Art or Lamp?

I saw this lamp sculpture outside a Mexican restaurant in Astoria, Queens. I was totally fascinated with the wrought iron work and distinctive southwestern design. I also love colors on the wall.

Does anyone know much about Mexican or southwestern art?

How Many Dogs Do You See??

On my way home from work earlier this week, I bumped into this professional dog walker in my neighborhood. His job was to take these dogs out for their daily walk so they can "do their business" and get some exercise and fresh air.

Dog walking is a professional job in New York City, believe it or not. Some dog walkers do make quite a handsome wage. After doing some research on Craig's List, I found out that the going rate for dog walking is $15/day/dog for two 15-minute walks a day. Some higher end professionals charge up to $500/week/dog although they tend to limit the number to two to three dogs per walk.

The person in this photo has quite a number of dogs with him. Can you count how many dogs he is walking?

Mrs. Bigfoot @ Socrates Sculpture Park

I was taking a walk through the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City last weekend and guess who I saw? It was Mrs. Bigfoot.

The Socrates Sculpture Park is an outdoor museum and exhibition space with an internationally renowned artist in residence program. It is also a community garden where local residents can bring their families and pets to enjoy the outdoor space. The area, located on the waterfront of north west Queens, used to a landfill and dumping ground until a coalition of artists and community leaders cleaned and transformed it into a park in 1986. Aside from the park, another popular attraction in the area is the Noguchi Museum.

This 6-foot tall female Bigfoot was one of the sculptures at the Socrates Sculpture Park. A Bigfoot is an apelike animal said to be found in the remote forests of North America. Although numerous sightings have been reported, none has been caught. Some believe that they do not exist..

What do you think? Do you believe in Bigfoot?

Le Carrousel @ Bryant Park

The weather in New York City improved a little this week. So I am posting a photo of this carousel at Bryant Park.

The carousel, from the Italian word garosello and Spanish word carosella ("little war"), was first built by Turkish and Arabian cavalries in the 1100s as a training apparatus for combat on horseback. Soldiers would practice their archery skills and sword plays while sitting on the moving wooden horses. These carousels were usually kept within the castle walls and not seen by the public.

In the early-1800s, colorful wooden horses suspended on a poles and powered by ropes and pulleys were unveiled at carnivals and fairs in England and Europe. Steam powered machines and music were added later and the popularity of carousels began to rise. The golden age of carousels were in the early 1900s when elaborate animals and decorative chariots were added to the rides.

Ravenswood Keyspan Generating Station

The Ravenswood Keyspan Generating Station is a power plant located on the north west section of Queens, across the East River from Roosevelt Island. The area, notoriously known as "Asthma Alley" by environmentalists, is also home to Queensbridge Houses, a huge public housing project in Long Island City.

The seemingly harmless and beautiful chimneys in the photo expel exhaust fumes containing sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matters, which have been linked to severe respiratory problems in children and adults. The 60 year old power plant is one of the reasons why New York City is known as the asthma capital of America.

Unfortunately, the power plant is a necessary evil because it generates over a quarter of the electricity consumed in New York City. Without it, many people would not have electricity for their homes.

Urban Oasis

New York City had its warmest winter in history last December followed by some of the coldest months in January and February. The two extremes in weather conditions should make us pause to think what is happening on Mother Earth.

The cold temperature in the city has moved most social activities indoors and one of the most interesting places to enjoy a cup of coffee while catching some rays of sunshine is inside the Trump Tower atrium located on the corner of Madison Avenue and 56th Street. The glass and steel structure is temperature controlled and bathed in bright sun light from outside. Dozens of tables and chairs are arranged around art installations and 10-foot (3-meter) bamboo patches inside the atrium. Entrance is free but most importantly, there is a small coffee shop here where you can get your caffeine fix under the sun.

In the future, will we all live in an enclosed environment like this? Are you doing anything to reduce energy consumption or limit environmental pollution?

Under The Boardwalk II

This photo, taken at the base of the Queensborough Bridge, shows The Food Emporium on the left and The Terence Conran Store on the right. The beginning of the Queensborough Bridge can be seen in the background of the photo.

The Terence Conran Store is a British departmental store that specializes in contemporary furniture and housewares. The store also houses a small florist and carries a small selection of books and music.

Under The Boardwalk

The Queensborough Bridge, completed in 1909, connects Manhattan at 59th Street to Long Island City in Queens. The bi-level bridge has 11 traffic lanes dedicated to automobiles and a separate lane each for bicycles and pedestrians. Interestingly, the bridge was built directly over Roosevelt Island without an exit route onto the island. There is another bridge that connects Roosevelt Island to Queens.

The base of the Queensborough Bridge on Manhattan's side are homes to The Food Emporium, a high-end supermarket and Guastavino's, a comtemporary restaurant. Both the supermarket and restaurant are carved into the foundation of the bridge and therefore, have spectacular granite arches with tiled ceilings.

This photo, taken inside The Food Emporium, illustrates the beautiful vaulted ceiling and tiles located directly beneath the bridge.

Leprechaun in New York City

This is another photo taken at the Queens' St. Patrick's Day Parade. The young fellow is dressed as a Leprechaun, which is an Irish fairy known for its mischievous attics.

St. Patrick's Day is traditionally celebrated on March 17 by people of Irish descent all over the world. On this day, people adopting everything green from green clothes to green food.

The biggest St. Patrick's Day parade is held in New York City (Manhattan) where over 2 million spectators and parade marchers walk down 5th Avenue.

Photo Update : Spike, the Bull Dog

This is a photo update of my previous post of Spike, the Bulldog.

I found out this morning that Spike was featured in the Travel Section of the New York Times. I wanted to share the photo with everyone so I'm posting a second photo for the day.

Photo Credit: This photo was taken by Eric Hauser of the New York Times.

It's All Gone to the Dogs

I would like to introduce everyone to my neighbors, Sasha (Husky) and Spike (Bulldog). They live in the same building as I do and I frequently bump into them in the elevator, the lobby or outside on the street. Sasha is a little shy and Spike is a sweetheart.

This photo, taken last Sunday, shows Sasha and Spike dressed in their special outfits because they were invited guests at our neighborhood's St. Patrick's Day Parade. This is the 8th year our neigbhorhood has hosted the local parade.

Roosevelt Island Tram

Roosevelt Island is a narrow little island that sits in the middle of the East River between Manhattan and Queens. It is approximately 3 miles (1 km) long and 800 feet (240 m) across at its widest end.

There are a number of ways to get from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island, but none is as exciting as the cable car/tram that floats 250 feet (76 m) above the East River. The view from the tram is breathtaking but it is definitely not for one who has an extreme fear of height. Last summer, mechanical problems caused two trams to stop midair, and 69 people were stranded for over 5 hours.

This photo was taken from the pedestrian and bicycle lanes of the Queensborough Bridge, which connects Manhattan to Queens. The neighborhood on the left is the Upper East Side.

Vandalism on the Subway Train

Vandalism has always been and still is a problem in New York City. Recently, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which runs the city's subway system, posted notices of $500 rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of people who are responsible for the taggings and graffitis on the subway trains.

Vandals used to spray paint the glass and plastic surfaces inside the trains. This led the MTA to install plastic coated glasses on windows and metallic surfaces on the walls to enable easy and inexpensive cleanups. The vandals are now using acids to burn through the plastic coatings and scorch the surfaces beneath them. That is why a lot of the new graffitis have drip marks on them.

I took this photo on my way home from work last Friday. You can see the signature/symbol of the vandal etched in acid on the train's window. I hope the MTA is successful in prosecuting these dumb**ses for defaceing public properties.

Adam Goes To The Museum

Adam is a friend of Amedee from Evry, France.

In this photo, he was going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with his girlfriends (who can be seen waiting for him above the stairs) but he decided to stop and take a photo for his friend, Amedee. He said, "I wish you were here!"

Stone Street

Stone Street, located in downtown New York, is a unique block of shopping and dining destinations in an otherwise grey and bland section of the city. The financial district, where Wall Street is king, is not known for its charm or beauty. The streets are narrow and the buildings are tall. This results in a light deprived environment where everything looks shadowy and bleak despite the wealth and financial power surrounding it.

Stone Street is lined with 18th century buildings that have been restored and converted into restaurants and retail spaces. Since no new constructions are allowed on this historic block, the area is bathed with sunlight and colors. In the summer, the street is closed to automobile traffic and side walk cafes spring up to create a beautiful oasis of beauty in the middle of this concrete jungle.

Theme Photo: Men at Work

This guy was supposed to be working but instead, he was oogling at the pretty girls across the street.

Today, 62 Daily Photo sites are participating in this month's theme photo, Men at Work. Here are the participants: 1 Porto (Portugal) 2 Greenville, SC (USA) 3 Hyde (UK) 4 Tenerife (Spain) 5 Albuquerque, NM (USA) 6 Stayton, OR (USA) 7 Rotterdam (Netherland) 8 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) 9 London (England) 10 Richmond, VA (USA) 11 Sydney - Sally (Australia) 12 Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) 13 Constanta (Romania) 14 Evry (France) 15 Lubbock, TX (USA) 16 Szentes (Hungary) 17 Villigen (Switzerland) 18 Mumbai (India) 19 Tel Aviv (Israel) 20 Twin Cities, MN (USA) 21 Jakarta (Indonesia) 22 Houston - Candice & Megan, TX (USA) 23 Budapest (Hungary) 24 Singapore - Zannnie (Singapore) 25 Dubai (UAE) 26 Singapore - Keropokman (Singapore) 27 Madrid - Dsole (Spain) 28 Mazatlan - Kate (Mexico) 29 Nelson (New Zealand) 30 Vantaa (Finland) 31 Kyoto (Japan) 32 Tokyo (Japan) 33 Joplin, MO (USA) 34 Auckland (New Zealand) 35 Sequim, WA (USA) 36 Menton (France) 37 Minneapolis, MN (USA) 38 Istanbul (Turkey) 39 Sydney - Nathalie (Australia) 40 Sharon, CT (USA) 41 Seattle, WA (USA) 42 Anderson, SC (USA) 43 Monte Carlo, (Monaco) 44 Milano, (Italy) 45 Grenoble (France) 46 Wailea, HI (USA) 47 Guelph, ON (Canada) 48 Melbourne - John (Australia) 49 New York City - Ming_the_Merciless (USA) 50 Cebu (Philippines) 51 Bandung (Indonesia) 52 Antigua, Guatemala (Central America) 53 Hamburg (Germany) 54 London - Jonemo (UK) 55 Hong Kong 56 Stavanger (Norway) 57 Paris (France) 58 Naples, Florida (USA) 59 Saarbrücken (Germany) 60 Shanghai (China) 61 Quito (Ecuador) 62 Zurich (Switzerland)

Shanghainese Soup Dumplings

One of my coworkers, who is Shanghainese, introduced me to soup dumplings about 6 months ago. Now I am totally addicted to them. Soup dumplings, which originate from Shanghai, are essentially meat dumplings filled with hot, delicious soup inside. The dipping sauce of choice is black Chinese vinegar with shredded raw ginger.

So how does the soup get inside the dumpling? Well, the meat filling is mixed with a soup base and frozen for a couple of hours. That enables the soup base and filling to solidify and congeal together. The frozen mixture is then scrapped with a spoon and (securely) encased in wonton wrappers, and steamed to perfection. Because there is soup/liquid in the dumplings, they are made-to-order and have to be consumed immediately. Otherwise, the wonton wrappers will absorb the soup inside and turn doughy instead of light and soupy.

Salt Spreader

New York City received another dousing of snow and sleet yesterday. School children enjoyed the day off while adults were outside shoveling snow so the cars could get out.

I saw this salt spreader on the sidewalk in my neighborhood. The workers were still shoveling snow further up the street. I assumed that once the snow is cleared, the blue colored salt will be deposited on the street via the wheel barrel looking machine.

Does anyone know what the salt is blue?

Holy Bat Wing, Batman!!

This photo was taken at an art gallery opening in New York City last Friday. A good friend of mine designed the catalog for the exhibition and I was invited to attend the opening and reception.

The woman in this photo was wearing a very interesting winter jacket. It has a pair of straps attached to the inside that can be worn over the shoulders like a backpack. That way, the woman does not have to carry the jacket in her hands when she is not wearing it.

She told me it is a club kid jacket. I have never heard of the term. Have you seen this kind of jacket before?

Takashimaya Florist

Takashimaya is one of the most exclusive and expensive departmental stores in New York City. While researching the information for this post, I found out that Takashimaya does not have a US-based website. The only store site I could find in English was for Singapore Takashimaya.

Takashimaya is a large Kyoto-based retail store that has outlets all over Japan, as well as in Taipei, Paris, Singapore, and New York City. It was founded in 1829 by Iida Shinshichi. The store specializes in obscure designer brands for apparels, cosmetics, accessories, and home furnishings.

This photo was taken inside the store's floral department on the 1st floor of the building. Aside from floral arrangements, it also sells garden ornaments, decorative and utilitarian vases, tools, and books and cards with botanical themes.