The Rooftop Ski Chalet on West 78th
I was walking on West 77th Street when I saw it, poking through the trees…Something that seemed out of place… […]
The Dragon House on West 76th Street
I was scouting around the West 70’s over by Riverside Drive when I saw this really, really interesting building ornamented
Lamb Skulls in Times Square
The cool thing about the Lamb’s Theater (currently under renovation) on West 44th Street in Times Square? The row of
The Aristocrat: The Mystery of the West Village Camper
I swear the camper in this picture has been parking on this street for years. Years. Right around the corner
Trains and Treasure In New Jersey
I love any opportunity to go somewhere I’ve never been, especially while scouting. Too often, we end up scouting the
Man Leaps From 23rd Street Ledge
Someone emailed me a couple weeks back that there was a man jumping off a ledge on West 23rd btw.
Elephants on East 10th Street
This building, 9 East 10th Street (once the home of author Dawn Powell), features a really, really neat building number
The Greek Temple At 28th Street
I was walking south down Broadway from 34th Street today when I saw this pretty amazing temple perched on top
Could I Get A Hand Holding This Thing?
One of my favorite blocks in Manhattan is West 46th Street btw. 5th and 6th Avenues. An incredibly diverse mix
Travel the World by Sea or Air
On 8th Ave btw. 39th and 40th is this really great faded travel sign, complete with an arrow on the
On the corner of 23rd and Fourth…Or Is It Park?
I’m standing on the corner of 23rd and Park Ave South… So why does that building on the corner say
The River Below Fifth Avenue
One of the things that absolutely fascinates me about Manhattan is the idea that streams and rivers that once flowed
The 9th Ave Demons Don’t Like You
I’ve been scouting for something around Times Square/Hell’s Kitchen over the last week (as evidenced by some of my recent
Tragedy on Broadway
It’s funny how you stumble on interesting bits in the unlikeliest of places. I was scouting Broadway in Brooklyn, which
NY Hotel Miraculously Offers Steam Heat, Housekeeping, and Hot Water!
A neat old brick wall ad on the side of the New York Inn (8th Ave btw. 46th & 47th):
Sin Will Find You Out!
I love religious crosses with neon-lettering attached to buildings, especially when they have ominous messages. Ignoring the tackiness factor, the
100th Street Candy Store
A great little bodega, the 100th Street Candy Store, wedged in between two much larger buildings on West 100th Street
The Rooptop House on 3rd Ave
After posting about the Beach House on an East Village apartment roof, one of our readers, Karen, commented that it
The Financial District Pharaohs
I’m not sure how well you can see these from the ground, but adorning the corners of this building are
The Abandoned Big Bamboo Lounge of Kissimmee, FL
Two years ago, I took my first ever trip down to Disney World and had a much better time than
The West 59th Street Sea Creatures
Way over on West 59th Street between 10th and 11th is this great little Parks Department rec center, dwarfed on
A (Bath)Room With A View
It probably goes without saying that this is quite the view to have while taking a bath (or sitting on
The Slow Death of Admiral’s Row
If you were traveling down Flushing Ave around 1904, this was what you would have seen: Jump forward in time
The Cup & Saucer Diner
New York is overfilled with flashy, archetypal steel-and-glass diners that look like they were transported here directly from the 1950’s.
The 40th St Philosophers
One of my favorites bits in Times Square can be found on West 40th Street between Broadway and 6th. It’s
The W Hotel Elephants
I was in midtown today scouting around East 48th Street, an area with a ton of archetypal New York hotels
You’re Never Alone
I was taking pictures on an empty side-street in Queens near the East River when I suddenly noticed these five
The East Village Roof-Top Beach House
For the first year or two after I moved to New York, I became one of those people who smugly
Enter Here, Stupid
Note: this building is now gone. This building, at Metropolitan and Kent, always has some pretty great (and frequently changing)
The Wall Street Fish
I love that thousands of New Yorkers go about their business every day unaware of the countless eyes watching from
The Angel of Sunnyside
I was scouting a location in Sunnyside, Queens, and I happened to notice the fountains in a nearby apartment courtyard.
Classroom Views
You know you’re going to school in New York City when this is the view out one side of the
Stained Glass on the Subway
As the MTA rehabilitates subway and train stations across the city, about 1% of its annual budget is allotted for
Clean Hands Protect Health!
This was painted on the tile wall of a kitchen that probably hasn’t been used in about 60 years: I
A Snowy Day At Fort Totten
When I was a little kid, seeing two abandoned buildings like these would have set my imagination racing. I would
The Amazing Wizard Of Park Ave
Merry Belated Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Holidays/Etc.! I was grappling with two enormous backpacks on my way out of the city on Tuesday
Back In Time In Midwood
Nothing is better than driving through a neighborhood I’ve never been to and stumbling on something like this: You can
Christmas In Williamsburg
Watch out when you’re coming out of the Bedford Avenue L-Train stop in Williamsburg… …Someone hung mistletoe above the stairwell
The Ghostbusters Firehouse Dressed For Christmas
This isn’t a secret or anything, but Hook & Ladder #8 has been dressed for the season and looks great,
The Navy Yard Lounge
Note: this is now gone. This is probably familiar to anyone who drives down Flushing Ave off of the old
They’re Watching You
Nothing makes scouting a claustrophobic, pitch-black abandoned underground tunnel by flashlight better than looking up and seeing these things a
Summers Above Central Park
A few years back, I was working on a film that had a camera position on the roof of a
The Gargoyles Over Madison Square Park
The amount of detail to be found in NYC is absolutely mind-boggling, to the point where there are ornamentation and
Amazing Vintage Electronics Store Sign In Brooklyn
I was early for an appointment at a Brooklyn college this afternoon to shoot some science labs, so I stopped
The Skinniest Building in Midtown
Look closely – it’s only wide enough for one window. This renovated brownstone, wedged between two much larger buildings, is
A Rose Grows In Brooklyn
Note: this is now gone. I was under the JMZ elevated subway line in South Williamsburg today near Marcy Ave
Greenpoint Warehouse
Just a quick one today. This is one of the coolest warehouse signs in Greenpoint: -SCOUT
Grove Street Surprise
I love being surprised by the city. Living in New York, you somehow adopt a jaded attitude that you’ve seen
Grand Central Rats
Thousands of people go into Grand Central through the Lexington Ave entrance every day. I always wonder how many look
Candy, Cobblers, and Revolvers
There are certain places in NYC that people rave about as being “so unique” and “must see.” I’m trying to
Skulls, Orgasms, and Dionysis
Back to Manhattan, where I found myself scouting less and less frequently (it costs way less to shoot in any
Scouting Red Hook
I really don’t know Red Hook. I’ve been down once or twice before for shoots at the shipping docks, but
Greenpoint Trees and Cobblestones
One of my favorite streets in Greenpoint, where I was scouting today, is Guernsey St. btw. Meserole and Norman. The
East Williamsburg Factories, Sunset Park Warehouses
I spent the earlier part of today trolling through the factories of East Williamsburg/Bushwick looking for interesting blocks that could
Tribeca into Soho
In my opinion, Tribeca is one of the more boring places to live in New York – everything seems to
About This Blog
For the past four years, I’ve worked as a New York City location scout finding locations for feature films. I’ve
Why Scouting NY Is Coming To An End
Dear Scouting NY reader, About a decade ago, I was hired to work on my first movie. Yep, that’s me