So, Le Parker Meridien was pretty nice. They were giving away two tix to Paris and called out the name of the firm first – my firm. Told my boss that I hoped it was me and then he won.
Thought that was pretty funny. I ended up winning a candle holder. It’s better than spending a buck to win a buck, I suppose.
The next night, had dinner with the lawyer that represented the first Guantanamo Bay defendant. Was a pretty eye opening dinner. Not at liberty to give away much but the facts are that the government had five years to prep against this lawyer with really only two people helping him. The government brought up 260 charges and only one stuck.
Makes one wonder how strong the government case was to begin with.
———-
Below is an actual conversation, verbatim, on my previous post with a female friend – not HG.
If you’ve read me for a while, I’d like to know your thoughts on the conversation? Note, it was a public conversation so she expressly wanted this read. Specifically, how do I come across to you and how does she come across to you?
I’ll give you my thoughts next time.
Her: I’m one of those people who miss the old NYC. I moved here in ’93 and there was a real sense that anyone could move here and create whatever life they wanted. No way does that still exist. I think when people say NYC isn’t what it used to be, what they are trying to get at is the diversity back then meant NYC was open to anyone. It’s not about grit being cool. It’s about a city that had a place for everyone, regardless of class. That’s just not true anymore.
Me: Heya! I think that, in that regard, NYC’s an even better place now that it was back then. We have a mayor that’s expressly pro art, with major art install oftions all over the city. Moreover, its safer and more tolerant here than ever. We still have places for everyone: artists, businessmen and – surprising even to me – families. I would never have considered raising a family in the UWS or Battery Park before and now it’s an option.
Her: Ugh, Logan, ugh! Privileged sentiments bore me.
Me: (I’m) perplexed. Are you saying I’m the privileged one?
That is the entire conversation.
Location: In my warm room
Mood: Still kinda irritated
Music: Who cares if you disagree? You are not me
YASYCTAI: Tell me what you think of that. (2 mins/0.5 pts)
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8 replies on “Privileged nights in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Le Parker Meridien, NYC”
can we put our thoughts up here? or private?
Yes please, public is fine. Let me know your thoughts!
I think there's certain aspect of 1980's to early 1990's of New York I really miss. Maybe not the prostitutes in the middle of Times Square at 7 in the evening but just the way certain neighborhoods made you feel, nostalgia and even fear.
I'm sorry I put that comment on the wrong post
No problem.
I miss some aspects to it – like a lot of my old food/hangout joints are gone. But I think exchanging that for a more generally livable city is worth the price of admission.
Not sure if I will make much sense (I don't always 😉 ).. but these are my thoughts, with the caveat that when I read that post, I was in agreement with you so it's hard to remove that bias. Also, nothing is personal that i'm writing here.. just random thoughts so… yah could be way off too 🙂
1. Gut reaction is that this person is bitter about something… maybe that they did move here back in the 90's and did not reach a goal they initially came for… but in their mind looks at the changes as a negative and the blame, while you view those changes as a positive. And for different reasons. And that somehow you became the sounding board / venting place for some emotion, even if it wasn't really against you persay. Then again, as for the privileged comment, from your posts I gather that at one point you were very comfortable and now you are very much the opposite. But you are blessed with good friends, good company, you can still live a life that you choose.. and in those ways you *are* privileged. On top of that, having known wealth, education, etc., there is a part of you that is privileged even if you write from the other side of it.. .and maybe it is to that part of you that she is writing towards?
2. Second thought is that maybe she moved here for the grit thinking it was cool, and this is her way of feeling a little called out, and writing against that. haha um.. like i said.. i'm just totally thinking random thoughts out loud.
3. Third thought is that she chooses to identify with what is lost (her way of idealizing this city), and in identifying with that — chooses to identify YOU with the opposite of that, since you don't miss what she wishes she could identify with. and since the idealization of what she hates is the privileged, then that is you and where her reply is borne from. This one is a slightly half-baked thought… but i'm tired… 🙂
4. On closer reading, I also notice that you and her are talking about two very different things, and two very different motives.. though since you both cross paths somewhere in your thinking it somehow makes for a 'legitimate' reason for her anger. However, I sort of think that you are both saying things on two different lines… not really even contradicting. But somehow because her line crossed yours at one point, then that is why she is upset… But on reading your two thoughts, I don't think that's the case. In other words:
You: I don't miss the grit.
Her: Ignoring the grit argument, I miss the diversity.
You: We *have* diversity — it's artsy, it's safe, and there's all different niches.
Her: Screw you (I don't think she sees the art and safety as examples of diversity and maybe instead of reading the part about the different classes, she just read it as: art, safety, families.. and these are things that privileged ppl value, and therefore you are making a boring privileged sentiment.
I don't think you came across that way at all, on reading your reply. In fact, your reply was very 'you'… but I'm sure there's other stuff going on that makes her read into what you are saying, and she probably heard something different than what you wrote.
I'll shut up now, sorry i tend to ramble 🙂
Actually, it's odd, but how you wrote that dialogue is how I read it to sound as well. That's exactly how it came across to me. The other odd thing is that your comment and several more from my friends are such that Chinese/non-Caucasian views seem to read it the same way.
Not that it's a 100% accurate – HG read it our way, while my Chinese friend from Fort Lee, NJ read it the other way. Still, very interesting.
[…] that NYC’s changed for the better. Only people that aren’t really from here miss the grit, grime , and crime of old NYC. Walking around the area, I remembered how afraid I was to walk around there back when I […]