Seeing eye horse



Yes, you read correctly, my aunt's horse trainer has been training a miniature horse to be a seeing eye guide.
An opera singer in NYC who is an avid horsewoman recently realized she was loosing her site. In order to keep horses a part of her life she looked into www.guidehorse.org.

She soon found little Romeo and asked the trainer to help her out with teaching the little bit how to be a guide horse.
Seeing eye horses get the same privileges as seeing eye dogs so expect to see Romeo on planes, in restaurants and crusing the mall!

I want a wee video camera attached to its lead so we can see peoples reactions. Stay tuned.

Frankie's Surprise 30th Birthday Bash






It was a lot of work but Darian, Yadim and I pulled off a fantastic evening of fun and fantasy for Frankie’s big 30th.
Bart and Anthony's arrival from Atlanta was Frankie's first surprise. They took him out and about all day Saturday so we could prepare for the evenings fun.

Guest for the 'Gold and Glitter' themed party began arriving around 6 and the surprise star of the night, Amanda Lepore sallied up at 7:15 with her entourage.

At 7:30 Frankie and the boys came up the stairs and everyone gave a big hoorah. After he had settled into the excitement, Amanda parted the crowd with a large black phallic birthday cake and cooed Happy Birthday to fits of laughter from the crowd.

The evening went on into a downward spiral of booze, banter and LOTS of pictures with Mandy. She was the perfect guest and I assure you I will try to invite her to as many of my events as possible. She mingles, she smiles, laughs and to many peoples surprise is a great conversationalist. I guess I would be too if I was flown around the world for events and had Vivienne Westwood created couture pieces for me. She was gutted when she had to leave to head to the East Village to host her own party. People told me all she talked about at her party was how much fun she had at ours!

The soiree wound down around 4:30 am when Lucy and her friends stopped by after a night out on the town.

I think Frankie was truly surprised and had a smashing good time.
Success!

Art Basel for Style.com






So I have crossed to the other side and decided to blog for style.com instead of my own site for this years Art Basel in Miami.
Its AMAZING how many more invitations I get by saying I'm writing for Style.com instead of catorsparks.com. Hmmm...

Check it!
http://www.style.com/peopleparties/parties/scoop/121107ARTB

http://www.style.com/trends/blogs/style_file

A climb to the Cloisters






Michael and I have been trying to get out of the city for ages but to satiate our need we made a quick trip to the Cloisters for a Sunday afternoon.
We had a lovely brunch at New Leaf and ended up sitting with our waitress’s mother who was visiting from Missouri for Thanksgiving.

We then strolled through the parks and grounds passing a white horse monument and finally ending up at the monastery multiplex. We were lucky enough to catch a tour of the Unicorn tapestries and learn lots of little tid bits that we didn’t know before.
We gazed at the head's of Virgins, amazing oak chests, knight’s tombs and tiny crucifixions carved onto nutshells, oh what they did before TV!

Then we made a quick dash through the gift shop where Michael found the most amazing medieval pop-up book before we headed back into the woods to soak up golden leaves, black squirrels and the sound of tranquility.
Perfect Sunday!

Lucy and Cators Autumnal Fling










Why did this take so long?
How did this happen?
After three years of living next door to each other and after having a combined total of more than 30 parties there has never been a double townhouse fete.
I mean, of course there have been many a night when Lucy’s has a party and I take a group over to mine for dancing or more booze but never have we had a proper mingle until now.

I believe it was in August when Lucy and I decided upon the date of our event. Both of us have dizzying calendars so we always make dates well in advance.

The event would be fun and swank and had to have some surprises. Hey lets hire a piano player! I call my friend Steven Lynch who is coming out with his own album and he is more than happy tickle the ivories for the event. Done!

Booze? I just happened to do a favor for a friend at Mirror Ball marketing and when he asked how he could ever thank me? Oh you can sponsor my party! Pernod and Amstel Light plus Bartender. Done!

Food? Justin's darling friend owns an empanada joint and owed him a favor. Pork, Veggie, Apple empanadas Done!
Dessert? As Lucy and I are shopping for party supplies in Harlem we come across a food market where we find amazing mini pies. Created by Debbie's Soulful Sweets, Debbie is there to give a card and take an order. 50 mini pies please Debbie. Done!

Now we were ready so our houses were scrubbed, candles lit and mood music turned up. We never counted but we had around 80 people. If I only had GPS on my guests. At one point my house was packed to the rafters, then people would file over to Lucy's and to booze and swivel and then back to mine. We closed shop around 4am, both houses trashed and full of fun memories.

Thanks for everyone who made the trek up and with the amount of Pernod we have left over, guess what you all are getting for Christmas?

Apollo's light was bright!











Last week Lucy, Rod, Justin and I attended the Apollo Circle soiree at the Met.
For dinner Justin and I went Brideshead and, with drinks in hand and bow ties tight, headed to Pizza 123 on the corner and ordered the Gin Lovers Pizza.
Well that’s what I ordered and the dear little lady looked at me like an alien. So I went for Pepperoni after a roll of the eyes.
We brought three slices home and soon Lucy floated into the room, an Aubergine Dream!

We filled up our 'to go' glasses and headed down to the Met.
Tonight’s event invitation said something like, 'Come and prepare to be a work of art!'
Apparently there was some bash in the 70's that was photographed as an art piece and tonight that event would be recreated!
Carolina Herrera sponsored the event and her image was emblazoned on all the bartenders’ shirts. Not a current image, but one from the previously mentioned 70's bash looking regal in black and white.

The Temple of Dendur was all aglow in purple and music was pounding amongst flickering candles, and lots and lots of flashes.
Now none of us could quite figure out what was happening (and we were not THAT inebriated yet) but there were flashes going off in every crevice of that room. Sure there were some photographers poppin bulbs but for the most part the flashes were coming from tall poles. They were so bright and so blinding that they hurt. Rod and I about passed out the first time we were at the bar and POP a flash seared our eyes.

Were these polls taking our pictures or were they just for effect? Nobody could tell us for sure.
We ran the gamut of fashion and social flocks and did a little swirl on the dance floor and one by one our little posse dwindled.

Rod was the first to go, no surprise there. I think he likes getting dressed and the drinks at home more than the actual event.
Justin had a meeting the next morning so after several hours he bade farewell, but not after an Egyptian photo shoot.
Lucy and I just plane lost each other. My phone was dead and I ended up getting hoisted to Bruno Jamais down the street where the after party for the event was apparently taking place. I don’t remember much at this point.
There was doffing of my hat, mingling in booths, entertaining in the kitchen and leaving at one point but realizing all the fun I was missing and heading back for more.

All in all it was a marvelous party. Now where are those pictures going to end up?

Price and Salman's Big Texas Wedding











Woo wee! Lord was that one action packed weekend. I've always heard everything is done bigger in Texas and last weekend I found out that saying rings true.
My dear friend Price Latimer tied the knot with her longtime boyfriend (and one of my favorite people on the planet) Salman Agah. Price is an art consultant living in LA who I met through Anna at RISD. Salman is an extreme sports celebuskater who owns his own business and often times gets asked for his autograph by skater aficionados.
Price was born and raised in Texas (her family homestead the Turkey Track is still on my list of top destinations to see before I die) so the wedding was held in San Antonio.

I have never been to Texas and was very excited about checking out one of my southern neighbors and to see the Alamo!
Justin was my date (as usual) and we kept that party going from Thursday morning until Sunday night.

We stayed at The Painted Lady Inn, in the middle of a warehouse district but only a short drive to downtown. It was a charming little gay owned and operated place with faux marble, plush carpet and a cozy hot tub on the roof! We stayed in the Oscar Wilde suite naturally.

Thursday we got in the morning and spend the afternoon decompressing from a long week. We watched King Kong and ate cookies in bed then ventured out to the Alamo and a curious bar/museum with rattle snake tail art, hundreds of moose/deer and polar bears on the wall and a giant oak mirror made for a czar in Russia (?)

That evening we got gussied up in western attire and headed out for a barn dance. Now this was no ordinary barn, it was a top-drawer stable and living area for prized polo horses. I was in hog heaven petting all the horses and checking out the tack room. The place is owned by one of Price's uncles and they had a country band, loads of food and of course two bars. We got buck wild, got to know some of the other guests and I ended up giving Salman a spin around the dance floor and dropping him on his head. Sorry buddy!

Friday was the men’s luncheon where we consumed more meat and more booze, and then the groomsmen had a tuxedo fitting at Salman's room. After a siesta we all headed out to the museum where the wedding is taking place for a rehearsal. The space is quite elegant, a casa built in 1929 and later turned into a modern art gallery crammed full of Picasso's, Manet's, Monet's and Modigliani.

After the run around of a run through we packed back into a bus and headed to the rehearsal dinner at a private club in town. Since it was Nov 1st the theme was day of the dead and the entire outside was decorated with sugar skulls, skeleton brides, piñatas and a Mariachi Band kept the music hoppin. After a drink or three we boarded boats and took a guided tour around the San Antonio River, champagne abounding of course. Dinner was divine, more BBQ! More drinks! Granddaddy told Mia that she could go on a cattle run next time she was in town. I got jealous and pretended I could cattle run too. I don’t know how I’m going to pull that one off on my next trip but we will figure something out.

Later we all stumbled over to Havana, a cigar bar located in the basement of an old mansion. I am not sure what happened here but I remember a mirror shattering and the staff asking us to leave. From there we danced at the hotel, Justin and I hit two rotten gay bars where the trannie at the door told us we were too cool to be there and asked the cab to take us home.

Needless to say the day of the wedding wasn’t pretty. Justin and I huddled in bed and watched more bad TV until 1pm when we headed to Roby's house for an afternoon of man-versations and guess what- more BBQ! Roby, Price's brother, is an avid hunter and his entire bachelor pad is hung with animal heads. Justin and I couldn't stop touching everything. He even pulled out his rattlesnake tail collection. I was in charge of the groomsmen’s ties and pocket squares so I laid them out so they wouldn’t get too wrinkled in the madness.

When It was time to get dressed I necked wrestled all the boys into their ties and taught them all my pocket square trick. I had to discipline Adam who asked what the hell the purple napkin was for. Breeders!

We all had a drink then headed over to the museum for the big game. The girls were stuck in traffic and the setting sun was blinding the guests. Finally we took our places and the cello started up, the doors swung open and there was Price, looking like the most beautiful Calla Lilly in the world! She was STUNNING.

I have never cried at a wedding but for some reason this one got me. It may have been Salman's sister singing "O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi. That stole the show.

Once the bride and groom sealed the deal we took some pictures and then headed into the palm-filmed courtyard for the fun to begin. I had one drink and almost turned green. But after my third I was in good form.

We feasted on (you fill in the blank) and mingling began immediately after the first course. The bride and groom had the first dance to The Ronette's, Be My Baby, which was so perfect.

After dancing up a storm with Big Daddy Jim (Price's amazingly wonderful and hysterical gay uncle) Justin and I went to the car for a costume change and came back to dance every last dance.
At 12 the lights went on and the party rolled over to Jim's son's house, Jay. MORE TAXIDERMY! Justin and I did photo shoots in every room. The night wound down around 3am after many shots, a bon fire, more dancing and a sing along to "Deep in the heart of Texas"

The next morning we awoke at 10, ordered breakfast in bed and then met the clan for some Mexican and a recap of the night before. Then we headed to the Latimer's home for wedding cake and a wind down at the pool before heading to the airport. Salman gave us both a big kiss and a squeeze and we jetted back to New York. My heart was warm, my stomach heavy and my head on cloud nine. The perfect wedding weekend.

9th Annual Pumpkin Carving Party






I can't believe it has been nine years since Mark and Mary first invited me over to their pad in Tribeca to carve pumpkins, feast on vegan chili and booze the night away.
Well now with Alistair and Emmet in the mix plus Mary with child encore, the scene has mellowed a bit! At least for the adults. Mary didnt even bother carving, nor did Michelle. I almost passed out after half a bottle of wine BUT the kids kept the party lively by performing a concert, throwing a glass of milk at the dog and singing along with Dora the Explorer.
A good time was had by all and my pumpkin was my favorite to date- A tribute to Beast, Rod's cat that passed away last Thursday.

Minya's Bridal Shower






I flew home early from Atlanta to host a surprise Bridal Shower for Minya and it went off without a hitch.
Luckily she lives right down the street so I told her I found her an amazing present in Atlanta and she had to come and see it.
Claw arranged the guest list and Fresh Direct order (hoorah!) I just had to open my doors, do a little set up and we were ready to roll.
I have never hosted such an event but I assure you with these rowdy bitches, I would host a thousand more. We drank our way through several games involving how well we knew Minya and then chowed down while I asked her the Proust Questionaire.

Im not too sure how it ended but I was saddened to wake up to no left overs, I hear I sent everyone packing with a box of cupcakes and chicken fingers. Happy Wedding Minya!

Fall in the dry dirt of Georgia









In a bit of a rush but wanted to post pictures of my leisurely weekend in Georgia.
The point of the trip was to go with Justin to do a trunk show at a tony shop in Buckhead called Belvedere but the dates were changed so I went solo.
Wonderful trip lounging at the lake, pontooning with the dawgs on our new boat (its like a living room with a motor, and came with its own blender!), riding at Cator's (we got lost in the woods again and had a wild time with vines, spiders and ravines!), spending time with Angela and mom in Little 5 Points (wow it sure isn’t as swank as I remember it when I was 18 and itchin' for a piercing) and I ended the weekend with dinner with friends and a couple of house parties before I woke up at the crack of dawn on Sunday to host a surprise Bridal Shower for Minya in Harlem.

Just so you know how severe the drought is, mother had delicate little notes on the toilets that read, "If its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down."
Yikes.

Autumnal Splendor











Last weekend I had my first taste of fall.

Cleo bought a farmhouse upstate in Liberty, New York last May and it was the first weekend she could stay in the house without any dust and debris impending her R&R.

I have known Cleo for years through my friend Kevin. She is from a holler (really!) way deep in Kentucky and has the best damn accent you ever heard. I haven’t spent time with her in ages so it was nice to get a weekend away and catch up.

We headed up on Friday afternoon, the car piled high with bags, plants and a very excited Dachshund named Ruby.
By the time we arrived three hours later it was dark and the deer were out in full force.

From what I could see at night her farmhouse is just about the coziest place on God's green earth. She has decorated it kind of like a log cabin I saw at Dollywood, loads of deer heads, mink skins nailed to the wall and lots of great chandeliers! I couldn't see the property since it was so dark but I know she has 10 acres that I am looking forward to exploring tomorrow.

We opened up the place, killed all the flies that took over for the week and headed over to an Irish pub called Mullaly's for dinner where we met up with her friend Jesse. We martini'd and I chowed down on a full plate of ribs. YES!

We then rolled home, kept the drinkin' going and had pajama and chocolate time. I was in bed by 11:30 passed out with a cool country breeze lulling me to bed.

Saturday morning I woke up and my jaw dropped. Out the window I see rolling hills that go on for miles and a myriad of turning leaves out on the distant mountains. Well Lord have mercy I was just about to tear up from the beauty of it all.

We dressed and Cleo talked to some contractors while I read the paper and then took a little jog to explore the rural route. Then we hit the road for breakfast at the Liberty diner, antiquing in town and then tooled all around the hills and tiny quaint villages just lookin', admirin' and listening to Loretta Lynn.

A highlight included a romp at Wal-Mart where a retarded kid ran up on Cleo in the meat department and held her hand and started screaming. His father yelled out at Cleo, "Oh looky, Johnny's found a new lady friend!"
I thought Cleo was going to loose her mind, it was hysterical.
We then had a fashion show in the hunting and rifle section where I bought a good lookin' hoodie and matching belt in a leaf and tree print.

We then headed home, dodged more deer and whipped up a mean lasagna, popped open a bottle of champagne and had a 'lasagna and champanya' evening. Jesse swung by after he had been to a female strip club with one of his contractors (don't ask) and brought his Pit Bull named, 'Passions'. She thinks she is the size of Ruby so she jumped into my lap to snuggle and almost knocked the chair over.

Sunday morning we gowned around and cleaned Cleo's new chandelier and made Dunkin' Donuts coffee (which is the bomb!).
In the afternoon we went to Jesse's amazing home that used to be a cow barn and chicken coop. He sprinkled his fag magic over the place and the results are charming. We all headed to Mullaly's again for brunch and then Cleo and I stopped by Vita's Veggie Shack for pumpkins and autumnal gourds and squash before packing up and heading back to the big city.

Cleo, I can’t wait to get back on up there. Lord willin' and the creek don't rise!

Harriet Tubman has landed in Harlem!






Yesterday morning I get a call at 7am from Lucy who is bubbling over with excitement. "Cator I wanted our Block President to be the first to know that the Harriet Tubman statue is finally being hoisted into place! Go look!"

With that I bound out of bed with my camera and head to the corner of 122 St and Eighth Avenue (Frederick Douglas Martin Blvd). Sho’ nuff there is a crane and a flat bed truck with dear ole Harriet calmly waiting to be put in place. She has a hook on the top of her head and a massive crane begins lifting her up and in the direction of the platform on which she is to rest. I must say she was looking VERY Mary Poppins flying through the air with a cinched waist, billowing skirt and petticoat flapping in the wind. The boys set her down, screwed her in and voila! There she gallantly stands gazing down Eighth Avenue towards Central Park.

This is a momentous day for us on 122 Street. About four years ago that triangle (between St. Nicholas, Eighth and 122 St was made up of massive weeds, bushes and uneven sidewalks that caused many people to twist an ankle. One day I noticed them leveling it all and find out that it was to become a Harriet Tubman Memorial. FOUR YEARS LATER a tiny triangle has blossomed into a granite mini park where people sit and chat, stroll through and now can gave up at Harriet. She looks quite amazing in her wide billowing skirt with people’s faces replacing a floral print. Many of her quotes have been etched around the sides of the petite plaza, one of which you can see here.

I am so happy the memorial is finally complete although I am assuming better plants will be in the works for the spring. Dear Harriet never lived a happy life. An article about her in the NYT last week mentioned her horrid upbringing, and even after she helps hundreds of slaves to freedom she was still beaten and lived in poverty. Lucy and I plan of taking a bottle of wine over to the triangle soon and toasting to the life and times of one terrific Tubman.

An apology 10 years in the making...



I click on my uber annoying myspace account to delete what I assume are more spam letters from 'Pam who cant sleep' or 'Beth who wants to chat on 1-900...' I see a note from a Sherry that is titled, 'I have owed you this for a long time' I was awaiting a massive sex filled viagra spam but this is what I read:


----------------- Original Message -----------------

Hi Cator.

This is really difficult and I don't know if you even remember, but I owe you a huge apology. I am so sorry that when I saw you at La Fonda after you came out, I acted like an asshole.

First off, it wasn't you. Although I was somewhat surprised to see you "out," I always knew. I mean, we used to sing Ru Paul together?? You just happened to catch me at one of the lower points in my life and I didn't want you to see me, if that makes any sense. I was hanging out with losers that I didn't like and doing a bunch of other dumb shit that still makes me cringe to think about.

The next time I saw you, at the Diesel store, you were totally cold and I knew exactly why and that I totally deserved it. I skulked out like a coward because I couldn't put the words together. I owe you an apology for that, too.

You have probably long forgotten about this or put it behind you, but I haven't. I've actually thought about it a good bit over the years. It is possibly the single worst thing I've done in my life and certainly the worst I've ever treated anyone. I hope one day you can forgive me, but I understand if you can't. I just wanted to take the opportunity to try and right one of the bigger mistakes/regrets I've made. I am so sorry. Even as I sit here writing this, I'm mortified by the way I acted.

I hope all is well and that you're happy and doing great. Take care.

Sherry

Here is what I wrote back:

Sorry to say I have no idea who you are. And your profile is set to private.
Uh, if you got made as much fun of as I did you dont remember every time. La Fonda was one of my favorite places I went to weekly in high school so I probably put any negative thoughts in the delete box of my brain.

That said, it is always nice to hear an apology for actions taken. Thanks. Funny, I'm moving to London in January to work on a book about my life of being a loser gay kid to becoming a successful writer and man about town in NYC.
Maybe this will make the cut!

LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING WHO SHERRY IS! HOW CAN I FORGET A PERSON I USED TO SING RUPAUL WITH??

Kensington Stables





As everyone knows, our dear Claremont Stables closed their doors in April (a week before my much anticipated birthday ride!) and Fay and I have been searching for a spot to ride near the city. We heard about Kensington Stables in Prospect Park and thought we would give it a whirl
We will not be back.
First off the trains took FOREVER today which caused us to run late. Then we couldn't find the stable to save our lives. Luckily some Chinese man showed us the route.

We arrived in shock and horror. The stables looked more like a converted parking garage. There were five random people lounging out front. One in particular was an obese lady in pink who squawked like a parrot. She was AWFUL! She was criticizing everything everyone did, bossing and directing and basically just yapping to hear her own voice.

Inside the roof was falling in, and disarray was the order of the day. The owner, Walker, describes his love of horses on his website as ‘stemming from his fascination of fantasy and Dungeons & Dragons’ (!) Need I say more?

Fortunately the one redeeming feature was a cute boy named Johnny who was our guide. He adores horses and is moving to North Carolina in January to take courses in Equine veterinary. Once we mounted our horses, Invisible, Katie and Phoenix and the Squawk Box of Brooklyn, Brunehilda, corrected every move I made before I could make it, we set off. Now the forecast had been sun all weekend but today was a bit grey. Surely it wouldn’t rain! As soon as the first hoof was in the park the clouds released their load and deluge! We got soaked. My reins were slipping though my gloves, my boots were seeping and the poor horse was over it.

No matter, we trudged along through the lush and very pretty park. Fay was naughty and bounded into a canter sending us all flying through the bridle paths, which is the ultimate way to get dry! Johnny scolded but secretly was having a blast and was glad we did it. No cantering is allowed on weekends due to so many people in the park. Needless to say the park wasn't bustling today.

After a while the rain stopped, we dried off and then it happened all over again. A wet ride. The first for me! Fay and Johnny said they love a wet, wild ride but we all agreed it is much more fun in a poncho. Near the end when we were all winding down my horse let out a huge groan, stopped and slowly started falling forward. I had no idea what was happening. Here is how it went down:
Cator: Whaaaa! What are you doing?!
Johnny: Make him stop! Make him stop!
Cator: Whaaaaa! How?
Johnny: Pull the reins tight and start kicking!
Cator: Whaaaaa! Giddy up!

With the strongest tug in my life the damn horse came back up on all fours and started walking towards the others. Invisible felt the gorgeous silky sand beneath his hooves and was rearing for a good roll in the dirt to relax and scratch an itch. Would be fine except I was on top and would have been rolled on. Not my idea of fun.

I was Tense Tina the rest of the ride.
We made it back all in one wet piece and dismounted (or peeled off).
Walker was getting the Shetland Ponies ready for pony rides in the park. Some bozo parents told him her kids still wanted to ride for their birthday even though it was pouring. I heard Brunehilda squawking in the back causing a stir and watched sweet Johnny running about getting the trailer ready to take the ponies to the park.
Chaos!

On this note we call Sharon and Francis and cancel our lovely lunch we had planned in the park since we were sopping, hired a car and headed back to Manhattan.

Once back to Fay's street we are about to enter her building and a homeless woman bounds off the bus. Her look is Grey Garden's daywear: Red argyles, black sandals, headscarf and piles of cardigans. As we are both admiring her color choices she drops her bags, drops her head to her knees, hikes up her skirt and drops her drawers and wees a fountain all over the sidewalk! We were speechless, terrified, gob smacked yet amazed she didn’t even trickle on her trash bag couture. She then hikes everything back up, picks up her bags and warbles off into the distance. I wonder what Brunehilda would of said about that one?

A Handsome Night with John Bartlett












Dear John,

Huzzah! Fashion Week has come to a close. Of course I love it. It's like Christmas. We all love it, look forward to it but are very happy when the gauntlet has been run. Don't you agree?

A big thanks for opening your store after Fashion Week. Good one John! There were not 100 other events that night, everyone was well rested and people were talking about more than shows, color trends and what party was next.

I pop out of the subway at 8th Avenue and 14th and spy klieg lights twirling about the skies downtown.
I thought the Tribeca Film Festival was later in the month. Who is having such a splashy party? As I get closer I begin to feel sorry for you. Someone else is having an opening and it will cause a traffic disaster near John's little friends and family event.
But as I get closer to 143 7th Avenue at Charles I realize the lights are zooming around your new shop. How thrilling and fun!

Dude, you quite possibly have THE hottest friends in the entire world. Everyone who walked though the threshold was just gorgeous. Lumberjack love! I brought my friend John Polly from Logo Online, hope you guys got to chat. He is devilishly handsome too and I haven't spent time with him in eons. Now that he is newly single I took the chance to take him out for a night on the town before he gets hitched again. He had a blast. Who wouldn't?

As mentioned the crowd was such fun. Michael Macko from Saks was cavorting with Scott Schuman of Sartorialist fame (www.thesartorialist.com). I've never seen either of them more relaxed and happy! Just kickin' back and having a drink. Michael professed that he never really knew what I do so he and his staff decided to google me and read the whole site. Now he knows more about me than he or I ever expected.

I saw Ainsley Connell whom I used to work with at 7th on 6th and met the new Austin Scarlet. This boy was tall, beyond skinny and had on pleated pants, a ripped shirt, Versace-esque belt and a mammoth gold and diamond watch. Turns out he is a twee little thing from Birmingham England and here for school at FIT. I'm taking him shopping next week since he has yet to be dazzled by the shops here in New York. I don't think he is your core customer John, a little blingy for your taste but he was well impressed with the shop.

A real treat was to see:

* Greg and Greg! I first met you though Greg (www.gregclimer.com). It was fun to catch up with the both of them

* My friend Howard Steeves back in town from Australia. He met a gorgeous man down under, married him and is living the life in Sydney. He and his partner are in town for a week so I invited them to pop by.

* Matthew Sandager and Paul Marlow from Loden Dager. Congrats on a rockin show boys!

* Tiny Tim! John your three-legged dog is just the best. So friendly and Zen.

* Your store manager James Salaiz. Drool worthy and design focused. I love his pottery he created for the shop including the barbell flowerpot and fist book ends.

* Lucy Liu and Cynthia Rowley added a dash of twinkle to the evening but there was no grand entrance or paparazzi. Simply friends coming out to support.

Basically what I am saying is between the cute boys, warm surroundings and low-key energy, you need to have store opening once a month! It was the perfect party! Oh well except for the cops who kept sweeping in to corral people indoors with their champagne flutes.

John I'm ready for your 'salon Sundays'! We can all gather for drinks and discuss workers in India, who should win Mr. Leather or bring a favorite recipe to share!

As Blossom Dearie says, "Made my day John, diggin' you diggin' me John!"

Thanks for the fun and congrats on the store. Can't wait to pop by and buy the perfect snuggly fall finds!
xo
Cator

My Block Received an Award!











Hoorah! All of my hard work through the year has paid off. All those Block Minutes, that one pot luck that the crack heads invaded, the Community Affairs meetings and of course the taping flyers on neighbor's doors in two feet of snow has all been acknowledged by Community Pride of Harlem.

Last week I found in the mail, a very Paul Smith invitation to attend a reception to receive an award for Community Leadership on August 21st, 2007 (my grandmothers birthday to boot)

The award is Most Active Block Association!

The event was supposed to be held on the elegant terrace of the Community Pride building on 125th and 5th Avenue but due to the deluge it was held in the cafeteria. I arrived and met my liaison at Community Pride, Lane who introduced me to some great people including the Block President of 123 Street one block north of me. We already have a meeting set up to get the wheels greased for next year.

I also met the most fabulous character named Dallas Lee Simms from Pittsburgh who informed me that he was NOT related to Naomi Simms, the first major Black model, but they DID indeed share the same birthday. He proceeded to speak the native tongue of whatever passed hors d'oeuvres was being served. He said 'Gracias' for the crispy chicken quesadillas, 'Merci' for the cheese quiche and 'Efharisto' for the Spanakopita. AMAZING!

The awards were doled out and everyone was acknowledged with a kind and personal speech about what they had done with the community. When I came up they mentioned that I had the best communication of any Block (via email of course) and that we were responsible for the renovation of the police precinct through our involvement with www.publicolor.org.

I love the award and I wish the entire block could of attended with me. After a massive photo of all of us was orchestrated I headed over to Rods for congratulatory champagne. Did you have any doubt?

But earlier today I had an 'I love Harlem moment' and took pictures of some of my favorite spots in my hood on this rain day. Included are some old, some new, some being torn down and some about to be inundated with newcomers. I just hope anyone who moves into this world, this rare enclave and this thriving bastion of culture comes to appreciate its quirks, eccentrics, wide boulevards and low buildings.

Can I get an Amen?

Sintra











Our last day was one of my favorite. Nuno picked us up at 9:30am and we headed to lush and serene Portuguese countryside.

Sintra is knd of like the Newport of 18-19th century Portugal. This is where all the aristocrats and wealthy built their summer palaces. On the way to Sintra amazing follies and homes are tucked away into the hills. The first one we came upon was Palacio Nacional de Queluz.

This quaint Rococo palace reminded me of some of the palaces we saw in Russia, they are very grand but faded and very minimal security. We could get close to alot of the furniture and fiddle with door handles, candelabras and wall mounts. All the things I love to poke around. Apparently the stables are very good here and they have amazing shows on Wednesdays, but alas, it was all closed up today.

We then drove to the heart of Sintra. The town is in the hills and there is a cool microclimate there that kind of transports you to another time. Maybe is was the castle looking fountains, the moss covering old stone walls or the huge Hemlocks holding court but I can definitely see why William Beckford and Lord Byron called this place home for a time. Byron works himself into a total tizzy over the village in Childe Harold:

"Lo! Cintra's glorious Eden intervenes
In variegated maze of mount and glen.
Ah me! what hand can pencil guide, or pen,
To follow half on which the eye dilates
Through views more dazzling unto mortal ken
Than those whereof such things the bard relates,
Who to the awe-struck world unlocked Elysium's gates?"

Nuno drops us off at the bottom of a mountain where we take a trolly to the very top to reach the entrance of Palacio Nacional da Pena. This was built by an eccentric German Prince with his own money so that it didnt have to have public state rooms and instead could be a cozy albeit massive home for his family. This was a real highlight for me. All the turrets, onion domes and grotto like structures plus massive verandas and Moorish windows that looked out over amazing vistas to the sea.
We spent several hours here just puttering about and soaking in the cool climate.

We took the trolly back down to the bottom and Nuno then took us to the center of town where we had plenty of time for lunch, shopping and a tour of the official Royal Palace built in the 15-16th centuries. The tile work was amazing.
We popped into Parakeet, a famous little patiserie and bought the pastries Goncalo had mentioned, Queijatos (sp).

Leaving glorious Sintra we headed to the coast and winded our way past beach after amazing beach. On our way out of town we did stop to admire Wiliam Beckford's former home, Monserrat. A beautiful oriental folly that is now closed to the public. We also made an appearance at Palacio Quinta da Regaleira, a drippy castle of a place filled with gothic towers that lead to wild gardens of agapantha, pools and fountains. I could of spent the whole day here, there simply isn't enough time to see it all.

We continue to the coast and stop at the most western point in Europe Cabio da Roca. We take a picture in the windy weather, wave to New York and hop back into the car to Cascais. This former fishing village is a bit like St. Trop not in the glamour department but in its evolution from sleepy town to overcrowded beach. The water is gorgeous and the grand old homes dotting the oceanfront are right up my alley.

Nuno drops us off and we stroll for an hour and soak up a bit more sun, watch the sailors coming in from sea and get in a bit more shopping. As we approach Lisbon again the concrete becomes more apparent than the beaches and before we know it our day is at an end. Nuno bids us goodbye at the Lapa and we go in for a change and a rest before heading to dinner.

At Nuno's suggestion we try a very modern and hip spot called Bica do Sapeto. Partly owned by John Malkovich, it is in a former warehouse that looks over the water. We have Caperainias, rose, steak and eel (not our choice but a chef's compliment) and watch the sunset on our last night in Portugal.

Back at Lapa Palace we have another drink with our favorite bartender Goncalo. He was in quite a tizzy over lack of sleep and friend drama so when I pulled out a box of those gorgeous pastries we bought in Sintra for him, he nearly burst out in tears. It was so sweet and mom and I were happy we were able to cheer him up a bit. He continued to entertain us and we enjoyed our martinis while the pianist tickled the ivories in the main room. We bid Goncalo good night, I gave him my card and we headed to our room. (Since then we have been emailing and he sent me this picture of himself, sweet kid!)

We are in bed by 12:00 for an early morning rise for the airport.
Mother packs her bags and I take one more chance to stare out over the pool and palm trees, out into the ocean before I head back to New York for madness, mayhem and hardly a moments rest.