Quick one for today: I was eating lunch in my car at 113th & Riverside when I noticed an interesting sign on this beautiful apartment building: Next to the gate on the right side of the building is this sign: “Servants & Tradesmens Entrance,” complete with one of those great old-fashioned directional hand illustrations. Servants?…
For those that have never been, Bethesda Terrace in the middle of Central Park is one of the most beautiful spots in New York. A two-tiered plaza leads to an incredible fountain and a lake beyond, in which people row boats around. The area is lush with foliage, and on a warm, blue-sky summer day…
I was waiting forever in heavy traffic on Norfolk Street to turn onto the Williamsburg Bridge when I noticed this sign. It seems pretty old (I’m sure that crossed circle was once red), and the more I thought about it, the more I decided that it has to be the most abstract official traffic sign…
This post will probably only amaze New Yorkers, or really, New Yorkers who drive. But anyone with a car that travels frequently in the outer boroughs pretty much depends on I-278, most of which seems to have been imported from a third world country. It’s insanely busy, always under construction, the speed limit is essentially…
One of my favorite buildings in Brooklyn can be found at 320 Washington Ave in the Clinton Hill area. Set back a bit from the main street, with a wrap-around driveway and surrounded by lush green trees, it’s in pristine condition for its 160+ years. Every time I drive by, I’ve wondered what its purpose…
I came out of the Chrysler Building yesterday and noticed a number of people staring at the ugly, uninteresting glass-curtain building across the street and taking pictures. Thus, I had to stop and stare too…but why were we all staring? For a second, I thought someone might be jumping or something. As this proved not…
If you live in New York, you’ve probably passed by these two beautiful buildings on 2nd Ave at 9th Street in the East Village a zillion times. On the left is a branch of the New York Public Library; on the right is a former medical clinic. What comes as complete surprise to me is…
Sorry in advance for the cuteness factor, but I couldn’t resist taking pictures of these two stray cats down on Division Ave & Kent Ave in Williamsburg. Everywhere they went, they walked side by side, practically pressed up against each other. I wish I had a few more to show how unwilling to separate they…
I recently posted about scouting Alder Manor, a dilapidated yet beautiful abandoned mansion in Yonkers. The manor was owned by William Boyce Thompson, an extremely rich copper magnate in the early 1900’s. This past winter, I had the opportunity to check out the former Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, a beautiful brick structure located…
I frequently drive past this parking lot at Kent and Broadway in Williamsburg. Whenever I pass, I notice the psychedelic bus parked there… …and I wonder: what’s the story with the pit bull sitting in the second to last seat? He’s always there, staring morosely out the window at passing cars. I’d say he’s a…