it's raining again...

alice tully hall - lincoln center - map it here
Oh, it's raining again...
La, la, la..
You're old enough some people say
To read the signs and walk away...
And yes, I read the signs, walked away and found that dry spot where I took these pictures waiting for the sky to calm down. There's something quite amusing about being out during one of those sudden heavy summer rainstorms. Especially when you had the good idea to bring your umbrella and were lucky to find a cover quickly.
This picture was taken under the Alice Tuly Hall. People were sitting on the steps of the triangular stairs, kept dry by the building advancing above.

looking up

wave hill (675 W 252nd St - ph: 718-549.3200) - the bronx - map it here
Here's a picture taken this weekend at Wave Hill in Riverdale, a very nice neighborhood in The Bronx. Wave Hill is a lovely public park in an estate overlooking the Hudson River. I just paid my membership, so be prepared for more pictures of the place.
I was walking through the forest and looked up to snap this one. With that perfectly blue sky and the nicely drawn leaves, doesn't it look slightly tropical? Or is it just me, needing some farniente time on an island far-far-away?

the b in brighton beach

elevated subway (B) - brighton beach, brooklyn - map it here
A glimpse at the B subway that runs in Brighton Beach. Or should I say above Brighton Beach?

bird's eye view

bryant park summer film festival - map it here
Monday, I gave you the street-level taste of the "movie night" at Bryant Park. Here's a view from my office on the 46th floor. To the right of the green building, you can see the mosaic of blankets and all the people picnicking in the park.

spidey, lost of seventh avenue

somewhere midtown
It was a bit late. He looked confused. He seemed lost. I'm sure he was asking for directions. But can you see the subway is right behind him? And taxis are zipping away? Poor Spidey, New York may be his hometown but he's really not used to street level.
Where does he live again? Queens I think, no?

vive la belgique!

montague street - brooklyn heights, brooklyn - map it here
Today is the "vingt-et-un juillet", the Belgian National Day. I take this opportunity to wish an excellent day to all my compratiots.
Bonne fête nationale!!!
Gelukkig nationale feestdag!!!
And as you can tell from the pictures I selected, which are not from today but could have easily been snapped today, New York is in a Belgian mood to celebrate along with us. How touching. ;)

picnic and movies in the park

bryant park - map it here
It's Monday! And it's the Summer! So it's movie night in Bryant Park!
For the full experience, all you need is a good spot, a blanket, a picnic, and a few friends to go with it. You can claim your patch of grass starting at 5pm. The movie starts around 8pm. I think I'll go next week!

And what's on the menu, you ask? Harold and Maude.

To learn more and schedule your Monday movie nights for this summer:
http://www.bryantpark.org/calendar/film-festival.php

suspense in bryant park

bryant park - map it here
Here's another option for how to spend your lunch break, if the micro nap is not your thing.

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lunch break

south street & wall street - financial district - map it here
Why not taking advantage of the lunch break to sneak in a micro nap or get a little sunshine?
This gentleman certainly found a good spot to do just that.

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a musical picnic

great lawn - central park - map it here
Tonight was the first of this summer's NY Phil in the Park concert series.
A good spot on the great lawn, a blanket, picnic food and some friends is all that you need to enjoy a sympathetic musical evening. And the concert is followed by fireworks.
That's perfect New York night, don't you think?

To learn more about this quintessential New York evening:
• In Central Park, Nearing Consensus on Perfection
• Courting the Hometown Audience in Central Park, with Mozart and Beethoven

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true love

farmer's market - columbus avenue & 80ish - map it here
I was at the farmer's market earlier when I stumbled on this. Aaaah, love...
Or was I already under the bacon spell??


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posts updated

I finally was able to post those Fourth of July pictures. Thanks to a new card reader.
Thank you for kicking my butt to get this blog updated pronto and for your patience!

café au lait new yorkais

french roast ph:212-799.1533 - 85th & broadway - map it here
I had to snap that picture: I could not stop laughing when this thing arrived. This morning, I had an early breakfast at French Roast, a French-inspired restaurant in my neighborhood. I ordered a café au lait (en Français dans le texte). And this thing arrived. Appreciate the fancy leaf design made with the milk foam. Lovely. But what I really admire is the vessel. Instead of the big coffee bowl our French friends drink their coffee in, on a non chi-chi basis, they served it in an onion soup bowl. Trop bon.

They also make a very decent and authentic croque-madame. A croque-madame is a croque-monsieur with a sunny side up on top. And what is a croque-monsieur? Aha!!! Well, it is a very simple dish, in the comfort food category. The kind you put together when you have almost nothing in your fridge. Bread, butter, gruyère, ham and an egg is all that you need to prepare one. It is our version of the grilled cheese sandwich. Mais oui.
So I want to know: what is your secret recipe when your fridge is close to empty?

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take your shoes off

life underground, tom otterness, bronze, 2002 - subway 14th street & 8th avenue - map it here
Who's got a new card reader? Moi! Finally, I hear you say. Yes, it took nearly a week to make the little détour to B&H to buy a new one. I gave the old one to a couple of Belgian dignitaries visiting New York over a week ago. After the demo I gave them, don't be surprised if a Brussels photoblog opens soon. ;)
So we're back (again) and catching up (again) with this pair of bare feet snapped at the 14th street station. I'm counting the toes. Wait... I'm recounting.
To learn more:
• http://www.tomostudio.com/exhibitions_subway.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Otterness

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a quick one from the road

34th & 8th avenue - map it here
Today, just a quick one snapped by accident during my lunch break. I was playing with my iPhone a that intersection on my way back to the office. And discovered this picture later. I chose to share it with you: the view from the street by the common New Yorker. For those of you in the know, the pretty building at the far right is the New York Times building, work of Italian architect Renzo Piano.

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a canal runs through brooklyn

carroll street bridge over the gowanus canal, brooklyn - map it here
I had heard about it but had absolutely no idea where it was and what it looked like. Last weekend, I explored Carroll Gardens, a Brooklyn neighborhood. And here was the Gowanus Canal, nothing like what I expected.
The Carroll Street Bridge from where I took this picture, is the oldest (1889) of four retractile bridges left in the country. As you can see it is blue. What you can't see is that it is made of wood planks. These days the canal is placid and fragranceless. Google it and you surely will read about its legendary smelly past. It has undergone an expensive and ambitious cleanup effort and now has its own sewage-treatment plant and is regularly flushed with clean water.
Let's take a look back to its buccolic past, shall we?

Sunset at Gowanus Bay in the Bay New York (1851) by Henry Gritten
Source:
• Walking Brooklyn by Adrienne Onofri, 2007, Wilderness Press
• wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gowanus_Canal

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the face on the stairs

somewhere in dumbo, brooklyn - map it here
I recently had brunch in DUMBO (District Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) and stumbled on this stair case. Funny enough, I posted a picture of its little brother about a month ago (the face on the door). I did not even noticed that on its very right, this fellow was standing. I still don't know who the artist is. And I still find his work fantastic. It's like a gigantic illustration right out of a graphic novel.
And the fellow in the red t-shirt? Yes, it's our friend Ming The Merciless from http://nyc2dailyphoto.blogspot.com. If you are not familiar with his wonderful blog, it is too bad: it is now closed as it author moves to lobsterland. Will we be treated with a Bangor Photoblog soon? Who knows? In any case, I recommend a little trip through his past posts, always full of questions. Maybe I should take over the New York question. Should I?

do you see what i see?

57th between 10th and 9th avenues - map it here
This is a view taken from a rooftop in Midtown Manhattan. Do you see what I see? It is blue and very refreshing. No? Let me help you with another one.

Can you see it now? Yes, there, light blue, the swimming pool on the rooftop of the Holliday Inn.
Here's another view of surrounding rooftops where you can see people gathering to watch the Fourth of July fireworks on the Hudson River (right behind me).

ooooh's and aaaaahh's

[picture: tbd] (*)

(*) picture will be uploaded as soon as I can put my hands on my card reader... silly me...

Update: Here it is!


macy's fourth of july fireworks on the hudson river - midtown manhattan - map it here
Let's all relive the oooh's and the aaaahh's of yesterday's fireworks on the Hudson River. Those pictures were taken from a rooftop party in Midtown Manhattan, right across the river.
The quality is not great: a tripod and the proper settings would have helped but it gives an idea of the spectacle. That's a lot of shoes that Macy's must have sold to give us this show.



If you look carefully, you can see all the people standing in the street along the illuminated soccer field.


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happy fourth!

[picture: happy fourth!] (*)

(*) picture will be uploaded as soon as I can put my hands on my card reader... silly me...


Update: Here it is!

patriotic subway station - 59th street & fifth ave - map it here

Happy Fourth of July!!!

summit meeting

brighton beach boardwalk, brooklyn - map it here
This intriguing summit meeting took place a few days ago on the Brighton Beach boardwalk. What do you think was on the agenda of those top secret discussions? Personally, I am pretty sure it has to do with the suspicious dudes sitting on the other benches.

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brooklyn's eiffel tower

coney island, brooklyn - map it here
This old ride, the parachute jump, also known as Brooklyn's Eiffel Tower, is one of Coney Island's unmistakable icons.
It was originally built to train troops and was part of the 1939 Word's Fair in Queens. It moved to Coney Island after that and gave rides until 1968. In 1977, the structured was landmarked for our eyes delight.
If you want to learn more about it, and see pictures of the old days, head over here:
• http://northstargallery.com
(you'll find old pictures and stories of the ride misadventures, like that couple getting married high in the sky and another being stuck for five hours up there)
• http://history.amusement-parks.com
(for a short history and vintage photographs)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachute_jump

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empty... but so inviting

wave hill (675 W 252nd St - ph: 718-549.3200) - the bronx - map it here
I know you have noticed, I haven't posted in a while. In a month, to be exact. June has been a very busy month: crazy-busy at work involving some traveling, foreign dignitaries honoring me of their visit, ... there just was not enough time to maintain this little blog as it should.
So, I am greeting you again with this picture taken a few days ago at Wave Hill in Riverdale, a very nice neighborhood in The Bronx. It is a lovely public park in an estate overlooking the Hudson River. Sitting in those inviting chairs, you can enjoy the beautiful view of the gardens. Straight ahead, it's the Hudson River. And it's New Jersey's trees across the river.
This is also my illustration of the CDP monthly theme day ("empty"). You can see pictures of all the participants here. Enjoy!

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http://www.wavehill.org