Manhole Cover Doormat

I posted a photo of a manhole cover on Saturday and incidentally, Eliane of NYC posted a great interpretation of it on her blog. Over the weekend, I found this manhole cover doormat at the Posman Books at the Grand Central Station. Apparently, manhole covers are quite the thing in NYC. Who would have guessed?

Do you have a doormat outside your house? What does it say?

Sun Breaking Through the Clouds

The rain began last Wednesday and it poured and drizzled almost non-stop until Saturday afternoon. Then the cloud lifted and the sun broke through. It was a beautiful sight!! This photo was taken at 5 PM Saturday evening as I was standing on the subway platform waiting for the train to arrive. I was going into the city to meet my former colleagues for dinner and drinks. And I didn't get home until 1:15 AM Sunday morning.

So do you still socialize with your former colleagues from your old jobs?

Apartment Stoop 7

Here is a modern interpretation of the classic apartment stoops. This townhouse on 13th Street between 6th and 7th Avenue was probably renovated recently to give it a different look from the rest of the townhouses in the area. This area is considered the gold coast of the Village because of its highly desireable properties and tree lined street.

So how is your weekend so far?

Manhole Cover 2

Here is the second photo for my manhole cover series. This one in the East Village has an interesting but distinct design on it. I always assumed the designs were the somewhat consistent or similar since there probably aren't too many manufacturers out there making these sort of things. But apparently, I'm wrong. The ones I have photographed have been all different.

This weekend I plan to go out and photograph as many of these covers as possible to see if there is a consistency in design or if it is all random.

Have a good weekend.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream.....Gelato??

It doesn't take much to make me. For example, this cup of chocolate gelato with a piece of hazelnut chocolate (Nutella) vanilla wafer and a cup of cappuccino will make me a very happy man!! The photo was taken at Caffee Dante on MacDougal Street, just north of Houston Street. It is an old world Italian cafe with delicious pastries, gelato and coffee.

So what simple things in life make you happy?

What Lies Beneath

I walked by Greene Street in SoHo many times but never noticed the artwork beneath me until this past weekend when I saw some tourists reading the sign (photo #2) on the floor. That was when I realized there was something interesting there. It is an interpretation of the New York City subway map by Franciose Schein. To see the real NYC subway map, click here.

So do you usually look at what's beneath you? Have you ever stepped on a piece of gum or dog doo-doo?

Accident of Nature

I was hoping to get a photo of the baseball diamond in Long Island City (in the background) from where I was standing (on the Queensborough Bridge) but the camera automatically focused on the fence instead. When I loaded the photos onto the computer, I realized this "accidental photo" turned out quite nicely. Yes, it is a wee bit strange but somewhat artistic.

Have you ever taken an accidental photo that turned out better than you expected?

Upper East Side Statue

I saw this statue of a woman and a little girl tugged in a tight corner between two huge buildings on the Upper East Side recently. As you can see, the space behind the statue was used as a trash collection area and the statue looks neglected and unappreciated.

I wish I had taken a close-up photo of the scroll that the little girl is holding to get more information about it. Maybe next time I'm in the area, I will stop by and get more information about the statue.

Have you ever felt neglected? How did you deal with it?

Jing Fong Restaurant in Chinatown

A couple weekends ago, I took some out-of-town friends to Jing Fong Restaurant for some dim sum. If you never had dim sum, it is a traditional Cantonese brunch menu that includes Chinese (Jasmine and/or Chrysanthemum) tea, dumplings, cakes, pastries and congee (rice porridge). You can also get the more exotic dishes or cuts of meat like stew chicken feet, fish bladder soup and stewed pork stomach.

This photo shows the small room/section of the restaurant, which have been renovated recently. The dim sum menu here is vast and quite inexpensive. It is one of my favorite places to bring friends for brunch on weekends.

So what is the most exotic food/meat you have ever eaten?

Earl Grey MarTEAni at Pegu Club

Here is a photo of the bartender making an Earl Grey MarTEAni at Pegu Club, where I met with Eliane, Lori, Olivier and Amedée.

Since the light was kind of low at the bar, I balanced my camera on top of my glass and shot this image on a slow exposure setting. It gave the bartender's hand a blurry image while everything else remained clear.

So what are your favorite drinks?

Amedée in NYC

Amedée and Olivier from Evry Daily Photo are in town this week. Yesterday, they invited Eliane of NYC Daily Photo, Lori of Miss B in NY and I for drinks at Pegu Club, followed by dinner at L'Ulivo in SoHo. We had a great evening and everyone was enchanted with Amedée. We took turns taking photos of him at the bar. So expect to see more photos of Amedée appearing on our blogs in the next couple of days.

Here is a photo of Amedée with his drink at Pegu Club. He was a little bit tipsy because he had some white wine, some red wine and an Earl Grey martini before finishing up this Long Island Ice Tea.

So when was the last time you had a little too much to drink?

Middle Eastern Pastries

These delicious Middle Eastern pastries are from a bakery in Astoria next to a restaurant where I go to frequently for falafel and shawarma sandwiches, tabouleh and babaganoush. The food here are delicious and inexpensive. These pastries are made from filo, chopped pistachios, honey and butter.

So have you ever had these pastries before?

Hi Ho Silver, Away

This policeman kindly posed for me and a group of other tourists in SoHo this weekend. He looked super confident and yet friendly, which is what we like to see in our New York Police Department (NYPD). Eliane from (the other) NYC Daily Photo posted also a photo of the NYC Mounted Unit recently. I guess they are everywhere in the city.

Have you ever ridden a horse? How was it?

Fancy Pumpkins

I saw these fancy pumpkins at the Green Market this weekend at Union Square. I don't think they are not edible; they are purely for decorations only.

I love pumpkin ravioli with sage butter but not a fan of pumpkin pie. What about you? What is your favorite pumpkin recipe?

Gifts from Australia

Here are the gifts I received this weekend from my friends and fellow bloggers from Perth, Australia -- Carol of Oh! For the Love of Food and Belinda of Bel's Fish Bowl. Belinda is (still) in New York City for vacation and she brought along some gifts for me from Carol and herself as well. So I would like to thank them both for the generous and thoughtful presents.

In the photo, you will notice a small bottle of Vegemite. Can you guys tell me what is the best way to eat it? Spread over toasts like butter? Dissolved in soups like chicken bouillon?

Mid-Month Theme: Subway Day

This is the New York City subway map. On the left is Manhattan Island. On the right is Long Island, which houses Queens (n0rth) and Brooklyn (south) . On the top is the Bronx and on the south (tip showing) is Staten Island. These five boroughs make up New York City.

Subway day is a mid-month theme shared by the following blogs:
New York City Daily Photo - Stockholm by Pixels

Dog in Nolita

This cute dog was tied to a pole outside a cafe in Nolita (north of Little Italy) while its owner went inside to get some coffee. The dog must be used to this arrangement because it didn't look scared or nervous. Actually it just looked bored.

When I crouched down take this photo, the dog didn't get excited or wagged its tail. It merely looked at me as if to say, "What do you want?" Now, that is a New York dog. :-)

So when do you feel bored?

Puck Building

This little golden statue stands on top of the front entrance to the Puck Building in SoHo and Nolita. The red brick building is probably most famous for being the site of Grace Adler's office in the TV-series, Will & Grace.

We are experiencing our first fall (autumn) like weather this weekend after two weeks of hot humid temperatures. I am really excited about the cool weather coming because I like temperatures below 60 degrees.

So at what temperatures are you most comfortable?

Graffiti or Art?

Is this graffiti or art? I found this scene in SoHo near some of the most expensive retail outlets in New York City. I think this is an entrance to one of the few artist studios that are still in SoHo.

Most of the original buildings here were warehouses (dangerous and undesirable) in the 1970s. Then struggling artists moved into the area (cheap rent, huge spaces) in the 1980s and gentrification began. In the 1990s, SoHo became a hip and chic area and today, it has some of the most expensive luxury retail stores and condos in the city.

So what was your neighborhood like 30 years ago?

N.B.: I have been really busy at work lately so if I haven't stopped by your site to say HI, please excuse my absence. I will try to drop by when I have some time.

Chimneys 2

A couple months ago, I posted a photo of rooftop chimneys from the Upper East Side. Then this past weekend, I found more chimneys on apartment buildings in Greenwich Village so I guess I'm starting a new series -- the chimneys of New York City.

These chimneys in the photo was located on the rooftop gardens (with wooden fences) above the 5th floor of the apartment building. But then again, are those onion dome shaped metal structures with circulating parts really chimneys or air circulation apparatus? Does anyone know?