Floating Stairs

If you have fear of height like I do, this will not be a comfortable climb down the stairs for you. The stairwell constructed with glass (or plastic) gives the feeling that one is floating on air. This staircase was installed just inside the entrance to the Apple Store on 14th Street and 9th Avenue (otherwise known as the Meatpacking District).

Walking up the stairs was surprising not as terrifying as walking down. And ladies who wear mini skirts might want to take the elevator around the corner from the stairs.

So are you an Apple or an IBM person?

Apple Store in SoHo

The first Apple Store in NYC was this SoHo branch. Architecturally, it is a beautiful store. But I remember feeling a little queasy navigating the translucent staircase for the first time because I have a mild fear of height. The newer stores have similar designs and the staircases are supposedly even more transparent than this one.

So do you have a phobia?

New Apple Store in Chelsea

This photo was taken at the new and third Apple Store in New York City. Located in Chelsea, on 14th Street and 10th Avenue just north of the Meatpacking District, the store is one of the many new arrivals in this recently gentrified neighborhood. The staircase structure is made of plexiglass (I think) giving it that floating imagary as shoppers navigate from the one floor to another.

So what are you doing this weekend?

Genius Bar @ Apple Store

On Monday, I told you about my trip to the Apple Store to get my friend's laptop analyzed and hopefully, fixed at the Genius Bar. Here is a photo of one of the genuises behind the bar. I believe "these kids" have to pass a certification program before they are allowed to work behind the bar. The Apple store also has a smaller iPod Bar on the corner to analyze and fix broken iPods.

So were you a smart kid at school?

Outside Looking In

My friend's Apple laptop died suddenly on Saturday so we went to the Genius Bar at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue and 59th Street to get a diagnosis of what was wrong with it. This photo was taken around 5 PM as it was beginning to get dark outside so the lights from inside the store really lit up the glass cube structure.

So has your computer ever acted weird or died suddenly?

5th Avenue & 59th Street

This is one of the busiest intersections in Manhattan, on 5th Avenue and 59th Street. On the upper left corner, you can see the beginning of Central Park and right behind me is the Apple Cube store.

So did you do any after-Christmas sale? What did you buy?

Black Friday

Today, the day after Thanksgiving, is known as Black Friday because it is the official start of the Christmas shopping season and retailers across the country are expecting to be raking in huge sales volumes and profits.

This photo taken from outside the Apple Cube structure on 5th Avenue between 59th and 60th Street shows the crowd inside the underground store. The new iPod nanos are on sale (today only) for US$136.

So have you bought anything at a sale recently?

Warning: Painful Behinds

This is the first time I have seen spikes installed on top of fire hydrants in the city. Most fire hydrants have regular flat surfaces that make them a tempting place to sit down and rest one's feet after a long day of walking. But apparently, these two hydrants have other ideas.

Notice how the spikes were added and screwed onto the original structures and painted over? I wonder if the shop in the background has anything to do with this. Maybe the owners do not want people loitering outside the store.

Have you seen anything like this in your city?

View From Inside the Apple Cube

This is the view from inside the Apple Cube Store on 5th Avenue and 59th Street. The building on the right is the former Plaza Hotel. Now it is being converted into a super luxury condo that sells for over $1 million per unit.

So if you had $1 million dollars, what would you do?

iPhone Madness

Apple, Inc. unveiled its much ballyhooed iPhone on Friday, June 29 at 6:00 PM in New York City and across the country. People began forming a line at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue between 58th and 59th Street as early as Tuesday night -- three days before the product went on sale. However, the more interesting news about this event was that only a few of the people waiting in line were actually going to keep the iPhones for themselves. Some of them were there as a favor for their (otherwise working and wealthier) friends while the others were hoping to scalp the iPhones for a profit. One very entrepreneural young man was interviewed on TV and said his iPhone was available for sale at $1,000 once he got it. The phone normally retails at $499 (4 Gig) and $599 (8 Gig).

Keropokman from Singapore Daily Photo suggested I go to the Apple Store to photograph the event so I did, on Friday afternoon at about 4:00 PM. When I got there, numerous press agencies and policemen have already descended on the plaza and there were barricades set up to improve traffic flow and crowd control. In the photo, you can see the glass cube where the Apple Store is located and the people who have been waiting since Tuesday. Some brought sleeping bags while others had folding lawn chairs. It was an interesting sight indeed.

For more photos of the iPhone launch event, click here.

So have you ever done something like this before? If not, what would make you stand in line for more than a couple of hours so you can get the tickets or entry to an event?