Daily photographs by HANS VON RITTERN, with humorous, artistic and social commentary on life in the big city.

Archive for December 14, 2013

Photo of the day: I’M NOT DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS AT 5 POINTZ

5 Pointz International Graffiti Museum.  December 14, 2013.

5 Pointz International Graffiti Museum. December 14, 2013.

Photo of the day: I’M NOT DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS – With the horrific heartless vandalizing of the 5 Pointz international graffiti art museum by owner Gerry Wolkoff by smearing white paint over 1,000’s of pieces of incredible breath taking art, I thought it would be sadly ironic to photograph the remains of the museum in tonight’s first blizzard of the season. The loading dock has now been cordoned off with a tall chain link fence with mesh netting so you cannot ‘see’ through, god forbid scrooge let’s you have a glimpse. (I squeezed my camera through an opening in the gate). The two gates are kept closed with a big steel chain link and lock. As the wind whipped the snow around, the gates rattled back and forth with the only sound to be heard of the chain links and the lock rattling, eerily like that of a ghost in an old movie haunting his final resting place. It felt like a cold place of death as the wind howled, the chains rattled with not a sign of life except for the occasional rats wondering where all the food has gone. Perhaps the rats will find good company with the despicable owner Gerry Wolkoff since misery loves company.
I just stood there for about an hour and watched the snow envelope the now ghostly white building in a graveyard of snow. In this particular case, I am not dreaming of a white Christmas.
(More photos to follow.)

Photo of the day: A LEG UP ON CHRISTMAS

A LEG UP ON CHRISTMAS

Photo of the day: A LEG UP ON CHRISTMAS – So I’m sitting in cozy Da Gennaro restaurant on Mulberry Street in Little Italy, enjoying a lunch by myself, feeling a little like Rose Castorini (Olympia Dukakis), Cher’s mother in “Moonstruck.” My corner window seat had a perfect view of the intersection of Hester and Mulberry Streets. As the snow flurries danced about, I watched the people scurrying by. Most were tourists wondering where to eat or find that Dean Martin cd. Then I saw this guy crossing the street and I noticed something rather unusual sticking out of his backpack. Let’s hope it was a mannequin’s leg and not a real one. Maybe he was taking it home to create another ‘leg lamp’ from the 1983 movie “A Christmas Story”, let’s hope . . .

"A Christmas Story" 1983 film

“A Christmas Story” 1983 film

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