The Oyster Bar, Grand Central Station

Photo by myself, at The Grand Central Oyster Bar at 42nd Street and Park Avenue.

This 'old school' restaurant is on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal. Brick arches span above, while the perimeter of the room is lined with wood paneling.

Besides a raw bar and regular seating, there are long U-shaped counters for customers, with swivel chairs. The server stands in the middle, making for a unique setting.

Those interested in sampling many different kinds of raw oysters will love this place. The establishment opened in 1913 and typically serves up several thousand oysters daily.

I've only been there a couple times and found the place pricey. Go for the ambiance.

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Did anyone see the fireworks broadcast from the Hudson?

Typically the fireworks are done along the East River, with several locations going on at once. The Brooklyn side and Manhattan side can share in the experience.

This year the fireworks were located on the West Side for a change, in honor of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's discovery of the Hudson River Valley.

The fireworks this year was done to Disney-like music and were choreographed to a very rapid pace. Several barges were firing off at the same time, one gorgeous display after the other.

It was an incredible scene, befitting the occasion. Happy anniversary Henry Hudson!

Related posts: Cold Noodles and Hot Shows, Lure Fish Bar, Soho and Food Glorious Food.

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On Dogs and Dogs

Photo by myself in Washington Square Park, in the Village.

When asked, the owner reported that this tiny dog, hardly bigger than a sneaker, was in fact full grown.

She was a bit nervous but did fine in front of the camera.

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Mark and I debated whether we should make the trip to Coney Island or not - Sunday is the annual Nathan's hot dog eating contest. Past winners Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi will be there, and each routinely down more than 50 hot dogs in the 10 minute time period.

But the last thing we wanted to do was to stand in the midst of a hot crowd. We might just watch it on tv, instead.

The hot dog eating contest is being broadcast live on ESPN at noon, EST.

Update: Joey Chestnut won the contest for the third year in a row. He set a new world record, eating 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Kobayashi came in a close second, with 64 1/2.

Related posts: Dog Days of Summer, Our Four-Legged Friends and Keeping Your Dogs in a Row.

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What's Swinging in Bryant Park

Photo by myself in Bryant Park, at 40th Street and Sixth Avenue.

A view from a tropical vacation spot?

Not at all. It's a new kiosk and canopy set up on the west edge of Bryant Park. Sponsored by Southwest airlines, these hanging cocoon chairs offer a nice reprieve from the city.

The intimate clusters of tables and lounge chairs were filled, Wednesday afternoon.

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It seems that New York is becoming ever more user-friendly. I'd heard about this addition to Bryant Park, but I didn't realize that it was more than just another food kiosk.

People were lounging on lawn chairs, some taking naps. In a true democratic fashion, you could be sitting next to a business person or a homeless person.

Related posts: Braving the Chill in Bryant Park, Skating Under the Empire State and Mass Mentality.

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The Crowds in Grand Central

Photo by myself in the main waiting room of Grand Central Station.

I spotted an elderly lady standing at the currency counter Wednesday afternoon. Only later at home did I notice that her jacket nearly matched the ornate metalwork around the window.

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Wednesday afternoon I slipped out of work a bit early to walk around. I wound up going through Bryant Park, then down 42nd Street to Grand Central. It was the middle of rush hour.

Usually I get out of work later in the day. I haven't experienced full-on human (as opposed to automobile) rush hour in a long time. I was swept along by bevies of bodies. Enormous crowds of people pushed on to cross the street, at times stopping traffic.

The waiting room of Grand Central was a madhouse. The announcer called out train after train.

Mass exodus.

Related posts: Grand Central and Tall Tales, On Street Photography and Grand Central and Life on the Edge of a Very Big Precipice (In My Little Head).

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Yet Another Street Fair, Bleeker Street

Photo by myself on Bleeker Street, in the Village.

All too often, streets are closed off on the weekends for street fairs.

I'm sure there's a calendar of them somewhere, but all too often you'll be walking or driving and come across one. It's not uncommon to encounter more than one on a given day.

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Whenever Mark and I encounter a street fair, one of two things happen: if we're walking, Mark will insist on taking a detour. And then he will mutter 'Not another street fair!'

If Mark is driving, he will let out a string of frustrated expletives and bang his hands on the wheel. 'Not another *@#&!^ street fair!' Then he'll rant on about how they're all the same, and how they're all terrible. (Since nearly all the side streets in New York are one-way, the fairs are a minor hassle when driving).

Well, Mark can be a bit dramatic, but generally he's right. Street fairs in New York are notoriously similar. They all seem to have sausage or fajita booth (how can you not?), and booths selling crepes, fresh fruit or shwarma.

There are booths selling cosmetics at discount prices, and booths selling bonsai plants. Some sell paintings, while others sell hats or sunglasses.

And what if there's a booth selling farm-grown vegetables, fresh cider or plants?

Well that's no street fair, it's a farmer's market, which for some reason are more forgivable!

Related posts: Lichee Stand, Sunset Park, Hot Off the Grill in the East Village and I Scream, You Scream.

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Tonight's Winning Numbers, in Sunset Park

Photo by myself in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

The floor of a grocery store in Brooklyn's Chinatown is littered with the aftermath of Lotto.

Useless ticket stubs are scattered on the floor. Above on the television, were the night's winning numbers.

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Oh to win the lottery and retire.

I'm not sure what I'd do with myself. Most likely potter about, travel and take photos, and just enjoy life.

What would you do?

Related posts: Fish Market, Chinatown, On the Sidewalk, Chinatown and A Dollar and a Dream.

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City Portraits - Washington Square Park

Photo by myself in Washington Square Park, in the Village.

Renovations on this park on Lower Fifth Avenue are complete, and people are flocking to enjoy the new space. There are tons of benches that are perfect for people-watching.

Kids cooled themselves off in the large central fountain. Visitors milled about and lunched on benches, while various musicians performed.

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Mark and enjoyed lunched in Washington Square Park, Saturday. It was finally sunny after days of showers.








The chess tables were filled. There was a festive feeling in the air, as if everyone was on vacation.







When I can, I'll be deviating from the one-photo-per day routine, with City Portraits - series of photos showing an event or place, like the one a couple weeks ago from the Barbeque Festival in Madison Square Park.

Related posts: City Portraits - BBQ Block Party, Madison Square Park, 184 3/4 West 4th Street and Riding in Style in the Village.

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Passing the Time, Underground

Photo by myself on the subway.

Many subway riders occupy themselves with games on their cell phones or other devices. Other riders read books or magazines. The rest either sleep or stare off in space.

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Once again, subway fares are going up, here in New York.

The once $2 per ride fare will be $2.25, starting today (Sunday). The increase is New York State's solution to the $1.8 billion dollar deficit in the transportation sector.

Bridge and tunnel tolls are going up 10 percent, too. In this economy.


On another note, here's the latest video of our dog Rupert, who just turned 11 months old. There's footage of some typical tug-of-war antics and shenanigans.

I've set up a new spot on the sidebar for his fans.

Enjoy!

Related posts: On Taking Candids, A Much-Needed Nap and The Trains are Hopping.

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Music While You Wait

Photo by myself at the 59th Street subway station.

A classically trained flute player entertained a small audience the other night.

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Most of the time when I take photos of street musicians, they're happy to pose. Only once in a while do musicians stop what they're doing, implying that they should be paid for their photograph.

Generally, the good musicians do all right. People drop a few bucks in an open bag or hat for talented performers, or those who look obviously in need.

One of my cousins visited New York years ago and played his guitar on the sidewalk. He got some decent money from it, though he might have gotten the contributions because he was a teenager.

Next time I'll have to ask the performer what they generally get each day. I'm curious!

Related posts: On Music and Elephants, Underground, Acrobatics Below 34th Street and Pulling Strings on the Subway Platform.

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Strange Skies Above Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Photo by myself in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

Mark and I encountered one of the oddest skies I've ever seen, Friday night.

After a dinner in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, we walked out to an orange sky filled with small puffy clouds that looked like cotton balls. We heard on the news that the cloud formation is often associated with serious weather (there were severe thunderstorms in the area earlier).

I looked around for the space ships, it was so weird.

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Happy Weekend, everyone!

Related posts: Trinity Church, at Dusk, Sunrise, Sunset and Subway Sunset - On the Way Home.

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On Lost Icons and The Dakota

Photo by myself of The Dakota, at 72nd Street and Central Park West.

This landmark apartment building on the Upper West Side was the setting for the film Rosemary's Baby. An overhead view of the building's gothic roofline occurs near the beginning of the movie.

The little metal booth is for the doorman during the winter months. The archway leads to an exterior courtyard.

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Like everyone, I'm shocked and saddened by the deaths Thursday of two American icons, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. News of the latter came as a huge shock, out of the blue and at the end of the work day.

The photo above shows the The Dakota, home of another icon lost too soon, John Lennon. Lennon was gunned down in front of the building in 1980.

Fans pay tribute to Lennon in Central Park, across the street. An area called 'Strawberry Fields' bears the word 'Imagine' inscribed in the pavement. Visitors often leave flowers there as a remembrance.

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Going Postal in Midtown

Photo by myself of the main post office at 33rd Street and Eighth Avenue.

This enormous building comprises an entire city block, and was designed by the renowned architecture firm McKim, Mead and White. It was built in 1912.

Wikipedia says that the motto carved into the cornice was actually supplied by the architecture firm, and comes from Ancient Greek writings. Apparently the postal service in ancient Greece was pretty good.

The entire inscription reads:'Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds', and spans the length of the facade.

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Related posts: The Royalton, Revisited, Architecture, A Glorified Profession and Dusk Among Towers.

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Way Off in the Distance, Miss Liberty

Photo by myself from the southern tip of Manhattan.

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I discovered Tuesday that the thing about being at the edge of an island is that you can't see what's behind you. In my case, I was standing in a park, with all of lower Manhattan at my back.

It was overcast but the sun was peeking through the heavy clouds at the end of the day. With the Statue of Liberty way, way off in the distance, I thought it was a nice image.

Related posts: The View of Liberty, Life's a Beach and The Cycle of Decay.

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Flower Power, Bryant Park

Photo by myself near Bryant Park at 40th Street and Sixth Avenue.

Two women in very floral garb stood near a planter, Monday afternoon. I couldn't help but take a photograph.

I have to wonder whether they coordinated their clothing?

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On Monday I stopped by the ICP, or International Center of Photography School in Midtown. The school is renowned for its photojournalism program and its affiliated museum.

I went to the school for a portfolio review, and to get advice about their summer classes. There are studio and darkroom classes there that last anywhere between an intense weekend to many months.

Student work was being put up for end-of-year exhibit. The vibe was decidedly arty, meaning it was a mess. Images were pinned up on the wall, along with torn pieces of blue painter's tape. Power tools were lying next to communal Mac computers.

The student work ranged from framed large scale photos to tiny postcard-sized images. There were documentary-style photographs showing fire trucks, hotel rooms and the subway. There were nudes, blurry portraits and gritty photographs of the city.

I was nervous to show my work, but in the end, it turned out fine. The reviewer was very nice, and she didn't make any real comments. Her feedback was more about what my experience level and interests were.

Anyway, I'll soon decide between taking a studio class or a technical one about retouching. Of course, it's not the greatest time to shell out money, but you only live once, right?

Related posts: From Under the Bridge, From the East Bank and Home Sweet New York.

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The View from the BQE

Photo by myself from the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, looking toward Manhattan.

I took this photo from the car as we whizzed down the highway from Long Island. The cloud cover is heavy - It's been raining here almost every day for the last three weeks.

You can see the pointy silhouette of the Citicorp building on the right, the Chrysler Building near the middle and the Empire State Building toward the left. Manhattan looks like one gigantic thing.

In the middle distance lies parts of Brooklyn. Greenpoint's warehouses and industrial plant lie in-between our view of Manhattan and the East River.

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Hope everyone had a great Father's Day weekend.

Happy Monday everyone!

Related posts: From Under the Bridge, From the East Bank and Home Sweet New York.

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A View into Grand Central Station

Photo by myself in Grand Central, at 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue.

This image is a view approaching the main waiting room at Grand Central Station. There are three bays of windows ahead but the space is much wider, with ornate stairs and mezzanines on each end.

The main waiting room at this train station is for those waiting to travel to upstate New York, Connecticut and Long Island. The subways located in tunnels below and the stations look nothing so grand as this.

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Related posts: On Street Photography and Grand Central Station, Grand Central and Tall Tales and Queuing Up at Grand Central Terminal.

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'Killer' Games at School

Photo by myself near Madison Square Park, at 25th Street and Madison Avenue.

Yet another photo of the crowd at the BBQ Festival from last weekend. Due to technical difficulties and the recent rash of rain, I'm digging into my photo stash tonight.

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There's a great short article in the latest New Yorker Magazine about a game that takes place yearly at a Brooklyn private school. For 2 1/2 weeks near the end of the school year, students take part in 'Killer', a serious water pistol game.

The game sounds like a thriller movie. Teams stalk one another, planting decoys and waiting in ambush. When a player is shot (with water), he or she is eliminated. Each team contributes $20 into the communal pot. Winner takes all.

I have to say I'm surprised. Having watched years of Law and Order episodes all I can think of are water pistols mistaken for real guns, or kids becoming overly competitive and obsessed about winning.

Mark says that the same game is played in other cities, too, and is sometimes called 'Assassin'.

You'll have to register to read the New Yorker article Click here to read it.

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Only in New York

Photo by myself on 42nd Street and 7th Avenue.

Yes, this gigantic canopy sporting the McDonald's logo is located in the Times Square area. Like any good eye-catching monstrosity, its many light bulbs flicker on and off.

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There is a very popular saying that goes 'Only in New York'. Meaning that the most ridiculous things can be found here.

The above sign is among those things.

Happy Friday, everyone!

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Free Hugs, Union Square

Photo by myself in Union Square.

There were several people brandishing 'Free Hugs' signs around this public space for no apparent reason.

I was very suspicious of what the catch was. Did I have to sign my name anywhere? Would I get a lecture about a political group?

It turns out there are many public Free Hugs events staged to make everyone feel good. A number of groups sponsor these spontaneous events, such as The Hug Alliance, Hug Nation and several groups on Facebook.

Each group takes credit for the idea. Hug Nation began in 2001. declaring that spontaneous hugs should go around Tuesdays at 1pm, regardless of where you are. Juan Mann, who started the Hug Alliance, drew up a sign in 2004 simply because he needed a hug.

Difficult to patent the idea, of course. What's clear among all the groups is that they share the intent to brighten up peoples' day, free of charge.

So if you see a 'Free Hug' sign, rest assured. There's no catch except that you enjoy the hug and hug back.

Related posts: It's a Free Country After All, Now on Sale, in Midtown and What's Scrolling in Midtown.

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Passing the Time in Times Square

Photo by myself in Times Square.

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Curious about the new pedestrian area in Times Square, I dropped by Tuesday evening. What I found was a portion of Broadway temporarily blocked off from car traffic. It was scattered with lawn chairs.

I'd read about the lawn chairs in the paper but seeing them was another thing. They were pulled into informal groups and were all over the place. Almost all were in use. Meanwhile the lights of Times Square danced all around. It seemed very odd, as if at any moment, people would break out into song and dance.

I'm sure we're just in the test stages of this space, and that planters and kiosks selling food and drink will soon come. For now, it's just a place where you can catch your breath.

Related posts: Times Square, NYC, Uggs in Times Square and Holiday Greetings from Times Square.

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