Chairs Or Art?

It was late Sunday night and all the stores at the food court in Grand Central Station have closed for the evening. Only a dozen or so people were still lingering around waiting for their trains to arrive. I was on my way home, walking to the subway terminal located inside the Grand Central Station.

I saw this interesting sight -- chairs neatly stacked on top of the tables. It got me wondering. Did someone with an artistic flair put it together or was the person a little obsessive compulsive? Or is this just a routine way of stacking chairs on top of the table? I admit, I have never seen anything like this before. What do you think?

N.B.: Since we are on the topic of organization, please share with me how you catalog your photographs? My laptop automatically catalog them by dates. I also keep a separate folder for the photos I have selected, resized and PhotoShopped for this blog.

Central Park Winter Jam

The Central Park Winter Jam, held at the 72nd Street Naumberg Bandshell in Central Park yesterday, was one of the many free events sponsored by the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation at Central Park. Winter activities like cross country skiing, snowshoeing and igloo making were available despite the lack of natural snow accumulation. Huge amount of artificially generated snow were created to cover the venue specially for this event. There were also an ice carving exhibition, husky dogs for adoption, free hot chocolate and smoothies, t-shirt give-aways, ski vacation exhibitions, etc.

The photo collage shows a member of the U.S. Winter Olympic Freestyle Ski Team (also known as the The Flying Aces) performing on a giant trampoline. The team routinely trains on the trampoline to master the flips, twists and turns that are commonly used in the competition. This demonstration attracted the most audience and applauds. Click on the photo to see a larger, clearer picture of the collage.

N.B.: The collage was pieced together from half a dozen jumps, despite the appearance of one single jump, courtesy of PhotoShop.

Do you know how to ski? I saw a lot of brochures for ski vacations in upstate New York and Vermont at the event. Unfortunately, I cannot ski so I did not pick up any brochures.

New York Fashion Week: The End

New York Fashion Week finally ended yesterday following 10 consecutive days of fashion shows by 77 designers/brands from around the world. Most of the shows took place inside the Bryant Park tents, but smaller showers were held in other showrooms around the city.

For international fashionistas, New York Fashion Week is only the beginning of the Fall 2007 season. Next Monday, London Fashion Week begins (Feb 12-16) and it is followed immediately by Milan Fashion Week (Feb 16-24) and Paris Fashion Week (Feb 25 - Mar 5). I hope our friends in London, Milan and Paris will post at least one photo from the events.

The gentleman in the first photo is Tim Gunn from the Bravo Channel television show, Project Runway, hosted by Heidi Klum. I waited for him to finish a conversation with another fan before asking for permission to take his photo. He was quite popular because after I was done, two more fans wanted to have their photos taken with him.

The gentleman in this second photo is Cresencio from Operations, a two-year old New York based designer label. The photo was taken at the showroom/store in SoHo.

Starting tomorrow, we will go back to normal programming, i.e. no more New York Fashion Week photos.

New York Fashion Week & The Models

Aside from the clothes and celebrities, another popular target of photographers at the New York Fashion Week are the models. However, this year there was a controversy surrounding the weight (or lack there of) of girls walking down the runways after a young Brazilian model died from eating disorder.

Unlike the steps taken by Milan and Madrid recently, where models were weighed in and required to meet a certain BMI (body mass index) criteria, New York City instituted its own non-binding requirements for the models: girls under 16 will not be allowed to walk the runways, and no alcohol or cigarettes are allowed around the models.

According to Diane von Furstenberg, President of Council of Fashion Designers of America, the aim of the program was to bring awareness of eating disorders to the people working in fashion. When asked what she thinks of mandatory weigh in of models, Ms. von Furstenberg said, "Over my dead body!"

The first (blurry) photo above was my only shot of a model walking towards the tents at Bryant Park. The paper bag she was holding is from PAX, a deli around the corner from the park. So is that her lunch??

The second photo was a series of lighted advertisement panels near the subway station in Bryant Park. They were sponsored by the New York Times newspapaer.

So what do you think of this controversy about super skinny girls? Should fashion shows have a minimum weight requirement for the models?

New York Fashion Week & The Tents

The New York Fashion Week has been held at the Bryant Park since 1993 where huge makeshift tents are erected to house three showrooms, cafes and bars, bathrooms, a business center and an exhibition space.

Each showroom has a catwalk/runway with special seatings for guests and a section for the press. The showrooms, called The Tent, The Salon and The Promenade, range in size from about 5,000 sq feet (455 sq meters) to 15,000 sq feet (1,394 sq meters).












The first photo (above) was taken late in the evening. You can see the tents have taken over most of the park. The second photo was taken earlier during the day. The generators (over a dozen of them) pipe heat into the tents because the temperature outside is below freezing.

New York Fashion Week & The Press

Photographers and television crews from around the world are here for the New York Fashion Week. Most of the major news agencies have special access to film and photograph the event from inside the Bryant Park tents where the fashion shows are held.

A few independent television crews and paparazzi who do not have access into the tents (including people like me) are left to wait outside for a chance see celebrities and models arrive and leave the shows.

These photos taken outside the Bryant Park tents show a young lady taping a video segment for her show (first photo) and a group of paparazzi (second photo) eagerly waiting for some celebrities to come out of the tents.

Although I was not able to get inside the tents this year, I did go to a couple of shows (Luca Luca, Lacoste) two years ago with my neighbor who works in the fashion industry. I have since moved to a new apartment and she is no longer my neighbor.

If you are interested to see some of the photographs from the fashion shows, click here.

New York Fashion Week & The Crowd

According the the Mayor's Office, the biannual New York Fashion Week generates 150,000 jobs for more than 15,400 businesses in the city, especially those involved in the hospitality, garment, transportation, entertainment, and service industries. The economic impact of the fashion shows alone is estimated to be around $177 million annually. That does not include the additional millions of dollars generated from wholesale apparel merchandising that takes place after the shows are over.

These photos examplify the fashionable crowd that congregate outside of the Bryant Park tents before and after the fashion shows. Only invited guests and fashion industry people are allowed inside the tents. The rest of us, mere mortals, have to wait outside to see what everyone is wearing.

New York Fashion Week & The Sartorialist

New York Fashion Week, the biannual spectacle of expensive clothes and beautiful people, descended on Bryant Park this past weekend. For the next 10 days or so, every local and foreign newspapers and television shows will be reporting on who and what is being sent down the runways. This event is a huge contributer to the city's economy, as well as a major tourism advertisement for the city.

So this week, I will be bringing you photographs from the New York Fashion Week.

The gentleman in this photo is Scott Schuman, the professional photographer/blogger who writes The Sartorialist. He is also a regular contributer for GQ magazine and Style.com. The brilliance and originality of Mr. Schuman work is that he photographs regular people (well, okay...beautiful people) on the street who examplify fashion and style around the world.

I was standing outside the Bryant Park tents, where the fashion shows are being held, when I spotted Mr. Schuman walking up the street . I snapped this paparazzi-style photo before running up to say "HI!! I'm your biggest fan!" I asked and he consented to a couple more photographs but none of them turned out as well as this first shot. He is definitely a snazzy dresser.

So what is the most expensive piece of garment you ever bought for yourself?

General Motors Building

General Motors Corporation or GM is the world largest automobile maker in the world. Founded in Flint, Michigan in 1908, the company manufactures some of the most recognizable and popular cars in the world. Despite stiff competitions from Japanese, Korean and European automobile manufactureres, and the struggles to finance its expensive company funded pension plans, GM still manages to be the world leader in the automobile industry.

The General Motors Building, built in 1968, takes up an entire block between Madison and 5th Avenue, and 58th and 59th Street. It is 705 feet (215 meters) tall and 50 storeys high. The 5th Avenue lobby of the building used to be an automobile showroom but now, the CBS Television Studio occupies most of the space. A smaller section of the lobby belongs to FAO Schwartz, a toy store. The Apple Cube was recently constructed above the plaza in front of the GM Building.

This photo, taken with a slow shuttle speed exposure, shows the ceiling tiles, lighting fixtures and support pillars of the 5th Avenue entrance to the GM Building. The ceiling is probably 5 storeys tall and has an impressive geometric design made from marble stone.

Pussy Willow

Since New York City had its warmest winter last year, some plants are beginning to bloom earlier than expected.

This photo of a pussy willow tree was taken earlier this week when I was waiting for the bus to go home. Pussy willow (salix discolor) got its name from the soft furry buds that form on the naked branch during late winter. The silky texture and grey colors of the buds resemble cats' paws. In early spring, the buds bloom to produce medium size white and pink flowers.

Click to enlarge the photo and you can almost feel the furry buds. Meow!!

An American in Paris

Recently, I saw the movie, An American in Paris, starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. It was a musical, set in the 1950s, about an American soldier who stayed back in Paris to study art after the Second World War. Along the way, he met and fell in love with a beautiful French cabaret singer. However, the relationship had some major obstacles. Did they live happily ever after? You will have to watch the movie to find out. If you are a fan of old Hollywood musicals, this is one of the best of the genre.

The building in this photo is the women's department of Bergdorf Goodman, on 5th Avenue and 58th Street. It reminds me of the architecture commonly seen in Paris, especially around the 1st - 4th and 8th - 9th arrondissements on the Right Bank. The statue in the foreground is Pomona, the Roman Goddess of Fruits and Nuts. She is standing on top of the Pulitzer Fountain, in front of The Plaza Residences (formerly, The Plaza Hotel).

Here is another photo of the Bergdorf Goodman Building that I posted on NYCDP last year. It was taken from the southern side, on 5th Avenue and 57th Street.

For more photo of the Pulitzer Fountatin, click here.

What Annoys You Most About Your City?

February 1st is Daily Photo Theme Day. The theme this month is: what annoys you most about your city.

Mine is car alarms going off at 3:00 AM outside my bedroom window but that is hard to translate into photography. So I'm going for the crowded subway train.

I didn't sign up on time to be included in the Daily Photo Theme List but you can check the list out from the guy who started this daily photo blog in the first place - Eric of Paris Daily Photo.

Tree Chair @ ABC Carpet

ABC Carpet is a home furnishing store that specializes in imported furniture, antiques, one-of-a-kind pieces, as well as other home goods like carpets and rugs, electronic appliances, luxurious fabrics, and chinaware. The flagship store, located in two buildings on Broadway between 19th and 20th Street (Flatiron District), also has a couple of restaurants on its premises.

ABC Carpet was started by then newly arrived Austrian immigrant, Sam Weinrib, in 1879 on a pushcart selling used carpets and unusual fabrics at the Lower East Side of Manhattan. A century later, the family owned company has grown into one of the biggest and most diverse home furnishing retail outlets in New York City. Currently, there are numerous ABC Carpet outlets in New York, New Jersey and Florida, as well as in Harrods' in London.

The chair in the photo was carved out of a piece of tree truck and is an example of one-of-a-kind pieces available at ABC Carpet. The two doors to the left and right of the chair are the elevators. And no, the store was not undergoing renovation; this is how it was decorated. Notice the unadorned light fixture above the chair. Despite the organic look and simplicity, these pieces come with hefty price tags.

Pottery Class @ Chelsea Ceramic Guild

The Chelsea Ceramic Guild , on 19th Street between 7th and 8th Avenue, is a pottery studio and school for amateur ceramists and potters. Opened in 1989, the non-profit organization offers beginners, intermediate and advanced classes on pottery, glazing and firing, as well as a retail space for supplies and students' art work.

In the photo, the girl in red pants just finished her pottery (a vase) and covered it with a plastic bag (at bottom left corner). She left to wash her hands and later moved the case onto one of the shelves on the right for air drying. I did not stay around long enough to see what happened after that.

Le Pain Quotidien

Le Pain Quotidien is a chain of french style bakery that originated from Brussels, Belgium, where the first store opened in 1990. Today Le Pain Quotidien is found all over Europe, the Middle East and United States (New York City and Los Angeles).

The name, Le Pain Quotidien means The Daily Bread in French. The philosophy of the bakery is to provide good, wholesome and healthy bread (and other baked goods) to the customers.

This photo, taken outside the Chelsea branch on 7th Avenue between 17th and 18th Street, showcased the desserts section of the bakery. Clockwise from top left are the raspberry tart, mini mousse dome, mix berry tart, lemon tart, french cream donut, large lemon tart, apple pie, chocolate mousse cake and large mixed berry tart.

You can see the delicious french baguettes on the top left corner. The bakery also sells those beautiful round sourdough breads that are commonly found in Parisian bakeries. Click here to see the display of sourdough breads at the store.

Secret Admirers

A small crowd of people were peeking into this store window on 5th Avenue and 56th Street in Manhattan. I quickly took out the camera and photographed them. After they left, I peeked into the window and saw this piece of rock sitting on a porcelain rose. The store in the photo is Harry Winston and the piece of rock was a gigantic diamond.

Harry Winston (1896-1978) was an American jeweler whose namesake stores sell ultra luxurious jeweleries to the rich and famous. He was also known as the philantropist who donated the Hope Diamond to the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC.

Ferrara @ Little Italy

Ferrara is one of the oldest and most well known family owned cafes in New York City. It is located in Little Italy on Grand Street between Mott and Mulberry Street. The cafe, initially called Caffe A. Ferrara, was opened by Italian immigrants, Antonio Ferrara and Enrico Scoppa in 1892. Antonio Ferrara's nephew married Enrico Scoppa's daughter in 1929 thus uniting the business under one family.

Today, Ferrara has expanded to include a number of cafes, bakeries, and a very successful mail-order business. It is well known for its delicious Italian pastries and cakes, and every Italian-American bride orders her wedding cake from the store. The business is still owned and run by the 5th generation of the original owners.

This photo was taken from the entrance of the flagship store in Little Italy. The cafe is always packed with patrons and getting a table at the cafe is almost impossible, especially during after-dinner hours.

Click here for another photo of the cafe.

Subway Mural

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which operates the public transportation system, regularly supports artists and musicians in the city. One of its most visible projects sponsored by the organization is the Arts for Transit Program. Started in 1986, the program was established to incorporate public art into the renovation and preservation of the 100-year old plus subway system.

The mosaic mural in this photo, located under 5th Avenue and 42nd Street in Manhattan, is a permanent installation by Los Angeles-born, Brooklyn-based artist, Samm Kunce. The mural entitled, Under Bryant Park" won the 2002 Best Public Art Project by the New York Municipal Art Society.

CUNY Graduate Center

City University of New York (CUNY) is the largest urban university in the United States consisting of 21 colleges. It has an enrollment of 450,000 students spread out over 5 boroughs in New York City. The university was founded by Townsend Harris in 1847 as the Free Academy. The Free Academy became The City College and later merged with other city schools to form the CUNY system in 1961.

The building in the photo is the CUNY Graduate Center, which is the only college that offers PhD degreesin the CUNY system. It is located in the former B. Altman and Company on 5th Avenue between 33rd and 34th Street. The building was designed by architects, Trowbridge and Livingston and completed in 1906. CUNY took over the building and made it the new home of the CUNY Graduate Center.

Click here for more photos of the CUNY Graduate Center.

Herald Square

Herald Square is the twin park of Greeley Square at the intersecting avenues of Broadway and Sixth, and 34th Street in Manhattan. The two triangular squares point towards each other at the long end, forming a bowtie shaped configuration of public space.

Olivier of Evry Daily Photo mentioned the clock on Herald Square in his comment to the photo of Greeley Square last week. I promised him I would go back and take a photo of the clock for him. So please thank Olivier for this photo.