Old & New

The older building in the foreground is the Saint Thomas Church and the newer building in the background is 666 5th Avenue, a retail and office complex.

No question today. Have a good Wednesday.

illy cafe

We all know Starbucks in the US but have you heard of an illy cafe? There are a couple of them in NYC and they serve coffee from the Italian brand.

So what brand of coffee or tea do you drink every day?

Greenwich & Horatio

This photo was taken at the corner of Greenwich and Horatio Street in the Village. Notice the other two street signs? One way streets are very common in NYC and so is the street cleaning schedule sign.

So what street signs do you have in your city?

Spring is Here

We've been having Spring-like weather during the last week or so although it was very windy yesterday when I went out to take photos. I walked from the Meatpacking District (14th Street and 8th Avenue) to the Greenwich Village and then east to SoHo before heading north to Nolita. Then I went home.

I took this photo of the entry way to a townhouse on Horatio Street between Greenwich and Washington Street in the Meatpacking District. The flowers reminded me that Spring is here, or is it?

So has Spring (Autumn for those living in the southern hemisphere) arrived for you yet?

Venus de Milo

This may not be the original Venus de Milo but it is definitely a welcome sight on this stretch of generic looking high rise corporate offices on 6th Avenue and 52nd Street.

So what are your plans this weekend?

Ming's Best Friends

These are two of the things I cannot live without -- a good cup of coffee and my iPhone. This photo was taken at La Colombe Cafe in Tribeca.

Okay, I admit it. I'm running out of new photos so this is an old photo from my archives.

So what can't you live without?

East Village Lamp Post

This interesting tile work plastered all over the lamp post is one of many such pieces in the East Village. I don't know the exact origin or purpose of the work but it definitely adds character to the neighborhood.

So what character does your neighborhood have?

Update: The artist of this work is Jim Power a.k.a. Mosaic Man.

Theme Photo: Yellow

It's the first day of the month again, which means it is theme day today. The theme this month is yellow. The photo I chose is this evening shot of the Plaza Hotel on 5th Avenue and 60th Street.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in this theme day.

Cable Car

This cable car goes from 3rd Avenue and 60th Street on the Upper East Side to the southern tip of Roosevelt Island. Although there are better and quicker ways to get to the island, this is probably the most scenic route.

So have you ever taken the scenic route to work?

Sur Empanadas

A new yuppie restaurant opened in my neighborhood recently called, Sur Empanadas where the meats are organic, the packaging is made from 100% recycled paper and the electricity is generated from wind energy. I stopped by for lunch yesterday and ordered the beef empanadas /salteña, which were delicious.

Sunnyside (my neighborhood) has a huge South American population so it is fairly easy to find cuisines from Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. There are also ample Irish bars and Korean eateries, which make up most of the businesses in the neighborhood.

So do you have a favorite cuisine?

Update: There are a few questions on how the restaurant generated wind energy. In NYC, we have the option of purchasing electricity generated from fossil fuel (petroleum) or wind energy (more expensive). Basically, the wind energy is generated upstate and sold to the utility company. The utility company turns around and sells the wind generated energy to consumers at a higher price. Now, how the utility company differentiate or partition the source of energy to the consumer is a whole different question altogether.

Rope Jumping

I was at Union Square earlier this week when I saw these college kids -- most likely NYU students -- jumping rope with their friends. Then strangers, one by one, began to stop by and watch or join in the game. At one point, there were at least 50 people or so cheering and laughing with the group. It was so refreshing and wonderful to see strangers come together and have fun like that.

No, I did not attempt to join the fun but I did take a lot of photos. This one shows a girl doing the jump in 3" heels.

So have you ever jumped rope or simply commune with strangers and had a great time?

$1 Menus at East Village

You don't have to go to McDonald's for the $1 menu any more. It seems like a number of restaurants in the East Village (all within half a block of each other) are offering their own version of $1 menus including the $1 falafel sandwich, the $1 pizza slice and the $1 sushi.

So what can you buy for US$1 at where you live?

Prince & Elizabeth

I took this photo primarily as an archiving tool to remind myself later where I was when I took the other photos. And interestingly enough, this photo turned out quite nicely. I especially like the colors and classic New York street scene.

So how do you archive your photos? Do you have a special way of naming your files or do you immediately delete the photos you don't like?

I have over 240 folders on my laptop from the 2+ years of taking photos for this blog. It has taken up a lot of space on my hard drive and I need to go back and delete most of the bad photos.

Pixelated Mural

This pixelated mural is located on the 2nd floor wall of an apartment building on Prince Street near Bowery in Nolita. I don't know who the image is (Bernie Madoff?) but it is definitely an interesting piece artwork.

So where is the most interesting place you have seen a mural or artwork?

Big Brother Is Watching

This photo was taken around the corner of a restaurant in Nolita where they put their garbage bins -- you can see the plastic lids at the bottom of the page. The restaurant placed a sign saying the area was under video camera surveillance and (I assumed) someone stenciled a picture of a guy in a suit walking by or away with a bag.

I've been photographing murals a lot lately. I don't know if it is because there are a lot more of them in the city lately or they are getting better, artistically.

Has this ever happen to you?

Tribal Mural

This young lady had more important things on her mind than admire the interesting tribal mural on the wall at Houston Street.

So have you ever been so engrossed with your electronic gadgets that your miss what is around you?

Salvador Dali

There is an interesting and fun Salvador Dali art exhibition at the William Bennett Gallery in SoHo. I was in the area this past weekend and saw this iconic melting clock sign outside the gallery and decided to pop in and view the show.

So what did you do this weekend?

St. Patrick's Cathedral & Atlas

This photo was taken from behind Atlas (installed in 1937) and looking upwards across 5th Avenue at St. Patrick's Cathedral (completed in 1878). The two glass buildings on both sides of the statue is part of Rockefeller Center.

So what did you have for dinner last night?

Hand Made in Brooklyn

I met Dan Butler, an artist who had a small booth on Prince Street in SoHo last weekend. He sells beautiful silk-screened t-shirts as well as original prints of his art work. Mr. Butler said he loves what he does and I wish him the best of luck on his endeavor. If you are interested to check out his work, he has a website called, Hand Made in Brooklyn.

So do you love what you do?

Prometheus! Who? Prometheus!

His name is Prometheus and he sits on top of a rock overlooking the ice rink at Rockefeller Center in midtown. He is probably the second most photographed statue in New York City, after the Statue of Liberty, of course.

So is second best good enough?