I was scouting around the West 50’s recently when I noticed a really interesting building on West 59th I’d never seen before, tucked away in the shadows of the bland modern high-rises surrounding it. The building looked to be in great shape despite its age, and two features in particular caught my eye… First, this…
Have you ever seen those I Spy children’s books? Each page features a large picture of a whimsical location filled with detail, in which you’re supposed to search for various hidden items listed beside it. I used to have a few when I was a kid, and while I enjoyed the colorful and intricate settings,…
As far as I’m concerned, Cortlandt Alley between Walker and White Streets is the most beautiful of Manhattan’s few remaining back alleys. It’s the archetypal image of a New York City alley – narrow, dank, secluded, and bordered by decaying loading docks, rusting fire escapes, and graffitied brick walls. I love the fact that if…
Nothing beats days when you’re asked to scout something as unusual as a crypt. Though you’d expect location scouting would take you to every sort of place imaginable, movies shot in New York mostly tend to ask for the old standards: Upscale apartment. Dank alley. Corporate office space. Vacant storefront. So when I was asked…
Every Friday, I try to put together a post of random tidbits from my week in scouting. Enjoy! While scouting in Tribeca earlier in the week, I was glad to see that my favorite Manhattan ghost ad (a sign, billboard or painting advertising something long gone) is still in decent shape… Located at the corner…
No joke: this is one of the new spring window displays at Bergdorf Goodman. Yep, aliens have landed at Bergdorf Goodman, and they’re not alone. Frankenstein came along for the ride… …As did this raptor, and a number of other horror movie characters. So assuming you have a soft spot for horror movies as I…
I was walking down West 46th Street in Hell’s Kitchen recently when I noticed a break in the buildings… Most of the time, this sort of thing just turns out to be just a nook where residents pile garbage…But as I looked closer… I noticed something peeking out in the back: what looked like a…
Note: This exhibition is now over. There’s a really great new art installation in and around Madison Square Park… …which serves as a reminder that you should stop worrying about looking like a tourist… …and look up once in a while. Antony Gormley’s installation Event Horizon hit the media this past week, as news outlets…
It’s one of those archetypal New York scenes: a squat, three-story building dwarfed on all sides by towering skyscrapers, the little building that could. Except, this little building happens to house a sex shop. Or at least, it did. I shot pictures of this beautiful art nouveau building at 38th Street & 8th Ave with…
There really isn’t any better way to describe it: look at the building on Water Street between Beekman & Peck Slip… And you’ll see a rooftop structure that can only be described as cruise ship-inspired architecture: The addition is appropriate to the building when you learn it is home to the Seamen’s Church Institute of…