Constant Reader discussion

Here's an interesting piece by the late Tony Judt on what it means for New York to be or have been a world city rather than an American city:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/08/opi...

Do any Constant Readers know yet if they plan to attend the 2011 CR convention in New York from September 15-18, or is it much too early to even consider what you plan for next year?

I will have to see as it gets closer. I hope to be able to attend.

I hope you'll be able to, as well!

Thanks for thinking ahead, Yulia. I plan to attend the 2011 convention in NYC unless something really drastic (a la Hurricane Katrina) happens in the meantime.

Wonderful!

I'm pretty sure we'll be coming.

Bravo! I promise perfect weather and no rude New Yorkers.

I'll be there if I have feet.

I am keeping a positive hopeful vibe about this...

You could always borrow my transport chair should anything happen to your feet in the next year. I'm atheistically praying for their health and well-being, though.

Well, this seems to be a much cozier attendance list than I expected. It should be much simper to plan this way. We may even be able to get consensus on almost everything :)

Oh, I expect more will be coming. Some people are notoriously slow in figuring things out. Allen will be there. Count on it. And Jane always comes.

What did my Kentucky ancestors say? "God willing and the crick don't rise." We've got CR NYC marked on our calendar and would love to be there.

The third weekend in September is full of traditional activities we’ve attended for years with family and friends we don’t often get to see: Delaware Oktoberfest with homemade German food, Virginia wine festival at Bull Run Park, and the Bel Air (Maryland) Festival for the Arts.

Having said that… I’ve already started occasionally mentioning to my husband that I’d like to go to CR’s NYC convention. I’m not sure if I’ll be there the whole time, but I’m pretty sure I’ll make at least a day or two.

FYI for anyone in driving distance of NYC: Not only can gas and tolls be very expensive, but NYC hotels charge hefty daily fees for the privilege of parking your car at their facility; you’d be surprised how much. My suggestion, if available in your area, checkout Megabus.com. I’ve used them twice. From my area, I saved a huge amount of money by traveling with them. You can’t really use your car much there anyway because of traffic and parking. Even if you wind up using cabs, it will still be cheaper than bringing your car.

I will be there too and Yulia I am happy to help with any prep work - although I live in MA I try to make it down to NYC fairly often (about once a month).

I would love to come, but Sebastien and I have already made plans to be in France and Italy next September. I hope I can make the CR convention the next year, which I think is in Pittsburgh.

Yulia,

I am planning on coming. Since I have been retired, I do so much volunteer work that it seems like I am not on the board as much as when I was working! That is why I am late with my reply.

Jane

Sherry, I was just joking. I know more will eventually decide to make the convention, especially if they're in the area. But I still hope it has the ease of meeting old friends described about previous conventions, regardless of how many show up.

Philip, you know how much I would love for you and Kathleen to be able to make it. That's one of my great wishes.

Janet, it'd be great for you to attend whatever you can manage in your schedule. Thanks so much for the car/parking advice, as it's something I've never dealt with.

Al, I'm certain to need advice. How well do you or other CRs know Williamsburg? I'm a stranger to the neighborhood (Brooklyn in general) and need to check it out to see what's worth visiting.

Jane, of course I knew to expect you :) But I'm so glad you've been able to volunteer as much as you do. I envy your energy.

I'll be coming all the way from Brooklyn.

Are you sure you will be able to drive that far David(smiling broadly)?

I'm thiiiiiinking about it. I've never been to NYC. This is a running joke at work as the majority of my work is with the NY office of my firm. I've been to DC several times and to Boston, but never had reason to go to NY for work, and have never made a visit for pleasure, thought I've been thinking about it for years.

I have always intended to stay at the Chelsea Hotel when I do make it to NY, due to its literary/musical/artistic history, general quirkiness and good location and price. However, whenever I mention this to someone from New York, they always state firmly "But it's a dump!" Yulia, what is your verdict?

Theresa, feeling tempted . . .

Theresa, I'd love for you to finally make it to New York, especially for the conference, but is your attending predicated on others also staying at the Chelsea Hotel? I've only visited the Chelsea Hotel once, when family friends stayed there, but I didn't know of its history then and thought it an awful place. I've also never cared for the area in general. (David, what's your impression of the hotel and area?)

I was thinking of having it be closer to Columbus Circle (nearer to the restaurants and museums I had in mind).

How important is it that the hub be at Chelsea Hotel?

Ah, no, sorry for the misunderstanding, Chelsea Hotel is not a condition at all! It's just an automatic reference for me when I think of visiting New York.

If I come, I will probably either come a couple of days early or stay a few extra days (I have the excuse that I can work out of my firm's NY office) so if I feel the absolute need to experience the Chelsea I can do it on my own time. I have the feeling the Chelsea would not be many CR's cup of tea, but I have a great affection for quirkiness.

Theresa

The area is OK. It's an easy subway ride to Columbus Circle. I don't recommend the Chelsea Hotel. I stayed there once in 1985, and never went back. If you want a history fix, it may still have tours next Sept. See reviews in Trip Advisor.

For something unusual, consider the House of the Redeemer. It has a beautiful library room. It is a retreat space for church groups.

Oh, great relief. I'll definitely check it out the next time I go to Chelsea Market (which I know everyone will love) to see if the hotel is better than I recall.

I prefer to remember it in song, though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YDb1m...

Thanks for the song, Yulia. I had not heard it before. It's lovely, and quintessential Leonard.

Theresa

With Yulia's permission, I invited Chang-rae Lee to join us on Sunday, October 16, but unfortunately he is unable to come. I took the liberty of saying that we would pay for his transportation and his lunch, but he has a break that weekend. Darn!

But my goal this weekend is to invite Brian Morton to the convention. Hope it fares better.

Wow, that would be great, Yulia.

I LOVE Brian Morton!

Sorry for the delay in writing Morton, but I wanted to read a third book by him, A Window Across the River, beforehand. I finished it last night and will have the invitation out to him by tomorrow. It's a great book, by the way.

Here are pictures of a few NYC bookstores to salivate over.

http://nyc.popsugar.com/Best-NYC-Book...

There used to be this wonderful bookstore in the Village called Bleeker Street Books. It was a used book store and just had stacks and stacks of books. They were classified by genre and slightly aphabetical. But I would explore for hours.

Is this taking place in September or October? What is the latest information?

Zorro, the invitation should have reached you this atfernoon. If not, the information is in the events folder on the right side when you ook at the main page of Constant Reader. I'll post more tomorrow. I hope you can attend!

And thanks for the link, Ruth. I'll have to check it out. I often bemoan the lack of "real" bookstores where I live.

Zorro,
Look at the very bottom of the Constant Reader page under events. The information is there.

Sounds like a great time! I will be in the Adirondacks at that time visiting family. Too far to commute!

(Late) Best wishes to you all in NY for the meet.