Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Village Cinema

Today is the last day of 2008. In less than 24 hours, it is estimated that over 1 million revelers will be congregating at Times Square to celebrate the arrival of the new year. I, on the other hand, will be going to the movies.

So what do you have planned for the evening?

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

45th Street & Broadway Avenue

This building is located on Broadway Avenue between 45th and 44th Street, right in the middle of Times Square. I was standing across the street in front of ABC-TV's studio when I looked up and saw the clock face on the top. I quickly took a few photos and moved on. It was only when I got home that I realized the colors in this photo are quite amazing.

So what is your favorite color?

Monday, December 29, 2008

A Bird in the Bush...

This photo would have been perfect for Christmas Day but it was taken yesterday morning. I was less than 3 feet (1.5 meters) away but the bird ignored me and continued eating red berries from the holly bush while I took over a half dozen photos of it. It was probably thinking, "How rude!"

So do you think it is rude to take photos of people (or animals) while they are eating?

Sunday, December 28, 2008

M&M Statue of Liberty

Here are some souvenirs from the M&M Store on Times Square. It's a favorite among tourists, especially those under the age of 10.

So what kind of souvenirs do you usually buy when you are traveling out of town?

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Greenwich Village Apartment

This apartment on 12th Street in the Greenwich Village has a little private garden and foot path to the front door, which are extremely rare in New York City. Most apartments have the main door located right on the street.

So what is special about your home?

Friday, December 26, 2008

Don't Use Cash!

The sign on this coffee shop window says: Don't Use Cash! Save 5% of all purchases using any form of payment (credit, debit) or Just Roasted Coffee Card. That is strange indeed as most stores prefer cash over credit or debit payments.

So do you think this is just another publicity stunt by the coffee shop OR do they really benefit from credit and debit purchases?

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

This Christmas tree was set up in the lobby of my apartment building. It belongs to everyone who lives here. So I'm going to share it with you all.


Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays


Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Flight 001

This interesting store, Flight 001 in Greenwich Village, sells some of the most interesting travel items. On Sunday, I went there to buy an adapter plug for Italian wall sockets for my laptop. Yeap, I'm heading to Rome in January for a little vacation. I guess that wish I made when I threw the 100 Lira coin (US$0.07) into the Trevi Fountain in 1980 might come true after all.

So have you ever made a wish and it came true?

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Window at Dean & Deluca

This guy was checking his e-mail or text messages on his cell (mobile) phone while shopping at Dean & Deluca, a gourmet supermarket on Prince Street and Broadway Avenue in SoHo.

So how often do you check your e-mail?

Monday, December 22, 2008

Someone Was Here

I saw these paw prints on a fresh coat of snow this morning on my way to brunch. Notice the two dark spots on the lower right corner? I wonder if those spots are what I think they are. And no, there wasn't a tree nor fire hydrant near by.

So what do you think those spots are?

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Restaurant Felix

I shot this photo of Restaurant Felix on the corner of West Broadway and Grand Street last week. I've never eaten here before but I understand that it's an expensive restaurant with hipster cred(ibility).

So how do you categorize yourself? A hipster? An intellect?

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Winter Snow

It snowed (again) this morning and here is the scene outside my living room window. Sorry for the blurry photo but this was the best one out of the bunch I took.

So what is your idea of a good breakfast when it is snowing outside?

Friday, December 19, 2008

Panettone

Here is a tower of panettone, a type of Italian Christmas bread, at Whole Foods Supermarket in Union Square. The festive confection is becoming increasing popular in the US and frequently given as gifts. The quality of the photo isn't the best because I snapped it with my cell phone.

So have you ever had a panettone?

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Empire State Building

Aside from the CitiBank Building and the Empire State Building in the photo, can you see the Chrysler Building? The street on the left is Queens Boulevard and the skyline in the far background is Manhattan.

No question today! Hope you have a great day.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful...

It snowed yesterday afternoon for a couple hours and again, in the evening when I was on my way home. This photo was taken from inside the train car when the door opened at the Woodside station. I wanted to take a photo of the snow coating on the platform when a person walked by and I ended up with this wonderful photo.

So what kind of weather are you having now?

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Nine Days To Christmas

This gigantic sculpture of the Roman Arabic numeral '9' is located outside the Brasserie 8 1/2 restaurant on 57th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue. I took this photo on the same day I took the one of the brasserie window, and I have been saving it for today's post.

So do you save anything unconventional, hoping it would be of some use at a later in the future?

Monday, December 15, 2008

Holiday Bazaar at Union Square

Every December, temporary shopping bazaars pop up all over the city to sell everything from food and jewelries to clothes and bags for the holiday season. This year, there are three holiday bazaars that I know of (there maybe more) : Union Square on 14th Street, Bryant Park on 42nd Street and Columbus Circle on 60th Street. This photo was taken at the Union Square site.

So do you have a holiday bazaar in your city?

Update: Opps! I forgot about our mid-month subway theme day until Peter of Paris and Virginia of Birmingham alerted me to my faux pas. So how am I going to spin this? Okay, see that roof on the upper left corner of the photo? That's the roof of the 14th Street subway station at Union Square. Here is another view of the subway roof taken from above.

This mid-month subway theme is shared by the following bloggers:

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Angels @ Rockefeller Center

Here is a close-up shot of the lights-and-wire angels at the Rockefeller Center Atrium that I posted a couple days ago.

So what is your plan for the weekend?

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Lexus No More

We had a strong wind storm a couple days ago and it must blown the Lexus sign of its perch on top of this building next to Queensborough Plaza. What's more interesting is the little ladder that goes up the side of the building where there is a door. I wonder who lives in there.

So what is the oddest place you have lived before?

Friday, December 12, 2008

Argosy Bookstore

This is the entrance to Argosy Books, one of the few independent bookstores left in New York City. Located on 59th Street between Lexington and Park Avenue, it specializes in rare and old books, maps and prints, which makes it somewhat immune to big store chains like Barnes & Noble and online retailers like Amazon.com that sell mostly new fiction and non-fiction books.

So what kind of books do you usually read?

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Chrysler Building

Here is one of the grand dames of New York City -- the Chrysler Building. The photo was taken while I was standing in front of Macy's Departmental Store on 34th Street and 7th Avenue. I have just bought two pairs of wrinkle-resistant Docker's pants that were on sale.

So what have you bought on sale recently?

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Antiques and Art @ The Armory

A friend invited me to the Antiques & Art at The Armory show sponsored by AVENUE magazine last weekend. It was definitely an eye opener for me. Among the antiques on display was a velvet lined wooden chest filled with gold and silver flatware from the Romanov era, priced at an affordable US$450,000. :-)

So do you have a formal set of china and flatware?

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Ice Rink @ Bryant Park

This is The Pond at Bryant Park, an free ice skating rink on 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenue. It is one of three ice skating rinks in the city -- the other two are at the Rockefeller Center and Central Park.

So when was the last time you ice skated?

Monday, December 8, 2008

Christmas Decorations

Last night, I went to the Rockefeller Center to take some photos. The building with the snow flake lights in the background is the famous departmental store, Saks Fifth Avenue. The lighted angels with trumpets are located on the walkway leading to the ice rink at the Rockefeller Center.

So how was your weekend?

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Meet Wakamaru

I would like to introduce everyone to Wakamaru, a domestic robot (that does household chores), made by Mitsubishi of Japan. He is currently visiting New York City and staying at Uniqlo (Japanese version of GAP) in SoHo. He can be seen walking around and greeting customers at the store. I had a delightful conversation with Wakamaru and I hope he enjoys his stay here.

So have you met anyone interesting lately?

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Irresistible Indulgence

This store window for Henri Bendel, a luxury departmental store on 5th Avenue and, has some of the best Christmas decorations. Instead of mannequins or Christmas trees on the windows, it has a row of jars filled with colorful candies.

So what is your irresistible indulgence?

Friday, December 5, 2008

Chili Bouquet

I saw this interesting bouquet where dried chili peppers were used to add some colors to the yellow blooms. Since winter is here, there aren't many fresh flowers at the market any more.

So what is your favorite thing about the winter season?

Thursday, December 4, 2008

East Village Painter

I got off the bus at 3rd Avenue and 8th Street last weekend and saw this guy painting a picture of the Cooper Union Building in the East Village. The painter patiently applied his strokes to the canvas despite the freezing cold temperature and breezy wind outdoors. I snapped a half dozen photos and ran inside a Starbucks to get a warm cup of Caramel Macchiato.

So what do you like to drink when it's cold outside?

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Central Park South

This is the skyline of Central Park South, above the tree line so the buildings you see are probably the 5th floor and up. Directly across the street from these buildings is the southern border of Central Park.

So which floor do you live on?

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Chimney 3

Here is a new photo for my chimney series. The building is located on 3rd Avenue between 13th and 14th Street, directly across the street from the dino mural photo I posted a couple days ago. Notice the rooftop garden in the photo? It must be wonderful to have a little private garden all to yourself.

So do you have a chimney in your house?

Monday, December 1, 2008

Theme Photo: Circles/Spheres

It's theme photo day again and this month's theme is Circles or Spheres. My contribution to the theme photo was taken in from of a restaurant called, Brasserie 8 1/2 on 57th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue.

This month, 187 bloggers participated in the theme photo. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.