'Living for the City'--Brooklyn/Miscellaneous Photos Part II

                                 

         One aspect of my trip that I didn't touch on in my last NYC post was that it mainly revolved around visiting different record stores--I'd estimate eight in total.  The best part about New York record stores is that they're all boutique and intimate, which is conducive to the type of experience I want when I walk into a store.  Amoeba Records in LA is a remarkable institution, with its expansive catalogue of musics and memorabilia, but one has to understand the distinguishing features between Amoeba and a place like Big City on 12th and B Avenue.  Now don't mistake this for a lack of interest, because I can (and do) spend hours at a time surveying each section at Amoeba, but I have this OCD issue where anytime I walk inside I have to rummage through EVERY section and genre.  Because if I don't I'll feel as though I could have missed that "gem" hidden in some obscure corner.  I think the best way to describe what I'm feeling is to compare it to concert venues: there are small and large, and each one uniquely shapes the listener's sonic relationship with the musicians.  A place like the Baked Potato thrives because of the intimacy created by the spatial relationship the audience has with the players--one would want to see Lindsey Buckingham's solo acoustic playing in a small setting that feeds on the gentleness of his aura.  On the otherhand, Van Halen would not be the ideal band for the Baked Potato, but would be better suited for the Staples Center, a venue that could help sustain that big sound.  It just depends on what the musicians are aiming for and what type of dynamic space they wish to create.  The record shops in NYC revive that sense of local tradition, like something out of High Fidelity, where the guy behind the counter will take you around the store and suggest things you might enjoy.  And for me the best part was simply being able to talk to the different shop owners, which eventually opened avenues to share and learn new music interests.  

          

  

Here are some more miscellaneous pictures from Brooklyn: Wax Poetics headquarters (my favorite music publication, and am currently in the process of submitting an article), a wedding along the Brooklyn Bridge, and the line to Grimaldi's Pizza (considered to be the best in New York and rivals the other Brooklyn hallmark, DiFara's).