The Adventures of Sasha P.'s Speakeasies (and more)

Years ago, I used to frequent a charming, little wine bar on the Lower East Side, called Von -- before it expanded to the much larger space it is now. While sipping on a glass of cabernet sauvignon, you could buy the antique chair you were sitting on. At the time, there was a very sweet bartender, whom I knew only as Sasha. We'd chat, nothing too deep that I can recall, and he'd often comp me drinks - cokes, if I wasn't in a wine-drinking mood.

I remember stopping by one evening, and to my dismay, Sasha was nowhere in sight. When I inquired of his whereabouts, the bartender working that night told me he'd left to open his own bar, handed me the number and location and I left soon after. That bar ended up being Milk and Honey, which was the start to a re-birth of Manhattan cocktails being served up in a speakeasy style establishment. I never followed through to venture to the bar and moved to London soon after. Interestingly, I had heard great things about Milk and Honey while I was overseas,.

I've been back for over four years now and speakeasies have swept the city. Sasha Petraske, as I was to learn his full name, is credited as being the godfather of New York cocktails. He owns numerous bars/speakeasies...so I have decided, in a pay-it-forward style, to visit each one (and ones under other ownership) and pay homage to Sasha.

I take a very romantic view of speakeasies. I love the Prohibition era, which is what popularized these bars that were serving alcohol illegally. Many New Yorkers might not be aware that Theater 80, on 80 St. Marks Place was a speakeasy in the '30s--and Frank Sinatra was a singing waiter there. Dizzy Gillespie used to perform there as well. (I interviewed the original owner years ago, before he died, and he gave me the low down).

Anyway...I made my first trip to Sasha's second bar--Little Branch, on Leroy Street and Seventh Ave. South.

I waited in line with my friend Dan. The door had an elegant brown sign with delicate engaving--we were in the right place. After 10 minutes or so--luckily under a gorgeous, breezy, summery air--we descended a dark set of stairs. I was very intrigued. And quite pleasantly surprised. The place is small and very sweet. Very simple in decor--stark, really, with a small bar to the right and a piano to the left. A trio started up with some live entertainment shortly after we arrived. There's a cluster of tables - booths - there as well. A single candle lights up each table top - giving the place a warm, very inviting glow. It's quite romantic, in fact. I loved that the male staff members were all dressed in vested suits. I felt transported to another era.

I am very much looking forward to my next speakeasy stop. Thanks, Sasha!

Dancin' in the Streets - NY Dance Parade 2011

This is the second year in a row that I have quite serendipitously happened upon the New York Dance Parade en route to the Union Square Greenmarket. I was in the subway passage at Union Square, about to exit, when I heard--and felt--the pulsating sounds of house music above me. Walking up the steps, I turned to look up Broadway to see a mix of people on a float - Tom & Zach Get Married - pink chapel, pink haired people dancing under the hot sun.

I couldn't decide if this was their after-party and was partly hoping it was--they just looked so into "the scene."

I love this city. I love these truly New York moments. I loved that I was experiencing a club atmosphere on the streets of Manhattan - happily recalling some of my well-spent college days club-hopping (I still miss The Red Zone). Following Tom & Zach were groups like Sisters in Motion, women dancing on old school roller-skates; pole dancers; the "Fully Focused Dance Group," which was a group of kids, essentially, boogeying down to the Black Eyed Peas; the KC Marching Falconers - which resembled a high school marching band--sans the instruments but with plenty of rhythm; a Jamaican Dance Hall Group.

Young, old, gay, straight, black, white, Hispanic and more--this parade is small--and I gather relatively unknown (at least I keep missing the memo on it). I did a bit of research and learned it's in its fifth year and showcases 74 forms of dance.

The description on its website made me smile:

The parade route starts on 21st street.  In honor of the earthquake victims, the parade will kick off with a Japanese Group.  We will then progress in the history of dance order and boogie our way down Broadway-- Hula, swing and samba our way past Union Square and into University Place. At Eighth Street we will Salsa, Tango and Waltz East into Saint Marks Place and our Grandstand in between 3rd and 4th Aves. Our House, Techno and Disco floats will have afternoon shoppers wigglin as they watch us get down in the heart of the East Village. A straight shot from there brings us to DanceFest in Tompkins Square Park.  At DanceFest we will come together and watch free dance performances on stage and at specific sites throughout the park--Free dance lessons are offered or you can enjoy a Dance Party.

Our mission is to promote dance as an expressive and unifying art form by showcasing all forms of dance, educating the general public about the opportunity to experience dance and celebrate the diversity of dance. 
For more information on how we’re changing the world through dance, click here for a downloadable overview. Come check out who’s already registered. Is there a dance you don’t see?  Is there a group that should be apart of this? Get them to join us!

I revelled in the joy--you can't not with such fanfare and celebration around this discipline.

The parade ended with Pacha, one of the house music floats. When the music died, it was as if we (inadvertent club goers) were dispersing from a good night "on the floor," as Jennifer Lopez would say.

Conversations about Dance

Bumming a cigarette during the first intermission of a New York City Ballet performance tonight proved to be quite fruitful. Not because I had a smoke in tow (with a generous offer for another during the next intermission), but because Stu, the kind gentleman (and cigarette benefactor) with whom I had become aquainted with, managed to encapsulate for me just why I love this dance company so much.

I've been a regular at The State Theater (I still call it that, though now it's the David H. Koch Theater) for roughly 14 years. I've never been able to articulate why I am drawn to it--chalking it up to "well, it's New York's own." I was still growing up in my early 20s--especially from a cultural standpoint, so I was growing up with the company--Damian Woetzel (I ran into him on the subway a couple of years ago--to his surprise, I recognized him), Jock Soto, Nikolaj Hubbe, Heather Watts--they were some of my idols.

But, tonight, while Stu and I were talking about dance, he pointed out that he prefers NYCB to American Ballet Theater, because there is much more dance--movement--to watch by virtue of the fact that it's a repertory company. ABT does produce lavish, beautiful story ballets, but the dancing, at times, gets overshadowed by the productions, he said. "The costumes get in the way," he added during the second intermission when I pressed him about his penchant for dance. I never considered that. Yes--NYCB--through George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins and the newer generations of balletmasters--do offer more excitement, innovation in dance. It's always been such a visceral experience for me in watching NYCB. I thought about this while I watched Opus 19/The Dreamer and particularly the finale, Fearful Symmetries, which incorporated more modern dance.

I loved to learn that Stu became a patron of dance through romance. He dated a ballet student in New York back in the sixties. They'd see all the companies that were based in the city or were passing through...something about her being a student of Martha Graham. Apparently, she and Stu didn't see eye to eye on Graham's particular style, though he didn't indicate that's why they broke up.

I'm glad she gave him the gift of dance.

Through a cigarette and a handshake, I now understand why I will always love NYCB.

Prodigy's Mobb Deep

I admit. I didn't know a lick about Mobb Deep, or Prodigy, one member of the hip-hop duo--who is also considered to be one of hip-hop's acclaimed artists--until this evening. I had lunch with my friend Dave and told him I was going to a lecture with Prodigy tonight, sponsored by The Hudson Union Society. He seemed uber impressed--much less by my blank face and mispronunciation of Mobb Deep's name--and much more that I would be in such company.

I have to say, I walked away from the lecture with a mixture of feelings--all of them good. Inspired. Entertained. Awed.

Prodigy, who was recently released from jail--he was serving out a three-year sentence for gun possession--talked a bit about a lot of things. Including how he used to do his laundry with Dennis Koslowski, Tyco's former CEO, while he was in prison. That comment got a round of laughs from the audience. I was struck by how many white-boy-wannabe-rappers were "in da house," and who were clearly grateful for the opportunity to be able to tell Prodigy how memories of Mobb Deep go, well, mobb deep, in their musical upbringings.

He spoke about the war between East Coast hip-hop and its West Coast counterpart. Apparently, Snoop Dogg was unimpressed with NYCers lack of overt enthusiasm (it seems we're a bit more laid back than LA folks) at one of his performances. This saw the creation of a Snoop Dogg song/video, "New York, New York," with the rapper crushing our beloved buildings and monuments with his feet. So, in turn, Mobb Deep released a song/video: "LA, LA."

Competitive edge, he said, is a characteristic of the music genre. It all seemed tongue and cheek, although Prodigy did address the deaths of Tupac and Biggie Smalls.

Prodigy spoke about his growing awareness of spirituality. He talked about suffering from sickle cell anemia and how painful it was to go through this as a child. He said something very profound: that before he never believed in God. But, now he believes God exists and that when you are suffering through something, there's some lesson you have to learn and that's why you are experiencing the trauma at hand.

He also talked about hip-hop becoming more of a global community, like the more defined merging of American and European hip-hop styles: "It's either that or we destroy ourselves," he said.

I was quite interested to learn that he comes from a family of entertainers. Prodigy's mother sang with the 60s group, The Crystals and his grandfather was a famous saxophonist (there's more, but I can't articulate them well from memory). He has just released an autobiography, My Infamous Life, in the making since 2004. I liked that he said he wanted this to be a part of his legacy--so people would know he has a long history in the Business.

It may be a friend that gave him his nickname--calling him 'prodigy,' because he was a child genius. Doesn't seem that far afield given his roots.

Well, I'm off now, to go and learn some of Mobb Deep's music.