Rainy Day

It was hot and humid last Monday. Then it rained on Tuesday afternoon and the weather suddenly turned dry and cool the next day. This morning, it was a little chilly and windy. I guess the Fall/Autumn weather has arrived.

This photo was taken from inside the bus when I was on my way home from work last Tuesday. I took out my camera and switched it onto macro mode to focus the raindrops on the window. A few passangers on the bus looked at me curiously while others were too busy talking on their cell phone to notice.

Where was the oddest place you had taken a photo?

Mid-Month Theme: Subway Day

This photo shows the elevated tracks of the subway system. As you can see, there are numerous buildings surrounding it but most of them are warehouses. I think not many people want to live next to the subway tracks.

In the back ground, you can see part of the sign for Silvercup, which is a movie studio in Long Island City where all the interior scenes of Sex & the City and The Sopranos were filmed. You can also see the skyline of Manhattan in the far background.

Subway day is a mid-month theme shared by the following blogs:

New York City Daily Photo - Stockholm by Pixels

Dinner Menu

This is the dinner menu at a closet size Japanese restaurant in the East Village called, Otafuku. The only seating available here is a bench leaning against the outside the restaurant window. Despite its size, it is a favorite place among the NYU students and adventureous diners to grab some take-out dinners here.

So what and where is your favorite take-out dinner?

Groovy for the 60s 2

Here is another groovy, psychedelic van/school bus that I found parked in front of a Starbucks in the East Village this weekend. I have to admit, the artwork on it are very well done.

So did you take a school bus when you were a kid? Do you have any interesting school bus stories?

Faces From New York Fashion Week

Scott Schuman a.k.a. The Sartorialist

Glenda Bailey, Editor-in-Chief of Harper's Bazaar

Grace Coddington, Creative Director of US Vogue

Jeanne Becker, Editor-in-Chief of FQ Magazine & Host of Fashion Television

Judy Licht, Host of Full Front Fashion

The only reason I recognize these faces is because I read A LOT of fashion magazines. But my favorite magazine is the New York Magazine. I anxiously wait for it to arrive every Monday and then immediately do the crossword puzzle found inside on the last page.

What is your favorite magazine or reading material?

Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful

Yesterday, I posted a photo of a cute guy. Today, we have the cute girls from the New York Fashion Week.

So what is your most attractive feature?

New York Fashion Week Spring 2008

The most fashionable event in New York City is here again. The Spring 2008 New York Fashion Week began last Wednesday at Bryant Park and will last through next Thursday. During this time, over 75 international fashion designers will be showing their latest collections under the tents or at other venues across the city. This twice-a-year event generates a huge amount of revenue for the city.

Can you guess who is this tall gentleman?

Answer: Nigel Barker from America's Next Top Model.

Apartment Stoop 5

More apartment stoop photos this weekend. This one was taken in front of a townhouse at the East Village. I love this photo because of the shadows of the trees and the railing. But it was REALLY hot outside when I took this photo.

How's the weather in your hometown?

Fire Escape 7

Here is another fire escape photo from the Village. I like this one a lot because it is very differnt from the ones we have seen before. This fire escape is really small and tall and it does not look like too many people can evacuate from the building quickly. However, the choice of color is definitely interesting.

I hope everyone has a good relaxing weekend.

Wooden Chandelier

This beautiful chandelier made of wooden branches covered with crystal drops and a deer antler base hangs above one of the exits at the Grand Central Station. I have tried many times to photograph this light fixture but can never capture the essense of its beauty. For some reason, this is one object that looks better in real life than in photographs.

So has this ever happened to you where you cannot seem to capture the beauty of a scenery or object on film (or digital format)?

Installation Art on Pine Street

This is a gigantic art installation entitled Group of Four Trees by Jean DuBuffet in front of the Chase Manhattan Plaza, the tall building in the background. The structure is located on Pine Street, between Nassau and William Street in the Financial District of downtown Manhattan.

When I took the photo of this structure, I neglected to also photograph the names of the artist and artwork displayed at the site so it took me about half an hour this morning to research all the information to put on here.

To see a different view and appreciate its sheer size, click on here. You can see that it is at least 50 feet tall.

Do you also photograph the information of the artist and the name of the artwork when you see a piece of art that you like?

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?

Collage

This is a collage of scenes from the window of the subway train that I take to and from work every day. As you can see, it is an elevated train that travels above the ground, instead of underground. I purposefully chose a window with graffitis to give the photos some depth and contrast.

I started this project after reading about Todd of Postcards from Hell's Kitchen's post on his 'walk to work photo' project. But he has a more interesting commute to work than I do.

So how interesting is your commute to work every day?

Chrysler Building

Here is a zoomed in (or zoomed up) photo of the Chrysler Building -- as far as my little point-and-shoot camera can zoom. Isn't it a gorgeous building? I had to admit, it is one of my favorite architectural structures in New York City.

But I have a confession; I have never been inside the Chrysler Building. Midtown east, as this area is commonly called, is not a very interesting place to visit. There are mostly foreign embassies, corporate hotels and big office buildings in the area. So unless you have a business meeting to attend or are using the Grand Central Station, which is across the street from the Chrysler Building, you won't necessarily want to come to this area.

So how was your weekend? Did you do anything interesting?

Groovy for the 60s

I found this psychedelic Volkswagen van parked outside a building in the Village a couple months ago. I thought it was groovy because of the beautiful artwork!! I wonder if it belongs to an aging hippie from the 60s or a Wall Street millionaire with his new "toy"?

My dad used to own a vintage 1967 WV beetle when I was a young kid. It was a temperamental car (I'm trying to use PG-rated language here) that won't start on mornings when the weather was too cold. My brother and I would have to get out of the car and push it down the street hoping to jump start the engine while our dad steered it away on coming traffic through the windows.

So when I was old enough to get my own car, I specifically stayed away from a VW and bought a second-hand Nissan pick-up truck instead. Eventhough that truck had over 200,000 miles on it, it was super reliable and it gave me very little trouble.

So tell me about your first car.

Theme Photo: Street Signs or Street Lights

The theme photo for September 1st is Street Signs or Street Lights. This photo, taken at the Greenwich Village, is where the epicenter of gay New York is located.

Here are the other 108 bloggers who are participating in the photo theme this month:

Seattle (WA), USA - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Singapore, Singapore - Boston (MA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia - Mainz, Germany - Evry, France - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Sequim (WA), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Nottingham, UK - Toulouse, France - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Manila, Philippines - Mumbai, India - Montpellier, France - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Stayton (OR), USA - Moscow, Russia - Paris, France - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Austin (TX), USA - Lyon, France - Stockholm, Sweden - Hyde, UK - Hong Kong, China - Joplin (MO), USA - Seoul, South Korea - Chandler (AZ), USA - St. Louis (MO), USA - Arlington (VA), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Villigen, Switzerland - Sydney, Australia - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - San Diego (CA), USA - Bandung (West Java), Indonesia - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Nelson, New Zealand - Quincy (MA), USA - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Bend (OR), USA - Wellington, New Zealand - New Orleans (LA), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Nashville (TN), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Detroit (MI), USA - Saigon, Vietnam - Selma (AL), USA - Phoenix (AZ), USA - Miami (FL), USA - Arradon, France - Sheki, Azerbaijan - New York City (NY), USA - Inverness (IL), usa - North Bay (ON), Canada - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Tenerife, Spain - Auckland, New Zealand - Forks (WA), USA - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Chateaubriant, France - Madison (WI), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Orlando (FL), USA - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Ajaccio, France - Baltimore (MD), USA - Crepy-en-Valois, France - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Budapest, Hungary - Lyon, France - Saarbrücken, Germany - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Le Guilvinec, France - River Falls (WI), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Naples (FL), USA - London, UK - La Antigua, Guatemala - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Paris, France - San Diego (CA), USA - Trujillo, Peru - Haninge, Sweden - Prague, Czech Republic - Oslo, Norway - Grenoble, France - Shanghai, China - Toronto (ON), Canada - Durban, South Africa - Zurich, Switzerland - Cape Town, South Africa - Singapore, Singapore - Torino, Italy - Flagstaff (AZ), USA

Cheese Aisle at Grand Central Station Market

This is the cheese aisle at the Grand Central Station market where I like to shop when I'm invited to dinner. Since I don't cook, I usually offer to bring a selection of cheeses and fruits for the host/hostess.

Next to the cheese aisle are the sausages and deli meat section and the bread and dessert section. Last summer, some friends and I stopped by here to get some cheeses, sausages and bread before heading to Bryant Park for an inpromtu picnic. Oh and there is a wine section at the market too.

For me, cheese was an acquired taste. I didn't grow up eating them so I don't like stinky cheeses until I went to France in 1996 where my friend introduced me to them. Since then, I love all kinds of cheeses. My favorites are Greek feta and chèvre (fresh goat cheese).

So what are your favorite cheeses?

Hiro @ the Maritime Hotel

There are photos taken at Hiro, a dance club in the Maritime Hotel in Chelsea. My friend, Brien took these photos three weeks ago. I was not able to go because I was on the plane floating somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic on my way home to NYC. I love the colors in the photos.

When was the last time you dance in public? Dancing around the house on your own doesn't count. :-)

Hermès Rooftop Statue

About two months ago, Peter in Paris posted a photo of the statue of Napolean on a horse on top of the Hermès store in the french capital. He mentioned in his blog that Natalie of Sydney Daily Snap had also posted a similar photo from Australia. So I told Peter I would go and take a picture of the statue at the New York City store on Madison Avenue and 62nd Street.

Here is a list of bloggers who have posted photos of the Hermès statue around the world:

1. Eric of Paris

2. Peter of Paris

3. Natalie of Sydney

4. Ming of NYC

Let me know if here are any more Hermès statue photos so I can add on to the list.

When was the last time you bought something obscenely expensive?

TV Killed The Radio Star

I saw this graffiti on a temporary wall in front of a store in Union Square. I thought it was beautifully done and so unique because it was anonymous. Most graffiti artists tag their work with a logo or a nickname.

Interestingly enough, Dr. Vint Cleft, the godfather of internet, predicts that TV will go the way of radio in the near future. TV killed the radio star and internet killed the TV star.

So how many hours of TV do you watch a week?