Things that have happened recently:

Well now I can’t see William Barr without thinking about this.

Remember that time I went to a great little diner in New Jersey but didn’t take any photos because an old man wouldn’t leave me alone? Not only did I go back, but I photographed the inside, talked to the owner for more than an hour and wrote about it all for Roadtrippers.

The Instagram aesthetic is over (thank the Lord).

Things to do in New York this weekend:

Governors Island is open for the season and all ferries will be free this weekend—if you go, say hi to the chickens for me.

Jane’s Walk—free events inspired by Jane Jacobs—is hosting a tour of the former US Lighthouse Depot grounds in Staten Island on Saturday and Sunday.

The five boro bike tour is on Sunday. Here’s the route, if you want to join—or avoid—the bikers.

Things I’ve discovered recently:

I am a sucker for before/after photos, but this series from the New York Times is next-level cool.

I am deep into a new obsession with Lily Tomlin and I’ve been working my way through her movies. The Incredible Shrinking Woman was life-changing, Grandma was excellent, Big Business and All of Me were silly but fun, she was wonderful in Nashville and The Late Show, and if anyone can help me watch a VHS copy of The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe that I recently (impulsively) bought on eBay, I’d really appreciate it.

Man, I’m so excited for the return of this show. Have you seen the trailer yet?

I was in Ohio for a week, and while I was away it seems that all of New York bloomed. Yesterday it was in the 80s, but now it’s rainy for the foreseeable future. I have plans to see a movie on Sunday but otherwise my weekend is free. I’m sure there will be at least one diner breakfast in there, although sadly it won’t be at Kane’s Diner in Flushing because it closed on Wednesday (RIP those insane menus). Now that my hobby became my job I find myself kind of listless on weekends—if anyone out there wants to explore abandoned places or hit up cemeteries in New York, let me know!

Happy Friday!