NY Posts: Money Never Sleeps
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I enjoy staying in New York City on three-day weekends because everything seems to empty out and the spots that usually require the Armani couture attire with super model company tend to relax their velvet rope standards.
Friday night was shaping up to be dinner and drinks in the Meatpacking District, an area synonymous for high priced cocktails, too much makeup and “how ya doing” salutations, but it seemed like a good bet given the lack of human traffic. It’s also fun place to go to watch inebriated six-foot tall models walk on cobblestone streets in three-inch heels.
Most coronary specialists would advise you against having your meals at The Spotted Pig, but I guarantee that your gastro-inner voice will purr if you do decide to dine there. We had to wait by the bar for an hour before we ate, but we were not disappointed. Then as we were leaving, I noticed a well-known director talking to a couple leaning against a car. I couldn’t remember his name and when I pointed him out to my friends, they were completely oblivious. I wasn't sure which was more frustrating - that I couldn’t recall his name, or the fact that my present company had a pop culture IQ of zero. They suggested I go up to him and ask who he was, but it was too late; he had already headed back into the restaurant.
While my buddies and I were heading down the street, one of my friends decided to ask the couple who the mystery man was. I started to walk back when I overheard the stranger exclaiming, “I don’t know who he was!” “Why do you want to know?” He was purposely being smug and seemed to delight in not revealing the director’s identity. As I approached, I realized it was Shia LaBeouf, the male lead from Transformers. As he saw us approaching, he realized the person he was antagonizing was not alone, and immediately spat out “OK, OK, it was Oliver Stone.” Satisfied just to see him squirm a little, I thought it was a funny coincidence to see two celebrities at the same restaurant at the same time.
Fast forward to Monday morning. While riding mass transit, I glanced over at someone reading the NY Times Arts section and it all made sense. There was an article, with Oliver Stone on the cover, detailing how he was back in NY to shoot his long-awaited movie, Wall Street II, 22 years after the original. Shia plays Jacob Moore, a young trader who is the fiancé to the daughter of Gordon Gekko, again played by Michael Douglas. A script had been in the works for years, but Stone had been reluctant to do a sequel until the financial system almost completely collapsed late last year.
It's interesting to think that a movie that debuted more than two decades ago, which forewarned the public about easy money, and the excesses and greed on Wall Street, would be so relevant with the issues we have today.
Most coronary specialists would advise you against having your meals at The Spotted Pig, but I guarantee that your gastro-inner voice will purr if you do decide to dine there. We had to wait by the bar for an hour before we ate, but we were not disappointed. Then as we were leaving, I noticed a well-known director talking to a couple leaning against a car. I couldn’t remember his name and when I pointed him out to my friends, they were completely oblivious. I wasn't sure which was more frustrating - that I couldn’t recall his name, or the fact that my present company had a pop culture IQ of zero. They suggested I go up to him and ask who he was, but it was too late; he had already headed back into the restaurant.
While my buddies and I were heading down the street, one of my friends decided to ask the couple who the mystery man was. I started to walk back when I overheard the stranger exclaiming, “I don’t know who he was!” “Why do you want to know?” He was purposely being smug and seemed to delight in not revealing the director’s identity. As I approached, I realized it was Shia LaBeouf, the male lead from Transformers. As he saw us approaching, he realized the person he was antagonizing was not alone, and immediately spat out “OK, OK, it was Oliver Stone.” Satisfied just to see him squirm a little, I thought it was a funny coincidence to see two celebrities at the same restaurant at the same time.
Fast forward to Monday morning. While riding mass transit, I glanced over at someone reading the NY Times Arts section and it all made sense. There was an article, with Oliver Stone on the cover, detailing how he was back in NY to shoot his long-awaited movie, Wall Street II, 22 years after the original. Shia plays Jacob Moore, a young trader who is the fiancé to the daughter of Gordon Gekko, again played by Michael Douglas. A script had been in the works for years, but Stone had been reluctant to do a sequel until the financial system almost completely collapsed late last year.
It's interesting to think that a movie that debuted more than two decades ago, which forewarned the public about easy money, and the excesses and greed on Wall Street, would be so relevant with the issues we have today.
Here Is The Writer : Sayheykid
Sayheykid lives in New York and has worked in the financial services industry for over 10 years. Currently a VP in Regulatory Reporting at a large bank that has received TARP money, he has survived through the drama of layoffs, constant reorganization, public finger pointing, and vicious brow beatings. Navigating through the financial headwaters has made him a bit more contemplative about what life is truly about, and will be writing about how things have changed in light of the events of the last year.
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