Return to New York: BookExpo America

I rose bright and early (well, early anyway) this morning at 3:50 AM to catch my 6:20 AM flight to NYC. This head start on the day gave me enough time to drop my bags at my cousin's apartment, race to the Jacob Javits Convention Center and set up the Annick display booth, and then meet Anton for lunch at 12:30 PM. I'm now back at his place to pick up my bags and head for the hotel -- check-in time is 3:00 PM.

For the folks in the office, here's the booth (Kathy, those zip-ties were a life-saver!):

Some fine-looking books, no? More New York adventures to come.

Two Shows. One Week. No waiting.

A quick shameless plug for two shows I'm involved with this week:

BPPA CABARET 2007

Everyone's favourite publishing event of the year has arrived. Yes, that's right, it's the BPPA's annual CABARET! This must-see show featuress nudity, strong language, strobe lights, and cheaper tickets than ever before!! But wait, there's more! Cabaret is also culturally and intellectually enriching, with skits on topical issues such as children’s books on capital punishment, attack ad campaigns, and a new rating system for books.

Warning: This show may cause excessive laughter. Fun will be had.

May 23 2007

Doors open at 7:00pm, Location: Back Room of Clinton's Tavern, 693 Bloor Street, the corner of Bloor and Clinton - Christie is the nearest subway station.

To reserve tickets RSVP to info@bppa.ca

And...

The Blue Margarets @ The Charlotte Room

New York Potpourri

I arrived safely back in Toronto from New York on Wednesday afternoon. Here is an update on the rest of my adventures in the Big Apple, including a few details I neglected in earlier posts.

My Cousin Rocks with Frank

Upon arriving at Anton's apartment from the airport the day I arrived, I found a note in the front hall instructing me to immediately hit "play" on iTunes on the computer. Doing so cued Frank Sinatra to start singing New York, New York. What a perfect welcome to the city.

Spider-Man Week in NYC

My time in the city overlapped with Spider-Man Week, another promising omen of the good luck I'd have duirng my visit; I obsessively collected Spider-Man comics in my teens. As part of the promotional brouhaha, the public library had classic Spider-Man comics on display, including several issues I have in my collection. Am I really that old?

Day of Rest and a Festival Film

Last Sunday was spent not only recovering from last Saturday, but also attending the final day of the 6th annual Tribeca Film Festival. Every year, festival attendees vote on their favorite film of the festival (known as the Cadillac Award). Anton, Vinaya, and I saw this year's winner, a very moving documentary called We Are Together (Thina Simunye). British filmmaker Paul Taylor followed the efforts of a ramshackle South African orphanage as they tried to raise money by producing a CD of their orphans singing. The music was beautiful and the personalities of the young children, most of whom had lost their parents to AIDS, were irrepressible. The children had been in New York to accompany the film at the festival, but unfortunately had already left by the screening we saw. A wonderful film. See it if you can.

Author! Author!

On my last full day in the city, I paid a visit to Mark Shulman, long-time New Yorker and co-author of the first book I edited for Annick, Attack of the Killer Video Book: Tips and Tricks for Young Directors (available at fine bookstores everywhere -- get yours today!). Mark gave me a great skyline tour from his building's rooftop and then took me for a pair of mini-burgers at Pop Burger.

We finished up with a quick jaunt through the Chelsea Market, housed in an old Nabisco factory. Unfortunately, I had to rush off to finish my prep-work for the following day's sales conference, otherwise I would love to have spent the rest of the day touring the city with Mark -- he's an excellent guide (and a talented writer, why not pick up a copy of Attack of the Killer Video Book and find out?).

Leave 'em Laughing

I spent my last night in New York rounding out my Broadway experience (begun on my first night with Deuce) by seeing Monty Python's Spamalot. Lotsa laughs -- a great time at the theatre.
My presentations at the next day's sales conference went smoothly, and I managed to catch an earlier flight home, making for a perfect ending to a fantastic trip. Forget San Francisco; I left my heart in New York. Fortunatley, I can pick it up when I'm there again next month.

Surprise Guest at the Comedy Cellar

Just got back from an evening of stand-up at the Comedy Cellar. Chris Rock showed up and performed about 45 minutes of new material he's working on. Not bad value for my $10.00 cover and two drink minimum. Gotta love this town.

The City So Nice, I'm Visiting Twice

I don't travel much, but when I do, it comes in twos. Consider May and June of 2001, when -- having never before been any further afield than Florida --I traveled to Europe and then Japan. Now, six years later, here I am in New York City. I'll also be visiting again in early June. Both trips are based around work and on both occasions I've arranged for vacation days in order to explore the city, this time alone and next time with Jeanette.

Two trips are clearly not going to be enough. Nevertheless, I'm doing my best to pack in what I can. It will be a photo finish to see who gives out first: me or my wallet. Thankfully for both, good ol' cousin Anton lives here in Manhattan. He's been generous enough to lend me his apartment as a free base of operations and his expertise on what to see and where to eat. Here is a quick run through of some what I've been up to in the Big Apple.


Inside, Outside, Upside Books

Friday afternoon, I stopped in at the main branch of the New York Public Library. This place is enough to make anyone who likes libraries weak in the knees. I lingered in the main reading room just long enough to recognize it from Ghostbusters and to fantasize about spending long afternoons among the hushed presence of all those books. That day was too beautiful to stay inside, however, so I quickly returned to the sunshine.

Behind the library is Bryant Park, where I was pleasantly surprised to find an outdoor reading area, complete with several racks of books, provided by the library. I grabbed a book of short stories (Sky Over El Nido by C.M. Mayo) and read until they came to close up shop for the day. This was my view:


Angela does Deuce

That evening, I met Anton and his girlfriend Vinaya for a Broadway show called Deuce. It was remarkable to see these two powerhouse talents performing as two retired tennis pros reflecting on their lives and how the world has changed since their heyday. On the other end of the spectrum, and to roundout my Broadway experience, I'll be seeing Monty Python's Spamalot tomorrow night.


Saturday in the Park with Anton & Vinaya

Saturday morning we met for breakfast, stopped by the famous Magnolia bakery (see Sex in the City and the SNL digital short "Lazy Sunday") for some cupcakes, and then headed to Central Park. It was another amazing day weather-wise and we had a wonderful time strolling this most impressive of urban green spaces. Before lunch we popped into the Metropolitan Museum and marvelled at their newly rennovated Roman and Greek Calleries. Lunch was directly across the street at the Viennese eatery Cafe Sabarsky.

That night we hit the town. Anton and I went for drinks at the Stone Rose lounge at the Time Warner Center and then joined Vinaya and her birthday-girl friend at Art Bar for more drinks. We finished up the evening at a friend's party, where I spent most of my time fending off the children's book pitches from a school chum of Anton's.


Day of Rest

Sunday was spent mostly recovering from Saturday night's liquid dinner.


Live from New York, It's a Disappointing Tour!

Today I hit the Rockefeller Center where I took the NBC studio tour. Most of it was rather hokey, but we did visit the studio where Saturday Night Live is shot, which greatly pleased my inner and outer improviser. And speaking of comedy, in a few minutes, I'm heading out to the Comedy Cellar for an evening of stand-up at a place that's seen more than a few not-ready-for-prime-time players grace its stage. It's gotta be funnier than the corny jokes of the NBC tour guides. After the tour, I took the elevator to the "Top of the Rock" for my first high-up perspective of the city. Breathtaking.

Tomorrow I check in to the hotel for Wednesday's sales conference. I head home to Toronto Wedneday night. I'll post details and photos of my further adventures sometime thereafter. But wait! There'll be even more shenanigans to report when Jeanette and I return to the Big Apple in June. You lucky devils.