A running blog from the Big Bad Apple
Garry Ryan is in New York for the Lambda Awards. His latest Detective Ryan mystery, Smoked, has been shortlisted.
Direct from New York City... 3 posts and counting!
Post #1 Sent at 21:06/25/06/2011
I'm at a rented computer with a wonky space bar.
The LAMBDA awards take place tomorrow night at about this time.
New York is green and - as always - alive. The people are invariably friendly, polite, and helpful.
A lovely young couple directed me to a Thai restaurant. The seafood dish was amazing. And the margarita was a hit!
Good thing I only had one. Breakfast was the last meal and it's 9 PM here in New York.
I'm half a block away from a hotel where writers like Dylan Thomas, Arthur Miller, Leonard Cohen, and Thomas Wolfe lived and wrote.
It really blows the mind.
Talk with you tomorrow.
Garry Ryan
Post #2 Sent at 07:56/26/05/2011
It's early. This place is awake.
There are signs that the city has been hit hard by the recession.
Lots of mental illness wandering the streets.
Yet, there's plenty of construction.
The stink of rotting garbage.
The bouquet of fresh cut flowers being delivered.
People going to work.
People picking garbage.
TRAFFIC!
And no one pays any attention to the road signs.
There is a rhythm here that takes a while to get used to.
And so many languages being spoken as you walk the streets.
Garry Ryan
Post #3 Sent at 11:32/26/05/2011
If you travel the subway,
along one of the blood vessels
to downtown New York
where hard hats rule over the streets and
diesel engines,
compressed air,
jack hammers,
cranes,
rebuild.
It takes maybe an hour to walk
past memorials
flowers
and security using mirrors to check the undersides
of trucks
and it feels ...
it feels like something new
is rising up out of the wreckage.
A new kind of city, perhaps?
A new kind of determined optimism?
A new kind of country?
Garry
Post #4 Sent at 09:10/27/05/2011
David Lennon's book Echoes won last night. Just finished reading it before the awards.
It's a good read with great characters. Met David at the awards. Very nice person.
Congratulations to him!
This morning it's sunny and hot in New York.
Off to breakfast and a new understanding of how to survive.
I figured out how the whole crossing the street thing works here.
It's very simple.
DON'T GET HIT!
Catching a plane home later today.
Thanks for reading along.
Garry
The LAMBDA awards take place tomorrow night at about this time.
New York is green and - as always - alive. The people are invariably friendly, polite, and helpful.
A lovely young couple directed me to a Thai restaurant. The seafood dish was amazing. And the margarita was a hit!
Good thing I only had one. Breakfast was the last meal and it's 9 PM here in New York.
I'm half a block away from a hotel where writers like Dylan Thomas, Arthur Miller, Leonard Cohen, and Thomas Wolfe lived and wrote.
It really blows the mind.
Talk with you tomorrow.
Garry Ryan
Post #2 Sent at 07:56/26/05/2011
It's early. This place is awake.
There are signs that the city has been hit hard by the recession.
Lots of mental illness wandering the streets.
Yet, there's plenty of construction.
The stink of rotting garbage.
The bouquet of fresh cut flowers being delivered.
People going to work.
People picking garbage.
TRAFFIC!
And no one pays any attention to the road signs.
There is a rhythm here that takes a while to get used to.
And so many languages being spoken as you walk the streets.
Garry Ryan
Post #3 Sent at 11:32/26/05/2011
If you travel the subway,
along one of the blood vessels
to downtown New York
where hard hats rule over the streets and
diesel engines,
compressed air,
jack hammers,
cranes,
rebuild.
It takes maybe an hour to walk
past memorials
flowers
and security using mirrors to check the undersides
of trucks
and it feels ...
it feels like something new
is rising up out of the wreckage.
A new kind of city, perhaps?
A new kind of determined optimism?
A new kind of country?
Garry
Post #4 Sent at 09:10/27/05/2011
David Lennon's book Echoes won last night. Just finished reading it before the awards.
It's a good read with great characters. Met David at the awards. Very nice person.
Congratulations to him!
This morning it's sunny and hot in New York.
Off to breakfast and a new understanding of how to survive.
I figured out how the whole crossing the street thing works here.
It's very simple.
DON'T GET HIT!
Catching a plane home later today.
Thanks for reading along.
Garry
In 2009, he was awarded the Freedom of Expression Award in Calgary, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the arts community in Calgary. The Lucky Elephant Restaurant won the 2007 Lambda Literary Award.
www.garryryan.ca
Next... Gordon Dale
"with a wonky space bar."
ReplyDeleteI read 'IN a wonky space bar' the first time through, and instantly the cantina music from Star Wars blurted through my mental surround-sound.
Congratulations on hitting the short list a second time, Garry!
Yes, Garry, I thought you were doing the Star Wars bar thing too. Congrats on the nomination! Hope it goes well tonight.
ReplyDeleteDeryn
Me three! It didn't surprise me either. There was a cafe in Greenwich Village call Polly Ester's when I was there years ago. Anything can happen in New York.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you didn't win, Garry, but I'm so glad you went. This has been a fun blog to follow.
ReplyDelete