From the gallery: LYPSINKA TAKES MANHATTAN
LYPSINKA TAKES MANHATTAN: In preparation for 2011’s Fashion’s Night Out Event, lip synch artist extrodinaire Lypsinka poses in Bergdorf Goodman’s windows on Fifth Avenue for her fashion shoot to accentuate the glamour of the event. Appropriately Tiffany, where Lypsinka has just spent the afternoon shopping, is reflected in the glass.
This year’s event is on Thursday, September 6.
From the gallery: DOWNHILL RACER
DOWNHILL RACER: The Summer Streets Program of New York City closes down nearly seven miles of main thoroughfares 3 Saturdays in a row each August. It is one of the best people watching events in town. Everyone from toddlers to grandparents come out to enjoy places like Park Avenue free of traffic.
One of the best spots to view people is in the Park Avenue viaduct underneath the Helmsley building adjacent to Grand Central Station. You enter on 40th Street and rise up the ‘bridge’ to approach Grand Central Station looming above you, circle around and then enter the Park Avenue viaduct underneath the Helmsley building as it empties out onto the ritziest part of Park Avenue and it’s 1960’s architectural marvels followed by the ‘well to do of upper Park Avenue’.
You turn the corner and zoom downhill ‘towards the light’.
So I parked myself there along the curb for a while and photographed the reactions of the people marveling at the view and speeding up as they rapidly descend down the ramp. Bicyclists, joggers, bicycles-built-for-two, strollers, scooters, unicycles, tricycles, skateboards, roller skaters, race walkers, stilt walkers pass by – and then she came around the corner. This Edie Beale like figure from Grey Gardens in her wheelchair, stoically racing downhill. My day was made.
Photo of the day: PRICELESS
PRICELESS: Morandi Italian Restaurant, 211 Waverly Place, Greenwich Village.
Insalata Di Zucchine E Menta – raw summer squash with green chilies & ricotta salata $13.
Costa Di Maiale Con I Fichi – Grilled pork chop with figs and crispy polenta $27.
Broccoli Di Rapa $8.
Tiramisù – mascarpone, espresso & savoiardi $10.
Getting away from it all – Priceless
Morandi Italian Restuarant
From the gallery: EMPIRE TWILIGHT
EMPIRE TWILIGHT: The Empire State building is one of the jewels of Manhattan. It can be seen from Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and New Jersey. At night if you look up and stare at the building for a few minutes, you will see all these little white flashes of light going off – those are the tourist’s cameras, it’s a funny and wonderful sight. In the daytime tourists try to find spots on Fifth Avenue to get just the right angle. At night tour guides will take their guests to special spots to view this 1931 art deco marvel. But every once in a while, as you busily scurry through a neighborhood to and from an appointment, like here on West 28th Street, you get a wonderful surprise from one of the scarce empty lots we have left in Manhattan. Look up and marvel!
ROOM AT THE INN
ROOM AT THE INN: The Music Inn World Instruments – 169 W 4th St (between Cornelia St & Jones St), Greenwich Village. 11:30 am.
As a tour guide in New York, I explain to my guests: “Villagers don’t do mornings.” Nothing opens up until 12 noon, but, everything stays open till 2:00 am.
Music Inn World Instruments
“WHY DO THEY ALWAYS LOOK LIKE UNHAPPY RABBITS?”
“WHY DO THEY ALWAYS LOOK LIKE UNHAPPY RABBITS?”: Marilyn Monroe’s (as Miss Caswell) query to Addison DeWitt played by George Sanders when asked to go and meet the theatre producer Max Fabian played by Gregory Ratoff and “go do yourself some good”. She puts back her shoulders and puts on a big smile and goes to do herself ‘some good’ at Margo Channing’s (Bette Davis) ‘blasted party’ for Bill Sampson’s (Gary Merrill) birthday.
Photo taken during the Bryant Park and HBO Film Festival showing of “All About Eve”. Monday, August 13th, 2012. Bryant Park is behind the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. 10,000 people showed up to see Marilyn, 50 years after her death. Marilyn lives eternal.
Marilyn Monroe and George Sanders
“FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS, IT’S GOING TO BE A BUMPY NIGHT!”
“FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS, IT’S GOING TO BE A BUMPY NIGHT!”: ‘All About Eve’ is my obsessive favorite film of all time. I own film memorabilia from the film and had the extreme privilege to meet Celeste Holm in 2011 and even attended her 95th birthday party. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when she signed my original 1950 film poster for me.
Imagine my euphoria to find out Bryant Park’s and HBO’s Film Festival was showing ‘All About Eve’, Monday August 13th, 2012. I would have attended if I had the plague. Approximately 10,000 people showed up to see Marilyn Monroe ascend the staircase on George Sander’s arm and make her entrance in the party scene just after Bette Davis as Margo Channing utters one of the immortal film lines of all time: “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night!” The audience stood up, hooted, hollered, cheered, whistled and applauded. It is a truly unique New York experience and I was in heaven . . .
Bette Davis
EDNA TURNBLAD 2012
EDNA TURNBLAD 2012: In “Hairspray”, Edna Turnblad wants time to stand still and she not move into the far out 1960’s.
I am at the 14th Street F line subway station, and I see this billboard and start photographing people rushing by it not letting or having time stand still. Then . . . the 2012 version of Edna Turnblad passed by. Divine lives !
“I want time to stand still.”
STOOPED
STOOPED: It’s all a matter of time. It happens sooner or later, here we have an example of it happening sooner and later 🙂
Union Square Park
BUSTED
New York Post, Page Six, September 1, 2011
“Not guilty!”
BUSTED: This photo (along with a series of others) was published around the world. It is a hot August night, 2011 and body painter Andy Golub was testing the boundaries of the law by body painting his completely nude model Zoe West in Times Square. The law states, that if it is for the sake of “art”, a woman is allowed to be totally nude in public. The police staff don’t seem to know that and enjoy ’the show’ for some time until they finally feel it is time to arrest her. She was later released without charges. My photos made page two of The New York Post and Daily News, Wall Street Journal locally and published internationally. We were then satirized in a cartoon on the notorious New York Post’s ‘Page Six’ the following day. A better compliment could not be asked for!
AMERICA
AMERICA: Standing in Times Square late at night, you witness the whole world coming together, tourists from all over the USA and all corners of the earth. Each side of the Army Recruiting Station at 43rd Street is lit with a huge neon American flag. Sitting there I realized, this is America, all shapes, all sizes, all colors – in silhouette they are all one.
A FOUND MEAL
Hello everyone! I thought I would start with some of my well known photos that has been exhibited in galleries, published and won awards. My first post will be a woman I have fallen in love with since I have photographed her.
A FOUND MEAL
A FOUND MEAL: Late night in Times Square is my favorite time to observe people. I will just wander about and pick people out of a crowd and trail them (ok = stalk) with my camera. I notice this lovely old woman pulling her roller suitcase behind her, she seems to blend into the crowd, except . . . she stops at every garbage can in the square. She is looking for her evening meal. She finds a couple of nearly empty drinks and pours them all into one large McDonalds cup. She finds a half smoked cigarette. Some unused napkins. Half a pretzel. And then – good fortune shines on her. In the garbage can at the corner of 46th and Broadway there is a, still hot, doggie bag from The Olive Garden containing a seemingly uneaten lasagna, with utensils. Having put her meal together, she searches for a table to sit down and spread out her ‘found meal.’ She sits with dignity at the table. Her silver grey hair whisping about her forehead in the light evening breeze. Life is good for the moment. I look at her, and wonder, what brought her ‘here‘? I alone know her story. The surrounding people at the other tables have no clue as to her situation in life. (There is a visual clue in the photo, her thumbnail is pitch black, from digging in the garbage cans.) I take a whole series of photos of her enjoying her meal. I am drawn to her, by her beauty and dignity – and sadness. Finally, I feel it is time for me to move on and as I leave, I notice two Italian tourists at the next table knowingly smiling at me and say “she is beautiful.”
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NEW YORK CITY - IN THE WIT OF AN EYE 