Saturday, January 31, 2009

got milk?



This is a good sign (so to speak). Back when I was a 
major food source, I wouldn't have been able to 
do this if I'd gone back to work. But, of course, I wasn't 
working at the country's #1 parenting magazine at the time.

Friday, January 30, 2009

it's a tough job, but . . .



. . . if you have an article with instructions
for making a balloon animal, then you need
to make sure the instructions work.  My
colleague, Lisa, did it pretty well; I managed
to break the balloon.  You should have seen us 
trying to figure out how to make an origami rowboat.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

practice, practice, practice!



That's the answer, and you know the question.
Wish I could tell you I had tix for Keith Jarrett
tonight, but no—just happened to be passing by
here last night.  The last show I saw here was
a couple of years ago: the 25th Anniversary
performance of "Alice's Restaurant."
Arlo Guthrie does it every year on the day after
Thanksgiving.  It was great; the audience was
half old hippies and half young kids (their
grandchildren perhaps—Arlo's were there).

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

it's beautiful, but . . .



More snow.  The Midwest is a sheet of ice
and it's headed our way.  If it's nasty where
you are—please stay off the roads!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Welcome to Greenpoint



One of Brooklyn's great ethnic neighborhoods, where
you can get some primo pizza and the city's absolute
best kielbasa.  It's a bit off the beaten NYC transit track
and therefore still quasi affordable.  Better hurry while
that's still true.  So what's your neighborhood like?

Monday, January 26, 2009

I won!



What? A trip to Paris?  No, I snagged
the title of GF (Golden Finger) of the year
by being the first to log on tonight to my
fave blog and the one that inspired me
to do this, Paris Daily Photo.  Whether you
love Paris or not (and especially
 if you do), it's the very best.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

this is how it's done


I'm watching a rerun of the inaugural celebration
and reflecting on the events of the past week.
This really did happen this way, neighborhood
by neighborhood.  Let's keep up the momentum.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

read any good books lately?




You'll definitely find a few here—it's the Central Library,
the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. It was built
68 years ago, and their website tells me that more than
1.5 million people (almost the equivalent of the entire
population of Brooklyn) use the Central Library every
year. Including me—but I live only one short block away.

Friday, January 23, 2009

big brother



In Times Square, the NYPD is making sure they 
don't miss a thing.  I'm okay with their overview, 
though I suppose it's only a matter of time 
before we'll all be on "candid camera" instead.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

here, kitty kitty



The two lions, by sculptor Edward Clark Potter,
in front of the NY Public Library have been loved
by New Yorkers and visitors since the library was
dedicated in 1911.  In the 1930s, Mayor Fiorello
La Guardia dubbed them Patience and Fortitude,
traits he felt New Yorkers would need during
the Depression. (This is Patience.)

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

yes, it is!

These folks looked like they were having such
a good time on the rink in Bryant Park.  (It's only
there until Jan. 25, then they have to get the
space ready for Fashion Week.)

On the other hand, this guy told me he still has his inner skater, but had to let go of his outer one. He said he used to play ice hockey and was so badly
injured he was in a coma for six months.
He likes 
to come here and watch the kids skate.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

what I'm wearing today



And I'm pretty doggoned excited about it!
I'm also praying that it all goes off without
a hitch—and that goes for the next 
four (eight?) years too.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Dr. King



They had some special services at Trinity church
(where I took this shot last week, looking past 
the entrance and down Wall Street).
Hoping to see Rev. King's "I Have a Dream" speech,
which they sometimes show on PBS.  Moves me every
single time—how about you?

Sunday, January 18, 2009

ticker-tape parades



Although I guess now the rare ones we have are
actually shredded-paper parades. There are plaques
embedded in the sidewalk along lower Broadway to
commemorate past parades.
There are lots of these plaques—this one
 just happens to be my favorite.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

American Merchant Mariners Memorial



This is down in Battery Park, just off the Esplanade. It
reminds me a bit of the plane in the Hudson yesterday,
although this sculpture by Marisol is based on an 
incident that didn't end so well.

Friday, January 16, 2009

miraculous



Couldn't get over to the Hudson River, so took this off the TV.
God bless the pilot who managed to land this plane safely 
(albeit in the Hudson River in freezing temps).
The survivors seem pretty grateful (and who wouldn't be?).

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

killer view



Remember the opening scene of Working Girl?
(and here's where I'd provide the nifty link,
if the %&^# Internet would let me—sorry)
There is still nothing quite like seeing
Lower Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

photo op



Some people will take a photo of . . .



. . . anything. Including me, apparently. (And why is it 
that rats are so creepy and squirrels are so cute?)

Monday, January 12, 2009

icy



I hear (through my fave blog, Paris Daily Photo)
that it's freezing in Paris right now—
and we've had a bit of a cold snap
ourselves this weekend.
At least we haven't had our gas heat
cut off by the Russians!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Lady Liberty



She looks pretty cold out there in the snow.



And so do these LL wannabes in Battery Park—
and they are. (My hands were so cold, I could
hardly take this picture.)

Saturday, January 10, 2009

outsider art



Though I'm not particularly religious, I
do love the work of Howard Finster.
Shot this at a new museum (the Taubman)
in Roanoke, VA, over New Year's.
So how do you feel about "outsider art"?

Friday, January 9, 2009

play chess with me—or else



Actually, they were just going to have a friendly

Thursday, January 8, 2009

tracks



Couldn't decide what to post today, then I went
(as always) to bombay clicks and got inspired.
Thanks, Rahul.
Train travel isn't as sexy as it used to be, unfortunately.
Pulled into the Bologna train station once on the Eurostar,
saw the Orient Express on the next platform—all shiny
black and gleaming brass—and (literally) gasped. Maybe
one day (if I win the lottery).

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

You know you want to



Yesterday was Epiphany, aka 12th Night—in other
words, it's official: The holiday season is over.  So
go ahead and devour that gingerbread house!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

my cousin the ghost




Went to visit Avenel yesterday.  It's an old plantation house
(built in 1838) that was in my family.  This picture was taken
the day of my cousin Peggy's funeral (held at Avenel when
she died about two weeks shy of her 103rd birthday).
She and her family had shared the house with a famous ghost
called the White Lady (who's been seen by lots of people).
So I guess it's fitting that when this picture was developed,
Peggy showed up in it.  Can you see her? 
(Seriously, it looks just like her.)

Monday, January 5, 2009

Greetings from Motor City



Detroit Airport, that is, where I spent 12
unexpected hours trying to change planes
on New Year's Eve.
Didn't get where I was going until well
after midnight, but Russell (the cab driver
I was with at the stroke of) and I had a
festive, if Champagne-less, moment.
Hope you were exactly where you wanted to be!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

gotcha



This is just one of several pieces done by
sculptor Tom Otterness for the 14th Street/
Eighth Avenue subway station. (More of 
his work can be seen on Fifth Avenue 
and at Battery Park.)
I was just coming off the L for Love train,
so-called because some of my daughter
Lila's friends, including the couple here,
met on the L train. I did not see the man
of my dreams, just a rat (granted, it was
dead and down on the tracks, but still . . .).

Saturday, January 3, 2009

skywatch



I don't miss my old job, but I sure
do miss my old view!  (This was taken
from the Hearst Bldg., looking southeast.)

Friday, January 2, 2009

a blast from the past


This lives in Lil' Joe's Pleasure Lounge
(aka the barn that belongs to Lone
Sharks bass player Joe Lauro), a party
space par excellence!
Jukeboxes are still around, but somehow
the music's just not as good as it was when
a dime could get you Don't Be Cruel AND the
B side (Hound Dog, of course).

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy Birthday to . . .



. . . 2009—and also to all thoroughbred horses,
whose birthday is Jan. 1 no matter when they were
born.  This is Rosie and her mom, who live on the
gorgeous horse farm next door to where I'm
staying—heaven for a former 10-year-old obsessed
with horses (who never totally got over it).