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Monday, May 3, 2010

I *Heart* New York, Downtown

I heart NY
Photo by myself, in Alphabet City.

Mosaics are pasted up on many traffic poles in Alphabet City and the East Village.

Very often, these small art pieces commemorate New York or 9/11. They are moments in the city, hardly noticeable unless you really look.

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Saturday night, a potential car bomb was found in the Times Square area. Propane tanks, wires and gunpowder were found in a car, and a bomb squad was called in.

I had friends over Sunday and the topic came up. We talked about how the car was found (a street vendor saw smoke coming out of it), where it was parked, how the streets were shut down.

Nothing was said about how we felt. I won't lie. Recently I've felt anxious on the subway for no real reason. Suspicious people and gestures have made me very, very jumpy.

What I want to know is, what is it that New York is guilty of?

Why is New York receiving these threats? I don't quite understand it. We are a symbol of capitalism? Of America?

New Yorkers will wake up Monday morning and slog it out for another week. We'll keep doing what we do, since we know nothing else.

Related posts: On Street Corners in the East Village, What Makes Your Skin Crawl and Grains of Sand, in Union Square.

11 comments:

Olivier said...

une belle mosaïque, il y en de superbes dans greenwich en hommage au 11 septembre.

VH McKenzie said...

These mosaics are VERY noticeable! I walk past dozens of them every day. Here's a link to a video about the artist responsible, Jim Power.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ROIBI1S4B8

Washington said...

Hi Kitty. Very nice shot.

Yesterday I saw at TV the news about the car bomb at Times Square. It is a shock to know that there are still people inside US willing to perpetrate this kind of action. The place the car was parked is only 2 blocks away from the hotel we are going to stay on our trip to NYC. I tried to remain calm not to alarm my wife even more. It is an awful situation and I can only imagine what you (New Yorkers) are going through. But you are a brave people and no matter what, you will stand.

Robert said...

It's looking really cool, I'm just saying... And the nypd just doesn't notice people doing this? Or they just let them do it anyway's? :) Cool pic btw!

Karen Strunks said...

Hi Kitty,

The car bomb attempt made it over to the UK news. I think NYC is such a resiliant place as well as the people.

Very glad to have found your photo blog. I love the daily snippets of life in NYC. I'm coming over in the fall on a photo trip & hope I can capture the city as well as you do.

As for the decorated lamp post - genius! :)

dianasfaria.com said...

Terrorism is just too scary to think about. If we think about it too much, then we may get paralyzed by fear.
I think it's important to keep moving on yet never doubt our instincts. When something just doesn't feel right, it's time to evacuate the area - don't wait for someone to tell you to do so.
I heard more than one report where the police were telling people in Times Square to just leave and they didn't want to because they had theater tickets. I'm not sure what I would have done.

Fashion Schlub said...

Perhaps because New York City is The. Greatest. City. In. The. WORLD!?! Sorry all you Other-City-Citizens, but...come on. Really.

Anonymous said...

You for sure own the ability to see differently.
Agree with you that a bomb is something horrible, and until moving to Athens, I did not know such a thing, seems indeed as if life has changed.
A safe and beautiful Tuesday for you all.

daily athens

Pat said...

Excellent post, what you wrote, and the mosaics on the pole are very attractive. I admired many mosaics when in NYC. What's NYC guilty of? Nothing, unfortunately; just has a lot of people and a bomb would make a big mess....when will this stop?

Kitty said...

Thanks Olivier!
Yes, the one on 7th and Greenwich is really cool and touching - one huge fence full of mosaics and tiles dedicated to 9/11.

Thanks VH
I will have to learn more about this artist. He must live in the neighborhood. I saw a squirrel house he must have done, too.

Hi Washington
Please don't stress out too much about your oncoming trip. Times Square is generally pretty safe, and as I recall, you're not staying in the middle of it...You're two very long blocks away, which is a wise decision, since Times Square is very busy.

I'm not one to live in fear, and I know most NYers are the same. It just upsets me to think what very easily could have happened. We're fortunate.

Hi Robert
I think NYPD is all over the place, dealing with traffic, street vendors, etc. They are a presence in the city but they're not everywhere 100% of the time, so you can get away with graffiti and mosaics!

Welcome Karen
Oh, have a lovely time here when you visit! The Fall is one of the best times to come.

I'm sure you'll get loads of great photos. I feel like I'm shooting fish in a barrel sometimes, there's just so much to see.

Hi Lily
Wow, that's nuts about the theater goers. I can understand since the tickets can be expensive. I think I would have been sufficiently freaked out to leave the area, lol.

Ha, Miss B, you are a hoot!!
I cannot but agree with you there. ;-)

Hi ρομπερτ
I agree with you. Shortly after 9/11, I was sitting with one of my bosses, whom I respected immensely. Someone asked her whether the world had changed. Naively I was thinking 'no, not at all', but she immediately said that yes, it has.

That moment broke my idealism. I hope Athens is free of such daily fears.

Hi Bibi
I hope people at some point realize that such meaningless violence should stop, and that life should be bigger than this. However there will always be some people who think differently.

I'm glad you were able to see some of these mosaics while here. They are charming, no?

NYC Wrongful Death lawyer said...

Great little finds around New York.