Emily's May Inspiration "There Goes The Hood"

It was more than a restaurant, it was a symbol. And in the past decade, the last man standing in a sea of homogeny brought on by outsiders visiting the East Village on the weekends; dabbling in the hip, artistic, and edgy. Fact is MAMA'S was the neighborhood. At ten dollars a plate with a choice of meat and three sides, MAMA's was the spot you went for down home comfort. Nestled on 3rd St btw A & B, I walked past this soul food spot daily back in the nineties, sometimes stopping in just for a side of mash potatoes when the city got rough. They had the best veggies too, and if you didn't want meat you could get an extra side with their mac and cheese rivaling no other.

I encourage my yoga students to embrace change, to accept the only constant in our lives is just that. But as my old street in Alphabet City morphs into more and more sameness - that chain store, homogenized look that plagues our country - I have to cry out, 'Why this hood!?' Why the spot where artists flocked to so they could be different and accepted? With the fortune tellers, druggies, and performance artists singing their tunes, graffiti walls and dive bars that embrace all kinds... Why must the demographic who desires sameness, who feels more comfortable in an OLIVE GARDEN than an authentic Italian dive invade the one place on the planet where we screwed the Man?

Those who infest the East Village on the weekends are in no way supporting the community and those who inhabit it. They leave and go back to their commutes and cubicles, and tell stories about how they had a 'crazy' weekend in the village. We lived there, many old-schoolers still do. It's our home, and place's like MAMA'S, or the old KING'S PHARMACY replaced by a DUANE READE were our pride, our joy and choice to remain original, authentic to ourselves. Most moved to the East Village against their society's wishes. To a far away land where parentals did not understand paying a thousand dollars a month for a shoebox apartment on Ave C, but we did and sacrificed to be there. The natives know the secret to Alphabet City is its character, its funkiness, and constant groove we so adore. With the closing of MAMA'S, I dare say...there goes the hood.

PEACE,

Archived Inspirations

on Growth

POCKETS FULL OF TALES

As a writer and artist at large it has become clearer to me over the years the mission of collecting stories. Of living and experiencing life that may later inspire visual, song, book, or dialogue. As artists we embrace the unusual and new in order to stretch our canvas and free our minds. For me, getting out of dodge has always been a welcomed adventure. Even from a young age my mother out of the blue would suggest a spontaneous visit to Grandma's or a trek to a new town or city. I adored it.

It's wild to me that you can sip tea at the ABQ airport by dawn and by evening rose' in Manhattan. The thrill of travel is the stepping out of routine - of doing things totally different than a usual Monday. And we all know that distance brings perspective. The daily worries look silly from huge steps back. We feel lighter, take longer breaths, even our food tastes better. And within that space of being relaxed and open - we explore. Kick back, and truly live our lives.

My pockets are full of tales fresh back from a jet set - mission accomplished. From the unexpected work the moment I arrived at the East Village high rise, to the meeting of a new mentor on Prince, to a walk with fierce company and bench in Sunday sun at Tompkins Square. From the too much fun night out with musicians, old friends - dj-ing each other's ipods past four am to the bow down, blow your mind kind of sanga shared with my teacher in the divine flow. These stories collected pulse through me now.

Move. Explore. Live. We are headed toward love - toward more compassion and greater humanity. Ready or not -

Here we come.