smile, thief!

w80ish in the upper west side
A good advice before you lift those geranium.

urban accessories by night

wait...

w81st and riverside drive - map it here
... and go.

sous les feuilles

e41st between fifth and madison avenue - map it here
Have you ever noticed that sometimes, things look so very different than the way you see them? The facade of this modern office building reflecting the older side of the street, for example. It looked really striking, with very sharp architectural details mirrored into the building. The foliage made for an interesting contrast. On the picture though, the building reflection is almost lost, dull and a bit liquid but not quite enough for my taste. But those leaves still make this more interesting.

the explorer

a young visitor in our office, 45th floor in midtown manhattan
We had a young visitor in the office today.

memorial day

soldiers and sailors' monument - riverside drive at 89th street -map it here [i]
Today is Memorial Day in the US. It's a day of remembrance and it is also a long weekend, which announces the start of the Summer. Above is a quick picture of the Soldiers and Sailors monument, taken during my evening run in Riverside Park just an hour ago.
It's been there since 1902 and commemorates Union Army soldiers and sailors who served in the Civil War. You can learn more about this monument history in this article from The New York Times.

jeff + laura

sidewalk in the upper west side - probably in my street
When was the last time you wrote your name on a sidewalk? Hmm? That's what I thought.

the faces on the wall

canal street @ greene street -chinatown - map it here [L]
I took this picture in Chinatown a few weeks ago. This is an advertising for a video game. Funny enough, it reminded me of another mural picture I took in Chinatown earlier this year. And sure enough, a closer look showed me that it was the exact same place (see the pinkish-orangy lower tier?). When I took the first picture, the mural was simply not finished.

the face on the door

somewhere in dumbo, brooklyn - map it here
I recently came face to face with that... face, on a door in DUMBO. How fantastic is that?
There was another intriguing face next to it but as you can see from the picture below, it was better to keep a bit of distance.
By the way, does anyone know who the artist is? I love this. I could just take that door and put it somewhere in my apartment.

bye new york... nevada

new york new york casino resort - las vegas blvd - las vegas, nevada - map it here
Allez, a few more for the road before we get back to the real thing.

The Chrysler Building, the Empire State, Miss Liberty, Ellis Island and the Coney Island roller coaster... all living happily closely together... on Las Vegas Boulevard.

And it would not be completed without the Brooklyn Bridge.

I know it's not to you that I have to remind that you can see the Eiffel Tower from the Brooklyn Bridge. Duh!

Bye, bye, Nevada. That's one more to scratch from my list of things to see or do before I die.

new york, revisited

new york new york - las vegas blvd, las vegas - map it here

greetings from new york new york

new york new york - las vegas blvd, las vegas - map it here

deep.blue

deep.blue sushi bar - jetblue terminal at jfk airport
A little sushi before that flight? And a glimpse at a neon feast before jetting to a very bling-bling destination.

pedestrian commute

hudson river park / riverside park
As the nice weather is back, I've changed my commuting habits. Anytimes the sky permits, I walk home. It usually takes me about 40ish minutes (1 minute per block, 2/+ miles total). I'm experimenting with different routes. Broadway is not a good idea: too many tourist traffic. Six Avenue is about the same. Seventh is a bit better but still. Eighth, a notch better again. Ninth got my vote until today. I ventured furthered West, all the way to the Hudson River. I've done this thousands of time on weekends and evenings but never from work. Of course, with the sunset, it took me three time the usual time. But it is quite pretty.

79th st boat basin - with the washington bridge on the background

don't litter

somewhere along the hudson river park on the west side of manhattan
There's a stretch of the Westside Highway where the garbage trucks park. As you pass on the bike/pedestrian lane, you see them up close. On one of them, I noticed something a bit... unusual.
I am not sure what to think of this. Funny? Creepy? Crazy? Spooky? Uncanny? Or maybe the guys just pulled out that little fellow and save it from disappearing? I'm gonna go with that one, which would be very sweet. What do you think happened?
Anyways, a few steps away, I found this giant bottle discarded near the river. I guess it was too big for the garbage trucks...

NB: If you look carefully, you should be able to see the ESB. Can you find it? It's right there: on the left, the first building standing out after the lamppost.

under the bridge

riverside park - map it here
At the end of the tunnel under the bridge, long stairs will lead you to the boardwalk of Riverside Park below, along the Hudson River.
But before you get there, you might have to partake in a variation of the popular "puddle jumping": "puddle negociating". This is when the puddles are too big for you to jump over. You have to negociate how to contour them the most effectively way possible, without compromising the waterproofness of our shoes. Tricky.

no drinks for me, i'm bringing them back home

rebar - 147 front street - dumbo, brooklyn - map it here
What a wise dog, waiting to bring his humans back home.

a flowery bike for mother's day

surroundings flowers - 2209 broadway in the upper west side - map it here
May is Bike Month in New York City. Even the local florist supports the cause. This is, by the way, one of my favorite store in the neighborhood.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!
And Bonne Fête à ma chère Maman!

puddle jumping

hell's kitchen - manhattan - map it here [i]
After the rain, New Yorkers partake in their favorite sport: puddle jumping. Fun at every intersection.

it's raining again

the new york times building - 242 W41st St - map it here [L]

We've had a lot of rain this week and yesterday we got the storm, with lightning, thunder i tuti quanti. As usual, it wiped out New Jersey from the landscape. And this is what it looked like a few moments before...

now with a touch of poetry

somewhere in the UES - if I remembered where, I'd link you to a map but... [L]
We take the same striped building wall as yesterday. We add the beautiful and delicate red maple for contrast. And if we're lucky enough, a few soap bubbles will add a touch of poetry.

lesson of geometry, simplified

somewhere in the UES - if I remembered where, I'd link you to a map but... [L]
Oh boy, oh boy... only six of you ventured to resolve one of the four problems of yesterday's lesson. Marley, Amy and Babzy: bravo! Daryl, Hyde DP and Marie-Noyale: B for effort.
So today, I revised my educative pretensions. Simplicity is the key word here. Therefore we will concentrate on the basics: stripes, parallel lines. And if you pay attention, you will notice that not all the lines in this picture are parallel.
Tomorrow, we'll introduce a touch of poetry.

lesson of geometry

42nd street and bryant park - map it here [L]
• For the beginner class: count the number of windows in this picture.
• For the intermediate class: calculate the surface of glass used in those buildings.
• For the advanced class: calculate the yearly soap and water budget needed to maintain the windows of those buildings clean, knowing that the building has chosen a green approach, uses bio products and rain water, on a once a month frequency.
• And for the rest of you: how many buildings in this picture?

5th avenue-bryant park

subway station - 5th avenue-bryant park station - map it here [L]
I took the subway at Bryant Park the other day. Just before you tumble down the stairs, if you look up, you can take a last glance at the Chrysler Building. Oh so pretty.

les on the map

orchard street, lower east side - map it here [L]
Last week, before the expedition to Williamsburg in Brooklyn, I took a few pictures in the Lower East Side. I have to go back and explore more! This is an area I visit rarely. Except for Pickle Day, of course.


To learn more about the Lower East Side (LES), take a tour on the website of the Lower East Side (LES) Improvement District:
"Historically characterized by tenements and pushcarts, Orchard Street got its fame more than 200 years ago, when families squeezed into the tall, cramped buildings that filled lower Manhattan. Industrious immigrants became the Lower East Side business owners as they hit the streets, selling their wares from potato sacks to the thousands of local shoppers. Successful business owners expanded their inventory, purchased pushcarts - and eventually storefronts, making Orchard Street one of the busiest commercial districts in the world."