‘Deferred work’

James Harris • Throwing Fits

CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine

James Harris •co-host• Throwing Fits

Neighborhood you live in: Greenpoint

It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
Fridays used to be a decent chance to catch up on life admin tasks, but with unstable summer schedules and a renewed vigor to do more and do better now that the podcast I co-host, Throwing Fits, has migrated to Substack, Fridays are now more about catching up on the week’s “deferred work” (a.k.a. the bullshit). Honestly, it’s kind of nice to reply to non-pressing emails on Friday, because it maximizes the amount of time before anyone writes back. If I’m lucky, by Monday morning, my email’s been buried, and I never hear from them again.

Any restaurant plans this weekend?
If I go a week without eating Strange Delight‘s BBQ shrimp or Bernie’s vinegar chicken, my therapist knows to break out the extra-strength tissues. Same goes for the bites and bevys at the new Bar Contra and whenever Shy is on the sticks at Mimi. And there’s only one place I’ll endure waiting on line getting jostled by food content creators and 24-year-old West Villagers who are just there to digitally claim a place and performatively check it off their list: Apollo Bagels. Completely worth it!

How about a little leisure or culture?
I’m trynna see Twisters at some point, preferably in the 4DX format, so Glen Powell can spit on me and I can smell airborne cows. I’m playing a few hours of tennis on Randall’s Island, so icing my brittle knees is absolutely in the near future. I’m also hoping to stop by 194 Local’s new NYC location, and do some farewell shopping at Chickee’s Vintage men’s store in Williamsburg (they’re not closing, just moving locations soon). And of course, I’ll stop by Mildred New York for a perfect haircut and perfect hang with the fellas there, an all-natural antidepressant with a 100% success rate since they opened five years ago.

What was your last great vacation?
Last month, I spent a few gluttonous days in Montreal, which was a terrible time to forget my cholesterol pills, especially when the mayor of the metropolis, artist Dan Climan, was spirit-guiding the feasting. We of course hit Joe Beef, which has come out the other side of some turbulence, and goes as crazy as its OG days. Our meal at Au Pied de Cochon featured the absolute best, most complex seafood tower any of us could ever dream of. And the dinner at Le Violon was the platonic ideal of incredible cheffing and pure joy in the room. Would also highly recommend hitting the spa-on-a-barge Bota Bota and the IRL Ssense store, even if it was a semi-cursed experience.

What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
A brand spankin’ new 40 gallon 4500-watt 240-volt electric water heater from Rheem, with a six-year warranty, plus labor and installation costs. My downstairs neighbor’s water heater burst when he was away for the weekend, and it ruined his floors/life. Guess that’s just karma for being a whiny ass narc, tho.

What product or service do you always recommend?
An at-home Japanese toilet seat will straight up alter your entire existence.