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…
You probably know 570 Lexington as the skyscraper behind St. Bart’s Church: a towering 50-story behemoth of salmon brick, clearly affirming the Art Deco maxim of signifying power through simplicity. Originally built for RCA-Victor, it later became the G.E. building, and was ultimately donated to Columbia University during tough economic times. I’ve walked past the…
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…
Whenever I see a sign like the one below hanging outside of an abandoned property, I immediately feel an intense desire to get inside. When such a sign is hanging outside a hotel built in the early 1900’s in Southern California that has been boarded up since 1939, that urge goes through the roof. Let…
When it was completed in 1909, the original Met-Life headquarters at 5 Madison Ave was the tallest building in the world. (thanks for sharing the pic, edenpictures!) Though it lost the title in 1913 to the Woolworth, the Clocktower Building has been an integral part of the Manhattan skyline ever since. Personally, it’s my favorite…
Quick announcement – I’m going to be a guest on the Leonard Lopate show on NPR! I should be on the Tuesday show – I’ll post the times on Monday for anyone interested in tuning in. Now for my Friday assortment of random pictures I took during the past week. First, what can only be…