Saturday, March 29, 2008

Neon



Burritoville on 23rd Street.
I've never wanted to eat here - and never have.



Nice old fashioned Florist sign on 8th Avenue.



Monte's near Washington Square Park.
For Monte in Marrakech.



I think Igor is some sort of hair stylist.
Today they also had his photo in the window.
I think he is a hairdresser.
There were too many tasteful colors in the previous posts.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Blacks and Pinks



Pretty fierce looking doors down on 10th Avenue near the book shop by Clement Moore Park.



More of the same.



We went to the Red Dot Fair at the Park South Hotel on Thursday.
This is where I found this chandelier.
Some of Robert's paintings were on show there.
The whole hotel - three floors of it - was a warren of mini-art galleries for the week.
Gallery owners who had come from foreign parts ( ie Berlin or San Francisco) were using the rooms as galleries during the day - but sleeping there at night.
A novel idea.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Two Windows



Rather a strange picture of the dining table reflecting one of the windows.
Window sill full of Robert's painting paraphenalia.



A nice plain colored window on 22nd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues.

Monday, March 24, 2008

A Visit to Long Island



The moon was full and visible through the trees which towered over the harbor.
It was so lovely and strange we sat on the porch in thick coats and admired it.



I always associate this little painting with my friend C's house.
The lily is for Easter.
The gardening hat for a pursuit we both enjoy and the books...............



How the jewels glitter on the chandelier as it catches the light and C. hides in the background.
She is holding a cup of tea as she often does, as we often do.



In the hall, by the front door, the season is celebrated.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Tomb



An excellent message on Grant's Tomb.
It says "Let us have Peace".
I would it were so.
I don't think our current adminsitration noticed the bit about ............Blessed are the Peacemakers.
Sad.



Looking up a beautiful heavenly blue.



And Manhattan style yellow and black windows.........



And monumental marble.
Altogether most impressive.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Kitchenette



Needless to say, there are lots of good places to eat out in New York.
I went out to lunch with P. on Amsterdam Avenue in Harlem.



A really pretty, trendy spot with lots of pink paint.
Tables made from old doors with glass on top.



Lots of yummy desserts. I wanted to try them all.
Water served in jelly jars.



Huge, delicious sandwiches.
This last photo is courtesy of Paz who photographs food beautifully.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Bryant Park and the New York Public Library



New York looks very gray here.
Hiding behind the trees is the Chryselr Building. No more Empire State Building pictures!
Bryant Park is very civilized these days - but chilly.



Yesterday was the first time I ever went into the New York Public library -well the main branch.
It is most impressive and large and bold.



Monumental almost.
I was terrifically impressed by the lights, the long hallways.
The gift shop.
The John Milton Exhibition.



Like Grant's Tomb (more of that in another blog) everything was oversized and heavily elegant.



After lunch L. and I had been to the Maplethorpe exhibition at the International Photography Center.
Perhaps this shot of one of the Public Library's lion's posterior reflects too much Maplethorpe........

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Harlem



So much to see.
Here the train tracks run down Broadway and makes cool reflections.



On the front of the Jewish Theological Seminary there is a sculpture presumably referring to Abraham and Isaac in the Bible.
However, one wishes our particular (political) Bush had been consumed - or at least would stop blighting our lives.



Elegant brownstones seen against the backdrop of City College.
The 'poor man's Harvard'.



The huge and glamorous "Theresa Hotel" where Castro and all sorts of other famous people stayed including Louis Armstrong, Sugar Ray Robinson, Lena Horne, Josephine Baker, Dorothy Dandridge, Duke Ellington, Muhammad Ali, Dinah Washington, Ray Charles, Little Richard, and Jimi Hendrix.
Now, sadly, office space.



Lots and lots of chuches in Harlem.
This one with interesting windows.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Morningside


I was going up to 116th Street and Columbia University to meet Paz.
We had a plan to take photos and see all the sights of Harlem.
Took the C train from 23rd St.to 116th - however, since I wasn't paying attention and didn't change to the #1, I got to 116th all right - only it was just down in a dip.



So I had a bracing, energetic walk up grandiose steps through Morningside Park.



I met a man walking four splendid, energetic dogs.
The only drawback of such an endeavor is the rather large bag of dog poop.
The dogs were very friendly but eager to be off.



When I had got to the top of the steps, it was fun to look down.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Firetruck



On 24th Street I came upon a lovely scene.
The firetruck was parked and a little boy, his mother, and his sister, had all stopped to look.
The fighter was very cheerful and friendly.
But the little boy was shy.
His mother showed the firefighter the little boy's t-shirt - a firetruck
The little boy's shoes - flashing lights - like a firetruck.
On the side of this fire truck
- and all the other firetrucks in New York -are painted the names of the members of this engine company who were killed on September 11th.
Even after six years, seeing the names makes me cry.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Frying Pan Lightship



The hull of the boat in the waters of the Hudson River.



Such wonderful textures.



And so many chairs.............

Looking south towards New Jersey from Chelsea where "The Frying Pan" - an old 'light boat' is moored.



This boat was once sunk off the coast of Connecticut and all the decay and rust and corrosion lend it an air of melancholy.



We talked with John Crevvi who owns it and were welcomed aboard on an overcast Friday afternoon.
There was a type writer and a radio - all sorts of strange things.



My friends Lori and Rich wandered around deep in the bowels of the boat.
I preferred to stay near the surface.



Altogether a very strange place.
Very different from all the new ,shiny, polished looking things in Chelsea nowadays.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Doors of Lower Manhattan



Churchyard doors just south of Houston.
The graffitti says 'soul".



Soho somewhere.



More Soho.



A barber's shop on 9th Avenue at 17th Street

Monday, March 10, 2008

Excellent Dumpling



On a cold Sunday we decided to walk from 23rd Street to Canal Street.
Our destination was "Excellent Dumpling" - the best dumplings in town.
This building - a little bit run down - is on Canal Street itself.It looks very Chinese.



This sign is on the corner of Lafayette and Canal - really cheerful looking.
Note the American flag behind it.
Lots of people are out on the street hustling handbags.
It reminds me of Marrakech and I want to say "Blesh" - "It's not necessary."
We realise we have learned the ins and outs of dealing with street vendors in Arabic rather well. not much intellectual conversation though.



In fact there are far too many people altogether on Canal Street.
Everything is amazingly cheap - but mostly the sort of thing that you wouldn't want if it was given to you.
For someone under the age of ten, it would be bliss.



Robert stands outside "Excellent Dumpling".
Here you get the fastest of fast food.
You sit at a table where the hot tea is already there in a metal pot.
We order scallion pancakes and steamed vegetable dumplings and a Tsingtao beer which arrive almost as soon as the words are out of our mouths.
Delicious. Best scallion pancakes in the universe.
Excellent dumplings.
We are handed our enormous bill - $10.36 -as we cram the last dumplings into our mouths.
As soon as the plates are empty, they are whisked away.
They make the service at McDonald's seem glacial.



It is early lunch time.
The tables are full -Chinese people, tourists,every ethnicity on the planet.
The servers are very busy and efficient.
People are waiting in line to get in.
We are back out on the street in less than half an hour.
It's a great place and totally worth it.
111 Lafyette St.