Rialto market

Have been coming to this market for years to 

admire the fish. This time we're staying

in an apartment, so we can actually buy one,

take it home, and cook it. And maybe 

make some stuffed zucchini flowers too. Yum.

ghost ship

Going to Burano today—for the first time,

so no photo.  Instead, here's one taken

from the late-night vaporetto, of another

boat passing on the Grand Canal.

mass at San Marco

Plan to catch a mass Sunday morning at

the basilica. To be honest, it's the best way

to see the church without having to stand

on an interminable line to get in. And it's

fun to try to follow along in Italian.

If the campanile is open (not sure because

they're in the process of shoring it up;

apparently it's begun listing to starboard),

would like to be up there at noon when all

the bells ring. It is loud, but it's beautiful.

Aah, Venezia!

And this is probably what it will look like

to us after our cab to the plane to the train

to the train voyage. But Venice is always

worth whatever it takes to get here.

leavin' on a jet plane . . .

Off to Italy tonight with big brother David for a

couple of weeks of food, wine, culture, hiking

—and fun! Won't have a computer with me, but

I'm clairvoyant so I've scheduled the posts 

(and let's just hope that works) and you 

can see what we're up to if you like.

who goes there?

I came up out of the subway on 42nd Street this

morning just in time to see this cavalcade head

east toward the UN. Two cops on motorcycles at

the front, 12 or 15 cars, then an ambulance

bringing up the rear.  There wasn't a flag on any

of the cars, which made me think it was Ahmedinejad.

It's a huge pain for NY whenever they have the General

Assembly.  Cops everywhere, traffic tie-ups (they had to

clear several blocks of 42nd St. just for this little

parade), a security nightmare.  They even removed

mailboxes!  On the other hand, my colleague at

work did see M et Mme Sarkozy going into Cipriani 
the other night.  Big doings in the Big Apple.

in the house that Ruth built

Couldn't let this week go by without a nod

to Yankee Stadium. This was taken on

Mickey Mantle Day, circa 1960-something.

One of these guys was the baseball commissioner,

I believe.  And Joltin' Joe and our own Senator Kennedy

were looking on.  [The Joe Mickey signed this for was my

dad (the dude on the bike); he worked with the

Yankees (on the broadcast end) all during the '60s.]

art seen (scene?) in soho

Am inspired by my friend ming the merciless

to dig out these shots from last year. There's a building on Spring Street

in Soho that was empty for years and a favorite canvas of graffiti artists.

Rupert Murdoch's son bought it, then sold it to a developer for lots o' $$$.

Now the developer is creating three luxury condos.  They may be

completed by now.  I don't really care, since prices for these places were to

range from an obscene $6 million to $18 million (well, that one DOES come

with its own garage).  Still, just slightly out of my price range.

But before they began work, they invited graffiti artists from around the

world, who came and covered every square inch of the place.  I heard they

were going to cover it with sheetrock rather than paint over it, at least.

Anyway, it was amazing for the few days it lasted.

skywatch

Okay, so it's not Friday. Took this from just below 

the Whitestone Bridge, on the Queens side. 

That's the Bronx you see over on the 

other side of the East River.

Red Hook

Was here last night at Red Hook Bait and Tackle

(cool funky bar but avoid the beer on tap) to see

The Lone Sharks. Public transportation hardly reaches

this neighborhood, which—like so many in Brooklyn—

is up and coming. Fortunately I got a lift from Maria

(in the blue shirt), in her vintage '66 Mustang (!).

And you can catch the free Ikea ferry from lower

Manhattan (but only when the new Ikea store here is open).

BTW, the name Red Hook comes from the original

Dutch name Roode Hoek—red point. Al Capone was from here, 

and so is James McBride, who wrote The Color of Water.

a cut above

This is one of Kako Ueda's amazing

cut-paper works. It's about as tall

as I am (5'2") and took two years (working

nights and weekends) to complete.

Next month, Kako's taking this (and one other

large) piece to a museum in Helsinki, where she

and Yoko Ono are sharing an exhibit space.

I just don't know how she makes those

intricate cuts.

Check out her website at kakoueda.com.

yo ho ho!

Hey, Cap'n Jack Sparrow, did you know that today

is International Talk Like a Pirate Day? 

 Read all about it here.

sign me up

Don't know what this is really about,

so I'll just take it as a personal sign (so

to speak), and say, "It's about time!"

grand central

Went through Grand Central Terminal today.

Thousands pass through here every day, 

all on their way somewhere and 

each going in his or her own direction.

The Treats Truck

You really can't argue with their catch phrase,

because—hey—treats ARE good!  They even have

gift certificates, and all you need to do when

you want to cash one in for a yummy treat . . .

is figure out where in the 5 boroughs 

that truck is parked.

Okay, I'm kidding of course.  At least I've never

seen them anywhere but here.

bloggers' lunch

Got together yesterday with Chuck Pefley,

who's here from Seattle, and 6 other NYC

bloggers whom I'd never met before.

Having visited their blogs (some anyway),

was not surprised to find that they're all

friendly, all interesting.  Thanks for inviting

me, Ming!  The blogisphere is great, but face-

to-face over food is even better.

Indian summer

We're having a bit of a heat wave this weekend.

But some of us know how to keep our cool here

on the terrace of the Brooklyn Public Library.

playing with fire

Actually took this in Venice last summer.

Aaah, Venezia—I'll be back there 

in two weeks (woo-hoo)!

honoring/remembering

Wanted to stop by my local firehouse yesterday.

It's right next door to the food coop, and we've

become pretty attached in the past 7 years. 

This station lost 13 out of 30 on 9/11.

Someone actually said to a friend of mine 

not too long after the fact, "You New Yorkers 

really need to get over it."

Trust me— we deal and we don't dwell, 

but we'll NEVER "get over it."

brooklyn brown(?)stone

I'm always amused when I pass this house in

my neighborhood.  It reminds me of one of

my kids' favorite storybooks.

hurry!!

Better order your tickets quick so you don't

miss Carmina Burana SEVEN MONTHS from

now! (It's because of all of us baby boomers

who thought that CB was the height of culture

when we were in college, and still can't get over it.)

Although I actually do think I'd better get on those

Messiah tix already.  Thanks for the reminder.

Summer is NOT over!

I agree with Eric at PDP, and so do this lady

and her annoying feathered friends.  I thought

I was ready for autumn, but not quite yet.

Rasta man

No, really—have you EVER seen such

serious dreads? I'm impressed.

You can't tell from the photo, but

this guy is fairly old. I'll bet he hasn't

cut his hair since Nixon was in office!

the Shadow knows

Sunset, West Village.

This is what happens when you no longer

go anywhere without a camera, constantly

asking yourself "Where's the photo?"

(And where IS Tall Gary, I wonder?)

Welcome to the Middle East

East Brooklyn, that is.  These shots were

taken on Atlantic Avenue, the place to go

for Middle Eastern food, etc. in Brooklyn.

Library Way

Plaques such as this one are set into the sidewalk

along a couple of blocks of 41st Street, leading up

to the main branch of the library. You can see them

all by going here and scrolling down. Wouldn't you love 
to have been one of the people who got 
to decide which books/quotes they featured?

an illicit "Tale"

Taking photos in the theater is SO verboten! That said,

here's a little shot of the curtain call at A Tale of Two Cities

(it helps if you turn off the sound on your camera).

Saw it with phx-cdg; can't wait to see how it gets reviewed.

It was kinda like Les Miz (duh), only toned down a bit.

waterfall

Finally got to see these (with phx-cdg). 

There are five of them and this 

one's under the Manhattan Bridge. 

You can find out more here .

West Indian Day Parade

This parade always takes place on Labor Day, here in 

Brooklyn, and it ends about a block from my house. 

By the time the dancers reach this point, 

they're pretty worn out.