Friending de Blasio
Bill de Blasio has a good chance to become the most famous former resident of New York University’s Weinstein Hall if he wins the mayor’s race, but he looks to be way behind when it comes to having the most interesting story connected to the dorm, which already has big claims to fame.
“I think I remember seeing him drink a beer once,” was one of the non-juicy items one his classmates wrote on the dorm’s Facebook page.
After all, Weinstein was also home to legendary music producer Rick Rubin, who helped put the Beastie Boys together there (long before he produced Johnny Cash’s last critically acclaimed albums). We don’t think the Man in Black ever visited Weinsten, but the dorm was apparently also the inspiration for the quirky love triangle “Threesome” written and directed by former Weisntein alum Andy Fleming.
The Facebook page’s manager, our good friend Tom Goodkind of Battery Park City, recently renamed the page “Weinstein Hall Home of Our Next Mayor, NYU.”
Goodkind lived at Weinstein before de Blasio, whose last name was then Wilhelm, but classmates from the early ‘80s did notice a few signs of de Blasio’s liberal outlook.
One, a Bruce Springsteen fan, remembered de Blasio raving about a line from ”The River”: “lately there ain’t been no work, on account of the economy.” De Blasio reportedly claimed the Boss was warning about the Reagan presidency, even though the song was written a year before the Gipper was elected.
When the Springsteen fan pointed out the timing inconsistency, “Wilhelm kinda sulked off and I don’t remember having much significant interaction with the guy after that.”
But another classmate wrote that even though he disagrees with de Blasio’s agenda, “it would be hard not to vote for him” if the friend lived in the city because the candidate was “one of the nicest people that I ever met.”
There’s not much for the Joe Lhota campaign to work with here unless they want to use the story about how dorm president Wilhelm paid a DJ an extra $12 to reimburse him for an expensive record at Bleecker Bob’s.
We can hear it now: “A pushover with the DJ’s, a pushover with the unions.”
Dumpling Feast
Dumpling, ravioli, pierogie, piroshki — they come in all shapes, sizes and fillings, and now they have a day to celebrate their many variations.
That’s right, New Yorkers, head to the Lower East Side on Saturday for a day of dumplings, courtesy of Tang’s Natural N.Y.C. Dumpling Festival. New York’s favorite Chinatown treat will be the star of the day, along with its cousins from other countries like Poland and Italy.
The festival will also feature the 10th annual dumpling eating contest at 1 p.m., sponsored by Chef One, where professional eaters attempt to scarf enough dumplings in two minutes to win the $2,000 cash prize.
This year’s heavyweights bear such titles as “Gentleman” Joe Menchetti and David “Tiger Wings n Things” Brunelli, who devoured an impressive 74 dumplings last year.
If you’d prefer to be the one eating, albeit in a much more leisurely fashion, $20 tickets will be available to sample four of the plump pickings yourself.
Prize drawings, games and entertainment will also be on offer, and don’t miss Tang’s mascot — because let’s be honest, where else will you see a giant dumpling in a green apron?
As if you needed another incentive, you can gorge for a good cause —all proceeds go directly to the Food Bank for New York City, which has been feeding the five boroughs for 30 years. Drop by the Sara D. Roosevelt Park, stretching down Chrystie St., from noon to 5 p.m. on Sept. 28 to get in on the goodies.
