Hey there loyal fans, aka Mom, haven’t written in awhile and wanted to give you a little update on how things are going with the Quest. Now typically I would post my latest homework assignment, but since this week it’s a little technical and more about reporting tactics, plus the fact that it’s basically an outline of the final piece, I’m doing something a little different. Wouldn’t want to give you the whole story before it’s written. Anyway, what I’ll be doing this week is to give everyone an update on how things have been going.
On October 3, I spent a day at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic to scope out some skilled mixologists. The event is basically a way for mixologists or anyone interested in celebrating cocktail culture to learn more about the art of making, and of course consuming a good cocktail. The event offered two days full of events including a series called “Stories from Behind the Bar” which offered admission to bars like “Death and Company” and “Mayahuel” where each guest could sample signature cocktails from some of Manhattan’s most prestigious bars and even meet the mixologists that worked there. Purchasing a ticket for each event also included free admission to the official bar of the Classic, The Lounge at Astor Center. Sounds great right? One problem: admission to each event costs $50 and I am but a poor college student. However, I found a creative solution: admission to the official bar cost a mere $25, and included a drink ticket, and that meant meeting people coming in from all the events. Clearly this was my best option. So I prepared my liver for a full day of cocktails and prepared to schmooze with the big time bartenders.
I arrived at the official bar shortly before noon and my first impressions made me a bit apprehensive. The lounge basically consisted of a fully loaded bar at one side of the room, some random tables ranged around the large rectangular space and a few meandering servers and bartenders. Even stranger was the fact that everyone was dressed in black, except for me. I had for some reason opted for red. So I parked myself at a table and looked at the official cocktail menu for the day. The variety of cocktails on the list was quite a site to behold. There were some pretty daring ingredients: one included Sriracha hot sauce. I decided to go for something a little lighter and ordered a drink with lemon juice and muddled mint, that felt a little more appropriate for the morning.
As I ordered my drink, I talked to my bartender, a woman who was volunteering for the event with a group called LUPEC or Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails. She directed me to the head of the New York chapter of the organization, Lynnette Marrero. Marrero works has a company called Drinks at 6 through which she basically helps new bars create their cocktail menus and sometimes helps cultivate the atmosphere. She didn’t have too much time to talk so we set up an interview and I was left to enjoy the cocktails. And enjoy I did.
I had already used my drink ticket, but just as I was hankering for another complicated cocktail, I discovered the true appeal of the cocktail classic. Every half hour or so, a team of bartenders would line up at the secondary bar and make one of the featured drinks on the menu and, and here’s the kicker, give them out for free. On top of this unending stream of delectable cocktails were two tables in the middle of the room covered with cheese, bread and olive oil. For a mere $25 I had discovered Heaven on Earth. Even the atmosphere had picked up now that more people had come from the events to the official bar.
So what did I learn from my Manhattan Cocktail Classic experience? Simply this: I shall go to every cocktail classic from now until eternity. I can’t wait until the next one on May 14-18.
So for this week we had to focus two of our ideas which meant doing a few interviews. Hope those of you who liked the subway performing idea from last time won’t be too disappointed.
Bartending
Though the original concept was to take the classes, the prices for the schools have changed the focus to whether they are actually worth the cost. I still plan to sit in on a free class at the New York Bartending School, though I won’t be able to actually to participate because of scheduling. I plan to focus heavily on that school because it seems to be one of the most costly. I’m going to interview people who have gone to various schools to see what they thought of the program and if they were able to find jobs afterwards. I also want to speak to actual bartenders at various restaurants and bars to see if they went to bartending school and whether they think it’s necessary. The real goal is to see how vital bartending school is to finding a job and whether it is worth the price.
The words of the manager of the Irish pub Pig ‘n’ Whistle on 3rd Theresa Conway do not inspire much confidence. “I personally don’t have any interest in the bartending schools,” she said. In fact, none of the bartenders currently working at the Pig ‘n’ Whistle on 3rd went to bartending school. Conway explained her dislike of bartending schools saying, “They learn to mix a drink, but they don’t know how to talk to customers.” She even suggested that an applicant who went to bartending school would not have an edge over those who had not saying, “It wouldn’t make me hire someone, in fact it might make me not.” A goal of the article will be to see if many other bar owners feel the same.
Dance Classes
Though the original idea was for me to take dance classes, but the financial commitment changed the focus. First of all, I want to discover what types of people takes dance classes. One section would be couples learning for their weddings. As Yuriy Datsyk the Studio Owner of the Midtown location of the Fred Astaire Dance Studio explained, “especially in New York it’s a big part,” of the business. I want to interview a few couples to see what they get out of it. The second group would include those who want to learn to dance to socialize or what Datsyk described as those who, “learn for practical reasons.” This would include two types of students Datsyk mentioned “young people [who] learn to dance to improve their social skills” and “men [who] come to learn to dance to meet women.”
Besides types of students, there are three points about ballroom dancing I want to examine. First of all, I want to briefly touch upon the influence dancing shows like ABC’s Dancing with the Stars have had on ballroom’s popularity. Datsyk, who competed professionally with his wife from 1984-1997, said, “I like Dancing with the Stars very much because it’s very, very ballroom.” He said the show had even driven a few of his students to learn. Second, I want to explore the world of professional competition and hopefully see a few. Finally, I’m intrigued by the idea that, as Datsyk put it, “there is not a practical place in New York where you can use your ballroom skills.” He mentioned that the last place where non-professionals could practice ballroom was the Rainbow Room, but even that was expensive. I would like to try to find if there are any places left for ballroom dancers to practice.
Here are the first three idea I have for my quest. Do let me know what you guys think. I’ll be updating the list in a few days after I’ve narrowed down the possibilities.
Bartending School: The main goal of this quest would for me to get my bartending license and show what the schooling actually entails. However, I would also want to get a look at the business in general. For instance: what the standards are for becoming a bartender in New York City, what drinks are most popular, what kind of people are interested, has there been an increase or decrease in interest since the economy took a downturn, etc. I would also want to do features on bartenders in the city, everywhere from pubs to upscale restaurants, hopefully asking them about everything from how and why they became bartenders to their favorite drinks. Finally, I would definitely want to explore the role women have in the field. Many younger women see it as a viable option to make money and I’d like to do at least one feature examining that angle.
Dance Classes: The thrust of the piece would be about taking dance classes and the experiences I have in them. I would include training in most of the styles of ballroom and also include hip-hop, jazz, maybe even contemporary. Some of the side features of the piece would be the history of the styles and a longer feature on how dances that are officially considered ballroom were classified as such. Some of the aspects I would like to focus on in the piece would be: the popularity of dance today, what one needs to do in a competition, who goes to dance competitions, how the couples become involved and how they met, etc. Hopefully, I would have a chance to go to an actual competition and interview some of the dancers.
Subway performers: Through this quest I would profile as many subway performers as possible by riding the subways and talking to interesting acts. Possible questions would include: why do they perform, how did they start, how much money do they make, how often do they perform, do they perform anywhere else. Besides focusing on the performers themselves there would be some features on what New Yorkers think of them, how the government feels about them and even the prevalence of performers in other subways around the world. I would likely have features on each type of performing as well, like the number of musicians versus dancers and other types of performance.
So in my first post, I talked about the reasons for setting up this blog and I want to talk a little more about that. The class I’m taking is called Advance Reporting: The Quest and the goal of it is for each student to go on his or her own personal odyssey. From the moment I read the description, I’ve loved the idea of the course and after having the first meeting I’m even more excited.
First of all, I just love the concept of the course. Allowing students to do something they have always wanted to explore or discover or do and allowing them to write about it is going to create some great pieces. Second, the professor is really enthusiastic about the course and her energy is positively infectious. I mean, how could I not like a woman who is going to take us on a class trip to row a boat in the Hudson? Third are the readings she’s assigned. One is A.J. Jacobs new book The Guinea Pig Diaries chronicling a number of quests he embarked on. I’m especially excited to read one where he outsources every part of his life, including communication with his wife, to India. From what I’ve read so far the book is going to be pure joy. He is even going to come to the class for an interview. The other is Homer’s The Odyssey. I’ve always wanted to read it, I’ve just never had the time. That right there is a quest in itself.
Most important, however, are the endless possibilities for what I can do during my upcoming quest. During the first class my professor said to think of doing things you’ve always dreamed of doing. My first thought was swimming with sharks since they’re my favorite animals and it’s always been on my life list. Sadly, after a few minutes of internet searching, I discovered that even though there is a place to go shark cage diving in New York, which was quite a surprise, I would need to have my own scuba equipment. Oh well, I’ll just wait until I have enough money to see the jumping great whites in South Africa.
Now, despite my disappointment at not being able to swim with sharks, I’m still pretty excited. I have a few other ideas rolling around in my head, but you are just going to have to wait until next time to hear what those are.
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