The Brave One

I'm Erica Bain. And as you know,

I walk the city.

I b*tch and moan about it.

I walk and watch and listen...

... a witness to all

the beauty and ugliness...

... that is disappearing

from our beloved city.

Last week took me to

the gray depths of the East River...

... where Dimitri Panchenko

swims his morning laps...

... like he has every morning

since the 1960s.

Today I walked by the acres of scaffolding

outside what used to be the Plaza Hotel...

... and I thought about Eloise.

Remember Kay Thompson's Eloise?

Eloise who lived in the Plaza Hotel...

... with her dog Weenie and her parents,

who were always away...

... and her English nanny who had

eight hairpins made out of bones.

That Eloise. The adored brat

of my childhood. A little punk kid...

Sid Vicious, spewing beer from his teeth

in the Chelsea Hotel.

Andy Warhol, his sunglasses...

Edgar Allan Poe, freeing live monkeys

from the crates of a crumbling schooner...

... on the oily slips of South Street.

Stories of a city...

... that is disappearing before our eyes.

Its people swept over...

So, what will be left of those stories?

Are we going to have to construct an

imaginary city to house our memories?

Because when you love something,

every time a bit of it goes...

... you lose a piece of yourself.

So where's Eloise going to sleep tonight?

Can you hear her ghost...

... wandering around the collapsing

corridors of her beloved Plaza...

... trying to find her nanny's room...

... calling out

to the construction workers...

...in a voice that nobody hears:

"Has anyone seen my turtle,

Skipperdee?"

This is Erica Bain, and you've been listening

to Street Walk on WNKW.

- And this is 90. 1, WNKW.

- All right.

- See you next week.

- Have a good one, Erica.

Hey, I'm out of here.

Did Eloise really mean that much to you?

Oh, come on, Carol.

Weren't you ever a little girl?

Not the kind of little girl that

remembers the name of her turtle.

Anyway, good show.

Look, Bravo called again

about that TV spot.

You know what? I'm...

I'm not a face. I'm just a voice.

The shows are on the website.

People can download them for free.

- Yeah, exactly.

- Maybe.

Bye.

- Hello?

- Hey.

- Hello.

- What are you wearing?

Green scrubs, tied at the waist,

very sexy V-neck.

- Short-sleeved little number.

- How about the sexy green hat?

- Still got that?

- In my hand.

You like it more than the others,

less than the others or the same?

Oh, yeah. I'm at the place...

...and I wanna make sure you're still okay

with the cream and the orange.

Yeah, cream and orange.

Actually, it's not cream.

It's vanilla. But that's fine.

It's not cream. It's vanilla.

- Who cares? Let's go get married tonight.

- Your mother cares.

Trust me, she wants invitations.

Yeah, these are good. Thanks.

Hey, listen. For tonight, if you meet me

at Nicole's art thing...

... you don't have to

talk to anyone but me.

- Maybe.

- Come on.

- I've got a game, haven't I?

- You're not coming?

- Look, I've gotta go.

- What?

I do love you.

Yeah. I love you too.

- Hi.

- Hi. Oh, you're James.

- I'm Erica. I'm Nicole's friend.

- Hi.

These are good.

They're really cool. I love them.

The Laundromat is in a town in Jersey

where Diane Arbus used to do her laundry.

- Oh, yeah?

- Oh, that gun store is down in Chinatown.

Berenice Abbott shot it in the '30s.

It's really evocative, you know?

Kind of quiet. I like that.

It doesn't make too much noise.

Thanks.

Bring more drinks, less shrimp. More.

Where you going? You're leaving?

- No, no. I'm staying. I'm staying.

- Oh, my God, you're such a bad liar.

I know, but I try.

You have to convince him

to come to one of these things.

He can't avoid us forever. Oh, my God.

- What are you doing here?

- Don't you love this woman?

I could take her or leave her.

You guys...

...this, when it starts, it's disgusting.

- We have to go.

- You're too happy.

- Say goodbye.

- Bye.

- I hate you.

- I love you.

I really... I hate you so much.

Oh, God. It's so pretty out.

Tell you what. I'll get him.

You sit here. Okay?

No, let me get him.

- Okay. Will you get me my jacket too?

- Fine.

Here. Take this.

Thanks.

Hey.

Oh, I can open my own door.

Thank you.

Good boy. Good boy.

- Hi, puppy!

- Here.

Are you gonna be that crabby

when you get older?

I am older. And I'm way meaner.

Look, she gave me an apple. Here, baby.

- So she is human.

- That was too big a bite.

That was too big a bite.

I didn't say you could eat the whole thing.

You know what?

I could get about maybe five days and we

could go to the place with the water and...

...find good food and lots of sleeping.

Yes, I concur.

Here, boy. Good boy.

Good boy.

Don't give it to him. Throw it.

- I wasn't mucking about, you know.

- What about?

Why can't we go down

to city hall tonight?

- Because it's closed.

- Tomorrow, then.

David, you have a family.

I don't, you know?

- You're not marrying my family.

- Well, I am, kind of.

I mean, I hope I am.

Your mom is so sweet and she just...

She wants the whole deal, you know?

She wants the invitations...

...and the band playing and the minister.

I don't know. Maybe I do too,

you know? Because...

...it's not like I'm gonna do this twice.

You're not?

No, I'm not.

That's the nicest thing

you ever said to me.

Where's Curtis?

Oi, Curtis!

Come on, boy.

Come on, pup! Did he go up there?

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