- Blog
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Lviv Station
First stop in Ukraine is always Lviv. The beautiful вокзал badly needs some modernization but nonetheless always feels welcoming.
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Scenes from WAW
The short layover in WAW is always a pleasant and interesting experience. The airport is modern but not very large, so it’s quite easy to get around. And there’s always something interesting parked on the tarmac.
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Temporarily Relocated
The Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market on West 116 St has been a landmark and tourist attraction in Harlem since opening in 1994. It’s home to dozens of vendors selling African clothing and products. As a Harlem resident since 2008, I always enjoy the sight of tourists, many of them French-speaking, patronizing the market and attending…
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In the New Year 2026
Infinity Cat wishes you a happy 2026 and promises to be more present on this blog in the new year.
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Chao Mein
A selection of Latin-Chinese food within the Latin food aisle of Food Bazaar is the kind of find that always warms my heart in NYC.
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Seen Outside the Hilton
New Yorkers never disappoint when it comes to how (and where) they express their opinions.
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Our Ride to Berlin
Our flight to Berlin was in this Embraer 175 sporting a very classy retro-livery. The ride was otherwise pretty basic.
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Saint Sophia
Haven’t been inside yet but Saint Sophia Cathedral is otherworldly from the outside. I took this photo last night as a very light mist of snow was depending on Kyiv. It’s not retouched at all; it really did glow like this.
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R.I.P. Steve Albini
What an utter bummer to hear that Steve Albini has passed away. Like so many others, I’ve been a fan of Albini for his work with Nirvana, The Pixies, PJ Harvey, — even Cheap Trick! But equally important, Albini has been an inspiration to me ever since I read “The Problem with Music.” His staunch…
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Total Eclipse 2024
NYC wasn’t in the path of totality for today’s solar eclipse, but from a rooftop in Harlem I gotta say it was pretty spectacular anyway. On our roof, a dozen-or-so neighbors came up to catch a glimpse. Some had brought extra solar glasses to share so everyone who came up without glasses (including me) got…
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DakhaBrakha
The highlight of my month was seeing DakhaBrakha live for the first time. Their sold-out show at Penn Live Arts on March 3 was every bit as awesome as I expected. DakhaBrakha describe their music as “ethnic chaos” but I think that name greatly understates what they actually do. To my ears, their sound is…
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Ukraine, The Game Changer
A spot-on piece by Thomas Friedman: Most Americans don’t know a lot about Ukraine, but I say this without any hyperbole: Ukraine is a game-changing country for the West, for better or for worse depending on the war’s outcome. Its integration into the European Union and NATO someday would constitute a power shift that could…
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The Portal North Bridge
Recently, I worked with Amtrak to help tell the story of the Portal North Bridge, which is part of the massive Gateway Program. Gateway will help fortify a critical link in Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor between Newark and Manhattan. It’s a great and necessary project that will provide benefits to millions on the East Coast, even…
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On the Metro
One of my favorite parts of visiting DC is visiting Metro’s stations, because it always makes me feel like I’m a tourist visiting a retro future. Blame it on growing up addicted to 70s sci-fi, where the future was always represented (not always positively) as a world of Brutalist megastructures. I still want to live in that…
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Harlem Haze
The smoke from the Canadian wildfires have transformed NYC this week. We’re not quite at Blade Runner 2049 levels yet, but boy it sure feels like we’re getting close. I’m very much reminded of my visits to China in 2007 and 2009 that inspired Beijing Haze.
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Biking to Walmart HQ
When the new Walmart campus opens, roughly half its employees will live within 5 miles of their work. The plan is for every employee to have easy access to bike parking, showers and lockers. At the outset, Marsiglio says, there will probably be more spots than bikers, but the company is betting on reaching its…
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Watching the Planes Over Flushing
You wouldn’t think that a food court in Flushing would be a great place for plane spotting, but the Tangram Mall is here to prove you wrong. Our nerdy little group of friends enjoyed front row views of planes approaching LGA with side orders of soft-serve and bubble teas. When we weren’t taking photos with…
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A Moto Spring Fling
Last month, we embarked on a 16 day, 2,400 mile roadtrip that took us to Rochester, Toronto, Detroit, Louisville, and Seneca Rocks. This trip was a smaller follow-up to the epic nine week, 8,500 mile ride we did last year. (One day I’ll get around to writing up that trip…) Our spring fling was a…
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The Best Commute is Often No Commute
In 2019, the average one-way commute in the United States hit a record of almost 28 minutes, according to the Census Bureau. Nearly 40 percent of Americans commuted a half-hour or more, one way, and almost 10 percent traveled for more than an hour one way. For many, the pandemic-era shift to remote work proved…
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Vyshyvanka Day 2023
Happy Vyshyvanka Day, a day to celebrate Ukrainian culture and fab embroidered clothing. We’re doing our part with take-out from Veselka.
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Picnic in the Park
An after-work picnic on a perfect evening in Central Park’s Sheep Meadow. A few thousand others had the same idea but there was plenty of space for all. It’s moments like these that remind me how incredibly wonderful it is to live in NYC.
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Moto Practice Makes Perfect
Our beloved MT-03 opened up a new world for me by introducing me to motorcycling and taking me to places I’d never have seen otherwise. It’s equally fun to watch that world open up for Alex as she grows more confident on two wheels.
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Monch in the House
Cat sitting Monchichi is always a treat.
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Spring is Here Again
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3 West
It’s always fun to see faraway things up close. I think this highway sign on Route 21 in Clifton, NJ (as seen from Rutt’s Hut!) is an older one because it uses reflective dots instead of retroreflective sheeting to provide illumination at night. The dots may be outdated but they bring a lovely old-school tactile…
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Mercado Little Spain
This weekend, we strolled over to Hudson Yards to check out Mercado Little Spain, a new food hall from Chef José Andrés. It did not disappoint.
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Transit Costs Project
Why does transit construction in America cost so much?
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Getting Government Out of Twitter
Public agencies and officials should look for alternatives to Twitter, stat.
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Democracy in Numbers
We need more blue in this chart.
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Слава Україні
Remembering visits to Lviv on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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Every Walk is a Photo Walk
An embarrassment of eye candy on a very average night in Manhattan from a very average photographer. I may not live in New York City forever but while I’m here I know I’ll never be bored. Every block reveals something unexpected and wonderful.
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Farewell, MTA
A Valentine to 24 years at the MTA.
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Reverse Commuting 2.0
“In a best-case scenario, we remove 30 or 40 percent of the office stock in New York City, turn it into wonderful housing. New York City has all these great amenities, it’s a wonderful place where young people want to live, regardless of where they work.” He imagined people telecommuting to jobs in other parts…
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Back to the Blog (Part 3)
At the end of the day, we don’t know what is going to happen next with Twitter or any of these platforms. We don’t know what changes Web 3.0 is going to bring to the internet. We do know that we will all still be here, wanting to share our thoughts, talk about anything and…
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Ironbound
A trip to Newark’s Ironbound is always a treat. It ranks up there with the best of NYC’s ethnic enclaves and is totally worth the short ride via NJ Transit or PATH.
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Jury Duty
One fact you didn’t know about me: I’ve served on jury duty more times than anyone I know — of any age. Starting at age 19 in New Jersey, I’ve been called for jury duty at least six times and have served on at least five juries in New Jersey, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. (It’s been…
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A Secret Moto Cave in Brooklyn
On a recent visit to Triumph Brooklyn (just window shopping, I swear), I got to see the super-cool secret elevator that they use to access their workshop/storage space from the showroom. How awesome is that?!? According to the staff, the space used to be the private garage of some incredibly lucky dude who had this…
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Beware of Con Games
Sign Rater: Good advice, great location (Greene St, Soho), fantastic semiotic delight.
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Year of the Rabbit
In with the Rabbit, out with the Tiger in Chinatown. Happy Lunar New Year everyone!
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Happy New Year 2023
New year, new ride: a slightly-used — and steeply-discounted — 2022 Yamaha Tracer 9GT has replaced the beloved 2005 Yamaha FJR1300 that carried us over 8,500 miles this summer. Looking forward to the adventures we’ll have with this one. Wishing you all a great 2023 filled with happy adventures.
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Argentina
A lot of happy fans in Times Square tonight.
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Cornwells Heights, PA
SEPTA and Philly, always entertaining.
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Supporting Ukraine
Like many others around the world, I’ve been incredibly moved and inspired by the courage of Ukrainians as they face the cruel and relentless devastation inflicted by Russia. The stakes couldn’t be higher: war in Ukraine is a test for democracy globally and its citizens are paying the price for all of us. Those of…
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2 Cats 2 Furrious
I’m cat sitting for my stepdad this week, which means welcoming the one-and-only Monchichi back to Harlem. I can’t wait to discover what shenanigans she and Helena will come up with.
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It’s A Shame About Ray
This week’s heavy rotation: It’s A Shame About Ray (30th Anniversary Edition) by The Lemonheads. I’ve loved this album since I got it on CD in 1992 and I’m sure I’ll still love it thirty years from now. Three decades on, I still find myself transported by its laidback and wistful vibes. My faves on…
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Chickens of 117 St
Live chickens in Harlem? Yes they exist, at least on 117 St, and they live just like the human residents do — side-by-side in a dizzying contrast of lifestyles. The chickens at Urban Garden Center look happy and healthy, despite living underneath the noisy Metro-North tracks. They’re fawned over by passerby and I don’t think…
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Phew
What a difference a week makes. Last Monday was a lot scarier than today. Thank goodness for victories for democracy in the USA and Ukraine.
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Mastodon
Speaking of Twitter, like many others I’m checking out Mastodon in case the bird takes a fatal dive under its new owner. My initial impressions: Mastodon is slow as molasses and way too confusing to get started for most potential users. (Having to pick an initial server probably stops 90% of the curious from going…
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The Midterms
It’s Election Day in the USA and it’s yet another nail-biter for those of us worried about the resilience of democracy in this country. Here’s two good pieces about what’s at stake: Timothy Snyder’s powerful but sobering video message at his Substack: America is on the Ballot. John Oliver’s sobering and hilarious segment on Last…
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Little Island
First time to Little Island after passing by literally hundreds of times on my bike ride to/from the office. It did not disappoint.