Wise Men Fish Here

Early Thursday morning a drooling loony by the name of Tareyton Williams nabbed two cordless Sawzall power saws from a workbench at the Cathedral Parkway subway station, where some electricians were doing contract work. The power saws ended up in the chest of a 64 year old postal worker who was on his way through the turnstile. According to a witness the victim yelled "he's drilling me! he's drilling me!" After stealing the man's wallet, Williams dumped the saws into a trash barrel & escaped into Riverside Park. The police description for the suspect was "a thin man in his 30s, with earrings in both ears and possibly carrying a teddy bear." Two hours later Williams punched a guy who was out walking his dog, which led to his arrest. The moral of the story, I suppose, is if you are approached by a wildeyed man armed with a teddy bear & a power saw at three in the morning, best to keep away.

I can't help it. All I can imagine is the police surrounding the suspect, barking out "drop the teddy bear, sir!" Instead, the suspect puts a power saw to the bear's throat & cries out "don't make a move or the teddy bear gets it!" A taut standoff ensues. Jerry Bruckheimer purchases the film rights.

Stopped in at the Gotham Book Mart at its new location on 46th Street. Hadn't passed it before because I don't spend much time in midtown if I can help it. First is the famous "Wise Men Fish Here" sign hanging out front. Then there's the million & nine photos of authors that cover the walls. And then there are the books. Shelves upon shelves, from floor to ceiling, new & used, spilling everywhere. I found every book I thought to look up, in one edition or another. A book merchant was having a conversation with a customer about Robert Crumb. Another guy came in looking for 18th century Italian history, which evolved into a whole other conversation. Big name authors like Hemingway & Faulkner had designated sections. There was a whole rack devoted to James Joyce. The joint just reeked of tasty literature. I understand why places like Pig's Bottom, Wyoming need chain stores like Borders - they have no real alternative - but with stores like Gotham Book Mart & The Strand, I have no idea how the chains ever got their foot in the door of New York.