City Portraits - Shelter Island

Photo by myself on Shelter Island, an island off of Long Island, New York.

Lawns, water views and pretty houses typify this popular summer spot a couple hours outside New York City.

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Just a few photos from our weekend in Shelter Island, where Mark and I were this weekend for a friend's wedding. The weather turned out to be perfect after an initial overcast spell.

There isn't much of a beach on this island. Instead, the water's edge is irregular and often appears at the back or front yards of peoples' homes. You'll find boats pulled up next to houses large and small, and private docks.





The wedding took place at an large, old hotel near the water. The view was very pretty, and dinner was served against a sunset backdrop. The decoration was casual yet elegant, perfect for an outdoor summer wedding.

When the sun finally went down, the whole sky was filled with bright stars. New Yorkers don't see stars often, so this was an unsettling treat!


Shelter Island is comparable to The Hamptons, a well-known summer spot for New Yorkers. For whatever reason, Shelter Island is much less of a social scene, and it's much less congested. There are not nearly as many stores, though the ones there are tasteful.


Above: The interiors of Coastal Cottage, a home furnishings store on Grand Avenue.

City Portraits is an ongoing, once-in-a-while installment featuring parts of New York.

Related posts: City Portraits - The High Line, Chelsea, City Portraits - Washington Square Park and City Portraits - BBQ Block Party, Madison Square Park.

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Pawn Shops, The Diamond District

Photo by myself on 47th Street and Sixth Avenue.

The Diamond District is just a street now, filled with jewelers and pawn shops. Hawkers stand outside each shop, chatting up people walking by to lure them inside.

This street is known for specializing in diamonds. If you're interested in having a ring reset or a diamond purchase, it's the place to go.

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Technical difficulties prohibit me from posting new photos until tomorrow. In the meantime, here's an image from my photo stash.

I really love the storefront signage you can see from various eras. It amazes me how easily an earlier time can be evoked through just a few words or images.

Related posts: Now on Sale, in Midtown, Reasons to be Pretty, Times Square and Out to Lunch.

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Summering in the City

Photo by myself near the Flatiron Building, at 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue.

Recent changes in New York include carving out public spaces in the middle of streets.

Here, Fifth Avenue and Broadway intersect briefly, forming huge triangle. Part of the triangle is taken up by the Flatiron Building, which takes on a triangular shape.

What was once asphalt has been repaved and covered with public seating and tall planters. Broadway has been made slightly narrower, too. The result is a pretty place to sit against an urban backdrop.

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Greetings from Shelter Island!

Friday was overcast and muggy. We drove in with Rupert and hit traffic along the way. The Long Island Expressway is notorious for summer traffic, so we'll be leaving early Sunday to get back to Brooklyn.

Our hotel is by the water, with a pretty view. Rupert is staying at a doggie place nearby, so we can visit him. He was in the car during the ferry ride and had no idea he was on a boat.

I'll post some photos tomorrow of Shelter Island.

Related posts: What's Swinging in Bryant Park, One Really Big Fountain and Out to Lunch.

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On South Ferry and Shelter Island

Photo by myself at the southern tip of Manhattan.

Fishermen had cast their lines into the ocean and were waiting for the first nibble. Beyond, the Statue of Liberty.

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Mark and I are off for a long weekend in Shelter Island, for a friend's wedding. I'm looking forward to the trip. Shelter Island is one of my favorite places and we're bound to have a nice, relaxing time.

On the eastern end of Long Island, Shelter Island is not directly accessible by car. We'll have to drive, then board a ferry. The island is covered with pretty lawns and quiet country roads and old houses.

Shelter Island a popular summer spot for New Yorkers, but not nearly as crowded a scene as the Hamptons. I'll take some photos while I'm there.

Meanwhile, I'll be bringing my computer and I'll continue posting here. Happy Friday, everyone!

Related posts: The View of Liberty, Gone Fishin and Greetings from New York.

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Taking a Break at the Statue of Liberty

Photo by myself on Fifth Avenue.

Some visitors took a breather outside a souvenir shop, Wednesday afternoon.

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Sorry I haven't been posting much recently, or visiting many blogs. Life has been busy (but fine).

More later. Happy Thursday everyone!

Related posts: Way off in the Distance, Miss Liberty, The Throngs in Union Square and Lost Near Macy's.

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The Flatiron Building, in Detail

Photo by myself on Broadway, around 22nd Street.

The ornate building in the foreground is one of the most photographed landmarks in New York. The building shape follows the odd triangular area where Broadway and Fifth Avenue cross.

Perhaps due to its recognizable and striking silhouette, the Flatiron has been photographed by master photographers such as Edward Steichen and Alfred Stieglitz.

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Besides the superb detail in the photograph above, the building uses curved glass in the windows on the ends, to follow the curve of the building.

The building in the background is located along Fifth Avenue.

Related posts: The Royalton, Renovated, Among Beautiful Things and Architecture, a Glorified Profession.

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The NY Times Building, Hell's Kitchen

Photo by myself of the headquarters for the New York Times, in Hell's Kitchen.

This recently constructed elegant tower bears the masthead of the venerable paper at its entrance at 41st Street and Eighth Avenue.

The ground floor contains a lobby and stores, while the upper floors contain offices. The delicate facade is constructed from porcelain tubes, and is held away from the windows, to provide shading. The logo is created from porcelain tubes painted black.

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It's common knowledge that this top newspaper is not doing well. Like many newspapers today, the New York Times has to compete with online news sources and declining advertisers.

The Times reported it was down $74 million in its first quarter for 2009. Second quarter financials will be publicized next week.

When I was little, reading the Times meant you were an adult, to me. You read the Times, tried your hand at the crossword, drank coffee, and you were a grown up. Now all that is being threatened.

Hopefully we won't lose this paper anytime soon.

For more about the New York Times financial situation, click here.

Related posts: Happy Thanksgiving, at Macy's, Public Art at the Lever House and Now on Sale, in Midtown.

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Living in Style, in Williamsburg

Photo by myself at A&G Merch, a home furnishings store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

You can get anything from vinyl wall stickers to paper mache mooseheads to outdoor benches made of reclaimed lumber at this lofty store.

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I never tire of browsing, a trait that Mark does not share. He points and shoots, while I chew things over. Just looking at stuff satisfies me, which is lucky for my pocketbook. (I'm sure if I won Lotto, I'd sing a different tune).




Check out the A&G Merch website, here.

Happy Monday, everyone!

Related posts: Still Life, Antique Store, Eco-Friendly, Cardboard Design, Shopping on St. Mark's Place.

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On Drums and The Brooklyn Bunny

Photo by myself in Union Square.

An image from several weeks ago on a very sunny day. This capoeira group played music on curious instruments before breaking out into a group dance.

I'm not sure what the instruments are the photo above. The woman was hitting a drum, while others played an instrument with one-string.

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Here's something about New York I bet you don't know: we have an official rabbit.

Well bunny, actually. Friends of a friend of mine are keepers of the Brooklyn Bunny, named Roebling, after the designer of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Like all good celebrities, Roebling has a MySpace page, a Flickr account and he's on Facebook. He doesn't Twitter yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

You can watch Roebling on a webcam that's set up in his home (the cam is experiencing technical difficulties right now, but usually refreshes itself every few seconds). You can watch Roebling, a magnificent white rabbit, snuff around in his area.

Roebling has entertained me during the work day. It's reassuring to watch him amble around, and every so often out of the blue, a mysterious hand will reach in to pet him.

The Brooklyn Bunny site also offers other things bunny-related, like room sprays flavored apple and lettuce, t-shirts, magnets and pins, all wonderfully designed with Roebling's clever logo, based on the Brooklyn Bridge.

The Brooklyn Bunny's humans are graphic designers Dresser Johnson, short for Kevin Dresser and Kate Johnson. They're based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and have done a ton of exciting design work for museums, magazines and other organizations.

You can check out Dresser Johnson's very cool website here.

Related posts: The Hills are Alive in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, The Guy with a Cat on His Head and Cats on Leashes.

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On the Picket Line, in Hell's Kitchen

Photo by myself on Ninth Avenue, around 37th Street.

Bobby Steel, above, blew his whistle rhythmically at a small protest. A building was going up behind them, employing only non-union workers.

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A very small group of construction workers protested near the restaurant where we lunched, Friday. The leader of the group was curious about my camera, and when I found out he was part of a picket line, I asked whether I could take a photograph.

Whether union or non-union workers are used on a project often depends on the size of a project. Smaller projects and renovations typically don't have such requirements.

Related posts: Man and Companion, on the Sidewalk, Soap Bubbles, Chinatown and On Bridges and Changing Times.

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Cow Appreciation Day, Fifth Avenue

Photo by myself on Fifth Avenue and 28th Street.

A tour bus filled with people in cow costumes roared down Fifth Avenue.

Apparently, Friday was Cow Appreciation Day. Those who went to a Chick-fil-A restaurant dressed as a cow received a free meal.

The cows were holding signs saying 'Eat Mor Chikin.' Mark and I were waiting to cross the street, Friday afternoon. He gave me a shout 'Cows on a bus, comin'! Cows on a bus, comin'! Get your camera!!!'

I wonder whether we'll be hearing from the Chicken side soon?

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Related posts: Visions of a Cheeseburger, Midtown, Signs of Hope and The Meal Obama Cart, Midtown.

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Enjoying the View Across the East River

Photo by myself of Manhattan, from across the East River in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

People were sunning themselves on the grass last weekend, on the edge of Brooklyn. You can see a bunch of notable buildings from here.

From far left to right: the New York Life Building (with the gold pyramid on top), the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and the Citicorp Building (its top is cut at a jaunty angle).

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To answer TC's question below, I don't see people swimming in the East River, ever. If most New Yorkers were to see someone in the East River, they'd summon the police for help, who would show up wearing hazmat suits.

But I do see people fishing all the time. And they eat what they catch!

There's also a beach called the Water Taxi Beach, in Long Island City, a neighborhood just north of what's shown in the photo. The beach is a small area of asphalt along the water that's covered with sand (not the most glamorous of things but you get a nice view).

I've never been to the Water Taxi Beach, but I've seen it while driving by on the Long Island Expressway. Parties are held there at night; Mark was there recently and said it was an odd locale.

Happy Friday everyone!

Related posts: Different Vistas, From the East Bank and From Under the Bridge.

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Hipsters in their Natural Habitat

Photo by myself in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

This weekend Mark and I traversed into Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to view hipster douchebags in their natural environment.

There was no need to hide within a tent or creep up on the subjects. They were shuffling around in the open air without a care in the world, in their ragtag clothing, ironic sunglasses, shoes and no socks.

Even in these times, the life of the hipster douchebag seems good.

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Generally Hipsters are kids who look like they've rolled out of bed. They spend much time and often money on their appearance, which is contrived to look casually thrown together. Prefers thrift store clothing. Has a trust fund. Modern-day Bohemians.

Stubbornly non-conformist, yet they all tend to look the same.

Here's a link to some definitions of a hipster.

Related posts: The Hipster Olympics, Where the Kids Are - Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Hipster Douchebags.

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Sharing the Sidewalk, 42nd Street

Photo by myself outside Grand Central, at 42nd Street and Park Avenue.

The crowds during rush hour make the sidewalks tough to navigate.

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Lately I've been encountering the New York equivalent to road rage.

Monday night I walked through midtown in the midst of afternoon rush hour. People were swarming around me, some sauntering leisurely, some stopping in the middle of the sidewalk.

I boarded a cramped subway that had no air-conditioning. Bad. Very, very bad.

At the first stop I scooted out onto the platform and into the next car. Better, but it was crowded and I had just a tiny space by the door.

The woman next to me (her elbow touching mine) was reading a book and drinking an iced coffee. Deeply engrossed and oblivious, she had her nose in her book and her iced coffee in my face.

AAARGH!!!

Thoughts race through my head. Confronting her with a push, declaring that of course, her coffee and book must be made comfortable. Oh, don't mind me! Who am I? Just another fare-paying customer! Be oblivious and selfish! Stay in your little world!!!!

Miraculously, I got through the ride without an explosion or homicide. It's not like this kind of thing (crowds, discomfort, loud-talking people, space invaders, wholesale stress) doesn't happen every single day in various forms. There opportunity on the subway, on the sidewalk, in line. I should be used to it by now!

To those who make the journey to and from work stuck in traffic, take heart. It can always be much, much worse!

Related posts: Queuing up at Grand Central, Grand Central and Tall Tales and The View into Grand Central Station.

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