‘Time’ Magazine, and Al Gore’s Relaxed RearThe new Time Magazine — now out on Fridays! — has a cover hagio-profile of Al Gore. It’s full of good detail on what Gore’s up to these days, just how popular he seems to have become, and whether he’ll maybe maybe maybe run for president. But the key quote has got to be this one:
Al and Tipper Gore’s home, a 1915 antebellum-style mansion in the wealthy Belle Meade section of Nashville, is laid out a bit like Gore himself: a gracious and formal Southern façade; slightly stuffy rooms when you walk in the door; and startlingly modern, relaxed, informal living spaces to the rear.
We think it’s also saying he’s got a fat ass.
The Last Temptation of Al Gore [Time.com]
early and often
Harlem Pol: Bloomberg Should Sell Congestion Plan as Health Issue
Mayor Bloomberg has said he wants the State Legislature to act on his congestion-pricing proposals this session — which means in the next month, as the session ends in mid-June — and an influential state senator thinks that it’s doable if the mayor stresses the public-health benefits of the plan. Senator Bill Perkins, a longtime Harlem pol, told us outside a panel discussion this morning that Bloomberg should stress how decreased traffic can lead to cleaner air and lower asthma rates, as a similar plan did in London. Kids’ health is indeed one of Bloomberg’s passions, but Perkins says that point hasn’t gotten through in Albany. So far, he said, “the message has a businessman’s flavor to it.” A shift in rhetoric, the state senator said, could well lead to the needed legislation. “It’s difficult, but it’s possible,” he said. —Alec Appelbaum
vu.
Staten Island: Look to the Harbor for Value and SpaceAn honest-to-goodness Colonial with clapboard siding isn’t something you see every day in Manhattan or Brooklyn. But Staten Island isn’t like the other boroughs. Perhaps by virtue of its isolation, it has managed to retain a decidedly suburban vibe. Working Girl notwithstanding, Hollywood production companies eager to replicate a small-town feel without having to invade one have been known to shoot there instead. (See Richard Dreyfus’s The Education of Max Bickford) Critics belittle Staten Island for being so different too different? from the city, but fans of the hushed streets and verdant corners say that’s precisely why they love it. Prodigal-borough status aside (the name of a local blog of course), Staten Island has much to offer buyers. First, many of the spaces are huge, as in four to six bedrooms. Plus, they’re shockingly affordable; with one exception, all the properties listed below are priced at under a million. The open houses listed after the jump are in the northwest neighborhood of Mariners Harbor or the North Shore itself, which means you won’t be too far deep in the heart of the island. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. S. Jhoanna Robledo
cultural capital
‘Times’ Couplets: Watch Where You’re Going!Wherein we arrange Times’ headlines in verse to bring you secret messages from the paper of record.
The Troubles: A Walking Tour
No Sleep Is Part of the Ordeal.
Passing Mile Markers, Snapping Pictures
Woman Falls Through Sidewalk Grate.
Going Like 60 (Tick Tick Tick)
The Suns Forge Ahead Without Stopping for Pity.
Rescuers Try to Lure Lost Whales With Sound.
5-Year-Old Marathoner to Walk 300 Miles —
Not for Kids Only, Seeking Buccaneer Bliss.
A Long Road Ahead,
The Last Eden. Paradise Preserved — in a Restless Continent.
—Lizzie Skurnick
neighborhood watch
Standing Up for Double-Parking Rights in the SlopeBoerum Hill: Neglected Thomas Green Park could become a $4 million skate park. [Brooklyn Paper]
Forest Hills: There’s a stop-work order on the demolition of a historic 72nd Avenue townhouse, but will the developer behind the demo honor it? [Forest Hills 72]
Harlem: A cute black and white Chihuahua named Bugzy has gone missing. Have you seen the adorable uptown critter? [Harlem Fur]
Park Slope: The 9th Street bike-lane opponents fear they’ll lose their ability to double park. [I’m Seeing Green]
Times Square: Even with guns, drugs, and hookers freely traded there, the Aladdin Hotel is still not the worst-ranked inn in the city. [NewYorkology]
Williamsburg: It came in the night. The long-dreaded pile driver for massive Billyburg condo devo the Edge, that is, heralding a massive project that will deprive locals of their waterfront view. [i’m not sayin’, i’m just saying’]
show and talk
Nutritious, Delicious Couture
What could be better than fashion and food? Yesterday we rushed to Vanderbilt Hall to catch Tim Gunn hosting the Wish-Bone Salad Show. Designers Richie Rich and Traver Rain compared the experience to summer camp, and the models looked bewildered. “There’s some lettuce going on there. Or maybe some other vegetables,” the Asian Salad said vaguely. Backstage, one model sported onion shorts while another counted the string beans on her dress. Gunn said he preferred to accessorize with food, but our favorite model embraced the whole aesthetic: “I am the carpaccio salad.”
Wish-Bone Salad Fashion Show by Heatherette [NYM]
early and often
She’s a Genie in a Pantsuit: Xtina, Jenna Back HillaryThe race to line up celebrity star power behind the presidential campaigns rages on, and Hillary Clinton has scored a coup, booking pop star Christina Aguilera to play a special fund-raising concert at Capitale next month, the Clinton campaign has confirmed to New York. The backers of the event include Harvey Weinstein; Steve Bing; Aguilera’s manager, Irving Azoff; and Ron Burkle, according to promotional materials from the Clinton campaign, but it’s unclear what Aguilera has planned for the event. (We’re guessing the act will more closely resemble something from her more humble Back to Basics era than something from the pierced, tattooed, and flesh-baring days of her Stripped tour.) And in arguably related news, Hillary yesterday gained the endorsement of porn star Jenna Jameson. “I love Hillary,” Jameson said in an interview. “I think that in some ways she’s pretty conservative for a Democrat, but I would love to have a woman in office. I think that it would be a step in the right direction for our country, and there would be less focus on war and more focus on bettering society.” —Geoffrey Gray
