2009

But only for another 24 hours. By this

time tomorrow, this ball will have just

dropped, the numbers for the new year

will be all lit up—and probably the

crazy crowd down below in Times

Square will be too (but in a different

way)! They can do whatever they want—

I'm nowhere near the insanity.

abc wednesday - X is for "Xhosa"

So I went looking for something that

begins with X. Good luck, right?

Well, this is how you write "I love you"

in Xhosa, a Bantu language spoken

by about 7.5 million people in South Africa. 

This is what it sounds like.

Wish I could do that!

holiday cheer on 6th Ave.

Oops—forgot to show you one of my favorite

holiday displays—bigger than life and right

across the street from Radio City Music Hall, where 

the Rockettes do their high-kicking thing.

[This is part of That's My World Tuesday. See more here.]

Mellow Yellow Monday

I went looking for this photo because I've been

craving a bunch of these grapes—some of the

sweetest I ever tasted.  Why is it that, more and 

more, many of my fondest memories of

the places I visit are all about food??  (I hope it's 

just because the places I like to visit the

most are in France and Italy.)

[You can see more Mellow Yellow here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

This was actually taken a week ago

at around 3 a.m. (by my daughter Lila). 

 We'd been at a great party, and the

 snow had finally stopped.

This is Lila's beautiful Brooklyn

brownstone stoop, which 

I've shown you before.

photo Hunter — "12"

I know this is obvious on the day after

Christmas—but I just had to go with

12 drummers drumming—in this case, an 

even dozen of my brother Chris.

Happy Boxing Day!

[See more Photo Hunter shots here.]

Skywatch Friday

Here's a shiny tree topper for you! 

 Hope you're having a wonderful holiday this

year, whatever you celebrate—

[Check out more Skywatch (hi, Santa!) here.]

not a creature was stirring . . .

. . . not even my good old (15 years old!) mouser,

Buddy (we only ever had one, but Buddy dealt

with it brilliantly). And even if everything 

that needed to get done didn't quite—at 

least the tree is up!

abc wednesday - W is for "window"

This is my favorite one of Bloomingdale's

windows this year—fun if you don't 

mind being part of the display—which I 

sort of do, but whatever . . .

[And you can find more abc wednesday here.]

dedicated

Or maybe he's just obsessed.

We got a big snowfall here Saturday night,

and I was impressed to see this runner

heading into Prospect Park well after dark, at

 the height of the storm. Guess he figured he 

was safe enough—you don't usually find a lot 

of muggers lurking about in a blizzard.

[You can see more of That's My World Tuesday right here.]

Mellow Yellow Monday

Happy Holidays from the good men and

women of the NYFD. This nicely decorated

fire truck was parked right in front of

Bloomingdale's. (Yes, I know the truck is

red, but the hoses are yellow!)

[Catch more Mellow Yellow here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

I almost wish I had a reason to wear

something like this (seen here in

one of Lord and Taylor's holiday

windows). On the other hand,

there's a lot to be said for pure comfort. 

 What's your preference?

[Check out more shadow shots here.]

Photo Hunter — "fast"

The express train came tearing through

Vernazza in the Cinque Terre—going so fast 

it seemed as though we could see

through it! (Though, apparently, we

actually could see through it—how is that

possible?) Anyway, this is exactly 

how I feel about the approaching holidays, 

and I'm so NOT ready.

[Check out more "fast" photos at PhotoHunt, /here.]

Skywatch Friday

Let's call it a Christmas sunset. (And I was with

the ex when I took this shot—Happy B-day, Steve!)

That's the Bronx over there (the one NYC borough

that remains pretty much a total mystery to me).

[See more skywatch here.]

red and green

When it comes to wrapping presents, I

firmly believe that it's all about the ribbon!

If this store hadn't been closed and

shuttered when I went by the other night,

I definitely would have bought the red

ribbon with the polka-dots—and probably

wouldn't have stopped there!

abc wednesday - V is for "vino"

This bottle was shared, along with some local

pesto pizza, by my brother and me and 

our friends before a hike in the Cinque Terre.

If you ever have the opportunity of enjoying

any or all of those experiences—don't pass it up!

[Check out more abc Wednesday here.]

a downtown Christmas

. . . from a comic-book store on Thompson St.,

in the Village.  As the man says . . . abide!

(And may I add relax . . . and enjoy!)

[And you can find more of That's My

World Tuesday here.]

Mellow Yellow Monday

You could fill a whole Christmas tree with

all the "taxis" for sale around town.  In fact,

my fave ornament (aside from my special

Christopher Radko Eiffel tower) on my tree is a

 little carved wood cab with a Christmas

tree sticking out of the trunk. 

 What's your favorite ornament?

[Find more Mellow Yellow Monday here.]

shadow Shot Sunday

One of Lord and Taylor's wonderful holiday

windows—everything moves—features

scenes from "The Nutcracker."  Makes me

realize that I haven't been to a performance

of this classic since my kids were little and I took 

them to see their friends who were in

the American Ballet Theater version at City Center.

[See more Shadow Shots here.]

photo hunter – "unacceptable"

This is a very high-end neighborhood
and that's the United Nations over there.
In fact, they did let us cross—but they should
have let the garbage collectors in too.

Skywatch Friday

Happy Hanukkah—

This is Central Synagogue, at Lexington

and 55th. It was built in 1872 in the

Moorish Revival style (as a copy of this one

in Budapest) and has been in continuous

use by a congregation longer than any

other synagogue in NYC.

[Click here to find more Skywatch shots.]

Welcome to Macy's

. . . ALL decked out for the season. They

must spend so much on the Thanksgiving

Parade, then on all this inside and out.

And yet, definitely not the most expensive

store in town. Still, I've certainly plunked

down a few bucks here over the years.

So what's your fave place to shop?

abc wednesday - U is for "uncomfortable"

These are featured in one of Lord and Taylor's

holiday windows. I realize they're Badgley Mischka, 

no doubt cost a not-so-small fortune, and 

therefore should by rights be super-comfy. 

 But I'll bet you the price of these 

shoes that they're not only killer to look at 

but also to wear. Hey, the height of the 

heels alone would have me hobbling immediately!

[You can see more abc wednesday here.]

About that tree . . .

Okay, here it is. Figured I had to go get a picture 

of the Rockefeller Center tree.  Of course, 

when I went by there on Sunday night, there were 

probably several thousand people who had the same 

bright idea. So I turned the other way and 

snapped this shot of Saks Fifth Avenue's "snowy" façade instead.

[This post is part of "That's My World." See more here.]

Mellow Yellow Monday

I made a really cool mosaic of holiday images

from all over town. Unfortunately, I can't seem to 

upload it to the blog. This was one of them:

downtown Brooklyn—where they've opted to string 

the lights every two feet across Court Street. 

 Hey, it's Brooklyn, so we can 

do whatever we want—fuggedaboutit!

Check out more Mellow yellow here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

Decided to stay in the same neighborhood

from yesterday's post. This is one of the

fabulous villas that line the Viale Evangelista

Torricelli (which leads to Viale Galileo, which

takes you to San Miniato, which brings us

back to yesterday).  It's a 30- to 40-minute

walk to the center of Florence from here,

and I'd definitely take it for the privilege of 

living in a place like this.

[Check out more Shadow Shots here.]

photo hunter - "curved"

This is Viale Galileo, a beautiful, curving

road just outside the Porta Romana 

(the southern gate of Florence).  Take this

route for a picturesque walk up to

San Miniato al Monte and amazing

views of the city.

[You can see more curves here at PhotoHunter.]

Skywatch Friday

This is the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, which
connects the Bronx (duh) and Queens. The
two towers were built in a mere 18 days.
When the bridge opened 70 years ago, the
toll was 25 cents. It's now $5.50. And so
it goes . . .
[See more Skywatch here.]

New York at Night (4)

It figures that the subway station at Times
Square would have its fair share of glitz and
color, and probably more than its fair share
of wattage use. I'm thinking our carbon
footprint, in this neighborhood especially,
is not anything to brag about.

abc wednesday - T is for "traffic"

Now this is my kind of traffic jam! And notice
how the delivery boat, private launch, and
vaporetto all give the right of way to the
traghetto (my fave way to get across the
Grand Canal). Very civilized.
[See more abc wednesday here.]

Thank you, Shell!

I happily sent my friend Shell some photos of
Venice so she could work her particular magic
with them. And just look what the doorman
handed me last week—imagine my surprise
and delight when I opened the package from
Australia to find this beautifully wrapped
original Shell Sherree! I've since learned that
this watercolor is one of Shell's first of Venice
and holds much sentimental value for her—
which, of course, makes me even more touched
that she's trusted it to me.
And if you'd like to have your very own original
Shell Sherree, it's easily arranged—just visit her
Etsy store.

Mellow Yellow Monday

This is the lovely and talented Adam, who
provides music (and vocals-to-follow of a
vast repertoire of Broadway show tunes)
at Marie's Crisis, in the Village. I was
there a couple of weeks ago for a private
party for my young friend Brian, who was
turning 30 (I've known him since he and my
daughter Lila started kindergarten together!).
Gotta say: best b-day party ever! Who doesn't
love joining voices with another 100 (or more)
folks in a rousing rendition of "One," from
A Chorus Line?
[Catch more Mellow Yellow here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

We're back up Fifth Avenue at the Met.
This amazing work is Roxy Paine's
"Maelstrom," installed on the roof
garden. It was supposed to be there
only until the end of October, but was
extended until today. Hope it has a
permanent home somewhere.
[You can find lots more shadow shots here.]

Photo Hunter — "technology"

Here at NYC's main Apple store on 5th
Avenue they've set up a table for the pre-K
customers—who look right at home with the
newest Mac, don't they? Just hope they didn't
ask Santa for an iPhone. Hey, kids, FAO Schwartz
is right next door!
[See more Photo Hunter shots here.]

Skywatch Friday

I don't care what shape the market is in,
this is always high-end real estate—
the 23 blocks along Fifth Avenue from
82nd Street south to 59th (seen here
from the roof of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art).
[Check out more Skywatch here.]

Happy Thanksgiving

And Happy B-day to my brother David!
Off to bro Chris's house for a delicious
dinner. God bless my sister-in-law for
taking us all on—she even makes this
turkey-day fave. Looks downright
bizarre here, but, aaah, when it comes
out of the oven all ooey and gooey . . .
So what's your favorite Thanksgiving
(or any) food?

abc wednesday - S is for "snow leopard"

Finally got a look at one of the new
snow leopards in her million-dollar
habitat at the Central Park Zoo. Isn't
she beautiful? I know that here she
looks like a real pussycat (so to speak)—
but although these cats are not that
big, they are very fierce! Check it out.

[See more ABC Wednesday here.]

New York at Night (3)

This is Herald Square, named for the the NY
Herald newspaper (on the negative side, the
paper was anti-Semitic and racist; on the other
hand, it did introduce the gossip column).
The clock and statuary in the background came
from the old Herald Building, which was just north
of here. It was sculpted in 1895 by Jean-Antoine Carles.
That's Minerva and her trusty owls. The bellringers
are nicknamed Stuff and Gruff (but I don't know why).
This is the spot (directly in front of Macy's) where
the parade will end up on Thursday.
[See more of That's My World here.]

Mellow Yellow Monday

They're fading—and falling—fast, but I found
this beauty hanging on valiantly in my Brooklyn
neighborhood. Maybe that's because this is the
"Tree of Heaven," the ailanthus, the tree that
grows in Brooklyn. How is (or was) the leaf-
peeping where you are?
[See more Mellow Yellow here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

I'm sure you can guess where I took this one.
Can't believe how many times I visited Venice
without ever going out to Burano! If you go
to Venice, don't make that mistake yourself.
And be sure to go early, so you can enjoy the
quiet beauty of this place and won't have to be
just one of the invading tourist hordes.
[See more shadow shots here.]

photo hunter - "birds"

Saw this woman walking around the Union
Square greenmarket this summer with her
two feathered friends. I'm hoping she has
specific "bird clothes" and then some that
remain unpecked. P.S.—those birds
were LOUD.
[See more PhotoHunter shots here.]

Skywatch Friday

Some people think that these water towers
are no longer in use—not so! Found some info,
and—go figure—the one they picture is the same
one I shot! BTW, the silver-and-blue building
on the left is used as NYU housing (daughter
Lila lived there for part of her sophomore year).
Imagine a dorm room (more like a studio
apartment) that's this close to the
Brooklyn Bridge!
[Find more Skywatch here.]

smart bird

Personally, I wouldn't dream of feeding
one of these lousy (as in pigeon lice)
birds, but this one knows that the sign
won't keep any self-respecting New
Yorker from tossing him a piece of their
bagel if they really want to. P.S., NYC is
full of pretty little pocket parks like this
one—Jackson Square, in the West Village.

abc wednesday - R is for "Roman rooftops"

Here's a little tip: If you're in Rome,
go up to the rooftop bar of the Hotel
Raphael. You'll pay a premium for
your drink, but you'll also get some
lovely pre-dinner snacks on the casa
(just don't let the overly aggressive
Roman pigeons get them) and a view
that can't be beat—and it's great in
every direction.
[Find more abc Wednesday here.]