Photo by myself around 55th Street and 8th Avenue, in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
An older man wheeled his grandson in a little shopping cart. (I'm just assuming he didn't purchase the little boy somewhere!)
Mark and I stopped by Sunset Park, for a dim sum lunch. Not the most comfortable ride, a shopping cart is a sensible choice in the city - it folds up nicely for apartment dwellers, and is very lightweight.
The southern part of this neighborhood is known as Chinatown, in Brooklyn. Restaurants are not limited to Chinese or Cantonese food - there are Malaysian and Vietnamese eateries, too. Meanwhile, the northern part of Sunset Park is home to a large Hispanic population.
Happy Monday everyone!
Related posts: Look Ma No Hands, in the East Village, Along for the Ride, in Columbus Circle, and Crossing Broadway, on Wheels.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Spotted on the Sidewalk, in Sunset Park
Thursday, August 14, 2014
On the N Train, on the Manhattan Bridge
Photo by myself on the subway.
A little girl looks outside, while the subway crosses the Manhattan Bridge, heading toward Brooklyn.
Related posts: Riding Piggyback, in Midtown, Standing on a Stoop, on the Lower East Side, and Young Man, on the Subway Platform.
Friday, August 8, 2014
Waiting for a Carousel Ride, in Bryant Park
Photo by myself in Bryant Park, around 40th Street and Fifth Avenue.
Nestled among trees on the south side of Bryant Park, sits a carousel. It's the carousel of your dreams, with carved animals to sit on and lights and music. A couple kids were excitedly anticipating their ride, Thursday evening.
Tickets are $3 each. Just steps away, there were 3-minute chess games going on, a book reading, some people practicing hula hoops, and the usual many, many clusters of people chatting or just enjoying the evening.
This park is surrounded by buildings and is widely used, year round. During lunch time, the lawn is filled with office workers taking lunch hour. After work hours, there are free movies playing on a giant screen, and various free activities, ranging from yoga to bocce.
We've been having glorious weather recently, which is unheard of for August in the city, with sunny days and very low humidity. TGIF everyone!
Related posts: On Napping in Bryant Park, and Parking in Brooklyn, Lions, Tigers and Panda Bears, Oh My!, and Odd and Colorful Birds, in Bryant Park.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Crazy for Bubbles, in Washington Square Park
Photo by myself, in Washington Square Park.
We finally had a bona fide Spring-like day, Saturday. Sort of on schedule. Hooray!!!
People walked about, enjoying the air. A couple competitive basketball games were going on at the public courts near West 4th Street, in the Village.
A woman created enormous bubbles in Washington Square Park, to the delight of a gaggle of children. She used two long sticks with string strung up between them. Dipping the string into a soapy mix, she then lifted up the sticks and let the wind do its magic. What a simple yet effective device!
All the grown ups stood around enjoying how excited the kids were, and wishing they could run and jump around, too. It was serious fun.
Huge apologies for my spotty attendance, once again. It's been insanely busy at work. And I've become insanely picky with my photos.
Happy Spring, everyone!
Related posts: Riding Piggyback in Midtown, Last Bit of Summer, in Prospect Park, and Father and Son Serenade.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Batter Up, in Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Photo by myself, in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.
Summer is in full swing (excuse the pun)!
Prospect Park is littered with baseball games every weekend. Some of the teams are made up of tiny little kids who can barely hold the bat upright. There are more serious teams, too.
All the teams are coached by parents, and neighborhood businesses help sponsor the cost of uniforms.
We've been having some really glorious weather, interspersed with heavy rain storms. As a result, the vegetation looks more suited to a tropical island than the northeast.
Happy weekend, everyone!
Related posts: Shooting Hoops at West 4th Street, in the Village, A Quick Game, in Tompkins Square Park, and Fierce Competition, in Bryant Park.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Device Valet, on Wheels
Photo by myself around 68th Street and Lexington Avenue, on the Upper East Side.
I heard about this on the radio but seeing it in person made it real. Cell phone 'valets' on wheels.
Kids aren't allowed to have cellphones or other electronic devices in school, so they can 'park' their devices in a truck outside the school. This way, they can waste no time device-less.
Costs for such services vary from fifty cents to a dollar a day. Seriously.
For more about phone valets, read about it in USA Today here.
Related posts: Larger than Life Mural, in the East Village, School is in, at Parsons on 13th Street, and School's Out on the Upper East Side.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Life Goes on, in Park Slope, Brooklyn
Photo by myself in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
There was a call for donations for Red Hook residents, who were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. Our neighborhood woke to find flyers posted, requesting candles and perishables.
Red Hook is a small neighborhood only a couple miles away. It is located at the edge of the East River.
As of this writing, Brooklyn is nearly cut off from Manhattan. Anyone trying to get into the city Wednesday by car was stuck for hours in traffic. Today, only cars with three or more passengers can even attempt to drive in.
Subways are running today in two sections, one within Brooklyn, and one between Manhattan and the Bronx. Some buses are running, too, but I'm sure the going will be very, very slow. Our city is so dependent on mass transit, that not having buses or subways has been crippling.
The lines to get gas are tremendously long. Our car is low on gas, so we've been essentially stuck at home, watching the news all day.
Halloween did go on yesterday. Kids walked through the streets in costumes to stores that were open. Our apartment building observed Halloween, with kids going door to door.
Apologies for the lack of photos. I will attempt to escape our neighborhood today (!). We are all a bit stir crazy at home.
Related posts: On Man V. Nature and the Gowanus Canal, On the Opera Collective and Hurricane Irene, and Wet and Not-So-Wonderful, Downtown.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
On a Tree in Brooklyn
Photo by myself in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.
A gaggle of little kids clung to the trunk of a big tree in Prospect Park, Saturday. For whatever reason, they kept walking around and around. Haha.
We've been having some pretty days here - cool and sunny. Paradise!
Related posts: It's a Kid's Life, in Brooklyn, The Carousel, in Bryant Park, and A Careful Choice, in Chinatown.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Portrait of a Chess Tutor, in the Village
Photo by myself at Thompson and West Third Streets, in the Village.
Robert, a chess tutor, teaches the game to youngsters and adults alike at Chess NYC, a store in the Village.
I had a fun, long chat with Robert, Tuesday afternoon. He had just finished up teaching an older gentleman at the store. Open 24-hours a day, the store has a clubhouse vibe, with chess boards and trophies crowding the walls, and many chess boards set up at tables, ready for play.
Robert has been teaching chess for the last 20 years (!) after competing against adults as a youth. He now teaches both youngsters and adults the art of chess.
'The chess pieces come alive to kids', Robert explained, "The pawns can be 'storm troopers'. The rook...a 'wookie'. Part of teaching kids means understanding their language."
Different chess pieces line inhabit the motley storefront.
"The kids develop...'poise'," he told me. With every game, there is a winner and a loser. And chess is one of the only sports where a kid can find him or herself competing against adults.
Starting August 20th, Magnus Carlsen, the Number 1 ranked chess player in the world, will be teaching summer camp at the store (!).
Related posts: Portrait of a Bike Messenger, in Midtown, Portrait of Five New Yorkers, on the Upper East Side, and Portrait of a Film Shoot, in Brooklyn Heights.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Larger than Life Mural, in the East Village
Photo by myself, somewhere in the East Village.
A huge mural of kids' portraits adorned a wall of a parking lot, in the East Village. There were slogans describing the personalities of each kid, and references to school.
This is photo is another example of my flakiness - I don't remember where it was taken, only that it was in the East Village.
When I was there, I was just focused on admiring the art, and wishing the parking lot weren't so full. It was nice to see art aimed at kids and trying to get them interested in going to school.
Related posts: Genesis Mural, NoHo, Mural in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and Cereal Killers Mural, in Williamsburg.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Standing on a Stoop, on the Lower East Side
Photo by myself at Rivington and Clinton Streets on the Lower East Side.
A photo from the stash.
A little girl stood on the stoop of her apartment building. This must have been a Sunday morning; many storefronts are shuttered.
Related posts: A Kid's Life, in Brooklyn, Prep School Kids, on the Upper East Side, and The Morning Commute, on the N Train.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Lions, Tigers and Panda Bears, (oh my!)
Photo by myself, at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue.
The lions outside the main branch of the New York Public Library sit majestically on pedestals. They are low enough to be accessible for people and kids to climb up.
The other day, two pandas and a tiger posed for photos.
Apologies for the late post. I had trouble deciding on what image to share. ;-)
Happy New Year, everyone!
Related posts: A Careful Choice, in Chinatown, The Morning Commute on the N Train, and The Carousel, in Bryant Park. Read more...
Thursday, December 29, 2011
On the Rockefeller Tree and New York in Pictures
Photo by myself in Rockfeller Center, around 50th Street and Fifth Avenue.
The stretch of Fifth Avenue between 35th and 59th Streets was absolutely packed with people, Wednesday afternoon. Many people are probably here to celebrate New Year's Eve.
This year's tree is a Norway Spruce over 70 feet tall, from Pennsylvania. It is lit with 47,000 LED lights that are partially powered by solar panels.
I usually have a deep aversion to crowds (!) and this stretch of Fifth Avenue was insanely packed with people. The opportunity to take a few photos is hard to pass up.
By the way, the Lens Blog on the NY Times site recently posted a collection of photos of New York from this year's news. It's a pretty good assortment of striking images.
To see the Lens Blog post, click here.
Related posts: The Rink at Rockefeller Center, On Kids in the Slope and in the Country, and Have Yourselves a Very Merry Christmas. Read more...
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Growing Up Among Graffiti, Downtown
Photo by myself, somewhere downtown.
You might think of graffiti and roll-down doors when thinking of New York, but you might not think about children. There are kids who grow up in the city however, in every conceivable economic circumstance.
Related posts: It's a Kid's Life, in Brooklyn, The Carousel, Bryant Park, and Playing Ball, in the Public Courts.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Say Cheese, in Times Square
Photo by myself in Times Square, at 42nd Street and Broadway.
It's hard to believe sometimes that the above photo was taken in New York City rather than Disneyworld. Huge billboards and pedestrian-only blocks in this area cater to visitors.
In general, it looks and feels relatively safe in New York these days. It's easy to walk around as if there's no reason to be careful.
Crime goes on, though. In the last couple days, the city has been shattered by a shocking tragedy in Brooklyn. An 8-year old boy was recently found dead after he became lost, while trying to walk the few blocks home from camp.
The incident took place in what's considered a very safe neighborhood in Brooklyn. The alleged killer dismembered the body before being caught. Horrible. Many young kids navigate the city on their own.
For an article in the Times, click here.
Related posts: Public Art at the Lever House, At a Crossroads in Times Square and Only in New York.
Read more...
Monday, July 11, 2011
Riding Piggyback, in Midtown
Photo by myself, in Midtown.
A little girl rode piggyback in Midtown.
It's not easy for parents to get around the city with young children. When in a crowd, the best view is from higher up. There is also a lot of walking involved in the city.
Young children riding around in strollers can also be a tough situation. Parents have to cart the stroller up and down stairs to the subway. Typically there are no elevators, though New Yorkers will often lend a hand.
Related posts: It's a Kid's Life, in Brooklyn, A Family Moment, in SoHo and Running Amok in the Streets.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Pinata Party, in Prospect Park
Photo by myself in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.
Family and friends gathered around a Spiderman pinata, Saturday afternoon. This must have been the little boy's birthday party.
I only wish I knew what was being said, but the expressions say it all. These kids could hardly wait to take their turn to wear the blindfold and swat at the pinata.
Related posts: The Carousel, Bryant Park, The Morning Commute on the N Train and It's a Kid's Life, in Brooklyn.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
On Lemonade Stands and Evry Daily Photo
Photo by myself in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Yes, even in cities, kids set up lemonade stands.
Three young ladies set up a table this weekend on Fifth Avenue, a very busy street in Park Slope. I'm not sure how they did, but lots of people noticed and stopped by.
By the way, I had a great time last week meeting Olivier of Evry Daily Photo.
Olivier and I met in Midtown and spent our time talking about the places we loved in New York. We poured over a subway map, one neighborhood at a time.
Olivier had his Holga camera with him and he suffered through my terrible French with humor. I am sure Olivier will return with gorgeous photographs for all to see.
For Olivier's New York photoblog (yes, he has one, though he lives in France!), click here.
Olivier Perrin, author of two photoblogs, Evry Daily Photo and A Walk in New York.
Related posts: Kids on the Slope, and in the Country, It's a Kid's Life, in Brooklyn and Playing Ball in the Public Courts.
Read more...
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Prep School Kids, on the Upper East Side
Photo by myself on the Upper East Side, around 63rd Street and Madison Avenue.
Boys dressed for private school were waiting for their breakfast from a street cart.
My guess is that these boys were students at The Browning School, an all-boys school at 62nd Street, between Madison and Park Avenues. The school serves boys from pre-primary age (around 4 years old) through high school.
Subjects in high school include Philosophy, Latin and even Greek. There is a jazz ensemble and clubs to suit every interest. The list of classes sound like college courses.
Less than 400 students attend the school in total. Tuition averages about $36,000 per year. There are just under 200 private schools in New York City.
Related posts: A Kid's Life, in Brooklyn, Playing Ball in the Public Courts and The Carousel, in Bryant Park.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Father and Son Serenade
Photo by myself on the subway platform at 34th Street, in Midtown.
A little boy played along with a musical track on an electric keyboard, while his father conducted. I posted a photo of this youngster last month, here.
A large group of young visitors watched and applauded after each piece, Thursday evening. Above, the subway platform is usually not so crowded.
I had mixed feelings about this performance. Was the little boy being exploited? He looked like he was enjoying himself, but was he really happy? Shouldn't he be running around outside with his buddies?
What was most interesting was how everyone perked up when the little boy interacted with his father. Suddenly, people started paying real attention.
Onlookers chuckled and clucked at the obvious gestures of affection, which were nice to see.
During a break between pieces, the little boy aimed at his father with a toy gun.
Related posts: Singer and Sax, Along the Tracks, Celebrating Spring, in Union Square and Don't Stop the Music, on the Upper West Side.
