Philharmonic in the Park

The blog-friendly picture doesn't do this baby justice. I mean, it's just me on a sheet in the park, but when you look at the original size at my new friend Jacob Silberberg's Web site, it's pretty phenomenal. You can check out some of his other work here. SirDatesALot shared Jacob's photo album with me days after I almost fell over him and his buddies at last year's Philharmonic in the Park and I remember being very impressed. It wasn't your run-of-the-mill "Look at us, we're drunk and wasted!" Facebook photo album. I feel honored to be a part of this year's classy creation.

Good job to SirDatesALot on organizing the crew. We had about nine sheets packed with two wine bottles, three bags of chips and 10 kilos of hummus per person. Apart from a few rude old ladies who wheeled over my friend's head with their carry-on luggage -- "Did that really just happen?" -- and a sweaty guy who decided to plop his towel right in between a couple of our sheets, staking out our territory was a huge success. I highly recommend camping out by the lip-shaped helium balloon. That or bringing a pistol, loaded with water, of course.

Next year I'm packing a fold-up chair and a cooler. The warm white wines were tasting pretty raunch at 10 o'clock (five hours after I got there) and my knees were very sore at the end of the evening. I know most people are praying for us to get out of the recession so they can have their old lifestyles back. I'm praying so New York can bring back its A+ game in the fireworks department. This year's post-show fireworks display was beyond dismal. Total waste of time. I should have brought my own. To whoever I told to go to the show for the fireworks alone, my sincerest apologies. Hey, at least you got to hear a little something from the beloved (?) Alec Baldwin and Chuck Schumer before the show. Those Sotomayor hearings must have really done a number on Schumer. Wonder how much that shuttle trip cost the taxpayer.