Wednesday, December 31, 2008

No Times Square for me



I'm getting on a plane at o' dark-thirty
and heading several states away from
the place!  BTW, that's the Verrazano
Narrows Bridge down there.
I may be Internet-less while I'm away,
so I'll just put up some things I like
(and hope you do too).
Happy New Year! I'm wishing you all
the best in 2009, and hoping to meet
even more of you.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

"Lunchtime Atop a Skyscraper"



That's the name of this piece of sculpture
by Sergio Furnari, which he based on this
famous photo by Charles Ebbbets (which
is also depicted on the side of the pickup
truck).  You can find this parked at various
places around the city (if you're lucky)—
I caught it on Spring Street, in Soho.

Monday, December 29, 2008

festival of lights



Yesterday was the last night of Hanukkah, and
friends had their annual party—complete with
fabulous latkes and babka, adorable small
children, and candle lighting.  This is part of
their collection of beautiful menorahs.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

39th & Lex.

You can stand here and look north 
to see the Chrysler Building,

 then turn about 45 degrees to
face west—and there's the Empire State.
A person could get whiplash on this corner!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

The Gentleman Peeler



This elegant fellow is Joseph Ades, British expat and
salesman extraordinaire, who hawks his vegetable peelers
(one for $5, five for $20) around the city. This shot was
taken at Union Square on a Greenmarket day.
He's been featured in Vanity Fair, and business must
be good: Apparently, he lives on Park Ave. and drinks
Veuve Cliquot.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Brooklyn in blue & gold



Thanks for all the holiday wishes yesterday.
Hope your celebrations were filled with 
family and friends and good cheer.
(This photo, of the tree under our version 
of the Arc de Triomphe at Grand Army Plaza, 
is courtesy of my daughter Lila.)

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Happy Christmas* . . .



. . . from me to you!
(*or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa—whatever you're 
celebrating, I hope you're having a wonderful holiday~)

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Oh Christmas Tree

They had a nice selection of cute little
New York apartment–sized trees at the
Union Square greenmarket. 


On the other hand, here's mine.
Are all your presents wrapped? (I'm on it.)

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

the best store





It's ABC Carpet and Home, the most eclectic design store
in town. Check out their holiday windows: they 
have Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Buddha, Ganesh, angels, 
crystals, even a polar bear—something for everyone.

Monday, December 22, 2008

yet more proof . . .



. . . that anything can be decorated for the
holidays. Can't imagine how to put
Pan and Christmas in the same sentence.
But if he happens to be built into 
your fireplace, I suppose you just have to go
with it—as my ever-festive friends did.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

holiday parties



There's been one pretty much every night this
week, two tonight, another tomorrow. Not a
great time of year to be on a strict diet, is it?
This shot was taken at an annual party here
in Brooklyn: free wine, beer, and fab food,
and my brother's band provides the music. It's
such a great deal, and I don't think they ever
advertise it. But there are still more people
there every year.
(If you live here, you might be able 
to guess the venue.)

Friday, December 19, 2008

let it snow

Which it did. I admit I'm cheating—I was home nursing
a cold and did not take this picture of Central Park
today.  But I'll bet it looked exactly like this.

No problem getting around though, because they keep
this mountain of salt under the Manhattan Bridge, 
just waiting for a day like today.

Christmas in Little Italy



Caught these girls (part of a marching band from 
one of the local schools) twirling these flags along 
Mulberry Street.  They were rockin'!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

who is this guy?

He's the Poetry Man (no, not Phoebe Snow's).
He sits down at his portable typewriter and bangs
out a (good!) poem in a matter of seconds,


then stands up and reads it to you. How cool is that?

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Ho Ho Ho



Just one of the hundreds of Santas to be
found around the city right now. This one
hangs out on 6th Avenue (aka Avenue of the
Americas, but not by the locals), just
being jolly and posing for pictures.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

where the buffalo roam



And this one can be found at the Rodeo Bar,
where my brother's band played Saturday night.
Proof (if you needed it) that absolutely
anything can be festooned for the holidays.

Monday, December 15, 2008

sunrise



Took this from inside the Time Warner Center,
looking east at Columbus Circle and across
Central Park South.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Rockettes!





The glamour, the excitement, the . . . costume changes!
Oh, to be a Rockette, especially at this time of year.
Keep on kickin', ladies!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Saturday morning, 3 A.M.



If anyone noticed, I'm posting this about 9 hours
later than usual. That's because I spent the night
here, in the ER that never sleeps. We were well-
entertained while there—by cops and detectives,
several women in advanced labor, and a guy who
was shot in the hand.
All was well in the end, but my cousin gave us a
bit of a scare when she passed out cold and went
down hard in the middle of Radio City Music Hall.
She remarked as we were leaving the emergency
room 8 hours later, "The show was a knockout!"

Friday, December 12, 2008

Let there be light shows





Was passing through the main concourse in
Grand Central tonight, when all of a sudden
music began playing and the walls started moving!
We all just stopped and looked around at the cool
images that were playing all over the walls and ceiling.
This light show was created by the projection
artists from Artlumiere (who are very talented).
It gets shown every half hour from 11am until
9pm—and it runs through the 1st of January.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

on the other hand . . .



. . . while the Christians are preparing for Christmas and the
Jews for Chanukkah, Muslims recently celebrated as well.
It's good to keep up with the world's largest religious sect, and
fortunately, I have Muslim friends who are willing to explain
this to me (it commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice
his son—apparently, here they sacrifice a goat).
This story looms fairly large in the Christian Bible, so I wonder
why we don't acknowledge it in some way too.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

I second that emotion




Here are two more stores on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn.  They chose
a similar theme for their holiday decorating—but interpreted it in their
own imaginative way.  I think they're equally charming.

multi-tasking



John works with me, and today he brought
his 5-month-old daughter to work.  I caught
him staring at the computer with phone in
hand, bottle on desk, and baby on lap.
We all fell in love with the lovely, sweet-
natured—and sleepy—Emily Elizabeth.
(She had just come from her first photo shoot
for our magazine, Parents—you gotta love 
baby who pays her own way!)

Sunday, December 7, 2008

no bling, just sweetness



I'm sure Betty baked and decorated her window decorations
herself.  Her little bakery is on Atlantic Avenue, here in
Brooklyn.  Betty also makes an amazing Chocolate Devil's
Food Cake (with fabulous French Valrhona chocolate).

c'mon—smile!

This guy's wife tried and tried to get him
to smile—but he wasn't having any of it.


Maybe he doesn't realize he's posing in
front of the world's most famous tree.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

window shopping




One of my favorite things about the
holidays in NYC.  These windows belong
to the Anthropologie store at Rockefeller
Center, and I think they're fabulous—
how about you?

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Christmas market



There are several Christmas fairs around the city:
in Central Park, Bryant Park, Union Square—and
this one in Grand Central Terminal (near my office,
and the only one that's indoors.  Most of the
vendors offer original, handmade wares, like
these colorful ornaments.

woof!



Poor pink pooch! I might dye my own hair,
but would I do this to my dog? On the
other hand, how cute is this puppy?
I'm torn.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

where's the beef?



It's SO free-range, it managed to
free-range its way right out of the case!
This PC beef can be found (or not) in
a charming little grocery in Ipswich, Mass.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

home again, home again



NY skyline, taken from the Triborough Bridge—
still one of the best views ever!
Had a great time, but still good to be back.

Monday, December 1, 2008

greetings from Boston

. . . where we spent a rainy but fun day—
walking through Boston Common,
admiring the architecture,

  doing a bit of Christmas shopping on Newbury Street . . .