# Brief Reviews of Various Things

Brief reviews of various things:

The view of New York from room 1609 of the Salisbury Hotel:
Unfortunately, sixteen stories doesn’t buy you all that much in New
York. You get Planet Hollywood across the street and Carnegie Hall a
little way down it, but that’s about the extent of it.

The view of Boston from apartment 28D of the “Eastgate” complex: Rather
impressive–to the left, across the Charles River, downtown Boston;
immediately in front, several skyscrapers, including the John Hancock
building; to the right, past Harvard bridge, an illuminated, animated
red triangle advertising the “Citgo” corporation.

Rebekah (of "[the Org](http://rebekah.org/)"): she’s fun and cool and
buys her brother the kind of presents I’m not game to buy mine.

The first 144 pages of Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood”: This is a famous
book; frankly I don’t understand the appeal. It is, I suppose, done
competently enough, but does it really need to be this long?

Toscanini’s “Hot Vanilla”: I so much wanted this to be tasty and
delicious, but honesty compels me to report that it was, in fact,
execrable.