On Window Bays and Shopfronts, Around the City

Photo by myself, on the Upper West Side.

At one of the many townhouses on the upper West Side, a pretty bay window is decorated with a Greek key pattern along the lower edge and a scalloped underside. Even the protective window grilles are ornamental.

--If you have a spare moment, check out this incredible slideshow currently on the New York Times website.

The Times showcases several small scale dioramas made by Randy Hage, a craftsman who works on movie and television props. Hage takes photos of historic, well-loved New York storefronts, then builds 1/12th scale models of them, then takes photos of the models.

The results are pretty astonishing - the uneven brickwork, painterly metal roll down doors and old timey signs are breathtakingly represented. You would never think you were looking at a replica made by hand.

Seeing these images, for me, was like looking through a time capsule. The best photo of the series shows Hage looming over the Nick's Lucheonette, and exposing the real scale of the model. (I promise the image above is a real photo of a real building!)

To see the Times slideshow, click here.

Related posts: Living Large, on the Upper East Side, A Dash of Charm, in the Village, and Outside Bedford Street Laundry, in the Village.

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Passing By on Mott Street, Chinatown

Photo by myself, somewhere on Mott Street, in Chinatown.

Despite the chilly winds, it was all a-bustle on Mott Street, in Chinatown.

Stalls were up selling festive decorations for Chinese New Year. This year, the New Year falls on February 10th, next weekend.

-- Ed Koch, the mayor of New York from 1978 to 1989, passed away on Friday. His funeral will be held Monday.

Koch was a feisty and well-loved leader during a turbulent time. If you have time, check out a great video interview with him, now newly released by the New York Times.

Related posts: Mark of the Quel Beast, near Bowery Street, New Museum, the Bowery, and Getting the Goods on Canal Street.

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On Street Carts and Bill Cunningham New York

Photo by myself on Sixth Avenue around 32nd Street, in Midtown.

There are so many street carts out on the sidewalks right now, one doesn't need to find a restaurant for dinner.

I was shooting a cart vendor who was framed in light. We happened to look up at each other at the same moment, just after a woman passed by.

-- I had a long day on Friday. To cheer me up, Mark turned on a movie he thought I'd like. And we watched it. And I loved it.

Bill Cunningham New York is a documentary about Bill Cunningham, a street fashion photographer for the New York Times. His 'On the Street' feature is firmly established in the Style section, showing New Yorkers grouped according to fashion theme. It might be denim or slingback heels or cut-offs, whatever happens to be the fashion zeitgeist on the streets or on the runways.

Cunningham himself is a colorful character. He has almost no belongings, save his photo negatives, which are kept in dozens of file drawers. He often works for free. He wears the same blue jacket all the time. He lived in a tiny, tiny artist studio above Carnegie Hall for years.

The documentary shows him in his 60s through to his 80s (he's 82 this year!). To watch him biking around the city and spryly taking photos of passersby on the sidewalks wearing a big toothy grin is absolutely inspiring. He is obviously in love with looking at what people are wearing and taking photos.

I cannot recommend this movie enough. If you're interested in fashion and New York and photography, you will enjoy it.

To learn more about the documentary and watch it online, click here.

 

Related posts: Off-Kilter, on 18th Street, Faces in Fashion, in Bryant Park, and Fashionista Not.

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On the Subway Platform in Downtown Brooklyn

Photo by myself on the platform at the Metrotech station in Brooklyn.

A photo from a cooler time, when people wore jackets and weren't sweating like crazy.

It is very, very hot, and not just above ground. Below ground, the temperature is much warmer, since there is little air circulation. Plus, there's all the exhaust from the subway air conditioners.

When on the subway platforms, people stand very still with their arms out from their sides. I can't imagine what the fellows in suits do. (I think they take cabs).

-- Perhaps everyone has seen so much of the Olympics for the last couple of weeks? The photos in the NY Times showing highlights for each day are definitely worth browsing through.

All too often, we watch action go by on video. It's spectacular of course, but you forget that there are split seconds of time that you're missing.

I do wish the photos in the Times showed a larger spectrum of countries. The images do generally focus on the American atheletes. You can check out the photos here.

Related posts: On Street Photos in Midtown and Online, Sunset, along the West Side Highway, and Sunset, from Brooklyn Bridge Beach.

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Twilight, in Soho

Photo by myself, in Soho.

There is a fine line between daytime and night, when stores roll down their doors, people stagger home from the subway, and the bars open up for business.

There are still some cobblestone streets in this neighborhood. Here, you can just barely see the texture of the stones.

--
The Times continues to offer more tidbits on its website, like photo essays and video. They are all wonderfully shot and edited.

The Metro section has snippets of video on regular New Yorkers. There's a food critic who eats her first dirty water hot dog, a high school student who taught himself over a dozen languages, and a fellow who tap dances on the subway to pay his tuition.

I haven't seen the tap dancer before in real life (yet). He supposedly sticks to the #2 and #3 subway lines and is pretty darned good with his feet:



Related posts: Down Broadway, All Aglow, in Soho, and After the Snow, in Soho.

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On the Floor of the Subway and the Recent Quake

Photo by myself on the Q Train.

It's business as usual here, after our little earthquake scare.

I wasn't intending to take photos of these kids performing on the subway ride home. But they were so energetic and flexible, I could not resist.

Handstands and fancy footwork were all over the place. A boombox played hip hop music in the background.

--
Fortunately, Tuesday's earthquake was rather minor here. Many people didn't feel it at all.

I was lunching with coworkers in our kitchen. Feeling faintly wobbly, as if I were on a boat, I looked down at the legs of my chair. I didn't remember that this chair was wobbly. How strange. The wobbling continued for a little while.

Soon the office was filled with nervous chatter. An announcement was heard on the PA system. The shaky voice of the building super told us to stay calm.

Text messages, phone calls and emails flew. Mark texted me immediately from Chelsea to say he was all right. Down below, the sidewalk was crowded with evacuees from neighboring buildings.

Earthquakes are the last thing on any New Yorker's mind, since much of New York is built on bedrock. The epicenter of the quake was only about 300 miles outside New York City.

Many readers of the Times posted their experiences of the quake, in New York and elsewhere. There are over 1000 comments and counting. Click here to read them.

Related posts: Funky Chicken, in Park Slope, On Tippy Toe, in Union Square and Flipping Out, on the B Train.

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Striking a Pose, in Central Park

Photo by myself, in Central Park around 81st Street and Central Park West.

A group of yoga students practiced their sun salutations, Thursday night in Central Park.

In the background is the Belvedere Castle, a folly that was built in 1869 by Fredrick Law Olmstead when the park was designed. The two towers on the right belong to the San Remo, a luxury apartment building at Central Park West and 74th Street.

The land dips down in front of the castle into the Turtle Pond. Since the trees are all leafy, you can hardly tell you're in the middle of a city.

Belvedere castle currently houses programs for bird watching and astronomy. There are steps that wind around the castle to raised viewing platforms.

--
This week's Times has an article about touring around downtown New York.

The Travel Section periodically prints articles about spending 36 hours in various cities. This week's article focuses only on the area below 14th Street.

The list includes the new World Trade Center, the National Museum of the American Indian and various spots in TriBeCa.

For the Times article, click here.

Related posts: Sun Salutation, East Village, Sunday Morning, Along the East River and Balancing Act, in Bryant Park.

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Soaring Above Midtown, the New York Times Building

Photo by myself around 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue.

The New York Times Tower designed by Renzo Piano looks like it's made of gleaming metal.

What you see are open screens composed of horizontal white ceramic rods. Set back from the screens is the glass facade. The screens helps shield the interior from light, to keep air conditioning costs low.

I was standing on a rooftop about 12 stories up for this photo. For an earlier view of the bottom of the tower, which includes the NY Times logo, click here.

Related posts: Soaring Above, the New York Times Tower, The Sunset View from Battery Park and The NY Times Building, in Hell's Kitchen.

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Say Cheese, West 4th Street

Photo by myself on 12th and West 4th Streets, in the Village.

A couple posed for photos, not long ago. I was lucky enough to be standing across the street.

You can just see the photographer in the background.

--
By the way, if you haven't noticed, the New York Times has started charging for content online.

You are allowed to read 20 articles for free each month. After that, you are directed to a subscription page if you try to go beyond the first page of the paper/site. Subscriptions range from $3.75/week to $8.75/week, depending on the type of devices you have. Those already getting the paper delivered to their home have free access to the site.

The paper has been not been doing well and it was just a matter of time before readers were charged for content.

TGIF everyone!

Related posts: Couple, Times Square, Older Birds, on Fifth Avenue and The Proposal, in Rockefeller Center.

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Happy New Year's Eve, from Grand Street, Chinatown

Photo by myself around Grand Street, in Chinatown.

The entrepreneurial spirit lives on, despite the cold weather.

--
Happy New Year's Eve!!

I hope you all have joyous plans for tonight and you're looking forward to 2011. This year was very good for us, after zipping by in the usual fashion.

By the way, if you're planning on visiting New York soon, the Times published this article about visiting on cheap, a couple days ago. For a whole weekend, savvy traveler tours around Manhattan for only $100 US.

The thing is, the city is flooded with visitors at the moment. I truly doubt there will ever be a time when shops and subways are completely empty and you don't have to wait on line. Chances are, though, the crowds will be smaller after the New Year. Say, in February. ;-)

What are your plans for New Year's Eve? Mark, Rupert and I will be staying home and happily avoiding the crowds.

Related posts: On Canal Street and Annie Liebowitz, Soap Bubbles, Chinatown and All A-Shiver, in the Streets.

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On Fashionistas and Broadway Shows, in Midtown

Photo by myself on Fifth Avenue, around 50th Street.

Some fashionable people wandered around Fifth Avenue.

Cold weather does not mean one has to suffer a loss in style. The sun was overhead at midday, providing some great highlights.

--
If you're ever in New York, the TKTS booths in Times Square, South Street Seaport and downtown Brooklyn are a great way to enjoy a Broadway show or play at discounted prices. The booths sell tickets for that evening's performance for up to 50% the cost of the ticket. All you have to do is show up and wait in line.

Now there is a free iphone app that allows you to see what tickets are available. You can preview what tickets are being offered before committing to wait in line.

The app is free until March 1. For the article in the Times, click here.
For information about the app itself, click here.

Related posts: On Guys in Hats and the Issue of Style, Beautiful People, in the East Village and Living in Style, in Williamsburg Brooklyn.

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Serving Up Sushi, Below the Plaza Hotel

Photo by myself at the Food Hall below the Plaza Hotel, at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue.

The area around the southeast corner of Central Park was never known for its restaurants.

Fancy stores and fancy places to live, yes. A classic movie theatre tucked away on a side street (the Paris on 58th Street) and crowded sidewalks, yes.

The Food Hall below the Plaza opened this June to mostly good reviews. When I stopped by I expected it to be deserted, since the entrance is not clearly marked and there is no street frontage.

Down several steps through a side entrance to the hotel, another world opened up. A large-ish room was ringed with food bars - a sushi bar, a raw bar, a dumpling bar, a pizza bar...even barbeque! There are 13 menus in all, though when I visited, it didn't look overwhelming.


Even in colder weather, people were enjoying the raw bar.

An internally lit false skylight covers the space, since you're below ground and there are no windows. Prices are reasonable, but beware, they don't take reservations. You will have to duke it out over a seat.

For the Times' mostly positive review, click here.
For the Plaza Food Hall website, chock full of photos and menus, click here.

Related posts: Colorful Eats at Kelley and Ping, SoHo, Hot Diggity Dogs All Day Long and Ramen Noodles in the East Village.

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Shooting in Tribeca and the Times

Photo by myself at Greenwich and Laight Streets, in Tribeca.

A photoshoot for the clothing store J. Crew took place on a quiet street in Tribeca, this weekend.

A male model was wearing a tradmark pair of jeans and a maroon t-shirt. A small group of photo assistants stood off to the side.

Tribeca is known for having many renovated warehouses and cobblestone streets, which provide a rustic urban backdrop.

--
New York wasn't always so photogenic or safe.

Posted recently on the Times website, are some striking photos from the 80's. Angel Franco, a freelance photographer, tagged along with the NYPD over a 5-year period.

The US was doing well during that time, but New York was still struggling with a great deal of crime. Franco's photos are spontaneous but incredibly stark. You get the feeling that just anything was about to happen.

Many of his photos went unpublished due to context - according to Franco, many Americans in the 80's couldn't believe that bad things were going on. (Geez!)

Anyway, if you have a spare moment, check out the incredible b/w photos here.

Related posts: On Display at Atlantic/Pacific, Brooklyn, Backstage in the West Village and Street Photography on Display, Below Ground.

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On Skateboard Graphics and Subways in Mid-Air

Photo by myself in Union Square.

A mesmerizing graphic on a skateboarder's jeans jacket, in Union Square.

--
I breezed by the Times last night and spotted an article worth mentioning: a Subway sandwich shop just opened in the Freedom Tower, downtown.

Yes, as the towers are going up the World Trade Center site, so is a Subway sandwich shop. Right now the trailer is on the 27th floor, in the midst of girders and metal walkways. As construction moves skyward, the sandwich shop will, too.

It makes perfect sense to bring food up to the construction workers, rather than having the guys wait in line to get to ground level. Also, the Subway menu won't be limited to foot-long sandwiches; they may add lasagna, hot dogs and pizza.

For the article and photographs in the Times, click here.

Related posts: Model Behavior, Downtown, Dusk at 72nd Street Station and Hitting the Newsstand Underground.

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Soaring Above, the New York Times Tower

Photo by myself of the New York Times Building, around 40th Street and 7th Avenue in the Garment District.

The sun was setting, and all the buildings were a mix of sepia tones against the blue sky.

The facade of the tower is made up of white porcelain tubes. The tubes form screens in front of glass curtain walls. The building has a nice amount of detail for passersby, while remaining distinct from faraway.

I took a closer photo of the front and signage here. Of course, people have tried to climb the tower. So far none have been successful.

Related posts: Climbing the Times, A Tale of Two Towers, the Chrysler and Empire State and The Rooftops on Central Park West.

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On New York Buildings, High and Low

Photo by myself from a cab on Fifth Avenue, on the Upper East Side.

Yesterday we got 4 inches of rain in Central Park and it's due to rain all day today. Above, a photo from a sunnier time.

Fifth Avenue is lined with stately buildings, most of them built before the second World War. As you can see, all the surfaces of these beauties are decorated, even the undersides of balconies.

The cornices (decorative friezes at the very top) are sometimes are wrapped in copper, which turn green after many years of weathering. Pre-fabricated copper is less expensive than cut stone, lighter in weight and makes for a distinctive look.

ps: I was asked about the building across from the Met, in Friday's post. The building is 998 Fifth Avenue, a gorgeous building designed by McKim Mead and White at the turn of the last century. Architecturally, the building is pristine, and you cannot beat the address.


Photo by myself of 998 Fifth Avenue. Note the beautiful stone panels that adorn the building facade.

Last year, a five-bedroom apartment at 998 Fifth was listed in the Times for $34 million dollars. For the incredible listing with photos, click here.

--
There is a great article in the Times this week about another New York building, on the other side of the tracks.

Much, much less fancy, 104 Bowery was at various times a Yiddish Theater, music hall and flophouse. It is now an inexpensive hotel with rooms for $130 a night, catering to Chinese tourists.

The Times has some incredible photos from the flophouse era, when beds went $5 a night. The last resident was named George and refused to leave, despite being offered $75,000. In 2005 he was finally ordered to vacate by the courts, and was dragged out by the police.

Check out the slideshow for photos of George and his home. You can read the article here.

In the Rain, Midtown, On Rain and the Brooklyn Bridge and Fashion Accessories, Coming Soon.

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Making a Splash, at Lincoln Center

Photo by myself at Lincoln Center, around 63rd Street and Broadway.

The new fountain at Lincoln Center is up and running. The fountain is elegantly designed - the sculptured granite top is elevated on legs and lit from below. The building in the background is the Metropolitan Opera House.

The polished surface of the fountain looks like it's wet but don't be fooled. You can sit on it and enjoy the view.

--
When I recently read about the design and construction of the new fountain at Lincoln Center, I knew I had to visit it soon.

There's a great article in the New Yorker describing the powerful new water pumps installed below the plaza. A fountain expert from LA was brought in, who designed fountains for fancy casinos in Las Vegas. The new technology out there in fountain design are fascinating.

I'm sorry to say that my link is to the summary of the article. Unfortunately the article can be viewed by subscribers only, but isn't that the greatest excuse to subscribe to one of the best publications out there?

Here's a link to another article in the Times, which at this writing, is still free of charge. Be sure to check out the supercool animated movie of the entire design on the left sidebar, showing the renovation plans for the entire complex.

Related posts: Up With the Arts, at Lincoln Center, City Portraits - The High Line, Chelsea and A Modern Icon, in New Canaan, Connecticut.

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Our Commander-in-Chief, Above 7th Avenue

Photo by myself near Times Square, around 7th Avenue and 41st Street.

Yes, it's President Obama in an ad for outerwear, just south of Times Square and above a Red Lobster.

--
I just had to check out the controversial billboard that was put up last Wednesday in Times Square.

The Weatherproof Garment Company put up an image of President Obama, some 20 feet high. According to the Times, the photo was taken by the Associated Press, the President is indeed wearing a Weatherproof jacket. The company paid a licensing fee but failed to obtain consent from the White House before erecting the billboard.

The White House stated they would have the company take the billboard down immediately, but the image was still there last Friday.

I'm sure they're dealing with a bunch of other things over there in Washington.

Related posts: The Meal O'bama Cart, Midtown, The Day After and On Times Square and Our Rupert.

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On the Hudson River and Stupid Pet Tricks

Photo by myself in Riverside Park, around 88th Street and Riverside Drive.

It's been very cold in New York and New Jersey, which is just a river's width away.

Saturday night, Mark, Rupert and I attended a party in Hoboken, New Jersey. The wind chill made it feel like 1 degree Fahrenheit.

--
One of the most popular searches connected to this site is 'the man with a cat on his head'. I took a photo of him last January and posted it here.

I've seen the fellow a couple times in the Union Square area. Evidently many other people have seen him and wanted to know more.

So as I was deciding what write for today's post, I happened to browse on the Times NY Region section. Lo and behold, the guy with the cat on his head made it as one of the Pictures of the Week!

Both he and the cat are seen braving the chilly outdoors, one on top of the other. They look fine, albeit a little grumpy. You can see the Times photo here.

Related posts: Docked Along the West Side, Bridging the Gap and Life on the Water, in Riverside Park.

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On Mulberry Street and Small Packages

Photo by myself on Mullberry and Broome Streets, in Little Italy.

Little Italy is adorned with lights during this time of year. Often restaurants are covered with tiny lights, wreathes, or enormous statues of nutcrackers.

Above, a non-Italian bar in that neighborhood, had an English Bulldog snuffling about, outside.

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I had no idea that New York had 'official' condoms, but we do. Imagine that.

Apparently the wrappers are often redesigned. Why? Well, maybe because New Yorkers are design-oriented, shallow folk who are easily seduced by packaging. Or maybe we're constantly trying to find the 'new' within the 'old'. I don't quite understand it.

Anyway, here are the 2007 and 2008 wrapper designs, published in the Times. Now the City is calling for submissions for a redesign.

Deadline for entries is January 22, 2010. Sharpen your pencils! Perhaps your design will be freely distributed to millions (of amorous New Yorkers) for a good cause.

For details about the competition, click here.
For a discussion in the Times, click here.

Related posts: What's Scrolling in Midtown, Emailing Under the Influence...Not and Neon Storefronts, Midtown.

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