One of my all time favorite books, a collection of personal ads from The London Review Of Books.  I have given it to many friends and it never disappoints.  Full of gems like the ones below.

Last time I had this much fun, I was on forty pills a day.  It’s all downhill from here,so reply to edgy woman 36 before the good times come to an abrupt halt, and the prescriptions finally dry up. Box no. 2596

Your age is immaterial, your looks irrelevant.  Your bank balance on the other hand - lets not joke about with that.  Grabbing F 28.  Box no. 3652

Buy it at Amazon and have  enjoy.

Mercedes 230SL Pagoda from1967

Aston Martin DB6 coupe 1967

Tatra  T87 Sedan Czechoslovakia 1940

Three amazing cars, the Mercedes and Aston Martin both over 40 years old and still seem fresh today.  I guess that is what makes a classic.

The merc Pagoda was at auction for 23-27K and did not move, a shame for a beach garage somewhere.

The Prius recalls makes one wonder, when did we start worrying so much about safety ? 

For boys ? a screaming eagle on the hood of the Trans Am marked a peak in western civilization that had nothing to do with fuel economy laws…

A classic love song.

Tired of the annual overpriced Valentines Day dinner date? I know I am.  Instead how about a date to see the New York City Balletat Lincoln Center.  Its incredibly romantic and you might be surprised and really enjoy it.

This is the perfect gift for the wine lover and rock star in your life.  

The people at Wines That Rock taste wine, listen to albums and pick what they think captures the essence of some of the best rock artists, Elvis, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, etc.  Here’s a Valentines Day idea:  buy a bottle of ‘forty licks’ merlot, download the album and have a romantic night at home. 

www.wines-that-rock.com

I grew up in many bars as a child,(another post on another type of blog) and I am very attuned to the atmosphere of such places.  Maybe that is why Prime Meats leaves me a little cold.  The two times there I have had no complaints about the food or the service.  However the staff tend dangerously close to acting like extras in ’Once Upon A Time In America’.

I have no doubt that this restaurant will be well reviewed and successful and I love the aesthetic of the owners.  For me I prefer the charm and chaos of Vinegar Hill House which does take me back to 1900, but to a less dour version of the time, with organ pipes behind the bar, next the to the  sadly doomed Admiral’s row and the Navy yard. 

The dichotomy is striking outside of Vinegar Hill.  At the same time that a trend of  turn of the century American Victorian bar fashion is rising in  Brooklyn, a truly historic row of Second Empire federal residences will soon be razed for a Pathmark to complement the  urban blight of the navy yard projects.   

As if there were no other tracts available in the neighborhood, the US Army Corp of Engineers is turning the land over to the city for development.

After cocktails at Vinegar Hill, well worth a walk down the Belgian block streets past the ghostly 19th century Officer’s Quarter’s shells to the Navy Yard.

Bloomberg’s heritage of rapid development will be considered for years to come.

Music to eat and read by featuring two icons; from the past and future.

This saturday night a single girl will find herself at Brooklyn Kitchen, hopefully with the man of her dreams,  learning how to butcher a pig.  This date night choice of is not for the faint of heart.  Afterward she will fight and break up or have the best sex of her life.  There is no in between.  Let us know how it goes.

Apparently these ballgowns from Victor and Rolf’s  Spring 2010 collection,  were inspired by our current recession.  What happened, were they just over being told to ‘cut back’.  Tired of the endless lectures on frugality.   What ever the reason, the dresses are totally wild and I wish I a place to go and the money to buy one.

The artists at work.