Fall energy was definitely in the air eventhough the economic situation was somewhat apparent while glancing into stores or neighborhood restaurants. My local market (Jefferson Market) closed down. They were behind on their Con Ed bill. This place was an institution in the West Village. A place to get great veggies, gourmet cheeses and stumble into the neighborhood celebrities like Julianne Moore or Elvis Costello. Once Citarella opened up down the block, they just could not compete. Sad to see them go. We need to support these local shops. Otherwise, the big corporate chain businesses will just gobble them all up.

Had dinner at a cozy, fun, new restaurant  Cafe Select. Located in Soho at 212 Lafayette. Cafe Select, a Swiss cafe is the latest venture of downtown restaurateur Serge Becker. A good variety of small plates and salads. The puff pasty with mushrooms was divine. Entrees range from veal sausage to seared marinated steak over arugula (yummy) and of course Schnitzel. Cute crowd and decent selection of Swiss wines. After we headed to Apotheke in Chinatown. A speakeasy/cocktail bar at 9 Doyers St. The spot’s marked only by the Gold Flower Restaurant sign in an alleyway off Bowery.

Like an apothecary, the bartenders/mixologists mix and concoct all sorts of drinks from glass jars lined up along the bar and on shelves. We tasted a Pisco drink, something with Rose-water and some Scotchy thing. All incredibly satisfying. Suprising since I really don’t drink anything but wine.

Just when I thought I had seen it all, along comes a pedi-cab with a pole dancer.  This rentable stripper rickshaw’s comes equipped with pole, boom box, neon-lit platform, and video camera for capturing the sweet dance moves and onlookers befuddled titillation. Only in New York!

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The Advocate recently phoned Maddow, who now lives with her partner, artist Susan Mikula, in New York City and Massachusetts, to get the newswoman’s take on the recent spate of gay headlines. Read more

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Since the release of their debut album “Siempre Hay Salida” in 2006, the band has been featured in Rolling Stone Magazine, Billboard Magazine, The New Yorker, Latina Magazine and NPR. Pistolera has also been very vocal about immigrant rights and their contribution to this country. They performed last May at the Union Square Rally in NYC in support of immigrant rights and justice for all human beings.

Their sophomore album ” En Este Camino” will be released nationwide on August 5. Pistolera will play Central Park’s Summerstage on August 9th. Make sure you catch this fiery funky band!

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In the ’90′s we had a lesbian chic moment that lasted a minute or two. kd Lang appeared on the Vanity Fair cover with Cindy Crawford, Newsweek had two white yuppie lesbian on it’s cover proclaiming Lesbian Chic, and a sexy, lesbian party had taken off at Cafe Tabac in the East Village. The trend started to gain momentum and soon after Ellen came out, Melissa Etheridge and Julie Cypher had a baby, and gays and lesbians were becoming more mainstream in the media.

The L Word is the first, the only, show that has represented lesbian life as cool and glamorous. The women on the show are all lipstick or femme butch (Shane). Not exactly representative of the lesbian community as we know it, but perhaps a way to provide titillation without threatening the viewer. Let’s face it, a butch dyke having sex with another dyke, would never get past the heterosexual execs at the networks.

While I welcome that women are empowered and embracing their femininity, style and success, we must welcome lesbians of all shapes, sizes, and color, lipstick or not. We are all women who love women, and society needs to embrace us all. Not only the ones that “pass”.

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Yes, we were bombarded with eroticized images of the male torso (complete with frontal exposure). But frankly, speaking as a woman, I am tired of being left totally ignored as a lesbian spectator of this on-going saga, (in spite of a sweet scene where Carrie and Miranda were mistaken as a lesbian couple having a romantic dinner on Valentine’s Day, when they, in fact, were two jilted straight girls).

Yes, we certainly enjoyed the experience of seeing Samantha’s beautiful body clad only in strategically-placed pieces of homemade sushi, and Charlotte’s sensual shower-scene during which she was so beside herself with happiness that she, in a moment of forgetfulness, allowed Mexican tap-water to trickle into her mouth. But couldn’t there have been one moment of physical admiration – especially by the pool in the Mexican sun – between these so-called friends? The closest we came to a simple acknowledgment of one for the other’s body was when Samantha noticed the growth of Miranda’s pubic hair enough to imply that Miranda had provoked her husband’s lack of sexual interest, and that she should schedule a bikini-wax ASAP. (Meanwhile, we all know that the actress, Cynthia Nixon, who portrays Miranda, is in actuality an out lesbian, and deserves an Oscar for her acting during the sex-scenes with her on-screen husband.)

The lesbians of the Big Apple have had enough of being ignored and swept under the rug of this fantasized portrayal of “best girlfriends” in New York City. Besides, what would this series be without the fabulous haute couture of designer Patricia Field, whom the lesbians of New York proudly claim as one of our own?

posted by Nyna
Nyna is a screenwriter and film director. She lives in Paris and New York City.

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Unfortunately, I lost my bike to a creepy landlord who let me store my bike in his basement then essentially locked me out when he decided to sell the building. Typical.

Not wanting to waste another sunny moment, I did a little research and discovered a host of shops that rent bicycles by the hour or by the day. Fabulous!

My partner and I hoofed it over to Chelsea Bicycles and got a couple of “standard” bikes for 6 bucks an hour plus the requisite helmet (don’t leave home without it ). The bikes were well maintained, in great working order and the service was super friendly and speedy. Off we went.

After a two hour trek along the Hudson River bike path maneuvering around strollers, vendors, protesters, and other cyclist, we dropped off our wheels and did not have to worry about someone cutting our lock or having to schlep them up some stairs. It was a pleasure. Next week, Central Park!

Where to Go:
New York City Bike Path Map

Where to Rent:
Chelsea Bicycles
212 727 7278
info@chelseabicycles.net
130 West 26th Street (between Sixth and Seventh Avenues)
Hours: Mon-Sat 10 AM-8 PM, Sun 11 AM-7 PM
Price: $35/24 hrs, $6/hr; helmet $5
Type of Rentals: road, hybrid, mountain

Bike and Roll
866 RENT-A-BIKE or 212 260 0400
nyc@bikeandroll.com
Pier 84, Hudson River Park (12th Avenue at West 43rd Street)
Hours: 9 AM-7 PM
Price: $30-$99/day, $8-$15/hour
Type of Rentals: cruiser, comfort, mountain, hybrid, road, tandem, kids

Bike Heaven
212 230 1919
mybikeheaven@yahoo.com
348 East 62nd Street (between First and Second Avenues)
Hours: Mon-Fri 10 AM-7 PM, Sat-Sun 9 AM-5 PM
Price: $35/24 hrs, $25/day, $5/hour; helmet $5
Type of Rentals: hybrid, mountain

Champion Bicycles
212 662 2690
896 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 103rd and West 104th Streets)
Hours: Mon-Fri 10 AM-7 PM, Sat-Sun 10:30 AM-6 PM
Price: $40/24 hrs, $30/day, $7/hr; helmet $5
Type of Rentals: hybrid, mountain

image: BeRadley via flickr

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