Thinking Outside the Box, in Union Square

Photo by myself in Union Square.

An Occupy Wall Street demonstration was held some weeks ago in Union Square.

The Occupy movement has dispersed from its original location in Zuccati Park, near the World Trade Center. The mayor had the park cleared out when businesses started to be affected by the crowds and news cameras.

You now see smaller, transient groups of people with signs of protest in various locations, including Union Square and Tompkins Square Park.

Related posts: Occupy Town Square, in Tompkins Square Park, Occupy Wall Street, One Day at a Time, and Tibetans of the World Unite.

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Women in Black, Against War

Photo by myself at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue.

A peaceful protest held on the steps of the main branch of the New York Public Library was held last week.

A small group of ladies held up a sign that read 'Women in Black Against War'. They handed out leaflets and stood quietly, a calm testament of their convictions. Meanwhile, the rush hour crowds streamed by.

Women in Black is un-related to the movie, Men in Black. Their group includes women from all over the world, who hold similar peaceful vigils in public areas.

For more about Women in Black, including a history of their vigils worldwide, check out their website, here.

-- Apologies for skipping yet another day, yesterday. Mark, Rupert and I have been having much too much fun this summer.

We spent the day with friends at their house, bbq-ing in Long Island. Ex-New Yorkers with an 18-month old, they had moved in favor of more space and a yard. They both commute to work in Manhattan by train.

Related posts: En Route to a Peaceful Protest, Downtown, Tibetans of the World, Unite, and Occupying Wall Street, One Day at a Time.

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Occupy Town Square, in Tompkins Square Park

Photo by myself in Tompkins Square Park, in Alphabet City.

The Occupy Wall Street movement held a peaceful rally Sunday afternoon.

There was a drum circle, loads of signs and general protest about the disparity of wealth in the US. The drum circle was particularly effective - you could hear the persistent thumping for blocks.

Tompkins Square has long been associated with social unrest. In the late '80s, the park was filled with the homeless and was considered dangerous.





Related posts: Occupying Wall Street, One Day at a Time, En Route to a Peaceful Protest, Downtown, and Peace to All.

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En Route to a Peaceful Protest, Downtown

Photo by myself, around Hudson and West 10th Street, in the West Village.

Peaceful protesters were on their way to a rally for Occupy Wall Street. They were accompanied by members of the NYPD.

Ironically, people carried signs against police violence. Later that afternoon, protesters formed a drum circle outside Mayor Bloomberg's mansion on the Upper East Side.

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We had a beautiful sunny day, Sunday. Temperatures were in the 60's and it felt like Spring. Some folks walked around in t-shirts.

The sidewalks were filled with people eating brunch outdoors.

Related posts: It's a Free Country, After All, Tibetans of the World, Unite, and Occupying Wall Street, One Day at a Time.

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Occupying Wall Street, One Day at a Time

Photo by myself at Cortlandt and Liberty Streets, in the Financial District.

The protests in the Financial District are going on strong.

Supporters of Occupy Wall Street have been demonstrating for over two weeks, now. This was the scene on Wednesday morning. A makeshift camp is located just steps away from the World Trade Center construction site.

People young and old have been protesting disparity of wealth in this country and the mess created by Wall Street greed. Occupy Wall Street maintains that larger perspective is required beyond personal gain.

At first glance, the camp looks more like a wild sleepover than a political movement. People were drawing up big signs, conducting interviews and meditating. Some folks were still asleep, wrapped up in blankets on the pavement.

I spoke to one fellow at the camp site. 'People have been here 17 days', he said.

'So what do people expect to happen?' I asked. He shrugged.

'I'm a little out of it,' I said, playing devil's advocate and admitting my cavewoman status. 'I mean, this is a capitalist country, right?' Pause. 'People are just trying to make money'.

'I'm not', he said.

Good answer.


One fellow inked a sign that said 'This is not Bonaroo [the music festival], this is War.'


Rally signs were all over the place. A drum set lurked in the background.

For the Occupy Wall Street site, which includes photos and a daily schedule of events, click here.

Related posts: Portrait of a Picket Line, in Hell's Kitchen, The Sign of the Rat, in Midtown and Tibetans of the World, Unite.

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It's a Free Country, After All

Photo by myself near Herald Square, around 34th Street and 6th Avenue.

Some visitors to New York encounter one man's demonstration. A man with a sign stood on a well-trafficked street corner, proclaiming his religious views.

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I've written before that New Yorkers either offer their opinion quite freely or they say nothing at all.

Part of living in a city is encountering people of many persuasions, beliefs and backgrounds. There's no shortage of diversity, and diversity is another word for equality - everyone is entitled to his or her very different point of view.

In this city, you can express whatever you like, however you wish. You can walk down the street wearing next to nothing at all, and no one will stop you.

Hey, people may not even notice.

Related posts: Tibetans of the World, Unite, On A Public Mugging, or a Gimmick Gone Wrong and Peace to All.

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Tibetans of the World, Unite

Photo by myself at a Free Tibet rally on Monday in Union Square.

Tibetans and supporters convened in Union Square Monday afternoon to protest the 2008 Olympics in China. The rally coincided with rallies in other cities around the world.

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My plans for the week before the new job are humble: a mini-makeover (my self-induced attempt at looking more 'professional', putting to use all the knowledge gleaned from Tim Gunn and What Not to Wear), seeing a movie with an old friend, visiting a few museums, trying new recipes and organizing the apartment.

Hopefully, the new camera will arrive this week. Regardless, I am excited to walk around the city and take pictures. It won't be a glamorous week off, but it'll be a good, restful one, which is exactly what I need.

If anyone has requests for picture taking, please post them! I'm always open to suggestions. There's a whole list in my head of places I haven't seen in ages - Battery Park City, South Street Seaport, Riverside Park, the Met, Central Park, the Brooklyn Promenade...the list is endless.

Today after seeing the dentist, I walked from the East 40s to Bryant Park. Then I walked the 30 blocks down Fifth Avenue to Union Square. On the way, I stopped at my favorite Indian dive for a delicious late lunch. It sounds far on paper, but it's really a nice, reasonable walk.

There was a political rally in full swing in Union Square. Pro-Tibetans were protesting the 2008 Olympics that are being held in China. I'm not too great with estimating numbers, but it seemed like a couple hundred people were there, waving bright flags.

A couple demonstrators spoke into a microphone from a small stage. Their words about ending political oppression were moving. When the speakers alluded to demonstrations going on today in other parts of the world, I admit I got a little verklempt. It was cool to think that the Dalai Lama was protesting the same issues in India.

The world seemed at once large and small.

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