A Study in White

This is the ceiling by the entrance to a building on Mercer Street in SoHo. I was about to walk through the door when I noticed the decorative panels on the wall. Then I looked up and saw this old lamp and leave patterned crown molding on one of the pillars. How beautiful is that?

So what is beautiful to you?

Pulse Park at Madison Square Park

This is a new art installation called, Pulse Park located at Madison Square Park north of 23rd Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue South. The lighting project by Mexican-Canadian artist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer includes 200 spotlights that pulsate to the heart beat of 200 people programmed into the computer system.

My photo does not do it justice as it shows only a fraction of what the whole project looks like. For a better photo of the light-filled park, click here.

So what is your plan for Halloween tomorrow?

Eric of Paris Daily Photo

Eric of Paris Daily Photo was in NYC yesterday and a number of the local DP family showed up to welcome him to our little village by the sea. Despite the awful weather outside, we had a great turn out.

Alexa of The Road is Mine organized the event and MissB in NYC, Elizabeth of About New York, Mame of New York and I met up with a few of Eric's friends for dinner at Pipa, a tapa bar/restaurant near Union Square.

So what did you have for dinner?

Reflection in Central Park

How does one appear to lose 25 lbs in a day? Look at yourself in the funhouse mirror OR in my case, stand in front of one of the buildings at the Chanel Mobile Art exhibition in Central Park. The people on the right are waiting for their turn to go into the pod-like exhibition tent.

So when were you at your slimmest or heaviest?

Chanel Mobile Art in Central Park

I visited the Chanel Mobile Art: Contemporary Art Container by Zaha Hadid in Central Park yesterday morning. I have to admit, it was one of the best planned art exhibitions I've ever attended in my life. Upon entering the temporary spaceship like pod/exhibition tent, each person was provided with an MP3 player that played a guided tour narrated by French actress, Jeanne Moreau from start to finish. The exhibition is free of charge for everyone but there are limited tickets given out each day until November 2.

Now, on to some great news. I was bestowed two fabulous awards yesterday: the Blogging Friends Forever Award from Valeria from Verona Daily Photo and the Kreativ Blogger Award by Niamh of Barcelona Daily Photo. I appreciated the awards greatly so I would like to thank both Valeria and Niamh.

I know I am supposed to give these awards to other bloggers but there are too many to mention. So I think everyone should get them.

Time Square at Night

Here is another scene of Time Square at night. I took this photo on the same night as I did the Light Stairs photo, which I posted earlier this week. The chairs and tables on this plot of triangular space is new too.

So what's new in your life?

Installation in Progress

I saw this young fellow installing an advertising print on the window of a clothing store on Mercer and Howard Street in SoHo last weekend. It was a quick snapshot so I wasn't expecting anything special to come out of it. But when I saw the photo on my laptop, I found the most amazing reflection of the building behind him in the window.

The horizontal ladder in the reflection is actually the end/bottom part of the fire escape. In times of emergency, the ladder can be pull down until it becomes vertical so people can climb down to escape the building.

So how is the weather in your neighborhood?

The Other Rat Mural

Here is the other rat mural I saw last weekend in SoHo on Spring Street near West Broadway. This rat looked a lot cuter than the one I posted yesterday. He even has a 'I *heart* N Y' t-shirt. Apparently, he was caught red handed drawing a mural of a rat. How brilliant is this?

So what is your plan for the weekend?

N.B.: Apparently, the two rat murals are by British artist, Banksy. Here is his website: Banksy.

I Smell A Rat

I saw one of two amazingly produced rat murals in SoHo last weekend. This one is painted on the side of a building on the corner of Broadway and Howard Street in SoHo. Next to it was a slogan that read, "Let Them Eat Crack". I don't know if the slogan was written by the same people who made the mural or they were done by different people. Nonetheless, that is a nice looking rat

So are you afraid of rats? I am actually more grossed out by cockroaches than rats.

N.B.: Is anyone else having problems editing the photo image into the x-large format? It used to be very easy but today, I had to re-write the entire programing.

The Other Unisphere

This is the other Unisphere in New York City. The original Unisphere, which I posted on August 1st, is located in Flushing Meadows Park in Queens and is probably a few times larger than this one.

When I was in high school, there was another kid who looked very much like me, especially from the behind. My friends called my doppelganger the other me.

So do you have a doppelganger?

Lighted Stairs

The stairs you see here are actually the roof of the new TKTS booth at Time Square. [Click here to see the architect's rendition of the structure.] This photo was taken last night after I had dinner with Chuck of One A Day - Mostly Seattle and his wife, who are in town for a couple of days.

I took the camera out of my bag last weekend because it was low on battery and I forgot to put it back this morning when I left for work. So this photo was taken with my iPhone and it is totally unedited. Of course, I took over a dozen or so photos to get this one decent one.

So what have you forgotten to do recently?

Columbus Circle

I took this photo from the third floor of the inside of the Time Warner Center. In the photo, you can see Columbus Circle and 59th Street, which is the southern perimeter of Central Park. The Time Warner Center has a shopping mall, restaurants, offices and condominiums. It is one of the few shopping centers in the city.

So how was your weekend?

*Heart* O

I saw these guys selling *heart* O t-shirts out of their backpacks on Spring Street in SoHo last weekend. Tourists lined up to buy them like hotcakes because the political situation in the US is so unique that we may have a historic event in mid-November. But the bigger question is, who will be keeping the profits from the sale?

The closest I've gotten to "working the streets" was ringing the Salvation Army bell outside the local Super Walmart in Monroe, Louisiana a million years ago. What about you? Have you ever worked on the street?

Inside Baltazar

Baltazar is a very nice French restaurant in SoHo. I have not been there in a long time but I did managed to get a shot of the inside of the restaurant through the huge windows on the street.

So where is your favorite restaurant?

Roosevelt Island Tram

I took this photo last Sunday when I was on my way to Bed, Bath & Beyond on 61st and 2nd Avenue on the Upper East Side. The Roosevelt Island Tram happened to approach my direction as I was walking east so I took out my camera and snapped a few quick photos before going on my merry way.

So have you ever been on a cable car before? If so, where was it at?

The Americans Are Coming

Last week, I posted a photo of a mural that was being installed and called it, The British Are Coming. Apparently I was wrong! This mural was paid for by the British Tourism Board to promote Britain. So I guess the Americans are coming.

So have you ever done a follow-up post to an old entry?

Waiting for the Train

Today is October 15, which means it is another subway theme day. This photo was taken at the Union Square subway station when I was waiting for the train to go home last weekend. The people you see in the photo are waiting for the downtown train while I was waiting on the other side for the uptown train.

The theme is shared by the following bloggers:
Budapest - New York City - Paris - Stockholm

Christmas Wish List I

I was at the local grocery store this weekend when I heard a Christmas song playing on the speakers. Even though it is still too early to be planning for Christmas, I think I may have found an item for Santa Claus to bring me; I have been a very good boy afterall.

I saw this beautiful red Francis x7 espresso machine at the Conran Store in midtown last Sunday. According to the sales lady demonstrating and handing out free espresso, the machine currently retails for $395 (that is a $200 off the actual price). The lady also said that it was designed by Italian architect, Luca Trazzi.

So do you have a Christmas wish list yet? If so, what would you like Santa to bring you?

Times Square

I took this photo last Wednesday as I was heading to the theater to see the Broadway musical, In The Heights (yesterday's photo). The weather was cool and dry, and the street was packed with tourists and locals alike. Times Square is probably one of the most exciting places to visit if you are not in a rush to go somewhere because the human traffic on the street can be quite taxing.

So where do you encounter the most human traffic in your city?

Broadway Stage for "In The Heights"

This photo was taken inside the Richard Rodgers Theater last Wednesday where I went to see the Tony Awards (Best Musical, 2008) Broadway show, In The Heights. Most Broadway shows forbid photography inside the theater. But at this show, everyone was taking photos of the set before the show started. So I did too. The attendants didn't seem to mind at all.

The show was amazing. It had a wonderful mix of hip-hop, rap, R&B, salsa and soul, which were all very modern and new for this genre of entertainment. If you liked West Side Story and Rent, this is the show for you. In fact, it is the West Side Story of the 21st Century.

So have you seen any good live shows lately?

GROM Il Gelato Come Una Volta

Italian gelato brand, GROM il gelato come una volta from Turin has opened two stores in NYC -- one on the Upper West Side and this one in the photo, in Greenwich Village. I walked by the store last weekend but did not get a chance to taste the gelati. I will definitely stop in the next time I'm in the area.

So how is ice-cream different from gelato? Will you be able to taste the difference?

Reflections in SoHo

The windows, fire escapes and trees in the photo are actually reflections on the window of a store in SoHo. The building you see is directly behind me and the chandelier is located inside the store. This photo was taken on a cloudy Saturday afternoon just before the sun began to set. Supposedly, this is the best time to take photos.

So what time of the day or day of the week do you usually go out and take your photos?

Grand Central Station Stairs

This photo was taken inside the Grand Central Station last weekend. It was not as crowded as it usually is during the week days so I was able to get some great photos there.

I am a huge fan of railway transportation and I wish we had great rail services like they do in Europe and Japan. I have taken the train from NYC to Montreal (10 hours), Toronto (10 hours), Boston (4.5 hours), Washington DC (3 hours) and Philadelphia (2 hours), and from San Diego to Los Angeles (2 hours).

So have you ever taken the train lately? Do you like it?

Cellist Video Shoot

I saw this video shoot for a cellist at Columbus Circle this past weekend. When I started taking photos of the group, the guys behind the cameraman started forming a circle around the cellist and cameraman. I don't know if they were trying to block my view or they just happened to move around and inadvertently blocked my view. Nonetheless, if someone had come up to me and told me I can't photograph them, I would have apologized and put my camera away.

So has this ever happened to you?

N.B.: Does anyone recognize the cellist? Is he someone famous?

The British Are Coming

I saw this mural being installed on Spring Street between Prince and Crosby in SoHo last weekend. But it looked more like a painting than a poster so I was totally in awe at the qualtiy of work done here.

So what did you do this weekend?

Subway Skylight

I was invited to an open house party at the Upper West Side yesterday afternoon. I have to admit, in the 10 years that I've lived in NYC, I can count on my hands and feet the number of times I've visited this neighborhood. No, it is not because it is not a safe area; on the contrary, it's a very desirable yuppie neighborhood. The main reason I rarely visited the Upper West Side was because it takes two train changes to get there from Queens.

This photo was taken as I came up from the underground train station at 72nd Street and Broadway. This beautiful glass ceiling is the roof of the subway station there. I was immediately drown to the beautiful patterns on the ceiling.

So have your visited some place new lately?

To-may-toes, To-ma-toes

These tomatoes were sold at the Green Market in Union Square yesterday. I have never seen that many varieties of tomatoes in my life. There were big ones and small ones, purple ones and white ones, round ones and not-so-round ones, cute ones and ugly ones.

I have to admit, tomatoes are an acquired taste for me. When I was a kid, I hated raw tomatoes. Now it is one of my favorite things in a salad.

So what food items did you acquire a taste for recently?

Battery Park Vista

Old architecture juxtaposed new ones in Battery Park at Lower Manhattan. The neighborhood was built on reclaimed land on the southern tip of Manhattan to attract more residential population to an otherwise, downtown business district.

So are you more of the downtown type (i.e. hip & cool) or the uptown kind (i.e. posh & sophisticated)?

N.B.: Excuse the "dust particles" in the sky.

Water Towers

These water towers are relics from the past but they can still be seen all over Manhattan, especially on top of older buildings. I don't know much about them but I assume they were the main source of water for the residents of the buildings before modern water system was invented.

So what is the oldest thing you have at home? Do you collect antiques?

Kayaking on the East River

This photo was taken from the pier at Long Island City two Saturdays ago at about 8:15 AM. I noticed this guy kayaking alone on the East River. Who on earth wakes up that early to go kayaking on a Saturday morning?!?!?!

In the background of the photo, you can see the Queensborough Bridge that links Queens to Manhattan. You can also notice some weird splotches in the sky. Those are dust particles from the INSIDE of my camera lense. ARGH!! It's an old camera so I think it's time for me to get a new one.

So what time do you usually wake up on Saturday morning?

Theme Photo: Lines

Today is Oct 1st, which means it's theme photo day again. This month's theme is lines. So here is a line of shoes on the display window of Paragon Sports Store at Union Square. The weird discoloration on the top left corner is from the reflection on the glass.

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