6:24pm, Below Times Square

Photo by myself, on the Times Square subway platform.

A man played a steel drum at the Times Square subway stop, Tuesday night. It made for a lot of clanging. Meanwhile, trains were pulling up and the announcers were making their announcements.

As usual, there were tons of people about. If you live long enough in New York, you know exactly where along the platform to stand, so you're next to the exit at your destination.

--It's been crazy busy for me at work. You wouldn't think it with the economy, but people are purchasing apartments and renovating them.

I am working on a fancy kitchen in a townhouse, two condo apartments being merged into one giant apartment, a tiny baby's room, and a duplex on Fifth Avenue. And I am helping a coworker with her project on Park Avenue. And a neighbor just asked me to help her with her plans to open a day care (!!!).

I'm usually at work until late but I had a meeting on Tuesday. Rush hour is something you want to avoid in the city. Just getting into a subway car can be a hassle.





Related posts: Strumming a Tune, Below Ground, Busking, Below Union Square, and The Morning Serenade.

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Open 24/7 on 14th Street

Photo by myself around 14th Street and First Avenue, in the East Village.

A photo from the stash, at a slightly warmer time.

Older storefronts are more hodge podge than new ones, usually just a huge number of different signs. Obviously this store has an ATM!

Related posts: Holy Smokes, in the East Village, Signs of Old Times, on the Lower East Side, and A Glimpse of 42nd Street, Times Square.

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From the Ramp, at Pershing Square

Photo by myself around 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue.

Ah yes, rounding the bend at Grand Central, you get a cool glimpse of the Chrysler Building, only a block away.

This was taken from Park Avenue South, where it ramps up at Pershing Square. I've taken a lot of photos of this area, but not quite this view.

Happy Friday everyone!

Related posts: The Chrysler Building, at Night, The View Down 42nd Street, in Midtown, and On the Pershing Square Cafe and Paper Portraits.

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Looking Up, in Soho

Photo by myself, somewhere in Soho.

Some of the most beautiful buildings are in Soho, and were originally used as warehouse buildings.

Nowadays to live in that neighborhood, you have to spend a small fortune. Or have moved in long ago, when it was not glamorous and rents were cheap.

By the way, one of the articles in the Times from last weekend grabbed everyone's attention - who can be labeled 'middle class', in Manhattan?

Around the lunch table, we pondered the fact that the average Manhattan apartment is a one-bedroom for $3,973 per month (!)

That is average. Though to most human beings, $3,973 is awfully expensive for a single person without a trust fund. And somehow still have money left over to eat dinner. And commute to work.

How to get by in this city is a constant question for everyone. Do you move further away from the city for larger space? Do you stay in the same tiny apartment for decades? It's not an easy decision.

For the Times article about the middle class in Manhattan, click here.

Related posts: Looking North, on the Upper West Side, Looking Up, at 240 Centre Street, and Looking Down, from Midtown Comics.

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It's Suddenly Winter, in Midtown

Photo by myself on Sixth Avenue, in Midtown.

It's suddenly cold here, as if it's actually winter! Egad. People stumbled about with scarves wrapped around their heads, Tuesday morning.

Monday we woke up to a frigid 9 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 13, Celsius). The winds made it feel much, much colder!

Related posts: On a Winter Day, at the Plaza Hotel, It's Chilly in Midtown and Prospect Park, and All A-Shiver, on the Streets.

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A Snapshot, from Midtown

Photo by myself in Midtown.

A photo from the stash, when it was much warmer.

Just a snapshot from daily life - a delivery guy schlepping a lunch order, a woman checking her phone, and visitors looking a little lost.

Apologies for the sporadic posts once again. It's been crazy busy and I've been under the weather.

Related posts: Street Crossing, on Fifth Avenue, Brrrr, in Midtown, and Stampede, in Midtown.

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Behind the Prada Store, in Soho

Photo by myself at Greene Street and Prince Street, in Soho.

Just behind the Prada store in SoHo is a giant, gorgeous billboard.

Its saturated colors work well with the buildings it fronts.

Related posts: On the New York Dress Code - Outerwear 101, All Wrapped up, in Soho, and Pretty in Pink, Downtown.

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Down Second Avenue, on the East Side

Photo by myself, somewhere on Second Avenue, heading downtown.

Parts of the city seem quaint, with twisty streets and smaller buildings. But then other parts resemble a highway.

Above, you'll see everyone on the streets, from motorcycles to skateboarders to cyclists to pedicabs.

--Last night, after a long day at work, I stepped onto the elevator at my office building.

The elevator started moving down. Then lurched a little. Then faltered and came to a stop. All the buttons on the wall started flashing in unison, as if possessed.

I was stuck.

Thankfully, I didn't have to pee in my shoe or eat my purse. After many minutes and lurches and flashings of buttons, the elevator finally crept back up to where it'd started and let me out. Phew.

I'm glad nothing serious happened. I told my fiance Mark about the incident later, and he told me he'd been stuck in an elevator twice before.

Once, for a few minutes. Then again for a half hour. He had to be rescued by firefighters, pulled out of the elevator as it was stuck between floors. It must be a somewhat common thing to happen, then.

Related posts: NYPD on Bikes, Ready to Rumble, in Brooklyn, and Ready to Rumble, in Alphabet City.

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Trumpet Solo, on the Ride to Brooklyn

Photo by myself, on the subway ride home.

A man played the trumpet for donations, the other night. On a strap hung a boombox that played background music.

As you can see, it hasn't been super duper cold here. Usually January is frigid. Temps have been fluctuating in the high 40s and low 50s (!).

Happy Monday, everyone!

Related posts: Jazz Players on the Subway Platform, Doo Wop, on Friday Morning, and Morning Serenade.

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Cost was Here, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Photo by myself, somewhere in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

A guy checked his phone during a smoke break, in Williamsburg.

Behind him, one of the many, many paste-ups bearing the words 'Cost was here' that were in the neighborhood.

Apparently Cost was a prolific graffiti artist in the 90s. He must have had a resurgence, since I hadn't seen his work until recently in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Mark tells me that the artists' tags don't really mean anything literal. The artists simply like the composition of the letters next to each other, and spray paint them over and over (and over) again.

Related posts: Graffiti, Soho, Growing up Among Graffiti, Downtown, and Cereal Killers Mural, in Williamsburg.

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Store Closing, on Fifth Avenue

Photo by myself, around Fifth Avenue and 43rd Street, in Midtown.

Large signs announced the closing of an antiques store, in Midtown.

This photo is from the stash. It's not uncommon, however, to see stores shutting down and new ones emerging.

New York City has generally been lucky during the whole crisis. Real estate prices are back on the rise, and I believe vacancies for storefronts have been low.

Related posts: Now on Sale, in Midtown, Women in Black, Against War, and Free Massages, in Union Square.

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Foot Traffic, on Sixth Avenue

Photo by myself on Sixth Avenue, around 35th Street in Midtown.

A typical view down a typical avenue, during the day.

I would say this is a typical 'non-rush hour' view, meaning that you can see spaces to either side of people. People wearing their wintry gear and ear buds. People of all different ethnicities and ages.

People, people, people.

As usual, there is scaffolding in the background. Rush hour crowds are easily 3x more crowded than the photo above.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Related posts: The Crowds on Lower Broadway, Across the Crowded Sidewalk, in Midtown, and The Daily Madness, Outside Madison Square Garden.

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A Kiss, on Broadway

Photo by myself on Broadway and Prince Street, in Soho.

A couple showed their affection on the street.

Ah...l'amour, l'amour.

Related posts: A Kiss, in Brooklyn Bridge Park, A Hug, in Washington Square Park, and More Free Hugs, in Union Square.

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Painted Skull and Eyeball, in the East Village

Photo by myself on Bond Street and Bowery, in the East Village.

Two large and cryptic illustrations of a skull and an eyeball adorned what looked like garage doors.

Bond Street is also known as Second Street, for whatever reason.

--The flu is going around here and everywhere else. All you hear on the subway and sidewalks is people coughing and snuffling.

My fiance Mark has been laid out with chills and a fever. Just a reminder to everyone to get a flu shot if you haven't already. I hear that the shot is very effective against this year's strain.

Related posts: The Mark of the Quel Beast, near Bowery Street, The Sign of the White Rabbit, on Houston Street, and The Rat Pack, on Avenue C.

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Homeless Man and Dog, on Lafayette Street

Photo by myself, around Lafayette and East Fourth Street, in NoHo.

A homeless man decided to pick up his dog, the other day, piggyback. I'm not sure what was going on here.

With the cold weather, the homeless are more noticeable on the streets and in the subways. Usually they camp out in front of churches and empty buildings.

Above, a couple homeless people and their dog camped out in front of a restaurant that was under renovation.

Related posts: Man and Companion, on the Sidewalk, Sitting in Herald Square, and The World Walks By, on Fifth Avenue.

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Bubbles, in SoHo

Photo by myself at Broadway and Houston Streets, in SoHo.

A man was selling toys that made bubbles, in SoHo.

The bubbles could be seen from a block away. They were a fun and surprising addition to the cityscape.

Happy Monday, everyone!

Related posts: Graffiti, in SoHo, Twilight, in SoHo, and After the Snow, in SoHo.

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Traveling Art, in NoHo

Photo by myself around Houston and Mercer Streets, in NoHo.

I've seen this truck a couple times before. Sitting on top of it is a sculpture by Sergio Furnare, a New York artist, depicting a well known photograph of iron workers on their lunch break.

The original black and white photo was taken in 1932 of ironworkers working at Rockefeller Center. They were sitting on the 69th floor and you could see the city below them. The truck is Furnare's traveling billboard.

We had a gorgeous day in the city, Saturday. It felt like Spring, on the cool side with sunshine.

In the background left is a sculpture by the minimalist artist Forrest Myers. It's comprised of a grid of beams cantilevering out from a building.

For the original 1932 photo of the iron workers, click here.
For the artist's website, click here.

Related posts: Flaming Cactus, in Astor Place, Giant Head, in Madison Square Park, and Big Wampum Poster, on Houston Street.

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On Canal Street and Funny or Die

Photo by myself at Broadway and Canal Street, near Chinatown.

A photo from a warmer time.

Canal Street is a street busy with car and pedestrian traffic. The on ramp to the Manhattan Bridge is on the eastern end of this street, and the sidewalks are lined with vendors selling perfume, jewelry and clothing.

--By chance, my fiance Mark and I tuned in to a new show of the 'Funny or Die' series, called 'Billy on the Street'.

This guy named Billy Eichner runs around Manhattan, quizzing people on the street for small prizes.

I mean, he literally runs around on the street. And there is nothing more frightening in New York than a big guy running at you (waving a microphone, yelling random questions about celebrities), so a good part of the show involves strangers running away from Billy in sheer terror. Ha.

To see clips of Billy on the Street, click here.

Related posts: Braving the Cold, on Canal Street, En Masse, on Canal Street, and Getting the Goods on Canal Street.

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The View Down 32nd Street, Midtown

Photo by myself at 32nd Street and Seventh Avenue, in Midtown.

A traffic cop helped to direct traffic on Seventh Avenue.

This is a very busy part of town, just a block away from Macy's. Ahead, a copper-clad bridge connects two buildings, high above the street.

You see some of these pedestrian bridges on the west side, for whatever reason, usually connecting warehouses together.

Related posts: Warehousing Art, in Chelsea, Cold Reality, and Gone Fishin', Along the East River.

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On Getting Back to the Grind and New Year's Eve, in the City

Photo by myself, on the Q train.

The first day back to work took a lot out of everyone. Oy.

On the commute home, folks slept or sat or stood quietly. The party was decidedly over. Boo.

-- By the way, you would never know it was just New Year's Eve or that the 'ball dropped' or anything like that. It was business as grumpily usual, yesterday.

The official Times Square website says that more than one ton of confetti gets dropped during the celebration. And that there are no portable public restrooms outside (!).

I've never stood outside on New Year's to wait for the ball to drop and most likely never will. But if I were to stand outside for hours and hours in the cold, I'm not sure I could do it without knowing there was a bathroom readily available.

Just the thought of not having a toilet nearby would make me want to pee!

For the FAQ page from the Times Square website, click here.

Related posts: All Lit Up, on the D Train, On Rain and Trains, and Delays on the B Train, Underground.

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Dressed for the Holidays, in Prospect Park Brooklyn

Photo by myself in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

I met this little french bulldog in Prospect Park, the other day. She was dressed for the holiday season, and looked as if she were reflecting on holidays past. There was a very thin dusting of snow on the ground.

Mark and I spent most of the week in Brooklyn, far away from the crowds that have swarmed into Manhattan. We had a very relaxing time off work.

It's suddenly very cold, here, which shouldn't be much of a surprise since it is January. We had virtually no snow in 2012, just the very light dusting here and there.


Oh yes, I feel the same way. Must we go back to the grind??!

Related posts: A Bit of Nature, in New York, All Ears, in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and Out in the Cold, on the Upper East Side.

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Unhate, on Fifth Avenue

Photo by myself at Fifth Avenue and 48th Street, in Midtown.

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Just a snapshot from Fifth Avenue from a little while ago. The 'Unhate' ad campaign by Benneton caused a stir, showing various political leaders kissing one another.

Above, a two-story high Obama is shown with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

It's hard to believe it's 2013. Wowee. I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year!

Related posts: Bikini-Clad, on Prince Street, Our Commander and Chief, Above 7th Avenue, and It All Ends, Above Chelsea.

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