Some duds and a Patty...

You never know what folks will be wearing. The wide variance in fashion, from the hipsters in their hats and tats and skinny jeans to the basic Manhattan black to the many just craving individuality, you'll see anything and everything. Here are a couple of interesting glimpses. Okay, I'm cheating at an attempt at wacky fashion, but above is one of the ubiquitous Times Square costumed persons. Even Minnie Mouse has to take a call now and then.


And I'm not sure if this fellow is headed to a gig or if he's just trying to give a tip o' the hat to the dear departed Rainbow & Stars.

And finally, here's a little graffiti tag I found deep below 8th Avenue. At the 50th Street E train stop, someone is professing their devotion to the amazing gospel artist Sandy Patti. I think I agree...

The leaves, they are a-changin'...

The leaves are a little brittle all over the place and you can tell the big change is around the bend, but in Central Park today, the big elms were flashing little hints of yellow. I snapped a shot that turned out to capture the vibe pretty well. Come on autumn!

A bean feast...

I'm realizing that I should adjust the title of this blog to reflect its regular Hipstamatic leanings. Oh well. I really love how they look! So there.


As this blog entry's title suggests, here are some little discoveries made while in or near Boston. First of all... it's a good thing to notice milestones. I'm a born-and-raised west coast guy. We vacationed on the Pacific Ocean which was about an hour from home. This picture shows my first steps in the Atlantic. Some observations: The sand is coarser and richer in color. The plant life washing ashore is more grassy than kelpy. On this particular beach (near Provincetown) there was a wealth of pretty stones, agates, etc. Unfortunately near our haunts on the Pacific, the agates seem to have been mostly depleted. I still prefer the Pacific coastline hands down, but it's fun to see a different beauty of the shoreline across the country.


Some sidewalks around Boston's green market have been inlaid with brass impressions of things that might litter said market during shopping times (cabbage leaves, scraps, etc.). Someone has taken advantage of a couple embedded nails and has carved out a little addition.


In the courtyard of the Old North Church (you know... one if by land, two if by sea) is a display created by kids in the Sunday School. There's a dog tag representing and honoring each American who has lost their life in the Iraq war. It's quite a sobering display.


There were so many more wonderful discoveries on this trip to Massachusetts – and I've documented a lot of them on my other blog (click here) – but I'll end this entry with this observation. There's a subway line in Boston called the Wonderland-bound blue line. Wonderland was an amusement park built near the turn of the 20th century. It's not there any more, but the train still bears its name. I think it's such a lovely idea to take a train to Wonderland, as if we all jump into this immense rabbit hole. In NYC, I often feel like I regularly ride a magical traveling wardrobe which yields many diverse magical adventures as I push through the coats each time. Anyway... some whimsical thoughts for the brink of autumn.

Keep those eyes and ears open, y'all.

A rabble of noticed things...

I'm often intrigued by the names of groups of animals... colony of ants, cloud of bats, rabble of butterflies, etc. Since I've not been updating regularly, here is a bunch of little things that have caught my eye. Sort of defeats the purpose to have a bunch of 'em coming at you at once, but then again it's sort of fun...

New York City is absolutely chock full of mosaic art. There are large mosaic murals everywhere and there's the renowned Strawberry Fields in Central Park. And you can always find inspiring bits in pretty much any subway station you encounter.

On a recent meandering from East Village to Greenwich Village, I was getting inspired by colors... the red & green of an Italian restaurant and a green bakery, a rainbow colored "Hell Yes!" on the New Museum, a blue Vespa, a pink apartment building.

I absolutely love establishments where you can just feel the weight of history in the walls. Here in NYC, I'm constantly noticing this in Broadway theatres, bars like McSorleys and the sadly departed Chumley's, music venues like the Vanguard. I recently experienced another heavy place. Katz's Delicatessen has been on the LES since the 1880s and has served millions its comfort food. It has appeared in movies... most notably the "I'll have what she's having" scene in When Harry Met Sally. So much to notice here. You don't even have to keep your eyes open that wide.

Here's random mix of interesting tidbits. Well, interesting to me: A mailbox high up in a tree in Union Square, a mannequin and scythe on mailboxes outside a prop/curiosities shop in the East Village, Spiderman trying to offset the megacosts of his upcoming Broadway show, that amazing orange-glazed brick in many train stations, an old Lite Brite in a window and a Fun neon sign just down the street from Katz's.

And lastly, here's a wee video featuring amazing musicians and arts advocates, the Asphalt Orchestra in their recent free outdoor concert at Lincoln Center. This march branched off of a performance of "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" and led the crowd through the courtyards. They're fun.

That's quite a murder of tidbits. Hope you didn't get overwhelmed. Until next time... keep those eyes and ears open.

Odds & ends...

Economy Candy on Rivington. NYC. Wonderful, nostalgic, sweet place. Purchased a few packs of baseball cards from 1989-1991. Here are a couple of my favorites... and a card marked by a 20 year old gum stain.


Henry Miller's Theatre on W. 43rd. This theatre will soon be renamed the Stephen Sondheim Theatre which I'm thrilled about, but Mr. Miller's legacy will also forever live on here. Here's a sort of photo sculpture which I'm not sure I got remotely near the correct angle, but it combines to show Henry's face.

And a couple from the hinterlands of Queens (my neighorhood)...


This is the Catholic church a couple blocks from my place. The carillon in the tower plays the most beautiful tunes. And it's far enough into the distance that it becomes a sort of soothing part of the fabric of sound around the place. Love it!


And here's the Astoria-Kaufman Studios, a mere 15 minute walk from my place. They shoot Sesame Street here. I really want to try to visit the set one of these days. It would be a wonderful fulfillment of a dream.

After some time away...

[I've been a busy bee and I took ten days to visit family and friends on the west coast, but I'm back!] Here are a couple shots I've taken on walkabouts around town:


A sculpture at Fordham University near Lincoln Center.







The back of St. Patrick's Cathedral from within an arch on Madison Avenue.

Collegiate sculpture and found words...

Columbus Circle. I think it's an architecture joke and a math joke. Both.







A few shots of sculpture around the Columbia University campus.


And, finally... An old storefront sign near the Broadway N/W train stop. I'm particularly intrigued by the juxtaposition of products advertised.

Firelflies...

Central Park. (I posted this on my other blog, but the topic just begs a viewing on this one too...)

Overheard...

[Occasionally, I might post dribs and drabs of conversations overheard about the city. These are fun to notice too.]

[Overheard while walking down 46th Street in Astoria...]
Brother: Tanea, stop being such a pain in the ass!
Tanea: But that's my thang! If I wasn't, I wouldn't be Tanea!
Brother: You'd be a better Tanea.

Window displays...

There are so many in the city. Along Fifth Avenue. At Macy's at Broadway and 34th. Window displays! And they're not just for the holidays. Keep an eye peeled for some pretty fantastic offerings in the "off" season. The photo here is from the Bergdorf-Goodman display at 57th and 5th...

Indians...

I didn't get a photo because my hands were full of laundry, but I witnessed such an interesting sight yesterday. As I was folding the tees at my local laundromat, a mother and son walked by the storefront. From the mother's attire and dialect, I surmised that they were of eastern Indian descent. Well, evidently she had just picked up the boy from kindergarten or some other activity. He was wearing a construction paper headband and single feather that you might often see around Thanksgiving. He was crying. I don't think it had to do with the headdress, but it was an interesting visual.

Marquees...

Many a marquee in the Theatre District...

Yankee doodle boy and more...

Here are a few snaps taken yesterday on a walkabout through Times Square and Midtown South...


First is George M. Cohan as he watches over the tourist-teeming Times Square. Then juxtaposition is key. Third is a view west on 42nd Street at the West Bank Cafe with some Chinese lanterns and a sunset. Then we've got the green-lit Empire State Building from a 'za joint. And last is a photo of the Horace Greeley statue in his square... as if he's sitting in the hydrangeas.

Just ducky...

May 31, 2010: Astoria, Queens. 30th Avenue near 32nd Street. In front of a small grocery store is a duck you can ride for a quarter and a selection of candy and toy vending machines (with an ominous skull sticker affixed). The sky had just opened up in a lovely little summer shower. The duck seemed happy.

Stars in our town and some mics...

Barrow Street Theatre on May 21, 2010: In This Is New York, E.B. White wrote, "When I went down to lunch a few minutes ago I noticed that the man sitting next to me (about eighteen inches away along the wall) was Fred Stone. The eighteen inches were both the connection and the separation that New York provides for its inhabitants. My only connection to Fred Stone was that I saw him in The Wizard of Oz around the beginning of the century. But our waiter felt the same stimulus from being close to a man from Oz, and after Mr. Stone left the room the waiter told me that when he (the waiter) was a young man just arrived in this country and before he could understand a word of English, he had taken his girl for their first theater date to The Wizard of Oz. It was a wonderful show, the waiter recalled – a man of straw, a man of tin. Wonderful! (And still only eighteen inches away.) 'Mr. Stone is a very hearty eater,' said the waiter thoughtfully, content with this fragile participation in destiny, this link with Oz."

When I ventured downtown over a week ago to see Our Town, I noticed at the second intermission that there were some famous folk in the house. In the surreptitious iPhone photo up there is Frances McDormand, Peter MacNichol, and Austin Pendleton. Since I've been here, I've on numerous occasion seen many a highly regarded personality. I think folks like this can have a life about town more easily here than, say, LA because there's a bit more respect for that thin layer of privacy... and it's more of a necessity that everyone is on the same playing field here. It's always a fun thing, though, to notice that the person at the next table won a few Emmys or the guy behind you in line at the Starbucks is a Grammy winner and Broadway star or the fellow you're sharing beers with is a Tony-winner. Neat place, this NYC!


The Nederlander Theatre on May 30, 2010: Also... had the opportunity to wander on the set of Million Dollar Quartet at the Nederlander Theatre. Here's a shot of the onstage mics and the theatre's ghost light. Note: The mic in the foreground is the one used by my pal Rob Lyons when he plays Carl Perkins in the Tony-nominated show.

Wartime diversion...

44th Street between Broadway and 8th Ave. A plaque marking the location of the Stage Door Canteen during World War II.

Hipstamatic.

I've discovered a new tool in my photo documentation around the city. Hipstamatic is an application for my iPhone that makes photos look like old school polaroids... saturated colors and rough around the edges. Really cool! I don't want to use this amazing novelty too much on this blog, but occasionally I'm sure you'll see some shots in this format. The photo on the left was taken down 45th Street around 6:30pm on May 25, shortly before the Broadway marquees were dimmed to honor the memory of AP theatre critic Michael Kuchwara. Below is a gathering of shots I took around Central Park... statues and Sheep Meadow. Can't wait until they're done refurbishing the Angel of the Waters statue in Bethesda Fountain!

Overheard...

[Occasionally, I might post dribs and drabs of conversations overheard about the city. These are fun to notice too.]

[Overheard while walking past the local middle school...]
Hoodlum #1: "And then he said 'F**K YOU!!' and 'F**K YOU!!' and 'F**K THAT!!'"
Hoodlum #2: "I know! That's what I was saying... 'Absolute power corrupts absolutely!'"

[Overheard at the bar down the street...]
Barfly #1: "Hey, I smoked one of Keith Richards' cigarettes!"
[Long explanation about a buddy who works at a studio where Richards recorded and left some cigs.]
Barfly #2: "You smoke? Don't you know that's bad for you?"
Barfly #1: "Man, I thought that'd go over better."

Rumble in the jungle, Jim Joe, and jumpers...

On the Manhattan bound R train from Queens. Some folks on the way to the Yanks v. Red Sox game. The cute little family bedecked in pinstripes is playing a little educational game on the iPhone. Their show of solidarity with the home team is a unified front. The guy with them has a message more geared towards the visiting team. Sorry the pics are a bit blurry. It was the best I could do in that "creepy guy with a camera on the subway" way.


On Madison in the upper 20s. There's a graffiti artist out there these days called Jim Joe. Some of his writings are gently poignant.


Madison Square. I posted a pic of one of these a couple posts back. Here are a few of Antony Gormley's jumpers. I really don't think that's what they're actually called, but they look like they're poised for action, don't they?



And finally, I was waiting for the train at a Fifth Avenue stop, and I saw a little window into possibility.

A pee tree and a sparkly ballerina...

UWS around 68th and Columbus. There are a lot of signs around the city, reminding folks to curb their animals and/or clean up after them. This one struck me as funny. And then I zipped up and kept looking.


Lincoln Center. I love the way the chandelier lights in the lobby make the ballerina's costume look all sparkly.

A marquee and a jumper...

The Booth Theatre on 45th. NYC. Lovely light, partially bounced off the neighboring building. I love the clouds and the water tower. This was Bobby Spencer's last day in Next to Normal.






Part of Antony Gormley's art installation around Madison Square Park. I tried my best at keeping the camera still, but the double-ish exposure is pretty nifty. Some of these sculptures are in the park. Some, like this one, are perched on rooftops around the park, including on the neighboring Flatiron Building.

Coffee and clown hair...

First, a note... I had originally wanted to present each photo on this blog in the same artsy fartsy monochromatic tone, but I've since realized that to deny y'all the wonderful colors of this city would be a crime. So I've changed it up... even retroactively (well, one entry).


Stumptown Coffee at the Ace Hotel. On 29th Street near Broadway.





A patron at the American Folk Art Museum on 53rd. Getting ready to hear the folk singer Jo Williamson and enter the museum on the free Friday session.

Random turret...

Astoria, NY. On 30th Avenue around 42nd Street.

The incongruity is whimsical. The old building has been updated with vinyl siding... except for this little tower.