So the Rolling Stones have kicked off their 2005 world tour--basically on my doorstep. During lunch, I caught a bit of their excellent free show in the plaza right outside Juilliard. A crew has spent two days putting up an elaborate set all for a one hour show, with just about every media truck and camera crew on the scene.

Since I only stayed for two songs, I don't think this qualifies as a concert, but it was a nice break.

Then through lots of pollen to Time Warner Center to exchange a belt at Armani Exchange. Great store. Mostly because their stuff pretty much fits me perfectly, as luck would have it.

Time Warner Center is a pretty nice building but I still think it missed the mark for a lively urban center, and you can see that defect on a day like today. Stores like J. Crew are just too vanilla for the edge and hipness of Manhattan. And who ever heard of First Republic Bank? That's a waste of space. The view out onto the park is great, but when you look around within, it feels too much like White Plains.