by Anne M. Raso

Well, the countdown to New York Fashion Week is almost over--it starts on September 10th and so the diet is in full title boogie. It's time for Slim Fast and the occasional sauteed or steamed veggie at a quickie Chinese 'hood hang. I went to Tang's Garden (formerly Tang Tang before being closed by the Board Of Health last year) and ordered "long beans" sauteed with just one tablespoon of peanut oil. The waiter looked at me if I was nuts when I specified the amount of oil I wanted, but hey, this is New York and attitude is a little more acceptable here, than say, Mayberry RFD.


My friend Tony, who writes for The Advocate and Village Voice among other gay periodicals, did a touristy thing right after were went imbibing semi-diet Chinese fare--we did the ultra touristy NYC Ducks. Ticket holders meet at 47th and Broadway, they hand you a plastic quacker, and after a tour of midtown with a lot of Sopranos style dark humor courtesy of a fifty-something tour guide from the Bronx. I couldn't help giggle when our guide, upon riding past the Empire State Building, stated, "Twenty-thousand people go to work here everyday and there is only one bathroom!" There's a big splash when the duck turns into a boat and hits the Hudson somewhere by the Javits Center, but it's not such a big one that you look like Anna Wintour's wet poodle when it's done!

Our last stop of the day was the Time Warner Center Borders for Edie Falco's reading of Carl Capotorto's tale of Italian-American life in the Bronx, Twisted Head. Capotorto played Lil Paulie Germano on the Sopranos, so he and Edie go way back (and they seem to have so much affection we each other we actually wonder if they are dating). The book tells the tale of a guy, now 50, and how his life was affected by having a strict disciplinarian pizzeria-owning dad and lived in a haunted mock Victorian house nearby that his dad made into a 30-year DIY project (and had the majority of the 32 windows removed). Edie looked fabulous (she never looks as tired as she did portraying world-weary Carmela S.O and when I have seen her off-camera I have always noticed that has baby blues that can rival the late Ol' Blue Eyes himself. Edie was rockin' a pair of light brown, natural wood Marc Jacobs platform sandals with natural (no polish) toenails. As Tony S. would say, "You go, Carm!"

On my way home, I literally bumped into Sarah Jessica Parker and Kristen Davis shooting a scene by the giant marble Columbus statue in you guessed it--the "island" at Columbus Circle. Looks like they were having a blast in their Manolos and Pat Field's gear. We have the feeling we are going to be seeing a lot of SJP shooting Sex and the City 2 around the Big Scrapple in the next few months! And wouldn't we love to see her character ditch that obnoxious BIG and go back to more humble Aidan! It'll never happen but a girl can dream, can't she?

[all photos courtesy of hbo.com, nymag.com, and nycducks.com]