NY – Waverly Inn

After walking for many blocks thinking you’re lost in the middle of a New York unknown for most tourists, you will see it. In the middle of nowhere. It all starts with a grocery shop, with lots of sophisticated items that contradict the extremely laid-back atmosphere. And that’s what’s cool about the place. Wooden chairs that look like they were just taken from a very old American decadent farm. And yet, nice (even famous) people hanging around. For dinner it’s hard to get a table and photographs are forbidden inside.

Here’s The New Your Times service on the place, and also a review about the place.

16 Bank Street at Waverly Place, Greenwich Village; (212) 243-7900.

ATMOSPHERE Ye Waverly Inn, a nearly century-old tavern with a series of cozy rooms below street level, has lost the “Ye” and gained some polish, a warm glow and a retro glamour.

SOUND LEVEL Loud.

RECOMMENDED DISHES Clam chowder; tuna tartare; beets with goat cheese; wood-grilled mussels; short ribs; wild salmon with lentils; Dover sole; pan-roasted Amish chicken with wild mushrooms; burger; fries with truffle oil; apple crisp; bananas Foster.

WINE LIST International, with an emphasis on France, a much shorter list of whites than reds and many bottles in the $40 to $65 range.

PRICE RANGE Appetizers, $8 to $14; entrees, $14 to $55; desserts, $7 to $8.

HOURS 6 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. Sunday and Monday and to 12:45 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

RESERVATIONS Not being accepted over the main telephone line. Walk-ins can request reservations.

CREDIT CARDS All major cards.

Veggie spot in Shibuya

It’s called Nagi and it’s in Shibuya. I’ve read in a very interesting blog that this is one of the best vegetarian places in Tokyo (!!!). I am making this note here, since being a vegetarian in the land of the raw fish will make me eat vegetables the whole trip. So maybe this will prove useful one of these days.

The link so I can find the address (it’s all in Japanese!, oh my god!).

She looks happy in the pic.   : )

Nakameguro neighborhood

Jean Snow video showing a place called Nakameguro. I like the format of the video, where he takes you swiftly to the streets of this neighborhood, showing the places he likes as an insider. One of the places, for example, is a second-hand book shop where you can find art and design books while you comfortably sip a cup of coffee.

His blog is also cool. This guy is actually a contributor of many interesting and acknowledged publications,
such as the Wired Magazine (quite a reference ahn?), Superfuture, MocoLoco, etc. That’s enough I guess. What I like about him is he has such a laid-back attitude, being so cool at the same time.

trying to understand Harajuku

Getting ready to go to China and Japan, bags almost packed, it’s time to start being curious about the culture I will be going to find out lively in a couple of weeks. The soudtrack right now is “Japan”, by Cocorosie, and it couldn’t be more adequate:

“everybody wants to go to japan
everybody, just hold hands”

I just found this very interesting article about Harajuku, which gives some light to some of the facts that make the spot such an intense source of youth energy. The complete text is here, and 5 short explanations to the myth I copy below. But the full text is reeeeally worth reading.

(1) Harajuku-born styles are beyond rationalization or comprehension.

Ex.: “You walk into Harajuku and—bam!—you are in outer space” (10).

(2) Harajuku is a “bottom-up” fashion ecosystem where “elite” organizations like the media or giant manufacturers have only a small impact on trend creation and flow.

Ex.: “Since the emergence of the Harajuku scene, numerous magazines have reported on and helped steer its trends, but their impact is minor compared to the influence of the action on the streets themselves” (10).

(3) Harajuku styles change much more rapidly than standard seasonal fashion cycles.

Ex.: “So immediate and rapid is the turnover of trends, and so attenuated the attention of the fashion-forward, that subtle difference make dramatic statements” (10).

(4) The world needs Harajuku more than Harajuku needs the world.

“Couture and high fashion had previously been considered solely the province of Europe and America, so for Japanese designers, the prospect of showing a collection in Paris was equivalent to playing in the major league. With the advent of the Harajuku scene, this was no longer the case. Suddenly the established fashion world was on the outside looking in, and the Western fashion establishment no wwants to work with the Harajuku avant-garde. … Marc Jacobs works with art impresario Takashi Murakami. Pop star Gwen Stefani professes her love for the Harajuku girl” (10).

(5) Harajuku consumers love “democratic” idols like hairdressers and store clerks rather than demagogic popstars and Hollywood celebrities.

Ex.: “There is a strange sort of democratic idolatry found there. Celebrities are not the only fashion icons, but all those tangentially involved in the business —designers, stylists, shop staff, hair stylists, andeven publicists — enjoy a great deal of notoriety within the scene” (13).

(quite clarifying, isn’t it? let’s say thanks to Marxy)

* * *

Well, the author of the above text, W. David Marx (Marxy), Tokyo-based writer and musician, recommends this book for those e who want to understand a little about the cultural movement represented by Harajuku: Style Deficit Disorder, by Tiffany Godoy. It’s on my ‘books to buy’ list for the trip.

Harajuku, here we go, as my friend Jax said!

Colouring Books

We need to buy this as a gift for our friend Regina. And surely some for us to start in the art of colouring!

for our super little home

Cibone looks like a place we cannot miss. Precisely because of this:

And this:

Puma + Alexander McQueen

Minority Rev, Tokyo, only super selected brands: Rick Owens, Ann Demeulemeester, and some I’ve never heard of and I guess it’s time to know: a nouk, commuun, AKM, itty-bitty, Kris van Assche, among others like Balenciaga, Johnn Galliano… and the Puma + Alexander McQueen desire sneakers.

And the store looks cool:

Icepop

Can’t miss in the exploratory visit to the supermarket:

They are called frozen treats and (of course) there’s a whole story behind them. Here, a short glimpse of the full text from PingMag.

“Frozen treats began to be produced as a substitute for ice cream after World War II, when almost all dairy products were designated for military use. A popular simple treat at the time was merely ice mixed with sweetener, into which a pair of disposable chopsticks were stuck. Very basic, but it made folks happy in those tough times. Beginning in 1952, treats with milk finally began to appear, and soon shops sold a great variety of frozen delights.”

ties can be adorable

Achei meio incríveis estas gravatas. Elas têm o bico lá embaixo sem ser pontudo. Um corte assimétrico dá o acabamento na ponta inferior. Ousadas.

Só tem para vender na Colette, na United Arrows em Tokyo, algumas lojas de NY (willimsburgh tem, por exemplo) e LA.

O site tem outras coisas, tudo masculino.