. If I lived in New York, I'd be tempted to make it a habit before work.

Skating began on Oct. 10 and continues through next April. Here are the skate times:

25-32 8:30AM-10:00AM; 10:30AM - 12:00PM; 12:30PM - 2:00PM; 2:30PM - 4:00PM; 4:30PM - 6:00PM; 6:30PM - 8:00PM; 8:30PM - 10:00PM; 10:30PM - Midnight

For folks who want to beat the lines, the more expensive VIP Igloo option gets you on the rink quicker.

Some pics:

Dolly Parton, Stephen Colbert and Half-Naked Miley Cyrus: Scenes from the 2015 Network Upfronts

It's been a few weeks now since network upfronts--the week in May when the broadcast networks (and a few cable ones as well) showcase their new shows for advertisers in New York. It's a hectic week, shuffling from one venue to the next, frequently staying out late and keeping tabs on everything that's been picked up, renewed and canceled. But there's plenty of room for surreal moments too--like Miley Cyrus (above) performing, half-naked, at Adult Swim's annual Wednesday night event. (Acts like Outkast, Jay Z, T.I. and M.I.A. have performed there in the past.)

Here are more visual highlights of the network presentations:



If anyone was still worried whether the real Stephen Colbert could be as engaging as the obnoxious "Stephen Colbert" he played on Comedy Central, the host's appearance at CBS' upfront presentation ended those fears. (There was always a lot of the real Colbert in the character he played anyway.) Funny, smart, sharp, engaging... I can't wait to see what he does when "Late Show with Stephen Colbert" premieres on Sept. 8.



C'mon, here he is, parodying Kim Kardashian's Paper magazine cover! What more do you want?



Fine, you want a photo of Colbert sitting next to Leslie Moonves as they wear fake, thick, dark black beards? OK, you're weird. But here you go.



Not too long ago, Fox would highlight "American Idol" throughout its upfront presentation. This year, it was, "American What? Oh yeah, it's canceled after next year. BUT HAVE WE MENTIONED 'EMPIRE'?!!!!" No surprise, Fox wrapped itself in "Empire," and of course they did. It's a tremendous smash. And there's no way we were going to leave the Beacon Theater until the cast came out and sang. And yes they did -- Yazz, Jussie, plus Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard. (No "Drip Drop," though!!!)



And nevermind "Idol," when Jennifer Hudson (who, you may recall, didn't win her year on the talent show) blew away the audience during the "Empire" segment.



Dolly Mothereffing Parton came out during the NBC upfront and showed the audience why she's still a legend. (NBC will be airing movies based on her life.)



In an upfront first, NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt accompanied Parton on piano. Dolly told the audience about Bob's dinner parties, and how they always end up around the piano. I'd do almost anything to see that.



Chris Carter, David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson. X-Files. Boom.



Also a first CBS upfront for James Corden, whose new "Late Late Show" is already earning critical acclaim and generating plenty of social buzz. CBS execs are very, very pleased.



This man should be pleased. The most powerful host in late night, Jimmy Fallon.



At the CW upfront: Gina Rodriguez and the cast of "Jane the Virgin" are having a moment.



Also at the CW: Stephen Amell ("Arrow") and Grant Gustin ("The Flash") are having another moment.



The CW president Mark Pedowitz, flanked by the cast of the new "Arrow"/"Flash" spinoff "DC's Legends of Tomorrow." Coming midseason.



The CW brings a hot music act to its upfront every year. This time, Of Monsters and Men perfomed.

And OK, here you go. More Miley. Listen, she's nutty, often high and can get pretty unnecessarily vulgar. But then she does have a strong voice, and a commanding presence. (The Flaming Lips joined her on stage at one point, but she easily overshadowed them). Some more pics: