Written on the Walls, in Nolita and East Harlem

Photo by myself on Mott and Kenmare Streets, in Nolita.

Lasso is an Italian restaurant that specializes in thin crust pizza, including pies that are gluten-free. During weekend brunch, one prix fixe offers unlimited cocktails with your food.

I haven't eaten here, but I liked their wall art, particularly the Dr. Spock in Marilyn drag.

For a look at their website, which lists their menus, click here.

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I must admit I've never seen a graffiti artist spray painting or stenciling or pasting up his or her work.

Mark has. He says the deeds are usually done at night, under the cover of darkness. Usually. But there is one place in New York where you can express yourself in broad daylight.

There is a Graffiti Hall of Fame in East Harlem, located on the walls of a school at 106th Street and Park Avenue. Mark has been telling me about how amazing the place is for years, but for whatever reason, I've never been.

You can see the work of some of the best graffiti artists in New York, and the walls are always changing. I would love to visit when it's warmer outside!

For a view of the Graffiti Hall of Fame, click here.

Abandoned Lot, East Village, Pasted up in the Meatpacking District and Art for the Masses.

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From Under the Banner, in Chinatown

Photo by myself in Chinatown.

Another photo from my time watching the Lunar New Year celebration in Chinatown.

Older ladies carried large banners and marched ahead of the dragons, that day. As you can see, the sidewalks were crowded and there were still heaps of snow in the gutter.

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It's been a tough week. Days have been spent slugging it out at work. At night, Mark and I vegetate on the sofa, our eyeballs glued to the Olympics.

It's been a treat to watch these amazing athletes rather than our usual fare of reality shows, sitcoms and movies. Snowboarding and figure skating are our favorites.

I prefer the Winter games over Summer ones. How about you?

Lost in the Crowd, Mass Mentality and We the People.

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On Eco-Coolness and Another Look at the Videotape

Photo by myself on Bowery and Prince Street.

Green Depot is a relatively new store that sells environmentally friendly products for the home.

You can purchase everything to build, clean and beautify your home that's also good for our planet. Their huge selection includes bamboo plywood, cotton insulation, zero-VOC paint, phosphate-free detergent and scrubbers made from corn cobs and peach pits.

Check out their enormous array of products, here.

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Okay, so the jury is out on the photo I posted the other day.

Barbie of Barbie's Rants and Raves is convinced that one of the people on the top step of 190 Bowery is a woman.


Another view of the stoop I posted the other day. It was a busy street corner.

I looked at the handful of photos I had from different angles. I had Mark look at them, too.

Mark sides with Barbie and thinks the person could be a woman. I think it's just a shlumpy unshaven guy. Without removing his or her clothing and doing a thorough examination, how can we be sure?

Eco-Friendly Cardboard Design, Signs of Hope and Cow Appreciation Day, Fifth Avenue.

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Love is in the Air, in Prospect Park Brooklyn

Photo by myself in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

A couple spent Valentine's Day together in Prospect Park. It was a little chilly but I'm sure these two were toasty warm together.

Mark, Rupert and I tip-toed by, not wanting to disturb them.

A Touch of Nature in Prospect Park, Holding Hands in Midtown and Zzzzzzzzz.

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Outside 190 Bowery, in Soho

Photo by myself on the corner of Bowery and Spring Street.

Four guys sat on the steps of 190 Bowery, a distinctive building known to most New Yorkers, just north of the Manhattan Bridge.

The stone building is ornate and old. Its windows are dirty and its base is covered with paste-ups and graffiti. It looks deserted.

Invariably, someone will be sitting or lying on the front steps. Mark and I have driven by often, and I've longed to take a photograph because the scene would look so transient. This weekend, I walked by and these four fellows allowed me to take their photo. I was ecstatic.

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I first heard about 190 Bowery from Mark, during one of our drives past the building.

'Oh that's where the famous photographer lives. I forget his name.'

The photographer Jay Maisel and his family live inside the six-story building, which looks completely derelict outside. He bought the former bank building in 1966 for just over $100k. Yes, that's $100k.


The base of 190 Bowery is literally covered with graffiti tags and paste-ups.

Of course, times have changed and we're talking about 40 years ago, when Soho was nothing like the posh neighborhood it is now. You'd be hard pressed to find a studio apartment selling for $300k today, never mind a six-story building.

New York Magazine published a great article about the building a couple years ago, which includes a slide show of the interiors. Click here to see it.

The Dragon Parade on Mott Street, The Taiwanese Festival in Union Square and A Careful Choice, in Chinatown.

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Celebrating the Year of the Tiger, in Chinatown

Photo by myself in Chinatown, around Chrystie and Grand Streets.

Happy Year of the Tiger! Celebrations marking the Lunar New Year took place Saturday afternoon in Chinatown.

As customary, dancers dressed in dragon costumes went to each store, to chase out spirits lingering from the last year. The group went quickly, collecting red packets of money from store owners. A drum and gong accompanied the parade.

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I've been in a little photography slump recently, because of the cold weather and short days. So it was a real treat to use my camera Saturday afternoon. Fortunately it wasn't too cold and we had some sun.







Just about everyone I saw had a cameras and cellphones out, taking photos. Does anybody use their eyeballs to see things anymore? I have to say I'm guilty of this too, and it scares me a little.

There were lots of little kids following the parade. Funny, because I remember seeing one of these parades when I was little and being scared silly by the costumes and noise.

The Dragon Parade on Mott Street, The Taiwanese Festival in Union Square and A Careful Choice, in Chinatown.

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Crazy Fantasy, Anyone?

Photo by myself around 6th Avenue and West 4th Street, in the Village.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Need a costume to celebrate the day and your fantasy? You and your obsession can deck yourselves out in red and pink satin. This store has all the appliances you'll ever need.

Actually, you don't need a special occasion to dress up. Every day can be Crazy Fantasy Day. Just don't do anything too dangerous, without limbering up ;-)

Pasted Up in the Meatpacking District, Abandoned Lot, East Village and Signs of the Times.

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On Pink Walls and a Family Update

Photo by myself in Soho.

An artist had his work up for sale against backdrop covered in paint and graffiti. It was difficult to tell what was art and what was the background.

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Life is busier these days. Things are picking up again at the office. Clients want everything in less time for less money. Contractors are willing to negotiate. It all means a lot more legwork for us architects.

Meanwhile, Mark has been working full days at a large advertising agency. So we've had to send Rupert to doggie day care, rather than have a dog walker come in. We're woken up at 7:00, with the front door opening and Rupert waking up to howl as if he's being abducted by aliens.

Rupert is taken to Prospect Park on the nicer mornings to run around before spending a whole day romping some more with his buddies. We've been told that Rupert loves running around so much, he fails to eat his lunch! At night, he comes home, does some token running about, then collapses on the floor like a sack of potatoes.

I love doggie day care!


Rupert as a potato sack. He enjoys sunning himself when at home.

Related posts: Pasted Up in the Meatpacking District, Abandoned Lot, East Village and Signs of the Times.

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On Performances Underground and on the Runway

Photo by myself at the 34th Street subway station.

On the subway platform, a man played the erhu, a two-stringed instrument that is played like a cello. I took this photo on my way into work.

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The fashion world has been startled by the death of Alexander McQueen, Thursday. It's sad timing, since the Fall 2010 runway shows are going on now in Bryant Park.

I walked by the park just the other day. There were trucks lined up on Sixth Avenue and the main tent was up and running. As I wrote during the Spring Collections a few months ago, most of New York isn't affected by the shows. The shows take place in isolated locations and only a few lucky New Yorkers are invited to attend.

The fashion shows are on now through next Thursday, February 18th. The Times has a jam-packed section devoted exclusively to the events. You can see it here.

Related posts: Pulling Strings on the Subway Platform, On the Subway Platform and Late Night TV and On Taking Candids.

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A Wintry Scene in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Photo by myself in Park Slope, Brooklyn, looking down 'the slope'.

A photo from mid-morning yesterday, while I was trudging to the subway. We'd had a few hours of slushy snowfall.

Park Slope is named for its location near Prospect Park, a large public park designed by Fredrick Law Olmstead. There is also a gradual, large hill. Hence 'Park Slope'.

The streets are lined with trees, brownstones and the occasional new apartment building. Many of my neighbors are just like me, that is, former residents of the Upper West Side in Manhattan, which looks very similar.

Fortunately the weather people were not entirely accurate, as usual! Yesterday we got a lot of wet snow that turned into cold mush on the streets, but not nearly the 16 inches forecasted. At most, some neighborhoods had up to nine inches of snow.

Related posts: Looking Up, in Park Slope, Rent and Among Beautiful Things.

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On the Soup Station and Snow

Photo by myself in Soho, around Prince and Greene Streets.

The Soup Station is a makeshift food stand on the sidewalk. They have a built-in case with scrumptious looking baked goods.

Never mind that they spelled the word 'vegetarian' wrong! If the food tastes good, people will come.

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Not sure how street food vendors are doing today, since the streets aren't so user friendly. New York, like other parts of the Northeast, is going through yet another major snowstorm. We may get up to 16 inches of snow!

Walking along the sidewalks will be a drag, especially at the street corners, where there are usually deep piles of snow and slush. Often pedestrians will stop in their tracks and become stranded, not knowing exactly how cross the street. Ha.

Curious to see how much snow we have on the ground? Here's a site linking to various live webcams around the city.

Related posts: The Meal O'bama Cart, Midtown, Come and Get It and How You Can Have What You Crave When You Want It.

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On Fashion Sense and the West Village

Photo by myself, somewhere (lost) in the West Village.

One of many tidy townhouses in the West Village. This one probably had lights alongside the doorway which were removed, and the areas patched. Hence the red dots on the wall.

I liked how the fellow walking by matched the building.

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The other day, Blogging in PA asked why I thought this photo depicted non-New Yorkers.

Well, the photo was taken on a weekday afternoon at 50th St. and Fifth Avenue, which is a very touristy area. Logic would say that there's a slim chance these two are New Yorkers.

But it was more than just that. The couple looked just a little bit too well-dressed and well-coiffed. Not to say that all New Yorkers are slobs, but we tend to have a more 'thrown-together' look of relaxed fashion.

For a very different look at New Yorkers and their fashion sense, check out this article in New York Magazine. Five New Yorkers are shown who each only wear one color, every single day.

Psst! We are not all crazy!

Related posts: Christmas Greetings from New York, Outside Vanderbilt Hall, in the Village and Browsing Around, in the Village.

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Hopes and Prayers, at St. John the Divine

Photo by myself at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, around 110th Street and Amsterdam.

Here's another photo from my tour of the Upper West Side. St. John the Divine is a gigantic cathedral which occupies an entire city block. Many votive candles were lit, some decorated with the cathedral logo.

The building is considered to be unfinished - it survived a fire in 2001 and is still being slowly renovated while remaining in use.

If you ever visit this place, let me know if you have the same experience as I did. When I walked up to the front door, all I could hear was the very loud chirping of birds. The birds sounded like they were buried inside the walls of the church. Very strange!

If you'd like to know more about this cathedral, here is a great site with some great photos.

Related posts: Peace to All, No Place is Perfect and Imagine, Central Park.

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Yadda, Yadda, Yadda...on the Upper West Side

Photo by myself on the Upper West Side, at 112th Street and Broadway.

Yes folks, it's the sign you see in every Seinfeld rerun, outside the characters' favorite hangout.

In real life, this neon sign is for Tom's Restaurant way on the Upper West Side, near Columbia University. It's many blocks north of where the Seinfeld character lived, in the West 80's.

I probably dined there a while ago, but it was not a memorable meal. Like many diners here in New York, it is probably equipped with a steady stream of coffee and a multi-page menu.

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Last week, I toured around Columbia (University). I hadn't been up there in years.

The neatest thing about this area, which is at a higher elevation than other parts of the city, is that you can actually feel you're higher up. For whatever reason, it feels like you're on top of a great big hill.

Everything was bustling. Kids were strolling about the Columbia campus. It was freezing cold, as usual.

Yadda, yadda, yadda.

Related posts: On Radio City and the Whitney Museum, I Deserve a Break Today and Neon Storefronts, Midtown.

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Strolling Down Fifth Avenue, Hand in Hand

Photo by myself in Midtown, around 50th Street and 5th Avenue.

A well-dressed couple dressed for the cold weather walked along Fifth Avenue last week, perhaps visiting from out of town.

It was slightly windy and brisk. You can see the flags waving in the background.

Related posts: Candid, Midtown, Surprise, Surprise and Lower Fifth Avenue.

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I am Paparrazo, Or Proof of the Infinite Monkey Theorem

Photo by myself around Fifth Avenue and 51st Street.

Not the greatest photo, I admit, but that's not my point!

It wasn't until I got home that I realized who the man is in this photo. He's Chris Kimball from America's Test Kitchen, a cooking show on public television, here in the States.

Chris is the sensible cook on the show, who asks careful questions about every recipe. As you can see in my photo, he's wearing his trademark glasses and bowtie. He is also grimacing, having realized he's been paparrazo'ed.

Mark and I giggled a lot about it (okay, it was mostly me, cackling with a terrible self-satisfaction).


A much better photo of Chris Kimball from the internet.

I'm adding Chris to my brief list of celeb sightings, which includes Uma Thurman (twice), Ethan Hawke, Isaac Mizrahi, Dave Lachapelle, Jane Pauley, Tim Gunn, Barbra Walters, Sam Talbot, and lastly a possible Ed Norton, whom I stalked down the sidewalk on the Upper West Side.

Anyway, it just goes to show that if you take enough photographs in New York City, you will take a celebrity photo. It's sort of like the monkey with typewriter phenomenon.

The infinite monkey theorem states: 'a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type a given text, such as the complete works of William Shakespeare'.

Related posts: Touring about Fifth Avenue, Midtown, A Bit More on Celebrity, Past and Present and The Sublime and Ridiculous, Or Why I See Few Celebrities in New York.

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A Repent Sign Guy Meets a Horse Carriage Guy...

Photo by myself on 59th Street and 6th Avenue, near Central Park.

Yes, the title to this post sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. I spotted these two blokes sharing a moment outside Central Park, on Wednesday.

I have to wonder what was said. Any suggestions?

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By they way, it was very cool to have Jesse Selengut of The Tin Pan Blues Band read my post about his group. He left a comment here inviting us to his performances, and posted my photo on his site.

Here's his comment, the 8th one down. Thanks Jesse!

Related posts: Union Square Is Where It's At, Off in the Distance, 59th Street and Six Inches Under, in Central Park.

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How's About a Game?

Photo by myself in Washington Square Park.

One frigid day recently, I saw this gentleman, who challenging people to play chess for money. He allowed me to take his photograph.

Alongside on the table were a radio and a timer, like the ones you see in games of speed chess.

I would have played, if I weren't such a terrible player and if it weren't so cold, ha.

Related posts: Serious Fun, in Bryant Park, Playing in the Rain, Union Square and City Portrait - Washington Square Park.

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The Isle of Manhattan; So Close and Yet So Far

Photo by myself from the subway platform at Smith and 9th Street, Brooklyn.

Manhattan looks worlds away from Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. The neighborhood below has some nice residences and renovated warehouses, but it looks very industrial from above.

It may take less than 15 minutes for the train to reach the East River from here. You can see the UN Building, which is located in the East 40's along the edge of Manhattan.

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The difference between Brooklyn and Manhattan is more psychological than physical. There are many, many Manhattanites who feel that Brooklyn is some sort of scary frontier land, unworthy of exploration. Not true!

I admit I had the same mentality when I lived on 'the island'. It was easy to feel that Manhattan was the only borough in New York, when there was so much going on.

I'm happy to live in Brooklyn now and am always shocked when friends make the trek across the river.

Related posts: Different Vistas, The City in Silhouette and The East River at Dusk.

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Looming Above Washington Square Park

Photo by myself in Washington Square Park, around 5th Avenue and Waverly Place.

The striking arch on the northern edge of Washington Square Park provides an ideal vista at the end of Fifth Avenue. The park and marble-clad arch were built to commemorate the anniversary of George Washington's inauguration.

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Mucho apologies for the very late post tonight, folks!

For some reason my computer kept saying that blogger was down. Not being to post was like having an itch you cannot scratch. Infuriating!

I'm ecstatic about posting a photo today, since I haven't missed a day since December 2007 February 2008.

Related posts: City Portraits - Washington Square Park, Santas on Parade, in Washington Square Park and Details, Details.

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