San Francisco vs. New York

People like to compare NY and SF and having lived in both, I actually think they are more similar than most people give them credit. It's just that New York is the larger of the two and so gets pulled up to the ranks of London, Paris, Tokyo and Los Angeles.

Three years ago, there was an excellent post that compared New York neighborhoods to San Francisco ones. While some of the equivalencies felt a little forced, I thought many of them were spot on, e.g. Park Slope = Noe Valley. I would compare the gay Polk Street corridor to the West Village, especially Christopher Street but that's all I would really change.

There was quite a bit of disdain for this exercise, with many exclamations that no where in New York could possibly be compared to rinky-dink San Francisco because it's soooo much bigger. This supposition is not quite true.

People tend to forget that MANHATTAN is relatively small in terms of RESIDENT population – only about 1.5 million people live there. The parts that most people refer to – south of 125th – would be more comparable to San Francisco. People perceive Manhattan to be larger than it is because every day over 8 MILLION people commute into the enormous midtown and downtown business districts from all over the metro area. If Manhattan were set up solely for its' resident population, the scale of the city would be smaller than it is. San Francisco’s workday population merely doubles the city’s size and it’s concentrated in the Financial District and SoMa.

Another thing is both Brooklyn and Queens dwarf Manhattan in terms of population. They each top out at over 2 million with Brooklyn being the largest of the two at 2.5 million. With that in mind, Brooklyn is more comparable to the entire urban East Bay shoreline before the tunnels vs. just Oakland.

The power of the Apple Store

Seems as though Apple's Regent Street store in London has transformed what was a relatively boring shopping corridor – I remember lots of Scottish tweed and humdrum cashmere – and turned it into one of the most sought after commercial streets in the UK. It's also the most profitable retailer in London.

Similar news came in some time ago that the NY Fifth Avenue location was it's most profitable location and is probably the highest grossing retailer, pretty astonishing considering the company it keeps – Tiffany, Gucci, Calvin Klein etc. Over 38 million people visited the store last year.

It's so funny to see these figures because when they first opened their stores, so many people crapped all over the idea. 'Waste of money,' they said. 'No tech company has ever built a successful retail presence,' they said. Ironically, I am sure it has been the Mac loyal that has helped build this franchise – reinforcing the importance of brand loyalty.

For a long time, I grew frustrated at the Apple experience. Shoddy stores, poor displays, über geek helpers who were more interested in besting your knowledge than actually helping you. Now the Apple experience is one of the best retail experiences there is. So much so that Microsoft is ripping it off, which basically says all that needs to be said about Microsoft.

Return to the bad old days

Photo credit [NYT]

I read an article in the Washington Post via Huffington Post on the next wave of housing distress – renters. Landlords and management companies all over the country own mortgages that are under water and under pressure. What does one do when the building isn't making money? Cut back on maintenance.

I recall the bad old days of the 1970s and early 1980s in NYC when faced with poor tenants, housing violations and dilapidated buildings, landlords set their apartments on fire to collect insurance money. Alas this is on a national scale but I'm sure more so in the usual suspects – California, Arizona, and Florida being three of them.

This may get worse before it gets better.

Keep (this space) clear

Keep (this space) clear
Originally uploaded by Briggate.com

I've completed the final part of my move – at least the NY one. I rid myself of the 95% of the moving boxes, thereby clearing space for what will be the office. Having those boxes looming over my shoulder has kept me in 'moving' status longer than I thought they would.

It's amazing how little things keep you chained to a state of being or thinking.

Returning to normal

I'm 50% finished with my move and 100% finished the NY part of my move. The other 50% – the move of stuff long languishing in storage in San Francisco – will take a few weeks to complete but will happen sooner than later. It's amazing what a difference a new space can make in one's life. I've gone from dark and small to light and large. It's awesome.

I'll kick off the 'summer' season shortly with posts from the public day at the ICFF – International Contemporary Furniture Fair – at the Jacob Javitz Center here in NY. I've avoided my design blogs so that I can approach the show with my own lens without outside influence. It's my first ICFF show so I'm excited to see what I usually see second or third hand.

T Minus two days

As I mentioned, posts will remain sporadic as I prepare for my move. The movers arrive on Saturday. Huzzah!

I will get the keys today. I'm beyond excited. Now I have to figure out how to smooth the transition for the doggie.

Ten Degrees

IMG_0463
Originally uploaded by mitchsfo

Next in the "restaurants and bars I've been spending too much time in" series.

A stylistic representation of 'Ten Degrees' on St. Marks and Ave A in the East Village. Great place run by a guy name Moti from Puerto Rico. I've never been to PR but if this bar is anything like the island, I need to go.

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
Originally uploaded by Silvia de Luque

I am like this man at the moment. I'm in a state of paralysis in many ways.

I'm waiting on three different things – the chance of a new apartment and a completely new way to interact with the city, a project that has been in the decision making process for ages and payment from a client. There are other things I'm waiting for but those are the big three.

It's really scary to be hanging by a thread, as it were.

But it's better than no momentum at all.

Moving?

I've been angst ridden while I search for a new apartment. As much as I love my neighborhood, it's a bit difficult to live in a tourist paradise. At some point in time you just want to say – get off my lawn!

Top Shop opening

Was Marc Jacobs and his husband at a Top Shop opening dinner yesterday? Really? Top Shop? Really??

New York has gone Top Shop crazy. I intend to check it out myself in a week or two, once the broohaa has simmered down a lot. At least another cool store has opened in my neighborhood. Whether it will be my neighborhood in a couple of months, remains to be seen.

Anyone else think these two look like twins? Well, twins separated by a few years.

Apartment hunting

I've been busy looking at apartments through the city. I have to say, after so many years of insane rents, it's a welcome thing for rents to come down to 'normal' levels. It's unfortunate that it has to come about with so much unemployment. But a recent NYT article talks about lots of grinning renters now able to afford decent places in the city as opposed to hole in the walls for $30,000/month.

Hat tip [JJH]

Blogging Mood

One thing I haven't done recently is review my blogs. I tend to just write them and walk away.

But I have noticed a change in the frequency that I write. Some days I just feel up to it and others I don't know what to say. I have also noticed that when I'm a little down, I tend not to write. No surprise there, huh.

It's been an emotionally turbulent time for me, for reasons I won't get into here. But suffice it to say that the change in weather is starting to lift my spirits. It's amazing what a difference those extra hours of sun can make.

Nick Cave @ Jack Shainman Gallery

Nick Cave 1
Originally uploaded by mitchsfo

My friends in NYC must visit the Jack Shainman gallery in West Chelsea. I have never seen such amazing sculpture. He uses embroidery, lace, macrame, buttons and other sewing crafts to create these Sound Suits. Now I will have to follow his work. Those in San Francisco, it's heading to the MoMA in March. You must see it for yourself.

Messiah van

Messiah van
Originally uploaded by mitchsfo

I had one of those 'only in NY' moments yesterday. Roughly 10 vans with  scratchy loudspeakers blaring something inaudible. Signs in different languages lauded the presence of the Messiah. At least according to followers of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson on Eastern Parkway.

I took this picture with a relatively new app on the App Store called QuadCamera, written by a Japanese developer. The app allows you to take up to eight pictures consecutively, something difficult to do using the standard Camera application. 

Social networking traffic up in NY

In keeping with the theme that social networking traffic is being added by our current downtown, I call your attention to an article in Crain's NY Business. 

The article 'Jobless and lovelorn rush to network' mentioned that the professional site LinkedIn reported an 11% increase in NY area traffic, no doubt coinciding with the bloodletting that is taking place in the city's core industries.

Empty

The streets of Soho and Nolita are empty. At noon. On a Tuesday. 

Restaurants that were packed to the gills just a few weeks before have two diners tops. 

Honestly it feels like seven in the morning rather than the height of noon. 

I hope this deadly stillness won't continue.

Are you a Rocker, a Minimalist or a Dandy?

One of the great things about living next to Soho is the ability to shop its gorgeous streetscape early in the day before the madness begins. It's especially gratifying in January when the tourists throngs are sparse, the service is high and the prices are low. 

I wandered into three of my favorite menswear stores to look for my perfect pair of casual everyday shoes. In Soho I went to J. Lindberg, John Varvatos and on lower 5th Avenue, Paul Smith; I had to be in the Union Square area for something else. Each experience offered something different with some more successful than others.

It seems as though every retailer these days is selling a big idea that extends past their category. Perfect case in point, Anthopologie, the womenswear and home goods retailer that sells dresses, dishes and children's coloring books alongside one another. Paul Smith was the most similar to this experience. The clothes are always amazing in that store but equally as interesting were the books, furniture and other goods that captures the spirit of Paul Smith – the eccentric English gentleman. I have my eye on a pair of sneakers there but I also found a set of plates that I liked; one of them would look great on my media shelf. I wanted to buy pretty much everything at Paul Smith. Hopefully one day my budget will allow that to happen. 

J. Lindberg was the most disappointing of the three. I love his clothes – great tailoring and fabrics. But the store itself is kinda boring and nondescript. The products came off a lot more junky and I didn't get a sense for what J. Lindberg stands for. Even the price points were a little all over the place. To me, Tretorn does a better job of communicating stylish Swedish minimalism. The experience hasn't soured me on J. Lindberg but in such a competitive retail environment, the store needs thinning out and smarting up. 

John Varvatos rocks, in more ways than one. The brand is all about rock-and-roll – well, successful rock-and-rollers not garage bandmembers – and you see it infused everywhere. Iggy Pop leaps off the wall. Mini stage-lights shine down on glossy jeans, furry jackets and quality shoes that manage to look old and new. There isn't much curation; the emphasis is on the clothes. In many ways, Varvatos speaks for the American Dandy, rooted in music and a bit rough around the edges. 

I want to check out his new store closer to me in the old CBGBs. That space has special memories for me. In college, I saw Human League there with a friend of mine; it was one of my first concerts. Great times. From what I've seen, he did a great job of converting the space. He also has more room to add some curation to the mix. Look forward to seeing what's important to John Varvatos.