The Nerd’s oldest fan is coming to visit New York City with her 12 year old son, so she reached out to see if I have any must see attractions. You came to the right place Amy! And everyone please feel free to add to this in the comments below.

Be prepared to walk a lot. This is a walking city like none other. Make sure you all have comfortable sneakers.

If you have a laptop computer definitely bring it with you because your hotel will most likely have wifi, if it doesn’t then a cafe will, and you will want to get online while you’re here. If not, you’ll have to do it more of the old fashioned way, I suppose we have internet cafes here where they supply the computer but they’re few and far between.

Get lost in Central Park, don’t even worry about where you’re going, your son will have a ball exploring the most incredible park in the world.

Use Menupages.com to find the local good food near where you’ll be as you travel around the city, if you have plans made in advance for the day.

Neighborhoods that you’ll want to make sure you tour are Greenwich Village, The East Village, SoHo, Little Italy, China Town, Union Square, South Street Seaport, Wall Street, 5th Avenue in the 50’s & 60’s (FAO Schwartz toy store), Times Square (see a show)

Museum of Natural History, & Museum of Modern Art

As for Pizza, you should go to Lombardi’s, John’s of Bleeker St., Joe’s Pizza in Greenwich Village at 7 Carmine St., but anywhere you go expect the slice to be very good.

Eat bagels, lots and lots of bagels, we have the best bagels in the world.

You could take the ferry to Staten Island, then just turn around and take the ferry back. There’s nothing to see on Staten Island but the ferry ride through the Harbor is fabulous.

Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and then eat at Grimaldi’s Pizza under the bridge on the Brooklyn side. It’s some of the best pizza in the world.

Go to the top of a tall building whether it be Empire State Building or Top Of The Rock, but go at an off peak hour when it’s not super crowded, the line could get crazy especially at the Empire State Building.

Anyone feel free to jump in with more suggestions!

A new website lets you search by name or department and see exactly how much anyone earns. Talk about a violation of privacy, but I guess since they are paid using public funds its fair. But still to be able to search by name is crazy, check it out if you want.

Our friends at VBS.tv are at it again. This time exposing the crazy pollution that is Brooklyn after decades of heavy industrial activity. Enjoy:

Hey Nerd!!

Did you see the New York Times article in regards to the toxicity of the Greenpoint neighborhood. I wanted to just make you and your readers aware of a great video piece that VBS.tv did on the same issues. I think our visual story along with the article helps to paint a broad and detailed picture of the injustices being endured by the neighborhood.

Watch Toxic Brooklyn on VBS.TV

New York Times article

We decided to make a documentary about Williamsburg because our office is here and many of us have been lurking these parts for upwards of a decade. What had once been a bargain neighborhood close to Manhattan, albeit with some dangerous amenities, has now flourished into quite the sophisticated outpost. But what we here at Vice didn’t realize was that under all of this snazzy development was a subterranean environment heavily damaged by decades of industrial activity.

So we sent Derrick to tour the high and low points of Brooklyn’s boom: Williamsburg’s Radiac, the faded glory of Newtown Creek, shady developers building on unhealthy ground at every turn, the surreal majesty of Greenpoint’s sewage treatment and garbage transfer stations, plus the largest environmental disaster in the history of New York City–the Greenpoint Oil Spill.
Toxic Brooklyn is the story of people coping with some fine Industrial Era leftovers–a tale filled with villains, suspicious maestros and buckets and buckets of toxic goop.

Thanks for helping to raise awareness on this subject, if you have any questions let me know.

Our friends over at VBS.tv nailed a no holds barred interview with Bernard Kerik, check it out:

Hey NY Nerd,

VBS.tv this week sits down with controversial NY political figure Bernie Kerik. We are all familiar with his Shakespearian tale of meteoric rise to fame under Rudy as Police Commissioner and his disgraceful crash to Earth after being nominated to be Secretary Of Homeland Security. A week after being nominated Kerik withdrew his nomination explaining that he had employed an illegal immigrant as a nanny. Whoops! Once the string was pulled the sweater came undone. Numerous allegations began to surface and in 2006 pled guilty to two unrelated ethics violations and forced to pay $221,000. He is also currently under investigation by the Feds.

But for all the negative, he is still loved and admired by many in political and social circles. Taking on almost a G. Gordon Liddy type character viewed by many as an American patriot.

We get into it all with him.

- Views on the 2008 Election and why he thinks Rudy was and is the best candidate for America and that Barack Obama helps to spread the lies about him
- That conspiracy theorists are “retarded”
- His signed book by Motley Crue and tales of the Queen of England
- His role in Iraq as Minister of Interior of Iraq and why General Sanchez’s characterization of his time there as a waste is incorrect. That Sanchez’s greatest failure was not killing Muqtada al-Sadr
- His unapologetic support for the War on Terrorism and for those tactics which are harsher than most
- His 5th degree black belt and attack dogs

Check out VBS Meets Bernie Kerik – http://www.vbs.tv/video.php?id=1898293056

One must wonder what it would have been like if things had gone differently. What would Bernard Kerik have been like in George Bush’s cabinet? What would his role have been in the administration of a President Giuliani? Director of the FBI, perhaps? Or maybe Secretary of Defense? The halls of the Pentagon would have never been the same.

A colleague and I just went to Houston’s for lunch, at 26th and Park. We both had the ribs, and have to say these ribs are downright amazing. You just don’t get real bbq straight out of the smoker like that anywhere else in this city. Now they’re a little pricey, don’t get me wrong… at $27 a rack it’s not something you can do everyday.

Is there another place in New York that is serving real bbq? Most places flame finish smoked meat that has been frozen. I’m talking about straight from the smoker to the flame – to my mouth.

Houstons Ribs

That recent video of a cop tackling a Critical Mass bicyclist was not an isolated incident, here is 12 minutes of similar abuses caught on film. Clearly the NYPD is operating under instructions to intimidate Critical Mass. The unfortunate downside of this tactic is that only the most unruly riders will continue to show up, and the cycle will self-perpetuate, the peaceful riders will stay home and avoid confrontation. The only defense against the police is to keep those cameras rolling and keep them honest.

“perhaps the biggest innovation is the notion that you can create a game that’s as valid a piece of art as any book or movie. Is this our Citizen Kane moment?” Here’s more

When Giuliani was Mayor, he ran the city as if he were a mafia don. Cross Gay-Rudy (I just made that mob name up for him), and he’ll throw the book at you. Check out this case, covered by the New York Times: A man complained about police tactics where they’d set up a sting in the Bronx, it makes front page of the Daily News. Gay-Rudy gets pissed, has the poor sap arrested the next day on a 13 year old traffic warrant, case gets thrown out, but then police spokesman lies and says he was arrested on a sodomy charge. This guy sued the city and won, but not before he had a nervous breakdown. Here’s more

THIS APPEARED ON CRAIGSLIST

What am I doing wrong?

Okay, I’m tired of beating around the bush. I’m a beautiful (spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I’m articulate and classy.
I’m not from New York . I’m looking to get married to a guy who makes at least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind that a million a year is middle class in New York City, so I don’t think I’m overreaching at all.

Are there any guys who make 500K or more on this board? Any wives? Could you send me some tips? I dated a business man who makes average around 200 – 250. But that’s where I seem to hit a roadblock. 250,000 won’t get me to central park west. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married to an investment banker and lives in Tribeca, and she’s not as pretty as I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? How do I get to her level?

Here are my questions specifically:

- Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics- bars, restaurants, gyms

-What are you looking for in a mate? Be honest guys, you won’t hurt my feelings

-Is there an age range I should be targeting (I’m 25)?

- Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles on the upper east side so plain? I’ve seen really ‘plain jane’ boring types who have nothing to offer married to incredibly wealthy guys. I’ve seen drop dead gorgeous girls in singles bars in the east village. What’s the story there?

- Jobs I should look out for? Everyone knows – lawyer, investment banker, doctor. How much do those guys really make? And where do they hang out? Where do the hedge fund guys hang out?

- How you decide marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for MARRIAGE ONLY

Please hold your insults – I’m putting myself out there in an honest way. Most beautiful women are superficial; at least I’m being up front about it. I wouldn’t be searching for these kind of guys if I wasn’t able to match them – in looks, culture, sophistication, and keeping a nice home and hearth.

it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 432279810

THE ANSWER
Dear Pers-431649184:

I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament.
Firstly, I’m not wasting your time, I qualify as a guy who fits your bill; that is I make more than $500K per year. That said here’s how I see it.

Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a crappy business deal. Here’s why. Cutting through all the B.S., what you suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring my money. Fine, simple. But here’s the rub, your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity…in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won’t be getting any more beautiful!

So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset. Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation accelerates! Let me explain, you’re 25 now and will likely stay pretty hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in earnest. By 35 stick a fork in you!

So in Wall Street terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy and hold…hence the rub…marriage. It doesn’t make good business sense to “buy you” (which is what you’re asking) so I’d rather lease. In case you think I’m being cruel, I would say the following. If my money were to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades I need an out. It’s as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage.

Separately, I was taught early in my career about efficient markets. So, I wonder why a girl as “articulate, classy and spectacularly beautiful”
as you has been unable to find your sugar daddy. I find it hard to believe that if you are as gorgeous as you say you are that the $500K hasn’t found you, if not only for a tryout.

By the way, you could always find a way to make your own money and then we wouldn’t need to have this difficult conversation.

With all that said, I must say you’re going about it the right way.
Classic “pump and dump.”
I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of lease, let me know.