WORK • Tuesday Routine
BEN DIETZ • indie media and brand advisor • Rangelife / [SIC]
Neighborhood you work in: Greenpoint
It’s Tuesday morning, where are you working?
I’m sitting by the front window of our house, at a rolltop desk made for the R.E. Dietz Company in 1880. Ergonomically it’s a disaster, but the vibe is pristine. It’s full of art tchotchkes, and I can watch the comings and goings of the street scene. It’s also where I record my series [SIC] Talks and Culture Club Show, so it’s getting to be a little visual trademark.
What’s the Tuesday morning scene at your workplace?
Tuesdays are my mellowest days, typically — my wife Marcella often heads into the city and the kids are out of the house early, so I’ll use the time alone to chase my Talks guests’ scheduling and build the big list of links for the free Thursday [SIC] Weekly newsletter.
What’s on the agenda for today?
When restaurants reopened in 2021, I started a recurring Wednesday morning get together so I could hang out with smart people; Breakfast Club has turned into a new business direction. The idea is that it’s open to anyone, no buy-in necessary. Everyone pays for themselves, so there’s no agenda, and no pitch to sit through. We do it now at Le Crocodile in the Wythe Hotel. Friends elsewhere liked the idea enough that it’s now happening in 10+ cities around the world. I’m using that energy to plan a creative retreat for the community, happening in Mammoth, CA, in July, with Outbound Hotels and Friends from New York. That’ll be fun.
What’s for lunch?
Probably pizza. We’re situated at the locus of four super-strong pizza places — Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop, Salsa Pizzeria, Fornino, and Paulie Gee’s [proper] — so I take advantage. Or maybe some Radio Bakery sesame bread with Acme whitefish salad — also both local to Greenpoint. Or an egg and cheese from Peter Pan, whose bagels are woefully unsung; my favorite in the city.
Any plans tonight?
We’ve been in Greenpoint since 1998, so every time I step out the door I’m amazed at all the options we have now, though Capri Social Club persists, thankfully. Cecily opened around the corner recently; it’s a new favorite. I love the whole row of restaurants on Greenpoint Avenue at Transmitter Park: s/o Radio Star, Lingo, 21 Greenpoint, El Pinguino, and Taku Sando for packing so many options into 100 feet of sidewalk. Only a couple of them are open on Tuesday, so it might be one of the Japanese spots on the Norman corridor, Uzuki, Dashi Okume, or Rule of Thirds.
Photo: Marcellla Farman-Dietz