The Art of Elysium Benefit

A friend of mine invited me to a party to benefit The Art of Elysium, a non-profit organization that provides workshops in arts, music and design for children who are battling serious illnesses. The party, hosted at Milk Studio in the Meatpacking District, a trendy neighborhood north of Greenwich Village, was fun and exciting. I saw some beautiful art, like the silk screen of David Bowie in the photo above, ate some good food and met some new friends.

So when was the last time you went to a nice party?

Climbers

What do you do when you can't see the parade? Climb up the scaffolding in front of a building?Hang on to a utility pole or sit on top of a telephone box? These people did whatever it took to see the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island. Me, I just walked to the end of the street, away from the crowd, and watched the parade with my feet on the ground.

So have you ever climbed up a tree, a utility pole or a telephone box?

Rooftop Art at the MET

This installation on the rooftop garden of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) is the Coloring Book by Jeff Koons. It is one of three pieces of work by Mr. Koons on exhibition here.

You can see my reflection and the skyline of Manhattan in the shiny surface. I know, I know, I need to lose a few pounds or so. I've been asking for steamed broccoli instead of french fries with my (oh the horror) turkey burger.

So do you have any other tips on losing weight and eating healthy?

2nd Avenue Deli (on 3rd Avenue)

Last week, a friend and I decided to meet for lunch at the new 2nd Avenue Deli on 3rd Avenue and 32nd Street in midtown Manhattan. The original delicatessen, opened in 1954 on 2nd Avenue and 10th Street, was a famous institution in New York City but it closed in 2006 due to escalating rent prices during the real estate boom. The restaurant also suffered a tragedy in 1996 when the owner was murdered and the case remains unsolved to this day.

The new restaurant opened recently on 3rd Avenue and 22 block north of the original site but kept its original name as 2nd Avenue Deli. The photo above shows the free appetizers that came with every order -- (from top right): fried chicken skins with caramelized onions, vinegar cole slaw, pickled cucumbers and pickled tomato.

So what are you having for lunch today?

Mermaid Parade at Coney Island

Yesterday (Saturday) was the first day of summer. It was also the day for the Mermaid Parade at Coney Island, the stretch of beaches and amusement parks on the southern edge of Brooklyn on the Atlantic Ocean. And here is a collage of the photos from the parade. [Click on the photo to see the large format.]

So what did you do on the first day of summer?

Midtown Manhattan Vista

This composite photo of Manhattan's skyline was "stitched" together by combining 6 separate photos using the "stitching technology" in my point-and-shoot camera. [Click on the photo to see the large format.] The photos were taken on the rooftop garden of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) on 5th Avenue and 86th Street on the Upper East Side.

The museum abutts Central Park on three sides so you can see the green mass of trees at the near bottom of the photo. The buildings in the background is the skyline of midtown Manhattan, along 60th Street where Central Park begins.

So when was the last time you visited a museum?

12th Street & University Place

This is the corner of 12th Street and University Place, between NYU (4 blocks south) and Union Square (2 blocks north). It is one of my favorite places to hang out because there are good, inexpensive restaurants and cafes here.

What is the biggest college or university near you?

West Broadway & Beach

I took this photo specifically to remind myself of the names of streets where I was at. But the photo turned out quite nicely so I'm posting it today. As you can see, I was at the corner of West Broadway and Beach Street in Tribeca. I was a block away from the bench with flowers from yesterday's photo.

So do you also take photos of names of artwork or streets wherever you go?

Flower & Bench

I saw this interesting looking bench with flowers planted inside the side arms at Tribeca last week. Isn't this a clever idea? Although I think the bench needs a new piece of wood for the seat.

Also, notice the fire escape in the reflection on the windows? I think there is a restaurant on the first floor of the building across the street.

No questions today.

Strand Bookstore

This is the Strand Bookstore, the biggest used bookstore in the world. According to its website, it has 18 miles of used, new, rare and out-of-print books in its stores. Most of the books here are 50% or more off the listed prices.

Before the arrival of Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com, the Strand Bookstore was the biggest mail order book company in the country. I remember browsing through their catalogues as a young college student in the early 1990s.

So have you read any good books lately? I just finished Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert recently, which came highly recommended by a co-wroker.

Cookies & Cakes at Starbucks

This are the cookie shelves at the Starbucks Cafe inside Barnes & Noble at Union Square. A good friend of mine gave me a couple of Barnes & Noble gift cards so this is where I've been spending my weekend afternoons -- reading magazines and books with a cup of caramel macchiato or chai latte.

The place cards in front of the cookie trays display the prices and names of the treats, as well as the dietary caloric information. Most of the brownies and cookies here have between 400 to 600 calories a piece.

So would you rather have a cookie or an apple for a snack?

Union Square Subway Station

Today is May 15 and it is Subway Theme day again. This photo was taken at Union Square. You can see the multiple levels of this subway station. The top level is mainly undergound pedestrian traffic and the lower level is where the 4, 5 and 6 trains run. There is another level beneath this where the L train runs.

Three other cities are participating in the mid-month subway theme:
Budapest by Andrea Gerak - Peter's Paris - Stockholm by Pixel - New York City Daily Photo

Also, Happy Father's Day to all the father's out there.

Converted Co-op Building

I have posted a photo of this former police department a couple months ago. It is now a luxury condominium in downtown Manhattan, near Chinatown. The first time I walked by it, I thought it was a public building so I walked into the lobby. The doorman told me it was a private residence so I was not allowed to take photos of the inside.

I wonder what it would be like to live in that clock tower with all the windows. Would it be like a movie scene where you can see the clock from the inside of the building?

So have you ever been up a clock tower or a light house?

Zolay, the Siamese Cat

This is Zolay, one of two Siamese cats belonging to a friend of mine. The two cats are very friendly and sociable, even with strangers like me. They patiently posed for me but I only managed to capture a few good shots because they kept blinking or looking away from the camera. This is the shot I like best because Zolay was looking directly at me.

Normally, I'm not a fan of cats but these two boys are totally adorable. I'm almost a cat convert because of them . . . almost!! :-) But I'm still a dog person. Even on my worst days, a dog will always make me smile.

So do you prefer dogs or cats? Or fish?

Sunflower Macro

Here is a macro shot of a sunflower from the Greenmarket at Union Square. At first I thought the bits of white discoloration at the bottom right of the photo were specks of dust from my camera lens. After reviewing more photos of the sunflower (I took about 6 similar photos), I realized they were actually some sort of dust material (or pollen) trapped by the flower's hairy parts.

I hope your week is as sunny as this sunflower.

Houston and West Broadway

The street along the bottom of the photo is Houston Street and the street where the yellow cab is turning into is West Broadway. SoHo (short for South of Houston Street), a highly desirable shopping district, begins here.

New Yorkers like to give acronyms to the districts in the city like NoHo (North of Houston Street), Nolita (North of Little Italy), Tribeca (Triangle Below Canal Street) and DUMBO (District under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass).

So does your city have an acronym?

Deutsche Haus

This block of historically landmarked buildings, just south of Union Square, is known as the Deutsche House. According to its website, it is a New York University (NYU) institution dedicated to fostering German-American and international understanding.

What's interesting about this block is that it really stands out among the high rise buildings and retail shopping strips surrounding it.

So have you been to Germany?

Flower Box

I saw this flower in front of a window of a church on Christopher Street in the Village. The basement window situation at floor level on the outside of the building but located high up near the ceiling from the inside of the building. This is fairly common in basement apartments to allow light exposure into the otherwise, windowless room.

So do you have a basement in your house/apartment?

No Bicycle Here Please

This photo was taken on Washington Street between Christopher and West 10th in the West Village, in front of a really nice restaurant called Malatesta Trattoria. I don't know why there is a home-made, non-city-issued "No Bicycle" sign here. Maybe it is an art project. This sign is made of wood and was (obviously) hand painted. A city-issued sign is made of metal with machine printed details.

What do you think?

Movie Shoot: Mr. Rebound

Movies are shot on New York City streets all the time. They create huge traffic problems for residents because streets are shut down for days to accommodate the crews and the set. However, the movie industry brings in thousands of jobs or income for the city.

This is the set for Catherine Zeta Jones' new movie called, Mr. Rebound that is being shot on West 11th Street between Greenwich and Washington in the West Village. [I asked one of the crew when I took this photo.] The cafe hidden behind the huge lighted screen is being used as a scene in the movie.

So what movies have you seen lately?