I am still biding my time until the start of classes ushers in the official beginning of my life in New York. This week, aside from taking care of the odd bit of bureaucracy that comes up, I have been researching ways to take advantage of what the city has to offer from the standpoint of my relative poverty. Luckily, this is quite a lot, especially in summer. I have discovered, for example, that free movies can be enjoyed in a different park each night of the week around the city. Monday in Bryant Park, Tuesday in the McCarren Park Pool, Wednesday at Hudson River Park, Thursday at the Brooklyn Bridge Park, etc.

Unfortunately, Tuesday night’s showing of the David Lynch classic Blue Velvet was cancelled due to rain, but I did catch The Candidate on Monday. I have to say that seeing a classic film on a huge screen for free in a beautiful skyscraper-enclosed park is truly a worthwhile experience. I took the above photo jut before the movie began, of two of Bryant Park’s neighboring behemoths. The one on the right seems already to be in use although its uper floors are still under construction.

The film itself is about the son of a former California governor who agrees to run for the Senate. Initially, he is attracted by the prospect of a position from which to push his progressive views and has no intention of winning, but he eventually loses control of his own campaign and is co-opted into the political institutions he once opposed. The Candidate is a well-made movie, and it has a certain amount of relevance given the seemingly calculated centrist drift of Obama’s recent campaigning, but ultimately the film felt dated in its attempt to shock its audience with political intrigue which we are cynical enough to expect as commonplace now. “You mean the environmentalist’s deal with the teamsters represents a conflict of interests?” No shit. What would be truly interesting would be if we had any reason to believe that our politicians actually do start out with a platform which is based on ideals rather than demographics in the first place, thus allowing us to view their inevitable selling out as a series of compromises rather than the results of more accurate data.

Of the remaining outdoor films of this season, I am most excited about The Blues Brothers and Rushmore, which I have seen, and Superman and The Shining, which I have not. Something about seeing Superman outdoors in the middle of midtown seems achingly appropriate, and so I’ve got next Monday evening marked on my calendar.

Also of interest this week has been a visit from my old Swiss counterpart-in-exchange, Michel, who lived with my family while I lived in Switzerland. He was in town after spending three months interning in DC at the World Bank.

After a canceled flight left him stranded here for two extra days, we hit up McSorley’s Old Ale House, and then punctuated his visit with a late night walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. This next photo was taken while we wandered around Green Point yesterday evening.

I know I’ll get sick of taking skyline photos eventually. But I can’t help it: these views just keep sneaking up on me!