Good morning, Friday. TGIF yo.
So last night a pal and I watched a bunch of episodes of "Sex and the City", Season 3 over a bottle or two of chilled red and some tacos. If you need a refresh, Season 3 is all about tube top Carrie (a perennial favorite of mine) as well as an awesome cameo by none other than John Slattery, who plays a local politician who with a rather "golden" desire in the bedroom (let's leave that there). He was fabulous by the way.
Watching this show is always a fun exercise in New York nostalgia. When Manolo was king and women were enjoying a real moment in the spotlight as Carrie and co made singledom sexy and fun. And if you were living that life at that time, it was fun. Lots of fun.
And here's something I realized as we all struggle with the "new" New York that can often feel a bit sanitary and bland. I think the moment New York became less fun was the moment that people stopped smoking. Really. Think about it.
Watching Carrie with a cig between her lips now feels almost perverse. Weird. Her character today would never smoke cigarettes. But back in the day we all smoked, and admittedly, I have had a long road with cigarettes myself and now feel very much a pariah for smoking at all. Yes, of course- there's no question smoking is possibly one of the worst things you can do- we all have the memo- over and out. But since we've all gotten so carried away with health and wellness, I wonder who's having any fun? Sure, sure- rose all day I know. Ya da ya da. But is all that rose any good if you can't have a cigarette in between sips? It's not as fun. I'm telling you. Just know that. You may be wearing a sweatshirt with an affirmation after a Taryn Toomey class, but are you really having fun? I'm guessing no. OK, maybe a little. Just not as much. Sure we've grown up, but I miss decadence. Particularly when times like these call very much for a drink and a cig. Oh and all that fake posh fun on Instagram doesn't count. It just does not. Because I say so. It feels desperate. So very desperate.
And yes, thanks to Instagram, we've all been regaled with those insane pictures of Black Tap milkshakes and people really going for it when it comes to the new gluttony with a wide eyed childlike approach to hedonism, vs. something dark and kind of hot. But sometimes I miss the casual deadliness of New York in the 90s- when one could smoke and drink and then go the diner when it's all over and that was shockingly normal. I'm sure people still do that ps- and Lord bless them all. Bonus points if you or others are doing this in a tube top, after picking up a man in Staten Island while judging a stripper Fireman contest. Yea, that's what Carrie did. Just saying. And as much as I loved "Girls", Hannah Horvath was having none of that. And I think she missed out.
So we all know big box retail destroyed New York. Bloomberg destroyed gritty New York. High rents destroyed mom and pop and starving artist New York. But when cigarettes started to cost upwards of 13 bucks, that was really the end right there. New York was always a den of sin- that's what made it a hoot and a half. Now it's just a sea of yoga pants and green juice and acai bowls. Yes, I know- I'm one of them now too. But it doesn't mean I don't miss the days of yore when city life was best served with a healthy side of vice.
Cause that's what's up this smoke 'em if you got 'em kind of Friday in the 718. Yours, in long gone decadence. XO