5 Pointz

Note: Please see my full gallery of photos here.


I recently showed my posting, Unconditional Love, to a coworker* who commented, "Do you know that building in Long Island City, Queens with all the graffiti?" To which I replied, "What building?" A search brought up the building in question immediately. 5 Pointz.

I visited on a Sunday morning virtually alone. I was told by the manager of the property that I was fortunate because tour buses frequently make the a visit, bringing massive crowds. Painters were already on the scene, however, at various locations.

I was astounded by the work, brilliant color and mammoth size. All the surfaces of the block long, 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) factory building complex, are covered. The building itself is owned by Long Island real estate developer Gerald Wolkoff, who sanctions the work.
The property was the vision of Jonathan Cohen, aka Meresone. Originally Phun Factory, the property is now known as 5 Pointz: “The Institute of Higher Burnin’ ”

In chatting with the manager, he made an important and valid distinction between graffiti and what is being done here, echoed by Cohen: ''Graffiti is a label for writers who vandalize. Aerosol art takes hours and days. It's a form of calligraphy.'' Signature tagging is typically unsanctioned. What goes on at 5 Pointz goes through an approval process. New work goes over old. The length of time a piece stays up is at the discretion of the managers, with considerations for quality of work and time in creation. From the 5 Poinz website:

The name 5Pointz signifies the five boroughs coming together as one but, because of its reputation as an epicenter of the graffiti scene, the industrial complex has actually united aerosol artists from across the world. Legendary writers from Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, and all over the United States have painted on the building walls.

5 Pointz is also in use as a location for work by photographers, filmmakers, musicians and artists. See my gallery of photos here. If you want to see the last word in aerosol art in a New York City industrial setting, take a trip to 5 Pointz :)

* Thanks to Naomi D for making me aware of 5 Pointz!

In Industry

I recently was designing carrying bags for my product line. Outsourcing for a small business in small quantities is not viable, so we turned to domestic sources. This process was also getting us nowhere, so I decided to go local. If you want to understand the beauty of a manufacturing district, than go through the design development to production phase of a product where all your suppliers are within walking distance of each other. The ease and speed is astounding.

Within a span of two New York City blocks, I was able to procure fabric, hardware, sewing accessories, visit a sewing contractor and get pricing. If you have a pattern and materials, you can often even get a finished sample while you wait. If you are designing new products, this typically requires many revisions. Once you have gone through this process within the garment district, any other way becomes almost unthinkable.

The networking and referrals also greatly accelerate the sourcing process. Rather than hunt through the myriad of vendors for a particular piece of hardware, one supplier gave me the name and address of a specialty house one block away. A quick walk and I had exactly what I wanted.

The garment industry is really one of the last industries New York City has left where the entire supply chain is located in one area, from design to production of finished products. We've lost enough in New York City, and anyone with any history and familiarity with New York sees the danger in losing the garment and fashion industry. There is concern over this matter and efforts are being made to keep the industry in the city.

Step into one of those spartan, all stainless steel elevators in the west 30s. Step off and find your way down a dimly lit hallway to a sewing factory, buzzing with machines. This is not the New York City of movies, entertainment, architecture, glamour, glitz or fine dining.
This is New York at work. In Industry :)

Pillowcases

I have many good childhood memories of Halloween. However, with some, it was a time of opportunity and greed. Some of the kids I knew at the time approached the night as a virtual legalized form of looting, going out very aggressive and focused, on a mission. They were typically much older and their costuming was minimal - seen only as a necessary nuisance to legitimize their door knocking and collection. After their high speed tear through the neighborhoods, they bragged to others of booties that were a pillowcase full - that's a lot of candy.*
Others of us with more modest goals, counted and compared tallies on number of candy bars collected. Fruit and other assorted sundries were looked down upon. And as the growing number of incidents of fruits and other non-packaged items being laced with drugs, chemicals or razor blades became greater in number, we had further reason to dismiss these trick or treat gifts.

It was not until I became an adult living in New York City, that I began experience Halloween as an opportunity for creative costuming, parties and decorations, with the annual Village Halloween Parade as the pièce de résistance, with millions attending.

There is a limited amount of door-to-door prospecting for goodies by children in the city, but it does exist. In larger buildings, particularly in Manhattan, children often go trick or treating in their own buildings (or to their friend's buildings) from apartment to apartment. Often signs will be put on apartment doors indicating whether or not the occupants are participating.

In the outer boroughs, children still make the rounds to private homes, much as they do in the suburbs or countryside. However and wherever you do it, I hope parents will help children measure the fun in ways other than pillowcases...

*I found a science project online that proclaimed:

When it comes to Halloween, greed is most definitely good. And there's nothing like an old pillowcase - sturdy, voluminous, reusable, and environmentally conscious - to hold your epic stash. But you must have wondered - exactly how much candy could you possibly collect in a standard pillowcase? How many houses would you have to visit and how much ground would you have to cover to achieve that that elusive goal?

The project went on to calculate not only the amount of candy that would fill a pillowcase (48 lbs, 1690 pieces) but also how much time, area and walking would be needed. In Campbell California, it was estimated that you would have to visit about 1352 houses to fill a pillowcase, and walk about 11 miles, covering .42 square miles.

Photo Note: Today's photos were taken in Brooklyn Heights, one of the most pristine, bucolic, picturesque and cloistered neighborhoods in the entire city of New York. See my posting here.

Abandon All Preconceived Notions Ye Who Enter Here

The Story of Driss Aqil


There should be a sign at every tunnel or bridge approaching New York City, at every NYC airport, bus and train station, and on the door of every New York City taxicab, which boldly proclaims:
Abandon All Preconceived Notions Ye Who Enter Here.

If you are unwilling to heed this admonition, be prepared to have all your stereotypes, biases, racial or ethnic profiling and distinctions made by class or job seriously challenged.
Of course, generalities do generally apply. Typically, you don't find an adjunct professor of Mathematics and Ph.D candidate driving a taxi. But I said typically, not a very useful word in New York City.

I rarely take taxis these days unless I have to transport heavy objects or loads, which was the case on Thursday, October 14th. I often strike up conversation with drivers, and this driver seemed particularly astute. There was attention and intention when he listened to my destination address. I had the sense that his whole demeanor was saying - Ok, I know where you are going and the best way to get you there. Like an expert surgeon performing a routine task, lie back and leave the cutting to me. We cut through traffic as we conversed.

I became engrossed with the details of his life and accomplishments in the United States of this Moroccan immigrant. We were both excited to meet - he commented he had more conversation with me in a few short minutes than he had in the last 10 years. However the taxi ride was very short, so we agreed he would follow up with the details of his life by email - he wrote his name, Driss Aqil, and email address clearly on a receipt.

I was very disappointed when my first email to him was bounced back. A number of friends examined his name and concluded that I misread the q as g in Aqil. However, although the following emails were not bounced, they were not answered either. Until last night. They had gone into his spam box. He answered the questions I had outlined. Here are some bullet points of the bio Driss emailed me:

Born in Fquih Ben Salah a small town situated about 3 hours from Casablanca. Worked in Morocco in oil drilling and exploration for about 8 years. Came to the USA in 1989. Lived in the YMCA on 34 street in Manhattan for a few weeks. Worked at LTR Jeans as a stock boy, became warehouse manager and store manager shortly after.

Moved to Bay Ridge (Brooklyn), Astoria (Queens) and finally moved to Bensonhurst when married.
Drove a a New York City taxi since 1996 till now.
Education in USA: - Associate in computer Sciences( Honors) Phi Theta Kappa, NYCCT, CUNY. Bachelor in financial applied mathematics. Magna Cum Laude, Tau Sigma Honors NYCCT,CUNY. Masters in Applied Mathematics, Queens College, CUNY. Post- Baccalaureate program from Queens College, certified as secondary school mathematics teacher. Currently an adjunct professor of mathematics.

Of course, there were tales of various celebrities Driss picked up and other stories while driving a taxi. He also had two articles published in the inaugural issue of City Tech Writer: A Thought on “The Struggle for Existence from the Point of View of the Mathematicians" and The Anchor Effect Discussed in A "Mathematician Plays the Stock Market"

And finally, Driss says in his email:

"Driving a Taxi allowed me to accomplish my studies. My goal is to get my PHD in mathematics in the near future, write a book about my experiences in driving the taxi in NYC."

Another installment in New York City's live drama, Abandon All Preconceived Notions Ye Who Enter Here :)

The Point of Impact

It was December 1983, and I was with my sister and brother-in-law in Nevis, West Indies. I was completely dumbfounded when, in renting a car at the tiny airport, I was only asked when I would return. There was no paperwork or contracts, the only requirement to show a drivers license. The owner of the vehicle confirmed our agreement as to the rate ($25 per day), asked when I would return the car, and just handed me the keys.

Upon arriving at my inn, the first question I had was to the inn owner about this car rental transaction - the most puzzling and lackadaisical I have ever seen in my life. He said to be assured, the owner would know my whereabouts at any given moment. I asked how that was possible. He told me that Nevis was a very small place (the island nation only has a population of 12,000), and everyone knew everything. I asked how any problems would be resolved. He assured me that everything would be fine, just don't have an accident. This was not comforting at all.

Equally discomforting was a comment made about the safety of motorcycles by a good friend I had in high school who owned many bikes. I have written about him before - you can read the story here. My impression of motorcycles was that of a vehicle which left the driver incredibly vulnerable, sheer lunacy to travel on vehicular roadways completely unprotected. I asked his opinion about the safety of riding such a thing, and his answer still rings in my mind whenever I see a biker on the road: "A motorcycle is the safest vehicle on the road up to the point of impact."

Up to the point of impact. What the hell did that mean? What it means, quite simply, is that the prospects for those in a motorcycle accident are indeed grim and, like renting a car in Nevis, the best advice is just don't have an accident.

On Sunday, on returning from Queens in a car on the Long Island Expressway, I witnessed the most outrageous and terrifying display of motorcycle mania I have ever seen. Hundreds of bikers, many in costumes, absolutely clogged the road with every manner of maneuvers imaginable. Screeching, squealing, weaving only inches between vehicles, driving between lanes and jettisoning sideways across lanes with no margin for safety. The smell of burning rubber lingered in my car after the episode.

I desperately wanted to tell them two very important things I had learned: just don't have an accident and, although they appeared extraordinarily skilled, their skills would only be good, up to the point of impact...

Fashion Trash

I was getting a sewn product from Asia and was looking to do a variety of colors. The prospect of getting samples and small production runs was not good, and I decided to try a novel approach - buy fabric samples in the garment district and get a recommendation for a local sewing factory. Armed with my pattern and fabric, I made a visit to a factory at 38th and 8th Ave.

The owner quickly assessed the situation, asking for the pattern and fabric and if I had time to wait. I had samples within minutes, something that would have taken weeks sourcing outside the country. I now fully understood the beauty of local sourcing and manufacturing, at least for the sample phase. And in my case, this man's prices were actually competitive to do production for us.

Many worry there is less being created or produced in the United States and that the country is becoming more and more a service economy. With soaring real estate costs, New York is even more in danger of becoming a place defined by tourism, consumption and little production. Where as said, we are in danger of becoming a place where we sell one another ice cream cones or rent one another motel rooms.

Fashion is one of the surviving industries, not just the design, showroom and sales side, but there are still factories and production in the garment district. New York City is the fashion capital of the world. There are more than 5,000 active showrooms (more than any other city in the world), over 6,000 wholesale and design businesses, 58,000 industry workers and annual sales of $38.7 billion. There are educational institutions with well known design schools - Pratt Institute, Parsons New School for Design, and Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).

As I wrote in Creative Expert (see here), I am forever running across people who identify themselves as fashion designers. Recently I ran across a group of women modeling at night in the harsh spotlights used to illuminate the Washington Square arch. I once posted a story about an amazing couple performing singing bowls under the same light - you can see Singing Bowls with photo and video here.

This group was the model entourage of Latesha Pryer, a designer from Jersey City, with her company Fashion Trash and clothing lines like Dumpster Rags. You can see her Facebook page here.

I was encouraged to see young people interested in production of goods, even if they are not the engines of industrial manufacturing. Rather than selling one another ice cream, better to see some Fashion Trash :)

The Little

Here, in lower Manhattan, way under the radar and not touristed at all, I discovered a little school on a little alley. In New York City, this is how I find solace, in the diminutive. A little alley, a little crook in the street, a little shop, a little building, a little garden. Feeling a little tired, because one can never really become exhausted from exploring the little, and if it is a beautiful day, perhaps one may enjoy a little rest and a little snack. This is why I choose to live in Greenwich Village, because the scale is so much smaller and so much more human.

I have been in many high rises, and there is nothing quite like the ambiance of a classic prewar building and, if one is so privileged, the views that may come with a residence on an upper floor. Icons like the Waldorf Astoria Hotel or the Plaza just exuded charm. And there is nothing quite so noble as the Chrysler Building at night. But for me, when it comes to a place I call home, I choose the small townhouse.

I have not been to the new Vegas, and I imagine I will get there at some time. And, like Dubai, I also imagine that there will be some shock and awe. However, living in New York City for the last 40 years, I do not seek out the the mammoth or the overwhelming when it comes to man made environments. And although I live in the country's largest city, in my business life I have carved out a little niche. It is much easier to succeed in the proverbial small pond.

At 15 Dutch Street, I was very surprised to find the Downtown Little School. From reading, parents rave about this nursery school and I think the word Little (like the Little Red Schoolhouse on Bleecker Street) is a signal that this place emphasizes caring, personal attention and the human touch, embracing all that was good in the old school.

I was also very surprised to learn that the huge multinational giant, Colgate-Palmolive, had its roots on Dutch Street. In 1806, at 6 Dutch Street, William Colgate opened up a starch, soap and candle factory, a reminder that not only the good, but also the big germinates from the Little :)

Brooklyn's Got Magic

The bad news is that all the clocktower residences at One Hanson Place have been sold. The good news is that there are still a few residences left on the lower floors, and they will not set you back the $3-6 million dollars that the tower residences would have.

The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower is the major visual icon and arguably the best known building in Brooklyn. At 512 feet, it towers over the low rise structures that dominate the borough and is visible from various locales throughout Brooklyn.

The 1929 landmarked structure is located at one Hanson Place, on the corner of Flatbush Avenue, a major artery. Formerly the home of Williamsburgh Bank, it was designed by the architectural firm Halsey, McCormack and Helmer in a Romanesque-Byzantine style.

The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower features a gilded copper dome and its signature four-faced clock 27 feet in diameter, with colored hands designed to be visible 30 to 40 miles away. Carved lions, turtles and birds grace the exteriors granite surface. The major attraction here is the extraordinary marble banking hall on the ground floor, with 63-foot vaulted ceilings, limestone and marble walls with elaborate mosaics and 40-foot windows containing silhouetted iron cutouts a thrift motif: beehives, squirrels storing nuts, wise owls, Mercury (the god of commerce), and lions whose paws protect the bank's lockbox. There are two abandoned public observation decks with signage describing the Battle of Brooklyn.

The building was converted to condominiums in 2006 in a partnership between Dermot Co. and Canyon-Johnson Urban Funds - a joint venture between Canyon Capital Realty Advisors and basketball star Magic Johnson.

There's a lot of hype surrounding any real estate development in New York City. But, no borough resident needs to be sold, since they always knew, as everyone else now does, that Brooklyn's got Magic :)

Flailing and Hailing

One of the most frustrating things for me to observe are people in the streets uselessly trying to hail a taxi, either by a) standing with an arm outstretched a la Our Lady of Liberty or b) frantically flailing their arms, when there is either no taxi in site or there are no taxis which are both unoccupied and on duty. I am convinced that very few understand the roof light system in use and its permutations. However, most have better things to do than study the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) rules and regulations files, which run hundreds of pages. So, as a former New York City taxi driver, let me extract the most salient pieces that actually impact the use of taxis, including roof lights.

On the roof of every taxi, there is a 4 digit taxi license number. When lit, the taxi is available, when unlit it is occupied. On either side, there are the words "off duty." When lit, technically the cab is off duty, typically heading back home; when unlit, the cab is available for hire or hired. What no one explains is that these lights can be lit or unlit in all four combinations and their meanings. So in the spirit of Pascal's Wager, I offer:

1) Number lit, Off Duty unlit: This is your main target. The taxi is on duty and unoccupied/available.

2) Number lit, Off Duty lit: Off duty and unoccupied. This is the thorny one. Technically the driver can pick you up if your destination is on route to his garage or home. If you are aggressive and approach a driver who is headed roughly in your direction, he may oblige. However, this is also the scam setting - many drivers will do this in order to be selective about who they pick up and where they will go, a violation of TLC rules.

3) Number unlit, Off Duty lit: The taxi is occupied as a result of condition 2.

4) Number unlit, Off Duty unlit: Typical occupied condition. The taxi is on duty and has a passenger.

Rule of thumb - keep an eye out only for taxis with the center number lit, and in the case of those also with the Off Duty lit, try to grab their attention and negotiate.

Another important thing to understand is that a yellow medallioned NYC taxi must take you anywhere you want to go in the five boroughs of New York City and by any route you choose. The women in the photo were heading to Brooklyn. The first cab they approached turned them down after they indicated they wanted to go to Brooklyn. It is not necessary to ask a driver on the street if he or she will go to your destination. Get in and tell him where you want to go. In the event of any refusal or other problem, make a note of his ID number, call 311 and report him.

From the TLC website:

§2-50 Refusals.

(a) A driver shall not seek to ascertain the destination of a passenger before such passenger is seated in the taxicab.

(b) A driver shall not refuse by words, gestures or any other means, without justifiable grounds set forth in §2-50(e) herein, to take any passenger to any destination within the City of New York, the counties of Westchester or Nassau or Newark Airport. This includes a person with a disability and any service animal accompanying such person.

I hope this mini taxi guide will keep you from unnecessary flailing and hailing :)

Cool Taxi Posts: Taxicab Fever, Garden in Transit, Insults to Injury, Jersey Girls, What numba Kissena, Sea of Yellow.

Up in Smoke

It is said that in hard times, people turn to small luxuries and vices. Historically, companies dealing in alcohol, tobacco products, and gaming/gambling have fared quite well during recessions or depressions. There is even a vice fund, VICEX, that invests in so called "sin" stocks. Candy and chocolate manufactures also flourish - many of the household names in candy started during the Depression years: Snickers in 1930; Tootsie Pops in 1931, and Mars Bars and Three Musketeers in 1932.

A close friend who lives out west and visits from time to time is a cigar smoker. Part of his agenda on trips to New York City is always a visit to a cigar shop. On October 10, 2008, I wrote about wonderful retail excursion - read New York Moment here.

On his most recent trip, we visited Barclay Rex on Broad Street in the Financial District, new to both of us. As a non-smoker, these establishments are very foreign to me - going there is entering an alien world. Barclay Rex has been in business in New York City for 100 years. The original founder was Vincent Nastri, a pipe maker from Salerno Italy.

The store was opened on Barclay and Church Street and taking the cue "a dog is man's best friend", Nastri, with his Great Dane Rex in tow, set out to create Barclay-Rex. This partnership was a touching testimonial to Mr. Nastri's character as he was rarely without his faithful companion Rex, who also served as an ingenious way to advertise the store. The Great Dane wore an emblazoned blanket with the name Barclay-Rex and drew the curious and potential customer.

The company has three locations in Manhattan and is owned by Vincent Nastri III. You can read more about Barclay Rex at their website here.

The flagship store at 75 Broad Street is exquisitely done, with a classic, mahogany paneled library and polished cherry oak floors. There is a humidor on site, as well as a smoking lounge.

There is a tradition, history and its own vocabulary in the world of cigars. There is also a greater defiance and rebellious spirit to smoking, in a world which is postured against smoking with increased taxes and a very limited number of environments where one is permitted to smoke.

Good times or bad, when it comes to vices, dollars are found to feed the appetites, whether things are eaten or go up in smoke :)

When Brian Met Sally...

A Tale of the Fortuitous, Serendipitous and a Late Night Offer


Sally Darling is a regular reader of this website and is one of the most effusive, ebullient individuals who has graced these cyberpages. She lives in Kansas, a virtual metaphor for all that is not New York City.
On September 9th, 2010, she commented:

Me again. Sorry, I'm your new stalker now :) I literally can not stop reading your posts. I can't explain how there is something in my bones that has always, my whole life, made me feel like I belong there, that I should be living there, but life's events didn't see it that way. Thank you so much for letting me have my little NYC Oasis right here in Kansas!

On September 10th she commented, announcing her upcoming visit to New York City:

Thanks Brian! I stayed up last night and read almost all of your 2010 posts. Not quite through with them, but I'm enjoying every second! I hope you know, my passion and thrill for your fascinating city is only getting fueled by your incredible photos and writing! I can't wait until we arrive on September 25th! My mind is racing a mile a minute with my itinerary selections!

But the Plot Thickens.

On September 24th at 12:41 PM, the day before leaving for New York, Sally commented:

I just love all your adventures that you have in your splendid park! I can't wait to be there Saturday! All I want to do is sit, watch, enjoy, and take in all the wonderment WSP [Washington Square Park] has to bring. You are so lucky that you have it at the tip of your fingertips! I'm counting the minutes until I walk through that wonderful Arch!

A fortuitous turn of events started as a dishwasher disaster at Sally's home in Kansas the night before leaving for New York City. Read the entire story here in her own words. Prompted by or nearly prevented by this accident, at 4:30 AM with 6 minutes left at home before leaving for the airport, Sally decided to make a quick examination of the comments on the blog with no expectations. She was surprised to find my late night offer posted at 11PM:

Sally - welcome to our world. Ask for me if ur in the park.

You're way ahead of me, I am sure, but the devil is in the details.

On Saturday night, September 25th, I was in Washington Square Park. The weather was superb and the evening glorious. Music was everywhere to be found and the park regulars were all there. Jeff, one of the habitués, approached me and said "Brian, you have some visitors looking for you." And there was Sally with her husband and daughter! After a mutual round of OMGs, I told them how they had picked the absolute best night.

I gave them a tour of the plaza, introducing them to all the important regulars, some of which have appeared on this website. Gaby, who was featured on September 8th, 2010, was also there. His story is another tale of the serendipitous (read On The Road here). A photo was taken of the three of us which you see here today.

Two friends, Hellen and Harvey, a married couple living in a nearby high rise, met Sally and her family and made a spectacular offer - to take them up to the roof deck on the 26th floor of their apartment building. The views from there are spectacular, a virtual unobstructed 360 degrees, including south views directly to Washington Square Park (lower photo). Sally was of course just brimming with enthusiasm. When it was time for our guests to leave, Hellen, the ever gracious hostess, insisted on walking them right to the subway platform.

On September 28th, after Sally's return to Kansas, I got this email:

Hello Brian I hope this is your email, and I hope you don't mind that I'm sending you this note. I just want to thank you for one of the most amazing evenings I've ever experienced. It was literally one of those unexpected moments that one might never experience in their lifetime. Please, Please, pass along my thanks to Harvey & Helen, for opening up their home and allowing us to see something my eyes will never forget! How can I ever repay you and them! And I thank you for not only introducing us to them, but for introducing us to your other wonderful Park friends. Sandy Vitamin, Hans, Gabby.....what a wonderful night! I wish we could have all sat down over a cocktail someplace and continued our visit. I knew my daughter was getting tired, and was not feeling good, so unfortunately we had to end our evening. I only hope that one day our paths will cross again, and we can continue where we left off. Your friend, Sally

'Twas a case of the Fortuitous, Serendipitous and a Late Night Offer, When Brian Met Sally... *


Please Note: All correspondence between Sally and I were reproduced here only after obtaining her permission. Thanks Sally.

*When Brian Met Sally is a play on the award winning 1989 comedy classic When Harry Met Sally... , starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. Read more here.

Guns or Big Heads

Generally speaking, a man with a head this large playing chess would command quite a bit of attention. The big-headed character, a mascot for Emmy award winner Ted Greenberg's one-man show*, was available for any players while promotional free tickets for the show were being distributed. The chess playing mascot, however, got little attention for three reasons:

One, this is New York City, where anything goes and a lot is usually going. Two, this area of Washington Square Park, currently used for chess, is dominated by chess hustlers who are setup for business and playing for money. Three, the best candidates to find interest in chess are chess players. However, serious chess players (or hustlers) really could not care less about anything apart from a player's skill, and the mascot had mediocre playing ability. Perhaps a joke best illustrates this attitude, common to players and known to those very familiar with the game:

In a park, people come across a man playing chess against a dog. They are astonished and say: "What a clever dog!" But the man protests: "No, no, he isn't that clever. I'm leading by three games to one!"

This character trait of players is the theme in the short story The Chessplayers, about a trained chess playing rat, who, though remarkable on the face of it, leaves players in a club unimpressed because the rat's playing ability is not that good.

New York City is a mecca for chess, and anyone who lives here will see this illustrated in many ways. On August 6, 2009, I wrote a true story about a shooting I witnessed in Washington Square Park, where chess players only ducked and hid long enough for the bullets to stop flying before resume their games. See my story, Chess Monsters, here.

Only good playing will will impress good players. Gimmicks, novelties, Emmy Awards or non-human players will not. And neither will men with guns or big heads :)

*Ted Greenberg (sitting to the right of his mascot) is an award winning comedy writer who has written for the David Letterman show. Information about his one-man show, The Complete Performer, can be found here.

Other Postings on Chess in New York City: Good Fortune, Chess Monsters, Solid as a Rock, Marshall Chess Club.

Africa

I was standing on the base of a light post on Broadway, looking for breaks in traffic to get a good photo of the Cable Building (see here), when a man driving in the rush hour traffic shouts out to me. It took a few moments to place him. It was Michael Ahuja, the owner of Shona Gallery, a SoHo business owner whom I had befriended and written about with a shop selling African art objects and furniture - see here. On my way home from my office, I would often drop into his shop and chat, usually about Africa.

When I met Essau Pwelle and found out he was from Tanzania, I was quite excited and eager to tell him of my passions for Africa. Essau, who hails from Yenzebwe Village, has been a resident of the USA since 2003 and currently resides in New York City. He is a 4th generation banjo maker and, in conversation, told me of the African roots of the banjo. He has played banjo since he was 14 and is also a singer, songwriter, performance artist and event organizer.

Even in a place as large as New York City, it never ceases to amaze me how many acquaintances in common there are between people that I encounter. In conversation, I found out Essau knew Michael Ahuaja. I told Essau that all with all this passion, it was still unlikely I would ever go to Africa. Why?, he asked. Fear of the known and unknown, I answered. There is an aura of mystery surrounding Africa, fueled by books with titles like Heart of Darkness and phrases like Henry Stanley's "Dark Continent." He assured me, as did Michael Ahuja, that I would find Africa to be to my liking.

When I had occasionally spoken to Michael in our chats about any of my business difficulties or stresses, he suggested I liquidate and move to Africa. Surely this was insanity, but he assured me that I would find it the palliative I needed. He described an idyllic life in various places, as did Essau, who spoke of those he knew who found great joy in Tanzania and made their residence there.

When I asked to photograph Essau, he was quite accommodating, moving into various positions. Unsatisfied with the various conventional shots I was getting (see here), I crouched down, shooting upwards for a silhouette. After all, as I told Essau and others around us, we need some drama - this is not a man from New Jersey, this man is from Africa :)

Waiting to be Sold

The door to door salesman has never been a welcome visitor, but somewhere around 1963, a knock on my family's door changed my life. Whoever and wherever he is, I thank that salesman for selling and my parents for being either too easy, very astute, or both, and for buying.

He was selling the World Book Encyclopedia - a big thing for a family with essentially no books and little money. I have no recollection of the event, really, only the result. As a promotion, we were given a mechanical learning device. This is how I learned to play chess, a game I still enjoy to this day.

I devoured those books as a child. There were, of course, school books and an occasional jaunt to the public library. But nothing could compare to that mountain of information. It felt that I had all the world's knowledge at my fingertips.

As an adult around 1980, living in New York City, I made a phone call and invited a Britannica salesman to my home. I had no idea that unless you are ready to buy, that man is not leaving your house. It was quite an evening. I did eventually buy a copy - the cost for the 30 volumes was nearly $1000, a major investment. But I did love those books, and until the Internet became commonly used, the Britannica was my primary source for research. I also purchased the CD-ROM version. I recently gave the printed set away.

Until recently, at most trade shows, somewhere in the last rows where fees were cheapest, there was typically a nondescript booth, a spartan table and a hungry Britannica salesman with no prospects. Who would voluntarily subject themselves to an encyclopedia salesman or even walk closely enough to be ensnared? Whether the show theme was conducive to selling encyclopedias was no matter. There was always a Britannica booth - an outpost in the far reaches of the trade show tundra.

I now see the same phenomena with The New York Times. Their booths can be found at trade shows and street festivals all over the city. The Internet boom has had an expected impact on all print media. Many are worried about the survival of the New York Times. This would be quite sad to lose them. They also have a special place for me - see my story here. The publisher, Arthur Sulzberger, announced in September: "We will stop printing the New York Times sometime in the future, date TBD." Revenue will come from their online version. In 2011, the Times will begin charging for some content based on a metered model.

On a recent visit to the Madison Square outdoor market, I came across a New York Times booth. It was a beautiful day and the other vendors were quite busy with shoppers (lower photo). Transfixed with his smartphone, the lone salesman did not notice that before him stood his best hope for the day. A dinosaur. A man with a love of print, just waiting to be sold :)

The Dark Side

One of the biggest problems with the Internet is cut and paste journalism. The ease of which information can be copied and recycled is unprecedented, whether it be general information, reviews, press releases or buzz. In the case of online news content, as in print media, there is always competition to cover any new event, product, service or retailer. But with online content, the ease and temptation is just too great.

Dead Apple Tours is certainly a clever concept. Started in 2010 by Drew Raphael, the 2 hour tour of the macabre is conducted from a 1960 Cadillac Crown Royale hearse (at $45 per person). From their website: Witness the final address of Heath Ledger, Keith Haring, Sid Vicious, "Crazy Joe" Gallo, Thomas Paine and more. Learn the dark secrets of iconic landmarks: Empire State Building, Washington Square Park and the Brooklyn Bridge.

In going through pages of early reviews, however, apparently none of the reviewers in the major media had actually taken the tour or availed themselves of reviewers who had. All of the reviews appeared to essentially parrot back the buzz and tour information provided by the tour operator.

The most useful reviews were those at Yelp.com, by three individuals who took the tour and reported their experiences:

The narrative descriptions of dead locations were read from a book by our guide in a flat monotone, with all the enthusiasm of an MTA announcement.

Many times we drove up to an approximate area but not to the actual site of the morbid event.

A nice touch would be to drop people off at the train station at the end of the tour, at Fulton Street. The 3 stranded tourists had to ask us for direction to the train in the dark.

There are a staggering number of things to do in New York City, and before spending time and money doing any of them, I would highly recommend looking at the reviews or talking to those who have actually been there and done that. Filtering the reviews and reading them closely is an important part of the process to ascertain why a review is actually positive or negative and relevant to you or not.

If someone is marketing the dead, it's fair to examine not only the light side but also the dark side of the dark side :) :(

Unconditional Love

There are subjects which easily ignite controversy, and graffiti is one of them. To read an article about the subject along with its comments is to witness a war of words. In 2009, the New York Times ran an article, A Sociologist’s Look at Graffiti, which reviewed a book, Graffiti Lives: Beyond the Tag in New York’s Urban Underground, by a Professor of Sociology in New York City at Baruch College. The book author was crucified by some of the readers in the comments area. Most see the problem as vandalism, pure and simple. My story, Scrap Yard, was one of my most commented, with all the classic arguments and positions on the activity.

What complicates the matter, however, is that like anything else, there is a spectrum of quality - some of the work is extraordinary. See this group of images of graffiti in Long Island City. However, if I owned a building, I would not be pleased to have it painted without my permission. Some of the buildings are in industrial neighborhoods, have stood unoccupied for decades, and are dreadful looking - drab architecture, no exterior maintenance and a dismal setting. And often they are vastly improved by aerosol paint. But, nonetheless, these buildings are not "public" property.

However, many building owners permit the work to be done. This seems to be a growing trend. And, in Long Island City, 5Pointz Aerosol Art Center, Inc., “The Institute of Higher Burnin’," is an outdoor art exhibit space which is considered to be the world’s premiere “graffiti Mecca,” where aerosol artists from around the globe paint colorful pieces on the walls of a 200,000-square-foot factory building. The founder says, however, that "Graffiti is a label for writers who vandalize. Aerosol art takes hours and days. It's a form of calligraphy."

The building in today's photo is the home of Gratz Industries at 1306 Queens Plaza South. I spoke to someone today at Gratz (a fascinating business in itself) and was told that this is an instance where artists asked the owners for permission. Certainly cooperation is best for all, allowing more time for better work and even working with the owners for things like incorporation of company signage elements.

To meander around Long Island City and suddenly happen across something like this is quite stunning. For those who enjoy the finer works of graffiti but suffer pangs of guilt knowing how they got there, take a trip to 1306 Queens Plaza South, 5Pointz or anywhere else where cooperation is at play, and enjoy a new world of unconditional love :)

Blessing of the Animals

Where would you expect to see llamas, cows, pigs, turtles, snakes, iguanas, horses, rabbits, goats, geese, donkeys, raptors, sheep, ferrets, dogs and cats walking or being carried down the center aisle of a Gothic cathedral? At St. John the Divine's annual Blessing of the Animals. Unfortunately, I missed this grand daddy celebration - I only became aware of it after its occurrence when told by a friend who correctly assumed this would be something I would not miss and share with readers here.

When New Yorkers decide to embrace something, they pull out all the stops, for an over-the-top, quintessential, nonpareil event. The huge population of the city in tandem with a no-holds barred spirit virtually guarantees this. The old adage applies to New Yorkers quite well - If you're going to do something, you might as well do it right.

Blessing of the Animals honors St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. This is celebrated by many Catholic and Episcopalian churches on the Sunday on or about his feast day, October 4th. Legend has it that St. Francis spoke to birds, tamed a wolf that was terrorizing a small village, and on his deathbed, thanked his donkey for carrying and helping him throughout his life, and his donkey wept.

St. John the Divine has been celebrating Blessing of the Animals since 1985. The highlight is the procession of the animals with as many as 4,000 creatures making the journey down the aisle with their owners for a ritual blessing. Every imaginable species is represented. One year, an 8,000 pound elephant from Ringling Brothers Circus made the walk.

I did discover, however, that a local church, the First Presbyterian at 12th Street and Fifth Avenue, was conducting a ceremony on Wednesday the 6th, affording me the opportunity to attend a ceremony for the first time. It was quite a surprise to see our furry friends sharing the pews. The number attending was much smaller, of course, than St. John's extravaganza, but for those attending with their beloved pets, blessings do not come in sizes :)

Pyramid Power

New York City is no stranger to the occult or new age practices and beliefs. Samuel Weiser Books, established in 1926 on book row, is the oldest and probably the most famous occult bookstore in the United States. It moved a number of times and is no longer a retail operation. However, I did visit their shop many times in the 1970s, when they were located at 734 Broadway in the Village.

In the early 1970s, pyramid power became the rage. Claims were made about their paranormal properties - pyramids were said to preserve foods, maintain the sharpness of razor blades, improve health, function "as a thought-form incubator," trigger sexual urges, and a myriad of other effects. Models were made and sold in a variety of materials. I had one myself.

One of the seminal forces in this phenomenon, was New Yorker Max Toth, born in 1937. He a background in electroneurophysiology and was one of the first neurosurgical technicians. He built high-gain amplifiers for research purposes for neurosurgeons.

While living in Bellerose, Queens, Toth began manufacturing foldable cardboard pyramids. In 1976, the highly influential book Pyramid Power, authored by Toth, was published. An estimated 1 million copies have been sold. Other books and other pyramids were manufactured in a variety of materials, becoming a virtual mini-industry.

Frenchman Antoine Bovis, a pendulum dowser in the 1930s, originated the idea that pyramidal shapes can preserve food. Karel Drbal, a Czech radio engineer, patented a razor blade sharpening pyramid based upon the earlier paranormal experiments of Bovis.

Sheiler and Ostrander, authors of Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain Authors, published in 1970, had met Drbl and devoted a chapter of their book to pyramid power.

Today, pyramid power and pyramidology, is all but forgotten and considered a pseudoscience. But, whenever I see pyramids, particularly those sitting atop the Zeckendorf Towers (or even the Gothic spire of Grace Church), I can't help but be reminded of Pyramid Power...

Caught in the Riptide

Have you ever been caught in a flow of traffic so strong that you feel you can not exit? And to do so would not only be dangerous but you also fear the ire of those who may be inconvenienced and slowed down by your exit, even for a nanosecond? Or perhaps you have avoided swimming at a beach where dangerous riptides exist.

Unfortunately, I am very narrow minded when it comes to mob scenes. And there are plenty of mob scenes in New York City, driven by the buzz of the powerfully connected. It is a deal breaker for me. So, regardless of how wonderful and amazing Eataly may be, I can not tolerate being in a place that is like being on a freeway with no exits. I am not afraid of traffic - I have driven in New York City for my entire life here and was a taxi driver for nearly 2 years when I first moved to the city. But I try to avoid crowds and find a little respite when it comes to food shopping. This is why I also tend to visit Whole Foods Market in the city infrequently.

Eataly is the brainchild of restaurateurs Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Eataly founder Oscar Farinetti who created the Eataly food emporium in Torino, Italy, opened in 2007. You can read more about them here at their website.

Eataly in New York City occupies 52,000 square feet on the ground floor in the toy center at 200 Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street. It features multiple restaurants, a Neapolitan pizzeria, and retail shops featuring every imaginable food item from Italy, along with Italian housewares and a cooking school. There is a year-round rooftop beer garden and microbrewery.

Mario Batali is no poser. He knows his food, and his tremendous success is not smoke and mirrors. I did not examine any of the goods, but I am confident that everything is as represented as far as foodstuffs for sale. The philosophy here is not only to bring in the finest goods direct from Italy, but also to embrace the Slow Foods concept on which the original Eataly is based and which I heartily support.

Restaurants are, of course, another story entirely. Good service is not a given, particularly in a place overwhelmed with patrons. There are so many negative online restaurant reviews regarding the places in Eataly, that I would have to assume at best that the experiences here will be uneven.

However, I do plan on going back to look a little more closely, brave the crowdsa and give the place a chance. See you there, caught in the riptide :)

Vigil

NYU students held a "You are Loved" Glowlight Vigil in Washington Square Park on Sunday night, October 3, at 9PM. In the wake of six recent suicides nationwide* provoked by anti-gay acts, the vigil was organized by the NYU chapter of a national fraternity created by gay men, Delta Lambda Phi and NYU's LGBTQA Office to honor 'all of those we have lost due to hatred and bigotry.'

The latest suicide was that of Tyler Clementi, an 18-year old Rutgers University freshman who jumped from the George Washington Bridge on September 22 after an intimate encounter with another man was streamed via hidden webcam to the Internet. Tyler's Facebook page on the day of his death said: “Jumping off the gw bridge sorry.” Clementi's roommate, Dharun Ravi and another classmate, Molly Wei, have been charged with invasion of privacy.

The glowlight vigil segued into the 2nd annual 'You-Are-Loved Chalk Messaging Project'

The You-Are-Loved Chalk Message Project is an annual, nationwide suicide-prevention awareness project that combats hateful rhetoric toward the LGBTQ community through the use of positive, uplifting chalk messages.
Words are powerful. Speak with love.

The legal issues, culpability and appropriate punishment in regards to this incident of anti-gay cyberbullying of Tyler Clementi are very troublesome - I recommend this article by John Schwartz of the New York Times. I will not recount the details of this event as there are better sources than this website for those interested. My condolences to all those affected by the tragedy and thanks to NYU students for the vigil.

* The six who have died from suicide as a result of anti-gay bullying are: Asher Brown(age 13), Seth Walsh(age 13), Justin Aaberg(age 15), Billy Lucas (age 15), Tyler Clementi (age 18) and Raymond Chase (age 19).

Other Vigils on New York Daily Photo: Virginia Tech, Pawns, Can't Argue With That, and Free Laura and Euna.

Going Through Rehab

One of the most disappointing features of a post-war "modern" apartment is that in most cases, when you enter, you are typically dumped right into a living room with an an immediate sense of the lay of the land. Cookie cutter and boxy, no foyers, no "frivolous" use of space. There are no surprises around the corner, because there are not many corners or ways to meander.

If you like a labyrinthine experience in a Gothic environment, you may enjoy the Limelight, previously a church built in 1846 and after 1973, used as a rehab center, various night clubs - most notably The Limelight - and now a shopping emporium.

A nightclub in a Gothic church should be a dramatic, exciting experience. But it was not. I neglected to mention that some had nicknamed the club "Slimelight." I visited once in the 1980s, and the novelty of crawling through the maze of chambers in low light wore off quickly. Slimelight it was. I wrote about the sorry state of the Limelight on May 30, 2008 in Model for Decorum.

Its various reincarnations were not much better. On March 14, 2009, I visited again and found a large flea market of sorts - very disappointing. The photos I took remained unused. You can see an interior photo here.

After a $15 million dollar renovation, the building reopened in May 2010 as the Limelight Marketplace, a assemblage of over 60 upscale shops, eateries and outdoor cafe. See my photo gallery here.

Although some critics are not particularly enamored with this incarnation, and I do not champion the view that commerce heals all wounds, it certainly is refreshing to see the cleanup after going through rehab...