Go New York! Go New York! Go!
Obi Toppin got the city poppin
In the spring of 2000, I went to Nice Guy Eddie’s on the Lower East Side to watch the New York Knicks play the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. At that time there weren’t a ton of bars in the city that had NFL Sunday Ticket and even fewer that were A) downtown and B) not packed with NYU kids. Nice Guy Eddie’s was one of them, so ostensibly it fell into the sports bar category. But really Nice Guy Eddie’s (which one friend affectionately nicknamed Gary Gaetti’s, after the longtime Minnesota Twins infielder) was just a dive bar that had TVs.
The bar was situated on Avenue A and Houston, with the entrance right on the corner. The way I remember it, I barely made it two steps past the entrance that night. It was that crowded. Getting a drink was out of the question. Just getting a view of the TV required an intricate balancing act and long stretches on tippy toes. And when the Knicks won, the place went f*cking bonkers. The rallying cry of, “Go New York! Go New York! Go!” echoed throughout the city that spring and into the summer even though the Knicks would lose to the Pacers in the conference finals.
The reason I tell this story is not to indulge in nostalgia. It’s to showcase how the Knicks can be a barometer of the cultural energy of the city. Despite all the Yankees’ World Series titles, New York is still a basketball city, and the Knicks are its heart. This is true despite the fact that their owner is despicable and that the crosstown Nets have a better team. It just is.
It’s unfortunate that a whole generation of young people have settled in the city and not been able to feel that heart when it’s really pumping. You could argue that the last time it happened was in 2012 during “Linsanity” but that lasted for all of two weeks.
But you can feel that energy start to bubble up again with this Knicks-Hawks series. I was walking my dog after the Knicks won Game 2 and there were crowds of people watching from the street outside of Roebling Sporting Club. (The scene was even crazier outside of Madison Square Garden.) They weren’t huge basketball fans, they were just folks that wanted to be part of whatever was popping off in New York City.
And right now that’s a lot of things. Anyone who is here right now will attest that New York feels like, well, New York. It’s not all the way there, but you can sense that it’s on its way, and that the scars of the past 15 months will eventually heal. They won’t go away, but they will heal. And maybe, just maybe, the Knicks making a deep playoff run can help accelerate the process.
How to Get a Table at Carbone
If we have at least a 1% overlap in our social graphs, you’ve seen what I've seen: Carbone is open in Miami and the spicy rigatoni looks good with a tan. I think it’s debatable if Carbone is as good as its rep, but you won’t find anybody arguing about how popular it is. Perhaps their most impressive feat yet, however, is nailing something truly unique: bringing New York energy to Miami.
–Andrew
A$AP Rocky Reviews His Best & Worst Looks
I found this video of A$AP Rocky reflecting on his fits to be really endearing. It was also a good reminder that Rocky has been around for a minute and has staked out some interesting sartorial ground over that time. His perspective of having to take chances in order to move onto the next wave when everyone else hops on the one you’re on is reflective of the wisdom that’s come with that age.
–Justin
Chris Bosh on the Tim Ferriss Show
This is not the first time I’ve recommended a Chris Bosh interview, just the first time in this newsletter. The guy is a dream guest: world-class in his field (court), brilliant, curious, and kind. There’s something especially charming about this particular interview, because unlike, I assume, every other long-form interview Chris Bosh has given, this host knows nothing about basketball. And it does not matter one bit.
–Andrew