Peering into Urban Archaeology, on Franklin Street, Tribeca

Photo by myself at Franklin and Varick Streets, in Tribeca.

A couple peered into the showroom of Urban Archaeology, last week.

Outside, stood one of the original cast iron mermaids from the Place de la Concorde Fountain. The statue was created around 1820 and can be yours for a mere $350,000 (!). The statue was salvaged when the fountain underwent renovations in the early 1900s.

The Urban Archaeology showroom offers tile, stone, hardware and lighting fixtures. There are also other rare salvaged items, such as mermen, statuary, fireplace mantels and immense, hand-carved marble lions.

To see the whole range of products at Urban Archaeology, click here.
To read more about the mermaid statue, click here.

Related posts: Staple Street, Tribeca, All Aglow, in Soho, and Still Life, Antique Store.

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Quiet Street, Tribeca

Photo by myself, somewhere in Tribeca.

You rarely encounter loads of people in Tribeca. This is a neighborhood of quiet streets and older buildings.

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Happy Monday, everyone!

Related posts: Reflecting on Tribeca, A Quiet Sunday in Tribeca and Duane Street, Tribeca.

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Back to the City, in Tribeca

Photo by myself at Duane and Hudson Streets, in Tribeca.

A photo from an earlier visit to Tribeca, the land of renovated warehouses.

'Tribeca' stands for 'Triange below Canal (Street)'. Wikipedia writes that Tribeca is bound by Canal Street, West Street and Broadway/Chambers Street. I never know exactly where the neighborhood starts and stops.

The scale of the architecture makes this area very photogenic. A smattering of cobblestone streets help, too.

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Well it's been 28 hours since waking up in Tokyo. Mark and I flew back to 96F degree weather in New York, which is cooler than it is in Japan. Crazy.

I did want to note that if you're considering traveling to Japan, it's really not too difficult to get around. A good guidebook and familiarity with cities will serve you well. In Tokyo, most street and subway signs are accompanied by an English translation.

Finding a specific address might be difficult, since buildings are not often numbered in order...but you will probably not be completely lost. Disoriented by the sheer number of people and signs and sights, yes. Miles away from where you need to be, no.

Finally, all the subways and high speed rail trains are timed to the minute, with constant updates. You'll only have to wait a little while before the next train arrives.


The Shinkansen or high speed rail trains in Japan are comfortable and wonderfully run. Each train has smoking cars, vending machines, toilets and food service. Some trains travel as fast as 300 km/hr or 185 mph.

Related posts: Duane Street, Tribeca, Reflecting on Tribeca and A Quiet Sunday in Tribeca.

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Staple Street, Tribeca

Photo by myself at Jay and Staple Streets, in Tribeca.

I've not heard of Staple Street in Manhattan, until very recently. The street is only a couple blocks long. Tribeca is a photogenic neighborhood, with larger old buildings and some cobblestone streets.

Mark and I dined outside at Walker's recently, an old restaurant bar with great food. We had our dog Rupert there with us, and ate outside among people who also brought their dogs. There were 8 humans and 3 dogs. All got along fine!

Related posts: Layers in Time, Tribeca, Reflecting on Tribeca and Duane Street, Tribeca.

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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.

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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.

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A Quiet Sunday in Tribeca

Photo by myself around West Broadway and Walker Street, in Tribeca.

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, downtown in Tribeca.

People wandered around or brunched on the sidewalk. A small park was almost empty of people.

Related posts: Duane Street, Tribeca, Layers in Time, Tribeca and Reflecting Tribeca.

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Duane Street, Tribeca

Photo by myself in Tribeca, on Duane Street.

There isn't a canopy outside a home furnishings store called Duane Modern, only a skeleton to support one.

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I admit, I have a tendency to take photos of buildings. I can't help it. I'm an architect surrounded by historical and modern architecture. And they don't move, so it's easy!

Mark tells me I should take photos of people. 'People are interested in people,' is his mantra.

Taking candids is something that I've gotten used to doing. It's somewhat addictive, too. There is a cheap thrill to catching people unaware, like a voyeur or undercover spy.

What type of photograph do you prefer?

Related posts: Details, Details, Flatiron Building, in Detail and The Apthorp, Upper West Side.

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Layers in Time, Tribeca

Photo by myself in Tribeca, around Duane and Hudson Streets.

The area in Tribeca is known for its history. Located just in front of these buildings is Duane Park, the first area set aside to become a park in Manhattan.

I'm guessing that the facade along the street is a remnant preserved from a previous building. A modern glass block and steel structure exists beyond.

The old facade was kept to preserve the character of the street, which is lined with renovated brick buildings. I'd love to know more about this building - it's unusual for square footage to be left unused in New York.

Happy Monday, everyone!

Related posts: Down in the Village, Public Art at the Lever House and The Royalton, Renovated.

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Chez Bouley, Tribeca

Photo by myself outside Bouley, in Tribeca on Duane Street.

From the street outside, you can get a glimpse into the kitchen of this fine restaurant. Here, chocolates and sweets are homemade and served on tiered trays.

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Saturday night, Mark had a fantastic dinner at Bouley (pronounced boo-LAY), one of the best restaurants in New York.

We rarely go out to fine restaurants, preferring instead down-and-dirty 'authentic' places. We had the tasting menu, which was an culinary assault on our bodies. The food was plentiful and astronomically rich. By the end of the meal, we were pushing dishes away.

The waitstaff was extremely attentive, swarming to replace silverware and explain dishes. The restaurant itself was very pretty, with silver leafed vaulted ceilings, enormous flower displays and enormous paintings of the French countryside. Oh, and the food was just divine.


Above, the vestibule at Bouley is lined floor-to-ceiling with apples. Their scent stimulates your senses from the first step inside.

You know the 'foams' that Top Chefs concoct on the show? Well, we had a few of those. And things in truffle oil. And the most delectable seafood. Each little dish was a complicated, layered mix of this and that.

The Amuse Bouche alone consisted of salmon roe, some kind of foam, balsamic vinegar and something else white. By the end of it, Mark and I were gripping our stomachs, groaning 'Uncle'. The food had won, hands down.

The experience reminds me of an episode of Sex and The City. Charlotte and one of her beau had a several-coursed meal on their honeymoon and afterwards spent the entire night running to and fro to the bathroom, haha. If you're not used to eating rich food, be warned.

For some strange reason, Bouley has gotten some low marks on the internet. Don't believe them. This four-star restaurant is New York fixture, garnering first place in Zagat's as where New Yorkers would want to have their last meal. For the restaurant review of Bouley (which many readers criticized as being too harsh of the food), click here.

For more about the chef David Bouley, click here.



Related posts: Eating on the Cheap, Restaurant Week, Reflecting on Tribeca and City Portrait - BBQ Block Party, Madison Square Park.

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Reflecting on Tribeca

Photo by myself in Tribeca, around Warren and Greenwich Streets.

This small neighborhood near City Hall is known for its historic loft buildings.

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I have to admit that even though I lived in Manhattan for a while, I never fully got a grip on where Tribeca was (!).

The times I visited I was with people who knew what they were doing, or I was visiting a particular venue. The Odeon, for example, a classic bistro on West Broadway. Or Walkers, another bar/restaurant with old style charm.

I tried going there recently but wound up near the World Trade Center, walking aimlessly. How embarrassing!

Now, after finding it again, I think the best options are these - go to City Hall and walk west, or go to the Chambers Street subway station. The neighborhood is rather small, so it's easy to miss.

Related posts: Decisions, Decisions, On a Stoop, in Soho and The Best of Times, the Worst of Times.

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Eating on the Cheap, Restaurant Week

Photo by myself at The Palm restaurant, on West Street in Tribeca.

The walls of this high end steak house and bar are covered with the likenesses of present-day celebrities.

Hundreds of floating heads provide a backdrop while you eat. As celebs visit the restaurant, they autograph their likenesses.

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It's Restaurant Week, once again!

Mark and I dined with old friends at The Palm, a well-known steak house. There are several Palm restaurants, and we opted to visit their Tribeca location.

Restaurants during this time offer special deals to their customers. At The Palm, for a mere $35, you can select from several prix fixe dinners, which include an appetizer, entree and desert.

Both Mark and I had lobster bisque and filet mignon with roasted fingerling potatoes. One of our friends had pineapple gazpacho (!) and grilled mahi mahi. We all had key lime pie for dessert, and as extras, generous side dishes of Monday Night salad (chopped fresh tomatoes, onions, red bell peppers and a tiny bit of anchovies) and creamed spinach.

You still have a few days to enjoy this great deal. Restaurant Week continues through to July 31st. Hundreds of restaurants participate in this twice-yearly event, offering their own special menus.

For a full listing of venues, click here.

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