Ready or Not

Ready or not, here I come. The popular chant of children playing hide and seek could perhaps be the official slogan of some technologies which were begging to be made but were a failed concept, such as Motorola's Iridium Satellite phone, a debacle costing them billions.
A myriad of other reasons have been responsible for the failure of products and/or services which seemed like a great idea. Wrong time, wrong place, not enough support services, not enough content, not scalable, not monetizable, too expensive or other competing technologies. Betamax, Apple Newton, Qube, ebook readers, Urbanfetch and other dot com failures.
I don't wish them ill, but the Internet phone (on the streets here since 2002) which I saw recently on West Broadway in SoHo seems like something that for many would only be useful in an absolutely desperate situation. Of course, that does not doom them to failure. Many a business model has been built around urgent needs. However, handheld Internet-capable devices are ubiquitous and may have the impact on this technology that cell phones have had on regular payphones themselves.
The Internet phone, the Neptune 800 web phone, was developed by Marconi Corp. a London based company (now owned by Ericsson). Initially, over 100 phones were installed city wide for the NYC payphone company, TCC Teleplex, headed by Dennis Novick. Starting in 2002, British Telecom had very ambitious plans to roll out tens of thousands of these internet phone kiosks in the UK.
As I have written before, anything on the streets of New York City will be subjected to wartime conditions - various combinations of vandalism, abuse and misuse. The Neptune phone has a die-cast aluminum chassis, 10 millimeter toughened-glass touchscreen, armored cash box and a metallic, sealed keyboard to withstand vandalism and tolerate adverse weather conditions and humidity. It has a trackball and colour touch-sensitive screen.
Services include email, video email, picture postcards, high-speed web browsing or local information. Hot buttons give access to news, sports, shopping, games, weather forecasts, local maps and information about shops and restaurants.
Ready or not for wide adoption, it has come ...

Land Sharks

Fire Island has very few amenities and no cars - it is loved for this very reason. A quiet refuge with red wagons and walkers, it is one of the most remarkable environments considering its proximity to New York City. Typically, the very few bars and restaurants that do exist in some communities are quite poor, catering to a captive audience. But invariably, a combination of boredom and curiosity does set in, and a visit to the local watering hole at least once is inevitable.
While weekending there many years ago, a friend returned from the only bar in town. When asked about the nature of his adventure and the type of people he found, he replied "land sharks, nothing but land sharks." By land sharks, he meant men who had no purpose other than a very focused and singular mission to score with women. Perhaps we found it repugnant because there was not even the artifice of a mating ritual at a bar at that time. Or perhaps we were just jealous that we did not have the chutzpah to join the mix and endure the slings and arrows of female rejection.
The nice thing about being a pigeon is that courtship rituals are so well scripted. There is no anxiety, trepidation or self consciousness in their application. Best of all there appears to be no stigma or concern with rejection.
The recently vacated Mexican restaurant, Senor Swanky in Greenwich Village at Bleecker and Laguardia, was a place that proclaimed itself as "celebrity hangout" on its signs, a source of hilarity for a number of we neighborhood residents. It has been closed since July, 2008, and its awnings and ledges have become a very busy pigeon roost, with droppings everywhere. In observing this appropriately consecrated place (the restaurant was dreadful from what I have read), I observed the mating ritual of two pigeons in a very linear style, confined as they were to the edge of the canopy. Left to right, right to left, left to right. Persistence is part of the game. 
The mating rituals of the feral pigeon (Columba Livia - Rock Pigeon or Rock Dove) are of course well documented with behavior like bowing, tailing, driving and cooing. But we may never know whether some males, unsuccessful in their courting efforts, will return to some of their brethren and when asked about the doves at Senor Swanky's, will respond in defense - "land sharks, nothing but land sharks." :)

Ray's

There are subjects which are complex and extremely difficult to understand, like theoretical physics and abstract mathematics. And some have taken the already difficult a step further like Wittgenstein, Hegel and Jacques Derrida - try fathoming their writing and you can see why they have been accused of deliberate obscurantism.
Mix the already complex with deliberate obscurantism and what do you get? The saga of Ray's Pizza. Residents know and visitors quickly become aware of the endless parade of Ray's Pizzas and their variants in this city: Ray's Original Pizza, Famous Ray's Pizza, World-Famous Original Ray's Pizza, and even Not Ray's Pizza
I have dug into this story, giving myself adequate time to study the details. It does appear that Ray's Pizza at 27 Prince Street (in Little Italy) is the first NYC pizzeria bearing that name. It has been in business since 1959, and according to an investigative article in the New York Times in 1991, Ray's Pizza was first listed in the 1960 Manhattan telephone book. On my recent visit, a red banner strung indoors proclaimed their 50th anniversary. A faded photo of Joe Dimaggio hung near a framed, yellowing front page from the New York Times, all in the understated style characteristic of Cuomo's pizzeria.
Ray's was opened by Ralph Cuomo, the 22-year-old son of immigrants from southern Italy, using his mother's recipe. Problems began when Rosolino Mangano began opening Ray's around town. According to the 1991 article in the New York Times:
"In the early 1960's he [Ralph Cuomo] briefly had another Ray's Pizza at 1073 First Avenue near 59th Street, but he sold that, and in 1964 it ended up in the hands of . . .
A Ray Named Rosolino. The expansionist era began with Rosolino Mangano, an immigrant from Sicily, who used that First Avenue Ray's to found an empire which now includes a dozen Famous Original Ray's pizzerias in Manhattan, each adorned with a coat of arms featuring tomatoes, wheat and a cow."
And then there was a Ray named Gary:
"In 1981 Mr. Mangano sold a Ray's pizzeria at Second Avenue and 51st Street to Gary Esposito, who grew up in Floral Park, Queens. Mr. Esposito opened five more Original Ray's pizzerias on Long Island and in New Jersey, but he showed one remarkable bit of restraint. 'I have never said that I am Ray,' he declared last week. 'That's my claim to originality.' "
For more of this fascinating story, see the original Times article here.
The pizza? Excellent and one of my favorites in New York City, along with Two Boots. I love the pesto ...

Ray's features six types: Pesto with Basil and Black Olives; Fresh Tomato, Garlic & Ricotta; White Pie with Spinach Mushrooms & Ricotta; Black Olives & Tomatoes, Pepperoni & Ricotta and Ray's Special - Pepperoni, Mushrooms, Sausage, Onions & Peppers.

Birds Sing at Night

Have you ever been to a place where on a moonless night it is so black that you can not see your own hand? Perhaps you live in such a place. But I can assure you - you will not find that here.
Have you ever been to a place where you can read a magazine virtually anywhere at any time at night unaided? Welcome to New York City where the difference between day and night is blurry enough to confuse birds who sing at night and fly to exhaustion and some cases death. An estimated 100 million birds die annually hitting various structures. New York City makes a sizable contribution. Campaigns have been initiated to reduce building lighting at night in urban areas - saving both energy and birds.
In cities like New York, Chicago and Las Vegas where there is tremendous man made light at night, circadian rhythms and all manner of habits of humans and other fauna are disrupted. I have not made any major study of this, but recently I have been using a black out shade in my bedroom and have found improved sleeping habits.
In spite of this existing ambient light level at night, we still occasionally run across night time movie sets where areas are lit at levels like that of a sports stadium. In October, 2006, local filming for the film I Am Legend took place in Washington Square Park over a two week period of time. This became a nightly social event and afforded some spectacular photo opportunities. I got a series of very atmospheric and dramatic shots - fog, cars in flames, burnt human bodies - see my postings and photos here and here.
A few nights ago I became aware of spectacular lighting of the Village prewar building at One Fifth Avenue from several blocks away. The height of the building with art deco elements being lit from directly below created some very unusual harsh shadowing reminiscent of the flashlight under the chin monster effects.
'Twas enough light to make birds sing at night and wake up the dead. But I'm sure the residents of One Fifth Avenue, as inured as New Yorkers are, slept fine :)

Related Postings: I Am Legend, Mint Condition, One Fifth Avenue.

Worlds Unfolding

When I tell customers or vendors on the phone that my office is on Broadway, lights go on in their heads, literally. They frequently follow up with a question in order to establish if it is that Broadway. I assure them it is that Broadway, but not that part of Broadway (i.e. the Theater District).
Broadway is the longest street in Manhattan, going from the most southern tip of Manhattan at Bowling Green all the way to to the northern most neighborhood of Inwood - it then crosses Spuyten Duyvil Creek via the Broadway Bridge, continuing into the Bronx, keeping its signature name. And in that course of 12 miles, you will find some extraordinary variety of architecture and neighborhoods.
But you don't need the longest street in New York City to find that kind of change. What is remarkable about Manhattan is the change in character over the shortest distances. And without crossing the proverbial railroad tracks. So when it comes to knowing the nature of a street in New York City, you need to know much more than what street, you need to know where on that street.
Take MacDougal Street which is only six blocks long. At one end near 8th Street, you have a quiet block intersecting charming MacDougal Alley. One beautiful home I have written about stands there - see Better When. The is also the location of the controversial Christian Science building. This photo was seen used recently in the New York Times - see here.
The next block abuts Washington Square Park with a number of tall prewar buildings. Two blocks further and you have one of the dirtiest, most touristy and tacky streets in New York City. This is the block where I recently featured Shwarma - see here.
The very next block becomes very residential, lined by landmark buildings on one side and a number of well know Italian businesses - Cafe Dante and their restaurant, Villa Marconi and Tiro A Segno, the private club with a rifle range I have previously written about - see Secret Society here. At the corner is the location of the recently closed landmark cafe - Le Figaro - see here.
Cross Houston on the next block and we are in SoHo and find a handful of French inspired cafes and restaurants. This is the block that during Bastille Day is closed for festivities including the construction of impromptu Petanque courts with competitions. See my posting here.
And this is the block where I took today's photo of absolutely one of the loveliest Parisian style care/bistros in the city - Oscar. Everything is so pristine and well appointed. The colors chosen for their exterior was complemented by the setting sun - it exudes the character of an authentic French cafe - you have have to look hard to find this kind of place in such a bucolic setting.
Rapidly changing landscapes all over the brief distance of one kilometer. This is one of the greatest things about New York City - different worlds unfolding as you walk ...

Foraging and the Hunt

In August, 2007, I wrote an article, Lunch Limbo, about the perennial dilemma regarding lunch in the city - what to eat. We are spoiled with the plethora of foods here, but in time we still become bored with the choices: the deli counter, salad bar or perhaps the classic New York fall back - a "slice" (of pizza).
Restaurant delivery is an option but then you have all that planning, ordering by phone and the waiting. Bringing your own is an intelligent strategy - you get just what you want the way you want it and without paying wildly inflated prices. This however, requires advance planning, preparation and the schlepp.
Often, nothing seems really satisfying without foraging or the hunt in the concrete jungle. Enter the food cart - a great solution that satisfies these desires rather nicely. However, finding a quality food cart is not easy. There was a cap on vendor licenses instituted in the 1980s - permit holders typically have just held on to them and most vendors sublease their permits.
In Lunch Limbo, I did mention Calexico's food cart in the heart of SoHo at the corner of Prince and Wooster Streets. Lines there quickly become extraordinarily long, so my experience with them in 2007 was singular. The cart was opened the summer of 2006 by three Vendley brothers: Jesse (an ad copywriter), Brian (a graphic designer) and David (a musician). They hail from Calexico, California where their experience growing up with carne asada inspired the venture. Original plans for a restaurant were derailed by a visit to the Vendy Awards competition and the Calexico cart was born. In 2008, Calexico won their own Vendy Award.
They have since opened a second cart at the corner of Broome Street and Broadway. Here they offer an abridged version of the the full menu of the Wooster Street cart. Although the lines at the new location can also get long, they have a very efficient system of collecting orders and giving you a time estimate. I typically take a stroll of some minutes, return and voila - my food is waiting.
I had been critical of the lines and overall hoopla until I started eating there regularly and found out why they won the Vendy award, not the Trendy award. The food is excellent and the guys have gone the extra mile or two to make a quality product. Like meat marinated overnight and the rub they had customized by a professional spice mixing company. That's what their patrons are waiting for. See their website here.
These photos were taken a short time ago when there was still some snow on the ground. As you can see, frigid weather does not daunt the serious, hungry New Yorker from foraging or the hunt :)

Related Posts: Street Cuisine (NY Dosas), Trucks and Things (Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream), Bon Appetit (the Dessert Truck), No Folding Required (Vinny Vincenz Pizza), Soup Kiosk.

Kind Words

As he stepped into my office, I recognized his gentle and polite manner. After exchanging how-are-yous, conversation quickly turned to his last show, Typo, some years ago in New York City at the New Victory Theater. I remarked how I had really liked it to which he responded, "Yes, and you had kind words."
Kind words. Now that's a phrase I don't hear often in New York. Not that acts of kindness don't exist. It's just that choice of words has a gentle courteousness about it that left the phrase rolling in my head for days.
I have always contended that the cliche of a New Yorker stepping over a fallen body (rather than helping) is a bit of an exaggeration. Although New Yorkers can be perhaps harried or brusk, when there is genuine need, many will rise to the occasion. I have seen an attorney on Broadway draw a handgun on two individuals in a knife fight to keep if from escalating, while the crowd waited for the police to arrive.
I am not, however, likening New York City to a small rural town, where friendliness and helpfulness can often be disarming. I have the privilege of meeting many performers from outside New York City and their manner is often like a brief visit to another place and frequently a window to a more gentle world.
Jamie Adkins is an internationally recognized talent with many awards and credits. He started his performing career at age 13 on the streets of San Diego. Jamie currently resides in Montreal, where he has worked with Cirque Éloize in the show Excentricus, and with whom he collaborated to create Typo. He has worked with Cirque du Soleil in Wintuk.
His new one-man show, which I saw Saturday afternoon at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, is entitled Circus INcognitus. In this essentially silent work, he showcases his many skills - juggling, mime, clowning, hand balancing, slack-rope walking and his routine with freestanding ladders. You can read more about him on his website here.
Jamie's affable character permeates his show and I am not the only one to notice. From a review of Typo in the New York Times:
"... throughout this pleasantly casual, mildly daffy homage to old-time acrobatics. The show, aimed at young audiences, gives Mr. Adkins a chance to show off an impressive array of juggling and ladder-walking and slack-wire balancing skills. Just as important, it gives him a chance to show off a breezy likability that can't help but bring Charlie Chaplin to mind.... The show is so genial that you can't quite tell if the occasional drop is intentional, and you don't care anyway."
Yes, and those are kind words :)

Wild West

There are phenomenon in New York City which are the result of the unique confluence of numerous factors - population density, large ethnic groups with their cultural traditions and what I perceive as a certain lawlessness and laissez faire attitude regarding victimless crimes in New York.
It's really a question of numbers. Any densely populated city affords opportunities not found elsewhere. For example, there is always some need for emergency umbrellas with the onset of an unexpected downpour, but only a place like Manhattan will offer enough potentiality to actually buy umbrellas, set up on the street and make it a venture - see my post, Opportunity, with photo of a street umbrella salesman in a rainstorm.

For some time, there were the squeegee men - individuals, particularly in the Bowery area, who worked washing the windows of cars stopped at traffic lights. What started in New York as a annoying "service" eventually became tantamount to blackmail - the windshield washing was done hurriedly without asking permission and followed by demands for payment. Mayor Rudolph Guiliani effectively eliminated the squeegee men as part of his quality of life campaign.
One activity that remains and can be often seen around the metropolitan area, is the sale of flowers on highways. This is obviously a dangerous activity for both the vendors and motorists. Arrests are occasionally made and fines collected. According to a New York Times article, many of these flower vendors are Ecuadorean - you can read the story of one man's trials and tribulations here: Hard Way to Sell Flowers: Dodging Cars and the Police.
Turning corners and not waiting for pedestrians, double and triple parking parking, jay walking, counterfeits of luxury products sold openly on the street, known drug dealers chatting with police officers - all somewhat surprising activities in a first world city in the 21st century.
But Americans don't really like rules. I often think of the wild west as symbolic of the American temperament with New York City keeping that tradition alive :)

Peter Lik

America's image is synonymous with self-empowerment. However, even in the land of opportunity, there are reasonable limits on what a person can do. It is unlikely that a person in their 40s can become a competitive gymnast or someone with an average GPA will get into Stanford University and become a research physicist. The idea that you can be or do anything in the USA is oversold. Most of the late night self improvement televangelists are just not being honest. The world is built on the backs of ordinary people, working hard and doing ordinary things. Starting a business and entrepreneurism is something in your blood. A workshop or book will not turn a company man or woman into business tycoon. And that's good - someone has to do the heavy lifting and keep the engine of our country operating.
Photography is a field where making a living is quite difficult, particularly if one wants to find work other than weddings or functions. There has been criticism of photography educational programs - very few graduates will ever make a living working in the field. And to sell substantial amounts of work is not a small achievement.
However, it is good to think outside the box and not take the advice of naysayers and self defeatists to heart. And for the driven, ambitious, talented and tireless self promoter, the land of opportunity and streets paved with gold does exist. has leveraged his skill set quite well.
I happened across a new gallery of photographer Peter Lik in the heart of SoHo by accident and was drawn in by what appeared to be work of extraordinary craftsmanship and detail.

I was told that Lik is the most awarded landscape photographer in history and the most financially successful - Peter has leveraged his skill set quite remarkably. I watched a number of videos on his site and was absolutely astounded to learn that Like has 13 galleries worldwide and grossed $35 million dollars in 2008, with expectations for greater revenue in 2009.
Peter Lik was born in Australia of Czech immigrant parents. He currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, which he uses as a jumping off point for his photographic excursions of the American west. He shoots panoramas with a Linhof 617 Technorama camera, using Fuji Velvia film and a Hasselblad with digital back. He uses drum scans and prints his photos on a Silver Halide Fuji Crystal Archive paper. Careful examination of his work will reveal an astounding level of detail, color saturation and luminosity. Some have criticized his work for heavy post-processing. In his defense however, I think one has to judge art photography by the result. Darkroom manipulation of photos has been going on since the beginning of photography. I recommend a visit to one of his galleries - even if you can not afford his work, it is interesting to see Lik's photographs in person and many book collections of his work are available ...

Please note: Comments for this posting have been suspended due to controversy over Peter Lik's work and his organization.

Third Anniversary

NAVIGATION NOTE: Each of the images below is linked to the original posting.
Yesterday was the third anniversary of New York Daily Photo - 953 postings and thousands of photos! I have put together a collage of 48 photos from the last 12 months, featuring many favorite postings of mine and visitors to this site. I have assembled as wide a spectrum of photos as I have on this website - street life, parades, architecture, food, vistas, art, music, nature, local businesses, the unusual, the hidden and whimsical. In the last year, I have provided a more personal view in many of my writings, with this site becoming not only a window to New York City, but a window into my soul as well and how I see the city, with stories and anecdotes from my life both here and and outside of New York. Thanks to all of you for visiting.

Snow Temples

Snow mounds in New York City are like shag carpeting in a cheap motel - better not look too deep inside, because the contents are not pleasant at all. And no need to, because soon, when melted, all will be revealed.
To some, mounds of snow appear to be a good place to discard all manner of trash and for their dogs to do any business. As if somehow the refuse will take on the properties of snow and melt along with it or perhaps, seeing dirty piles of snow as sanctioned trash receptacles, permitting them to add to it incrementally.
Whatever the case, when snow accumulates in this city (and it does from time to time) and is shoveled and plowed, remaining piles can become temporary embalming sites.
For a time, dirty mountains of snow become temples for garbage. Trash pickups are reduced by the city and street sweeping delayed until snow is gone. Bags of garbage accumulate to adorn the mountains of dirty snow.
Just as autumn leaves require certain conditions for optimal fall foliage color, ideal conditions for large captures within snow temples also exist - amount of snow, length of time on the street, temperatures during various periods with adequate time where the snow is soft enough to swallow and entomb any trash deposited on it. A nice freeze gives the whole thing the aura of secret treasure until the days of melting. I'm reminded of the 50 cent secret prize of childhood that you could order, guaranteed to be of greater value than 50 cents. That prize, unlike the treasures entombed in the gray snow temples of New York City, was worth waiting for :)

Flash of Light

New York Daily Photo started originally as a photoblog, a publishing format where postings are driven by photos rather than text. In time, however, with an interest in research, small descriptions grew to longer articles. With an interest in giving subjects a less clinical and more personal view, I have drawn from anecdotes in my life and the writing in many postings may be better described as stories and are more about the about the story than the photo. Now there is an expectation, both on your part and subsequently on mine, of writing.
I have come to really enjoy the writing of this blog and recently, in reading about writing short works, I came across an entire genre of fiction I was completely unaware of - flash fiction aka sudden fiction, microfiction, nanofiction, micro-story, postcard fiction, and short short story. There are even types of fiction which use exact word counts: 55 Fiction (55 words), the Drabble (100 words), the Drouble (double Drabble or 200 words) and the 69er (as the name suggests). There is no better time for flash fiction with the growth of visual media, competition for everyone's time, sound bites and the decline of book reading.
The bane of nearly every student of English in High School was the dreaded writing assignment where there was a word length requirement. For me, being somewhat verbose, these assignments were not quite as painful, but there still was always the concern that I would not have enough truly meaningful things to say. Certainly there is value in exposition and learning articulation skills, but there also is much to be said for one's words sparingly and not padding the writing. I am sure flash fiction would have been heartily welcomed in my English classes.
Flash fiction is, of course, not without its critics. In the same way that assignments with minimum word lengths may encourage verbosity, some feel that flash fiction with maximum or exact word lengths is no better, artificially pare a story down, where perhaps a few more words may have improved the story. I think there is value, at the very least, to use flash fiction as a writing exercise.
I hope you enjoyed today's unnecessary digression because after all, not only is brevity the soul of wit, but this picture should be able to speak for itself and be worth at least four hundred and one words :)

PHOTO NOTE: I witnessed this dramatic pink and blue sky framing the
Washington Square Park arch on Wednesday evening, March 11, 2009, at 6 PM.

Run

Walk Quickly, Hurry, Run - I am running out of unique words and phrases to convey the urgency to you if you want to see Olde New York before it disappears completely. Vesuvio has just closed. This was my first posting on March 17, 2006 - see it here. The choice of making it a first posting was not whimsical at all - Vesuvio was emblematic of the quintessential small family run business. Its images were used everywhere to represent New York City.
There are many places which have closed since I started this website in 2006. Some I captured before closing, some immediately after and some I did not get the opportunity to photograph at all.
Manny's Music at 111 West 48th Street is one of those places that goes beyond nostalgia and providing a basic service. This is a business that had an influence and provided musicians the tools of their trade for 74 years. The business was started by saxophone salesman Manny Goldrich in 1935, passed on to his son Henry who then passed it on to his two sons in 1998. In 1964, Manny died at the age of 64. See more photos of the store here.
Manny's is not just a great mom and pop store - this establishment is a legacy business with a unique heritage. Over the course of many decades, hundreds of legendary musicians have passed through their doors. Their signed photos signed cover the walls - Jimi Hendrix, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, U2, Nirvana are just a few among the crowd. This display, known as their Wall of Fame, has been documented by in a book by the same name.
In 1999, Manny's was sold to rival Sam Ash, located across 48th street on the block known as music row. The word is however, that larger business interests are slowly accumulating all the properties on the street and that Sam Ash will also meet its demise.
So if you have been making a checklist of places to see and things to do in New York, add Manny's, which is scheduled to close at the end of May, 2009. And don't walk, run ...

Unpolished

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. I am not against planning nor do I fully embrace an unbridled, reckless, impulsive lifestyle. However, I do believe that, especially in New York City, being spontaneous can be rewarding and lead to some pleasant surprises. I highly recommend occasionally wandering this city with no agenda. Looking through the postings I have done on this website, the majority of the most interesting experiences were the unplanned. One of the most remarkable was my running into a major street healing with internationally renowned preacher Todd Bentley - see it here. Of course planning the unplanned is itself a tricky proposition and can lead to forced spontaneity, with results perhaps as unsatisfying as over planning.
With none of these thoughts in mind, and just meandering the streets on a warmish evening, my steps led me to Terra Blues (see my article here). I thought I would take a quick peek inside. It was after 11 PM. There is no cover charge at these times, so I walked right in. Typically, this club is quiet on a week night.
I was rather shocked to find the place jammed, with the feeling of a religious revival meeting. The leader of the band, who I was later to learn was Slam Allen, was walking and working the audience, shaking hands and greeting everyone in the middle of his music set. Extremely amiable - Slam appears to make bonding with an audience the absolute center of his performances. At one point, a woman started singing to him in a voice which, if not trained, was startlingly confident. In New York City, any performer should be prepared for this - I have often seen talent in an audience which is greater than that of the performer.
Many performers would give something like this a lukewarm reception and patronizing approval, perhaps feeling upstaged. But Slam was wowed, not threatened nor competitive at all and without hesitation insisted she join him onstage. They did a number together - the photo is a still image from a short video I took - you can see the one minute clip here. Be forewarned - the quality of the video is rather unpolished, as the spontaneous often is ...

NOTE: Slam Allen is a singer and guitar player who does a blues/soul fusion. His pedigree and career are quite notable, playing with greats like James Cotton. You can find his website here.

Cabin Fever

In cities like New York and Paris, where living spaces are smaller and street life is so vibrant, cabin fever and the craving for spring reach a level where people become irrational in their desire for warm weather activities and wardrobe. A hint of spring and some are dressing for August - at 60 plus degrees I am seeing flip-flop sandals, shorts and T-Shirts. And beach goers. You get a feeling that their summer wear is waiting by their doors, lest they risk spending even a second outdoors in clothing even a bit too heavy for the day's warmest moment.
I am seeing tables dotting the sidewalks and people with coats on eating al fresco with temperatures in the 50s. The snowstorm of only one week ago is already forgotten.
Preferences for climate and season are as varied as people themselves, but who is it that is that is not pleased by a coming spring? And what place is not improved by the onset of spring, a time synonymous with renewal?
The photo was taken on the rocky beach in Dumbo at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge looking northwest towards Manhattan - you can read about it here with more photos. This area is one of the most scenic in New York City - both the neighborhood itself with buildings, cobblestone streets, the East River waterfront; our trinity of bridges (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg) and vistas of the Manhattan skyline. That's a lot of punch for your dollar and these people were delighted to spend it :)

Related Postings: Sink or Swim, Night in Bloom, Dumbo Arts Fest, Gallery View, One Front Street, Eagle Warehouse, The Watchtower, Loaded, Cuts One Way.

Viktoria's Secret

To launch a website for a new product line of hoops, we wanted photos that would differentiate us from other vendors. We decided to go for imaging which would have an unmistakable New York City look. What better place than a rooftop with views of water tanks, ventilators, high-rise buildings, and the Empire State Building? Or the waterfront in Brooklyn with the Brooklyn Bridge as backdrop?
Of course we needed a hooper who not only has the skills but was not afraid of heights. We happened to know just the person.

Meet Viktoria Shvartsman, professional contortionist, acrobat, aerialist, hand balancer, juggler, and hooper. When I asked prior to the shoot, just as a formality, if she was afraid of heights, she laughed and said, "Absolutely not." Perfect, because we wanted precarious looking stunts. The afternoon photoshoot was split between the rooftop and Brooklyn waterfront in the Dumbo neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Viktoria is the fifth generation of a circus performing family that dates back to 1912 in Russia. Her older sister Gena and younger sister Maria also are performers, as well as her father and mother. Here is a photo from 2002 of the entire family including her mother, father and myself in my studio. If you would like to see a performance montage of her act, you can find it here (updated in 2011).
Viktoria has acted and modeled. She has been in two international circus competitions, including the world circus competition in Italy and Premier Rampe in Monte Carlo. She has been in varioius TV shows, including ABC Family's "Switched," and has performed in numerous venues: Busch Gardens Tampa, Hannaford, Cirque Du Joir, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus, Circus Hamid, Circus circus, Grand Tunica, and Mohegan Sun.

I have known her since she was a young girl. Like her two sisters, she is extremely pleasant and personable. Very talented and confident yet humble. And now you know Viktoria's secret :)

NOTE: The story of my business can be found in the links - Signature and Juggle This. The newly launched hooping website can be found here.

Related Postings: Signature, Artiste Extraordinaire, Spinning, Fire and Drums, Spiegelworld, Titans, Juggle This

Lights on Broadway

The city daily photo concept was started by journalist Eric Tenin of Paris in March, 2005 with Paris Daily Photo. The original idea was to show a daily slice of life in Paris. The idea spread to now include hundreds of cities worldwide. The idea is a noble one, however, most readers do not want to be privy all the mundane chores of everyday living, so Eric's site, like most of the others, show a side of daily life of interest to outsiders which includes a spectrum of the more known to lesser known.
There are many things which are both unique and so commonplace in many locales that they are part of the fabric of that city or town, but perhaps not blogworthy or worthy of inclusion in a travel guide. The establishments every resident knows and uses. One of those places in New York City is Duane Reade, a local chain of stores that dominate the pharmacy business and is part of the love-hate relationship many New Yorkers have with this city.
At one time, there were only TWO all night drug stores in Manhattan. A late night pharmacy was a huge deal. Now Duane Reade is ubiquitous and New Yorkers are spoiled - we all just assume that a Duane Reade is a few steps away. And they are, with over 240 locations throughout the five boroughs and nearby suburbs, 59 of which are open 24 hours (5 with a 24-hour pharmacy). Two locations offer walk-in medical care.
However, although on paper these places seem like a godsend, many tend to fall down in service and overall management. Like many discount operations in New York City, getting good help at low wages who will take their jobs seriously is difficult. The experience in this chain tends to be uneven. There is even a blog ihateduanereade.
But the situation is really quite similar to the arrival of big box behemoths like Home Depot or Kmart. While many bemoan their presence, complaining of service and quality of product, many secretly appreciate the pricing, selection and hours.
One of the big factors in this equation is the walking nature of the city. In the suburbs, most customer patronage of retail stores is not so much a function of proximity to one's home or neighborhood - bad service or better pricing and customers will just drive elsewhere.
But in NYC, neighborhood delis and drugstores have virtual captive audiences - most residents will shop at the most convenient location to their home or office. Add competitive pricing and late hours to the mix and you can see why service is overlooked.
The quality of the Duane Reade establishments themselves vary quite a bit - some are newer and more spacious than others. I was surprised with this one in the Times Square area, appropriately (but atypically) with neon-framed windows. Quite visible to the person in need, but invisible to the visitor awed by the other lights on Broadway ...

NOTE ABOUT THE NAME: Duane Reade was named after their first location in 1960 on Broadway between Duane and Reade streets.

Walk Quickly

This is not a story of vanishing New York, fading New York, forgotten New York, lost New York or End of an Era. This is the survival of tradition. Olde New York. It does exist. And you can find it at Colony Records. See photos inside here.
Colony Records was founded by Harold S. Grossbardt and partner, Sidney Turk, in 1948. Born in Brooklyn, Harold started work after the seventh grade. He was a salesman at Melody Music Shop in Brooklyn and Colony Sporting Goods located at 52nd Street and Broadway in Manhattan.
When Colony closed for business, Grosshardt took it over and renamed it Colony Records. In 1970, they moved to the current location in the Brill Building at 1619 Broadway at 49th Street. The Brill Building is its own story. Built in 1931, the building became a center for music publishing - by the 1960s there were an estimated 165 music-related businesses in the building. Colony records became a central fixture of Tin Pan Alley. Located here in the heart of the music and theater districts with nightclubs like the Copacabana and Birdland, it was convenient to concertgoers and musical artists. Colony has seen a parade of legendary artists throught its shop, including names like John Lennon, Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra.
I was impressed by Colony's enormous selection of sheet music - reportedly the city's largest. They also sell vintage vinyl records, CDs, karaoke and have an interesting memorabilia selection. They also have posters and photos for sale.
Of course the survival of these emporiums is never guaranteed. So if you want to see them, I would not say you have to run, but perhaps you should walk quickly ...

Note: Obituary from the New York Times: "Harold S. Grossbardt, a founder of Colony Records, the famed collector's store now on Broadway at 49th Street in Manhattan, died on June 10 at his home in Aventura, Fla. He was 85. He is survived by his wife, Estelle; two sons, Michael J., of Roslyn, N.Y., and Alan R., of Great Neck, N.Y., who is an owner of Colony Records; a brother, Jerome, of Manhattan; a sister, Dorothy Capobianco, of Delray Beach, Fla.; and a grandson."

Survival Guide

I intended to tell you what I knew for sure. However, after reflection, I realize it would only be what I thought I knew. So, I will tell you what I saw.

What am I talking about? I was drinking a juice on the second floor of Whole Foods Market on Union Square at 10PM. The second floor has tables and has been designated as a space for eating food purchased by customers. It is a very casual, cafe type of atmosphere.
The place was abuzz, with nearly every table occupied even at that late hour. A man who had two overfilled bags knocked into my table while stepping on my foot. His canvas bags were stuffed with all manner of goods, including what appeared to be an empty paper coffee cup.
The most noticeable thing about this man was his enormous bulk from his layers of coats. He removed his large outer coat and went off briefly, leaving his bags unattended. He returned rather quickly with a paper plate of pasta - however, it felt it too quick to have have gone through the Whole Foods line queue. So this is where I started to pay attention.

He took his plate of food to the microwave provided by Whole Foods for reheating of food. I say reheating because a sign was clearly posted that the microwave was for reheating only. After pondering this for some time, I realized that due to the volume of people and with what appears to be no one policing the floor, the space and services offered are most likely used by the homeless - warm places to sit, water fountains, and bathrooms, with some perhaps preparing meals from foods brought from outside.

The mechanics of survival of the homeless, quasi-homeless, and severely disadvantaged are seen by most of us in sight bites. I am sure that there is an undocumented survival guide known by many of the have-nots which enumerate the soup kitchens, public bathrooms, and best places to pass time, such as bookstore cafes and public spaces - libraries, bus and train stations, places to sleep, and how to get or recycle food. I am reminded of stories I have read of the old Horn & Hardart automats of New York City, where poor writers often made tomato soup from ketchup and hot water or bought tea with bread and made pickle relish sandwiches.

The man ate and left as quickly as he came. I have made an assumption about him - I could be very close or very far from the truth. I have seen him frequently in public parks. Knowing the source of that pasta would have told me much more...

Note: The 2nd floor at Whole Foods at Union Square is a superb place to have a snack, with great vistas of Union Square Park, all the activities in that area and the Empire State Building and Met Life Tower.

Branding Gone Wild

Let's get the negatives out of the way. M&Ms or MARS group does not need to be promoted. We don't need to market candy to children. Do we need a two-story shrine to M&Ms candy in Times Square? Is this another sign of the dumbing down of society? Why does a product like this need to be branded and line extended ad nauseum? Is this further evidence that shopping has now become America's favorite pastime and that, as Reverend Billy has warned for some time, that we have excessive consumerism and a nation of shopaholics? Perhaps, but this is not the best economic times for anti-consumerist messages.
The M&M Store at 1600 Broadway in Times Square, like the Coca Cola or Warner Brothers stores, is a quintessential example of branding merchandise and merchandising a brand. In this retail store you will find application of the M&M iconography to every possible consumer item. And, of course, there is plenty of candy - self serve M&Ms in large, transparent tubes in a staggering array of colors - for those who like blue, for example, you can get Blue, Dark Blue, Light Blue, Teal or Aqua. See more photos of the interior of the store here. The exterior of the store has an enormous, spectacularly bright LED panel display. See my photos and previous story, Let's Have a Parade.
Technology is not the only thing in our world to see enormous advancement. Business and associated vocabulary have also become highly refined. Brand has become a buzzword in business marketing and the term now goes beyond its original business usage. The meaning of brand at one time was much narrower and more specific, usually limited to consumer products like food or appliances. Pepsi or GE was a brand.
The first time I saw the word brand used in a broader sense was in a TV interview with Joseph R. Francis, the founder of Girls Gone Wild, a series of sexually explicit DVDs. In that interview, Francis referred to the Girls Gone Wild brand. I was surprised to learn that filming young naked girls could be a brand or franchise, or at least referred to as such. Since that time I have become very sensitized to the use of the words brand and branding as well as merchandising itself.
But let us not forget another part of the picture, lest a curmudgeon squash all of life's fun. These are M&Ms - one of the icons of our childhood and virtually synonymous with pleasure. And they don't melt in your hands :)

Confession: I succumbed to the overwhelming presence of merchandise. :( I bought an assortment of M&Ms and nicely styled M&M glass. :)

Related Posts: Let's Have a Parade, Reverend Billy.

In Like a Lion

How ironic. Just two days ago (March 1st), I took a photo of a very unique pink stucco building at 114 Waverly Street which was still sporting a Christmas wreath - see photo here. My intention was to illustrate how people can be so out of step with the time. It seemed particularly strange when temperatures had risen to 61 degrees on Friday and many were strolling the streets in shirt sleeves and shorts. Yet one day later, feeling as we did that the worst was over, NYC was hit with a snowstorm of several inches (and a low today of 12 degrees F). The neighborhood was blanketed in white and yesterday I found icicles over 12" long hanging outside my window. So much for early spring fever.

But this is old news for people in northern USA - prone to irregularity in climate. I wrote of an old friend's view of contrasts between west coast and east coast - see Weather Means Whether.
But New Yorkers adapt very quickly - as easily as summer sandals and shorts are brought out in February, coats and scarves are ready for March's last blast. So this year it looks like the old adage will apply - "If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb."

Note: the expression has its origins with the constellations Leo, the lion, and Aries, the ram or lamb, and their relative positions in the sky at the beginning and end of the month. On March 1 the constellation Leo, the lion, is rising in the eastern evening sky (“in like a lion.") On March 31, the constellation Aries, the ram, or lamb, sets in the western evening sky (out like a lamb).

Work and Play

Everyone likes a discount and theater tickets, which have always been pricey in comparison to other forms of entertainment, are one place where a deal is particularly welcome. Seeing a Broadway show is a virtual right of passage for a visitor to New York City, so it should come as no surprise that TKTS, which offers up to 50% discounts on theater tickets, has been a huge success since its inception in 1973. The tickets at the Times Square location are sold on the day-of-performance only. This is a first come, first served operation. No sales online or offsite, so expect lines. The discounts are real, however, this service is for the flexible and patient: those willing to go to a show "last minute", choose from the shows available and wait in lines.
In 2006, the original and rather primitive ticket booth closed to make way for a completely new, expanded booth and redesign of the plaza around it, Duffy Square. An illuminated bleacher style glass stairway (fabricated by Eckelt Glass of Austria) has been installed above the white fiberglass booth, manufactured by boat hull manufacturer Merrifield-Roberts of Bristol, R.I. From a New York Times article on October 16, 2008:
"the TKTS booth proper is topped by a sweeping cascade of 27 ruby-red structural glass steps, rising to a height of 16 feet 1 inch above the 47th Street sidewalk, where hundreds of people (as many as 1,500 if they squeeze in tight) will be welcome to congregate every day until 1 a.m."
The staircase is open to all for stoop sitting, eating and best of all for great elevated views of the entire Times Square area.
This was my first time atop these steps - I caught them as dusk. The glowing red glass steps is a magnet for everyone with plenty of frolicking and photography. I noticed a number of couples taking cell phone self portraits. I got into the spirit myself - taking a self portrait by hand holding a full size DSLR camera is a little challenging but I managed to get a couple of acceptable shots.
The whole atmosphere was like the proverbial school day off for snow - the unexpected was a nice surprise for everyone and a pleasant diversion for the ticket buyer. All work and no play makes New York a dull city :)

About TKTS: There are 3 TKTS locations in New York City - one in Duffy Square (north end of Times Square at 47th Street and Broadway); one at South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan and a third in downtown Brooklyn (Jay St. and Myrtle St. Promenade). There is also a location in London.