A soldiers hospital in Germany, 1917, World War I
Mondays on Memory Lane: 1917, MY GREAT AUNT SINGS FOR THE SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR I – On this Veterans Day, it is important to remember the soldiers of all nations. I have discovered this photo of my great aunt, Anny Cornelius, in a German hospital in 1917 during World War I. She was only 17 at the time and already a gifted singer, she went on to sing lead roles in the Berlin opera.
From what I gather, she took her fellow class mates and volunteered to sing for the wounded soldiers. Whatever country is fighting, music is always used to try to heal the soldiers spirits. When you look at the faces of the wounded soldiers, you can see – there are really no winners in any war, the only winner is the human spirit.
November 11, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 1917, Anny Cornelius, Berlin Opera, Berlin State Opera, entertainers singing for the troops, entertaining the foreign troups, German hospital, German soldiers of World War I, Hans Von Rittern, New York City, Photo of the day, Queens, school girls serenadning the German troops, Ursula Von Rittern, Veterans Day, vintage war photo, World War I, wounded German soldiers World War I | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: SMILE . . . it’s SUNDAY !
November 10, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 5 Pointz, 5 Pointz Graffiti Museum, 7 train, architecture, Batman the Joker, Ceasar Romero as Batman TV series, Cesar Romero as Batman TV series, Hans Von Rittern, Jackson Avenue, Long Island City Queens, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, Queens, street art, street sticker art, Sunnyside | Leave a comment
Sunnyside, Queens November 8, 2012
Photo of the day: FROZEN FRIDAY 2012 – It’s hard to imagine but one year ago today, just nine days after hurricane Sandy, New York received 4 inches of snow, it was the heaviest early snowfall ever in November that night. (In the Philippines last night was the biggest typhoon storm ever with 225 mile per hour wind gusts…global warming…)
We have such a dense canopy of trees in Sunnyside, the weight of the heavy wet snow made for an eerie yet beautifully dramatic walk that night as they bowed dangerously low. Silent night, snowy night. All wasn’t calm, but it was quite a sight. Today November 8, 2013 it will thankfully be 54°.
November 8, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: earliest heavy snowfall in New York, global warming, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, New York City, New York photo, night snowfall scene, November 8 2012 snowstorm, odd weather, Photo of the day, pine trees in snow, Queens, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens, typhoon Philippines | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: CELEBRATING THE BEGINNING OF A NEW DAWN = MAYOR BILL (74%) DeBLASIO – Last night in Chelsea’s Mustang Sally’s bar, dedicated animal rights activists, anti-Quinn and staunch pro DeBlasio supporters were uncharacteristically quiet as we listened to the uplifting speech given by our new mayor. Tears on the faces of the supporters glistened from the light of the 5 giant TV screens surrounding us, Bill’s voice filling the room. The 12 year reign of oppression, dictatorial rule and genocide of the middle class and our buildings and old establishments has finally ended. It may have been 10:30pm at night, but it was as if there was bright sunshine in the room, we were all beaming so much. We had done it!! We have all worked so passionately and hard, no one more hard than Donny Moss and Allie Feldman who started the ball rolling by getting rid of Christine Quinn with the help of animal rights groups. Our little rag tag group conquered with spirit and heart the billionaire dollars spent by the Koch brothers (sound Romney-like familiar??), the power of Bloomberg and the republican cash heavy war chests. Instead these grass roots groups and many more fought Goliath and won: NYCLASS, ABQ, Outer Boroughs Against Christine Quinn, Queers Against Quinn, Kittens Against Joe Lhota, Stopping NYC Horse Abuse, GoosewatchNYC, Bill DeBlasio for Mayor, and of course Donny Moss’s Defeat Christine Quinn. A landslide 74% victory, HA !
The dark, racist, oppressive cloud over our lives and this city is being lifted. A ‘mensch’, a caring human being is taking over, with a heart and not ice in his monied veins.
I am so DAMN proud of each and every one of them, and my mom who even at age 87 went out and campaigned and handed out Anti Quinn, then pro DeBlasio flyers every day she left the house to go grocery shopping or walk the dog. She was known as the “you have to vote for Bill DeBlasio!” lady here in Queens. Well mom, Donny, Allie, Daniela Knoppik, Natasha, Brian and Jeanne Gari, Andy Sydor and ALL you wonderful friends and supporters = WE DID IT!
Mrs. DeBlasio, Cynthia Nixon, our next mayor Bill DeBlasio and Susan Sarandon.
November 6, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: A landslide 74% victory, ABQ, Allie Feldman, Andy Sydor, animal rights activists, Bill DeBlasio, Bill DeBlasio for Mayor, Bloomberg corrupt, Bloomberg's tyrannical rule, Brian and Jeanne Gari, Bronx, Brooklyn, celebrities, Christine Quinn, Councilwoman Christine Quinn, Cynthia Nixon, Daniela Knoppik, DeBlasio grass roots, DeBlasio victory party, Defeat Christine Quinn, Donny Moss, GoosewatchNYC, Hans Von Rittern, Kittens Against Joe Lhota, Manhattan, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Mrs. DeBlasio, Mustang Sally's, New York City, New York photo, NYCLASS, Outer Boroughs Against Christine, Photo of the day, Queens, Queers Against Quinn, Staten Island, Stopping NYC Horse Abuse, Susan Sarandon, Ursula Von Rittern | Leave a comment
Ursula and Hans Von Rittern VOTED !
November 5, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 2013 mayoral election, Bill DeBlasio, Bloomberg corrupt, Hans Von Rittern, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, nanny Bloomberg, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, Queens, Sunnyside, Ursula Von Rittern | Leave a comment
Photo of the future: VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE DeBLASIO! – GO out there and vote! I want a real human being in City Hall. A man whose family looks like the rest of us. A man with feelings and a heart. Not ice in his veins. I don’t care if all his promises can’t be reached, or if he will screw up and falter – I want a mensch, a human being I can approach and relate to. I want my city back! I got rid of Christine Quinn, one of the most cold calculating, selfish, power mad, destructive politicians of modern times, lets make sure MTA-thief Joe Lohta losses by a huge margin!
YOU can make history and get rid of the elite detached nanny-rule of this Bloomberg tyranny. In my born and raised 57 years as a New Yorker I have never seen a mayor do as much to destroy and harm my beloved city as bastard Bloomberg. We have NEVER lost as many long time established stores, restaurants, entertainment venues, historical neighborhoods and places and business places as with his greedy rule of allowing quadruple rent increases to squeeze (in some cases) 100 year old businesses out of business so he could build yet another mirror glass ivory tower for his billionaire friends. He has done more damage than 9/11 and hurricane Sandy combined, both of which we are rebuilding from. You cannot rebuild from the onslaught over priced glass ivory towers, the destruction of historic neighborhoods, the squeezing out of the middle class, the invasion of chain stores in even the most historical of neighborhoods, the racial and socioeconomic division of this city, the genocide of the middle class as what has occurred in the last 12 years of Bloombergistan.
Bloomberg is a thief. Oddly enough he went from being the 18th richest man in the country to 10th richest man as the zoning laws, historic district laws and street patterns changed and Citi-bikes have invaded and devoured our city. All those deals went into his back pocket. The zoning commission is working around the clock to cram through all of Bloomberg’s excessive destructive plans such as encircling Grand Central Terminal and the iconic Chrysler building with glass super towers!
I am tired of the little dwarf who is about as much a part of the rest of us as a cold rock from outer space. His Napoleonic syndrome of dominant power over every little aspect of New York went too far.
DON’T “ASS-U-ME” DeBlassio will win or win big: May I remind you , that is how bastard Bloomberg got this third term because of the anger and apathy that let everyone assume he would win his bought third term. Apathy and laziness looses you your city. VOTE! – Take 15 extra minutes before or after work, take the dog on a voting walk, turn off the TV, grab a warm coat, take your children with you and let them know they are a part of something great, take someone you love and share this exhilarating chance, but most of all, know that this vote is one of the most crucial votes you will cast in the last 100 years of this city’s glorious history and certainly determine our next 100 years.
HELP SAVE NEW YORK – VOTE BILL DeBLASIO ! ! !
November 5, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 2013 mayoral election, 9/11, Bill DeBlasio, Bloomberg back room deals, Bloomberg corrupt, Bloomberg's tyrannical rule, Bloombergistan, Bronx, Brooklyn, chainstore invasion, Citi-bikes, Councilwoman Christine Quinn, CRUCIAL VOTE, GO OUT AND VOTE!, Greenwich Village, Hans Von Rittern, Harlem, homeless, Hurricane Sandy, Joe Lohta, loss of historical buildings, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, nanny Bloomberg, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, Queens, re-zonning laws, socioeconomic division of New York, Staten Island, Sunnyside, the destruction of New York | Leave a comment
Mondays on Memory Lane: 1987 JOAN COLLINS SELLS HER PANTIES AT MAXIM’S – Torrid headline, but true. Joan has added her name to many products over the years and in 1987 she launched a line of lingerie, promoted by SanMark Stardust and it was sold in stores such as Jordan Marsh, Emporium and Bon Marche, as well as K-Mart, Target and Shop-co. A diverse range of items were produced including ranges of sleepwear, lounge-wear and day-wear, in colors ranging from Red to Black and of course Pink. The line sold for between $8 to $35 and Joan appeared in print and TV ads to promote the line. The big launch party was at posh Maxim’s. Sadly after it’s fall launch and good sales it was gone by the following summer. (Maxim’s was only open in New York from 1985 to 2000).
Joan Collins lingerie promo
Joan was still at the height of the Dynasty craze which ran from 1981 to 1989, I was a rabid, addicted die-hard fan, forget Dallas! Dy-Nasty had bitchy, dressy, classy Joan Collins! I have (somewhere buried) every episode on VHS tape, with the commercials!).
Joan and family
So – when it was announced Joan was launching her lingerie line at legendary Parisian bistro Maxim’s on Park Avenue in New York, I had to go! By great luck, a co-worker of mine at the time had a press pass he let me borrow, and I wound up having front row access to Joan. I have about 3 dozen photos of the event.
Tomorrow night 26 years later, Joan Collins is making a very rare one night appearance with her one woman life story show at BB King’s Jazz Club on 42nd Street in New York. Despite the fact that it will be election night, my good friend Susan Godwin (who worships Joan) and I are running to see her. Hopefully she will sign some of my memorabilia!
November 4, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 1987, 42nd Street, B.B. King's Jazz Club, Bon Marche, Dynasty TV show, Emporium, Hans Von Rittern, Joan Collins, Joan Collins lingerie launch at Maxim's, Jordan Marsh, K-Mart, Manhattan, Maxim's bistro, Maxim's New York restaurant, Maxim's restuarant, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, photography, SanMark Stardust, Shop-co, Susan Godwin, Target, Times Square | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: ALL CONEY ISLANDERS HAVE SAND IN THEIR SHOES – Yesterday was my last 5 hour German tour of Brooklyn for the season. From the Fulton Ferry Landing at the Brooklyn Bridge, to bagels in Park Slope to Nathan’s hot dogs on the Coney Island boardwalk. The amusement rides had been shut down and it was now a quieter tranquil place where the sound of the wind took over rather then the music blaring from the boardwalk concession stands. Nathan’s of course was still open and drawing a crowd – they always do.
The beach in the summer is joy, the smell of sun tan lotion, the sounds of little kids laughing, teens splashing in the water and girls who just want to tan. But, in the winter months the beaches of New York offer another treasure = contemplative tranquility as the sound of the wind whisks about the thoughts in your head. On Sundays you may contemplate in church, I prefer to contemplate in one of god’s most wonderful churches – the beach.
November 3, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: All, All Coney Islanders have sand in their shoes, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Bridge, Coney Island amusement park, Coney Island beach, Coney Island boardwalk, Coney Island mural, desserted Coney Island, Fulton Ferry Landing, Hans Von Rittern, Nathan's hot dog stand, Nathan's hot dogs, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, sunbathers at Coney, traquil beach at Coney Island, winter at Coney Island | 2 Comments
Photo of the day: IS ELVIS DEAD? – This being the weekend of Dia de los Muertos, I found it rather eerie to find this ageing ‘Elvis’ on the subway who got off at (of all places) Madison Square Garden. Does the king want to make one comeback tour like Cher? Does he want to recreate his 1972 Garden concert? Why does he look so perturbed – did he find out how much music acts are earning today? Does he even know who Madonna and Miley are? Before I got a chance to ask, Elvis had left the subway . . .
November 2, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 1972 concert, Cher comeback tour, Day of the dead, Dia de los Muertos, Elvis Presley, Elvis spotted in New York, fat Elvis, ghost of Elvis, Hans Von Rittern, Is Elvis dead?, Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, Mexican Elvis, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, photography, Spanish Elvis, subway | 2 Comments
Photo of the day: DEAD MARILYN ~ DAY OF THE DEAD – Day of the Dead / Dia de Meurtos is a fascinating holiday celebrated in Mexico October 31 and November 1 & 2. Even though this coincides with the Catholic holiday called All Soul’s & All Saint’s Day (Halloween), Mexicans have combined this with their own ancient beliefs of honoring their deceased loved ones. They believe that the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31, and the spirits of all deceased children (angelitos) are allowed to reunite with their families for 24 hours. On November 2, the spirits of the adults come down to enjoy the festivities that are prepared for them. I think this is wonderful. Elaborate altars are prepared with food and drink, skulls made of sugar, marigolds and lots of flowers, cigarettes for the departed and incredible folk art replicating and honoring their dear departed.
So on my annual trip to Tijuana, Mexico this August it was close enough for the approaching holiday that the Day of the Dead folk art abounded. Eagerly I shopped the markets – I saw dead Frida Kahlo of course, dead Elvis and my two treasures – dead Marilyn. Upon seeing them, my first reaction was with excitement. Second reaction with revulsion. Third reaction “I have to have them!” (Fourth reaction ‘Which do I choose?’) So here are my two hand made folk art Dead Marilyns (I’ve gotten used to them in my living room). Feliz Dia de los Muertos! .
PS – There was a short lived punk rock group called ‘Dead Marilyn’, I have the picture sleeve 45 tucked away somewhere.
November 1, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: angelitos de los muertos, arts, Day of the dead, dead Marilyn Monroe, Dia de los Muertos, fascinating holiday, Halloween, Hans Von Rittern, Marilyn Monroe, Marilyn Monroe folk art, Marilyn Monroe's death 1962, Mexican day of the dead traditions, Mexican folk art, New York City, Photo of the day, photography, punk rock, Tijuana, Tijuana Mexico | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM BABY DIVINE! – If ever there was a fierce drag queen, it was Divine! Born Harris Glen Milstead, star of cult films like “Pink Flamingos”, “Mondo Trasho”, “Female Trouble”, “Lust in the Dust”, “Multiple Maniacs”, “Polyester” and all time classic “Hairspray”. She has been copied ever since and will never be topped or duplicated. . . until now.
DIVINE in ‘Pink Flamingos’ 1972
I saw this Halloween tribute to her in the window of Two Boots Pizza in Greenwich Village. Tonight’s New York Greenwich Village Halloween parade is the largest in the world – our ‘carnival’. Filled with political satire, sex, gore, sex, humor, sex, and over the top creativity! Over 3 million participants and viewers and broadcast internationally. Only in New York !
Two Boots Pizza – 210 West 11th Street, Greenwich Village
October 31, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: "Female Trouble", "Hairspray" movie musical, "Lust in the Dust", "Mondo Trasho", "Multiple Maniacs", "Pink Flamingos", "Polyester", Baby Divine, Born Harris Glen Milstead, Divine, Divine as Demon Baby, entertainment, fashion, Greenwich Village, Greenwich Village Halloween parade, Halloween Parade Greenwich Village, Hans Von Rittern, Harris Glen Milstead, largest Halloween parade in the world, Manhattan, New York City, New York photo, NYC Halloween, Photo of the day, photography, Two Boots Pizza | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: THE CALM AFTER THE STORM – One year later after hurricane Sandy, the scene yesterday on Coney Island Beach was so serene, one would never know there had been chaos and destruction all along our coastline just a year before. Just a few strollers shell hunting on the windy beach. Most of the strollers were enjoying the sun on the boardwalk, sunning themselves while enjoying a Nathan’s hot dog. In November the rides will shut down awaiting the children’s laughter again in the spring of 2014. Hopefully time will heal the wounds of the heart and finances so that Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, as well as Ellis Island will be able to return to their former glory.
October 30, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 1 year later after Sandy, beach after the storm, beach erosion, Brooklyn, CALM AFTER THE STORM, Coney Island beach, Coney Island boardwalk, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, Manhattan, Nathan's hot dogs, New York City, New York photo, Palm tree fountain on beach, Photo of the day, photography, Queens | Leave a comment
Photo fo the day: EXPERIENCING THE ONSET OF THE HURRICANE IN NEW YORK CITY – 1 year ago today, I wanted to document the experience of a hurricane. I was blown down the street for two blocks several times, not having a thing to grab onto. But I made it to the water’s edge of the East River.
The statistics are: 820 mile wide storm, 13.88 feet high water, 44 deaths and then twice as many more afterwards, 2 million people without power, many neighborhoods today remain wiped off the map and over 500 people still don’t have any place to go. It has changed the city and people’s lives forever. Here is the storm in photos. (I don’t have the time or understanding how to post a whole albums of photos, so here is my link of the complete photo album on myFacebook page.) https://www.facebook.com/hans.vonrittern/media_set?set=a.437954789596068.95638.100001446524326&type=1
October 29, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 10-29-12, 5 Pointz Graffiti Museum, deserted city, deserted train stations, experiencing hurricane Sandy, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, Long Island City Queens, Manhattan, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, photographing hurricane Sandy, photography, Queens, raging waves on East River, Sandy devastation, streets of hurricane Sandy, Sunnyside | Leave a comment
Mondays on Memory Lane: HURRICANE SANDY LIVE VIDEO – It was 4pm, October 29, 2012, and I was determined to witness hurricane Sandy from the water’s edge on the East River. I was the only one on the streets, soaked to the bone.
This photo was taken from Long Island City, Queens. I braced myself against a cement bench to prevent myself from blowing away. United Nations, Trump Tower, Empire & Chrysler building in skyline.
See my YouTube video below:
October 28, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: Chrysler building, East River, Empire State Building, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, Long Island City Queens, Manhattan, Manhattan skyline in hurricane, New York City, New York photo, Pepsi Cola sign, Photo of the day, photography, Queens, raging waves on East River, Sunnyside, United Nations | Leave a comment
Ladies and gentlemen, Grace Jones . . .
Photo of the day: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN – – – GRACE JONES – 1 year ago today, Grace Jones hit New York City with her show called “Hurricane” two days before the most disastrous hurricane ever destroyed parts of New York forever, hurricane Sandy. Eerily now in hindsight, the audience and I screamed and cheered in Grace’s defiance of the oncoming storm. None of us had any idea of what was to come. . . here is my review of that ironic and incredible night at Roseland Ballroom, which it was announced this week – Roseland be torn down, not due to hurricane damage, but torn down by greed:
“Thirty four years after the legendary performance of her 1978 concert at Roseland Ballroom, NYC – Grace Jones returned Saturday night, October 27, 2012 and gave what perhaps will go down as one of her most legendary concerts of her career. She has not changed a bit. At 64 years old she is an astoundingly fit statuesque Amazonian creature as she was then. When she asked “Who was here in 1978?” the roar in response was deafening. (I was there that night in 1978). Last night’s sold out concert crowd recreated the height of the atmosphere of the divine Studio 54 disco days. Extreme outfits were the norm. Glam, glitz, drag, shock and over the top seemed to be the order of the night.
Grace outdid herself for her die hard fans, even the Hammerstein Ballroom concert performance of July, 2009. She was more animated, loose, filled with naughty adlibs (Grace is obviously an oral sex fan). Roseland’s lighting crew was off their game for which Grace retorted with a flurry of quips, zingers and re-starts of her legendary disco and new wave songs. No dubbing, live for almost 2 hours! “Keepin’ it tight!” It was Grace unleashed.
Every move was a camera pose. Every gesture calculated to cause frenzy and cameras to go wild. She is still a fierce, angry, cocky sexual diva. Her legendary toned body is remarkable, her legs are longer than a Barbie doll’s, her ass firmer that a 30 year old. One of her songs was performed while consistently swirling a hula hoop around her waist and then while continually twirling and moving about the stage she introduced the band – constantly twirling! Lady Gaga, Britney, Madonna, Rhianna, Taylor Swift or any of the young acts today do not have the stamina of this remarkable icon. With a hard pounding rock/reggae beat flavored with disco and new wave, her mega hits did not disappoint. Ironically called “The Hurricane Tour”, Grace ended in defiance singing “Hurricane” while huge fans blew her about on stage and whipped the crowd into an ecstatic frenzy leaving euphoria in her wake.”
October 27, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 1978 Grace Jones concert, 2012, Broadway, celebrities, concert review Grace Jones, entertainment, fashion, Grace Jones, Grace Jones "Hurricane", Grace Jones audience, Hammerstein Ballroom, Hans Von Rittern, hurricane Grace, Hurricane Sandy, Manhattan, New York City, New York photo, October 27, Photo of the day, photography, Roseland, Roseland Ballroom, Roseland Ballroom closing, Studio 54 disco | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: REASSURING THE SHORE – I am taking my German tourist guests on my 5 hour long tour of Brooklyn today, via Harlem Spirituals Tours. From the Fulton Ferry landing at the Brooklyn Bridge allllllll the way to Coney Island for a Nathan’s hot dog lunch – wunderbar! Our last and final stop will be the 5 Pointz Graffiti museum as a surprise ending 🙂
At Coney Island for the past few weeks we have been met by this long pipe snaking along the beach. Early in September the $7.2 million Army Corps of Engineer’s project to pump 600,000 cubic yards of sand along Coney Island’s shore began. Although the beach closed for the summer after Labor Day and red flags indicated no lifeguards were on duty, there were a few sunbathers and swimmers adjacent to the area where the work is getting underway.
While restoration work is going on, there were rolling closures of roughly 1,000 foot wide sections of the beach where construction work is active, according to the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE). The beach nourishment project extends from West 37th Street to Brighton Beach, and is expected to be completed in the fall.
Coney Island was hit hard by Super-storm Sandy and soon, its beaches will be well on their way to being protected against future flooding. There’s a ship out on the horizon pumping the sand from the ocean’s floor (and surprising a few startled crabs I bet) and pumping it methodically onto the beach where it is sifted and raked. You can hear the rumbling of the stones and shells as they go whizzing by inside the large rusty pipes lining the beach. Soon we will be enjoying pristine sand to stick our toes into! Join us?!
October 26, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: $7.2 million project to pump 600, 000 cubic yards of sand, Army Corps of Engineers, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn tours, Coney boardwalk, Coney Island, Fulton Ferry Landing, Hans tours, Hans Von Rittern, Harlem Spirituals, Hurricane Sandy, Nathan's original hot dog restaurant, New York, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, photography, pumping sand, Queens, replenishing beach sand | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: LET’S GET TO THE (5)POINTZ ! – Need something to do on a weekend that is totally different and cool? Take the 5Pointz Graffiti Museum tour with Meres One. This is a must-see tour!
Meres One, curator and guide
Meres One is New York and the curator of the living endangered treasure. His passion, quirkyness, straight forward manner, humor and insight to the art is priceless. I am a long time NYC tour guide and I know a good tour when I take one – this is it! Do you know which is the oldest piece? The order to the art? Who came from what country? The messages and inside stories to the murals? Did u know one of Meres’ murals is 3-dimensional? Can you see all the different styles? Have you ever been inside? Aren’t you dying to go on the roof? To top it off, Meres shows off his skill by transforming a canvas into a piece of art in a master class with him at the end of the tour. How can you pass that up?! God forbid 5Pointz gets torn down – you will regret forever that you passed up this opportunity – GO – book a tour now and join the world wide guests enjoying this tour! Come early/stay late, photograph all the art, buy some souvenirs like the painted light bulbs by Meres and other art available by other artists. Get to the Pointz, 5 Pointz!
The coolest part of the 5 Pointz tour!
Book a tour through SideTour.com. Tours are currently sold out till November 5, this is a rare opportunity, put yourself on the mailing list and grab this chance before it is too late!
Doorway to cool!
A masterclass with Meres One
MERES ONE LIGHT BULB SOUVENIR
October 25, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 3 dimensional graffiti murals, 5 Pointz Graffiti Museum, 5 Pointz souvenir, 5 Pointz tour, art, geisha girl, graffiti master class, graffiti styles, Hans Von Rittern, history of 5 Pointz, inside 5 Pointz, international graffiti, Manhattan, Meres, Meres light bulb, Meres One, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, Queens, rooftop tour, Side Tours, SideTour.com | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: STRIP TEASE DOLLS & BURLESQUE BEAUTIES – In the land of long ago, when “the daily bump and grind” meant something different, the Times Theater in Times Square featured ‘strip tease dolls and burlesk beauties’. I like to image names like Peaches LaTour, Bubbles Beverly, Feathery Fiona, Sally Rand, Miss Electra, Dressy Tessie Tura and Miss Mazeppa. And remember, you gotta get a gimmick if you want to get ahead!
MAZEPPA:
You can pull all the stops out
Till they call the cops out;
Grind your behind till you’re banned.
But you gotta get a gimmick
If you wanna get a hand.
You can sacrifice your saccro
Working in the back row.
Bump in a dump till you’re dead.
Kid, you gotta have a gimmick
If you wanna get ahead.
You can uh…You can uh… You can uh…uh…uh…
That’s how Burlesque was born.
So I uh…and I uh… And I uh…uh…uh…
But I do it with a horn…
Once I was a Schleppa, Now I’m Miss Mazzeppa,
With my revolution in dance.
You gotta have a gimmick If you wanna have a chance!
ELECTRA:
She can uh… She can uh… She can uh…uh…uh…
That’ll never make her rich.
Me, I uh… and I uh… And I uh…uh…uh…
But I do it with a switch.
I’m electrifyin’, And I ain’t even tryin’;
I never have to sweat to get paid;
‘Cause if you got a gimmick, Gypsy girl, you got it made.
TESSIE TURA:
All them uh and then uh… And that uh…uh…uh…
Ain’t gonna spell success;
Me, I uh… and I uh… And I uh…uh…uh…
But I do it with finesse.
Dressy Tessie Tura is so much more demur-er
Than all them other ladies because–
You gotta get a gimmick If you wanna get applause.
ALL: Do something special Anything special
And you’ll get better because…
You’re more than just a mimic
When you gotta gimmick
Take a look how different we are!
ELECTRA: If you wanna make it, Twinkle while you shake it.
TESSIE TURA: If you wanna grind it, Wait till you’ve refined it.
MAZEPPA: If you wanna stump it, Bump it with a trumpet!
ALL: So get yourself a gimmick and you, too, Can be a star!
The best version ever done from the 1962 Rosalind Russell film “Gypsy”, Natalie Wood as Louise ‘Gypsy Rose Lee’ Hovick, Betty Bruce as Tessie Tura, Faith Dane as Mazeppa, Roxanne Arlen as Electra –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFRSawe33sA
October 24, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: "You gotta get a gimmick", Betty Bruce as Tessie Tura, bump and grind, burlesk, burlesque beauties, burlesque houses, burlesque theaters, Faith Dane as Mazeppa, Gypsy 1962 film, Gypsy Rose Lee, Hans Von Rittern, Manhattan, Miss Mazeppa, Natalie Wood, New York City, New York photo, old Times Square, Photo of the day, Rosalind Russell, Roxanne Arlen as Electra, Strip tease dolls, Strippers, Tessie Tura, Times Square, Times Theater, vintage Times Square photo | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: SEX IS BACK – (…I didn’t know it was gone!) But according to the Pleasure Chest Sex Shop at 156 Seventh Avenue in Greenwich Village, New York, apparently they have found it and brought it back to us, I am sure Justin Timberlake will be glad 
“I’m bringing sexy back
Them other boys don’t know how to act
I think it’s special what’s behind your back
So turn around and I’ll pick up the slack.
Take em’ to the bridge
[Bridge]
Dirty babe You see these shackles
Baby I’m your slave
I’ll let you whip me if I misbehave
It’s just that no one makes me feel this way
Take em’ to the chorus
[Chorus]
Come here girl Go ahead, be gone with it
Come to the back Go ahead, be gone with it VIP
Go ahead, be gone with it
Drinks on me Go ahead, be gone with it
Let me see what you’re working with
Go ahead, be gone with it
Look at those hips Go ahead, be gone with it
You make me smile Go ahead, be gone with it
Go ahead child Go ahead, be gone with it
And get your sexy on Go ahead, be gone with it”
October 23, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: "Sexy Back" lyrics, 156 Seventh Avenue, Greenwich Village, handcuffs in window, Hans Von Rittern, Justin Timberlake, Manhattan, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, photography, Pleasure Chest, Pleasure Chest Sex Shop, porn store, SEX IS BACK, sex shop, Sex shop display window | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: THE BLOOM IS OFF THE ROSE, FAMED ROSELAND TO CLOSE – Another knife in the heart of New York’s theater district is the recently announced April 2014 closing of the iconic once dance hall, now concert and party venue Roseland. It is with head spinning disbelief that yet another historic piece of New York will be replaced with a tall mirror glass building according to insiders who currently work at Roseland and are being handed their pink slips. 2013 saw more (almost daily) closings and tear downs of long time establishments than in recent memory – all part of the mayor Bloomberg’s greedy search and destroy tactic of anything that is (not so) old, is just out of the reaches of being declared a landmark and therefore won’t face the trials of court injunctions against it’s demolition. Zoning law variances have become the norm and for a price history, building restrictions and the heart of the city mean absolutely nothing. The average price of buying a New York City council member (like mine, Jimmy Van Brammer) is $10,200 – buy a few council members and you can build what you wish, they will magically ‘vote’ your way.
Roseland started on 51st Street as a 1919 dance hall for ‘refined dancing’, slowly that evolved to ‘dance hostesses’ who offered dances for 11¢ a dance (think “Sweet Charity”). From white ‘refined’ music it evolved into a swinging big band and jazz club featuring the likes of Louis Armstrong, Count Basie with his “Roseland Suffle”, Chick Webb and Ella Fitzgerald, Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra to Madonna, Beonce and Donna Summer and all the other major music acts of our time. The original club closed and reopened in 1956 one block over on 52nd Street in a former ice rink. Slow dancing turned into disco nights and rock concerts. Infamous underground parties, fan shows, conventions, new and old music groups appeared here or made their reappearance here, for example disco diva Grace Jones in 1978 broke through a brick wall on her motorcycle and then did her act surrounded by tigers. She made her grande reappearance in 2012 and hadn’t changed a bit (see my old post).
And now along with the Lenox Lounge in Harlem, Colony Records in Times Square, South Street Seaport’s Pier 17, and endless other victims of this genocide of history – you can add The Roseland Ballroom. Is this what it is like to grow old? You loose everything around you? Or is it the voracious greed of our destructive mayor, who in his twelve years of being mayor has gone from being the 18th richest man in America worth $18 billion, to becoming the 10th richest man in America now worth $31 billion . . . coincidence, it think not.
The Roseland Ballroom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseland_Ballroom
Roseland the 1977 film
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseland_(film)
October 22, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 10 cents a dance, Bloomberg corrupt, buying a council member, Chick Webb and Ella Fitzgerald, Colony Records, corrupt city politics, CORRUPT POLITICIANS, Councilman Jimmy Van Brammer, Count Basie with his "Roseland Suffle", dance hall, dance hall hostesses, disco dance nights at Roseland, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, Grace Jones, greedy politicians, Hans Von Rittern, Jimmy Van Brammer, Lenox Lounge Harlem, Louis Armstrong, Manhattan, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, politicians can be bought, Queens, rezonning laws in New York, rock concerts Roseland, Roseland 1977 film, Roseland Ballroom, Roseland Ballroom closing, Roseland torn down, South Street Seaport, Times Square, zoning variances in New York | Leave a comment
Mondays on Memory Lane: STOUFFERS ‘TOP OF THE SIX’S’ RESTAURANT – As a child, “Top of The Six’s” meant a special occasion. You had done well in school or it was prom night or you were in love and wanted to impress with the sweeping view of the Empire State Building. The rooftop restaurant was located at the epicenter of the posh section of Fifth Avenue, between 52nd/53rd Streets, with a lobby fountain wall designed by Isamu Noguchi and easy subway access downstairs. Today it is but a postcard memory.
Lobby fountain wall designed by Isamu Noguchi
It all started in 1922 the Stouffer family opened a lunch counter on East Ninth St. in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. They sold sandwiches, dairy products and Lena Stouffer’s soon-to-be-famous deep-dish Dutch apple pie. By 1935 they expanded to six restaurants in the Cleveland area and in 1937 they opened the first Stouffer restaurant in New York City.
In 1946 Stouffer’s opened on Shaker Square and at the Westgate shopping center in the Cleveland suburbs. It was at the Shaker Square location that patrons began requesting takeout orders of items on the menu and the Stouffer foray in to frozen food began by 1954. By this time Stouffer’s had restaurants in Florida, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Detroit.
1958 – Opens restaurants at the stainless steel deco-like #666 Tishman Building (built 1957) located at 666 5th Avenue in New York City one on the 1st & below-street levels, the other on the 39th floor, at the time the highest public restaurant in N.Y. They went there, by the millions. In July 1973, about 15 years after it opened, the restaurant announced that it was about to serve its 10 millionth meal. Ominously, a review that month found the cuisine anything but haute.
They continued to expand, building a frozen food processing plant in Solon, Ohio in 1968 and they ventured into specialty casual dining eateries with names like Rusty Scupper, Cheese Cellar and the Grog Shop. In 1969 NASA chose Stouffer’s products for Apollo 11, 12 and 14 for astronauts to dine on.
But it was the Stouffer’s “Top of the…” restaurants that became the special occasion places to go. “Top of The Hub” in Boston, “Top of the Rock” in downtown Chicago, “Top of the Sixes” in New York City, “Top of the Flame” in Detroit and “Top of the Town” in Cleveland.
The view was terrific from 40 stories up, especially in those days long before the World Trade Center, when a restaurant on top of a skyscraper was a novelty. Prices were reasonable. Children liked the view, and so did young couples on dates. Men proposed to their wives there,” it was a time when going to ”the city” meant journeying from Queens to Manhattan. You didn’t necessarily go there for the food, it was that wonderful atmosphere.
Tishman Building #666 Fifth Avenue
On September 18, 1996, The New York Times announced the closing of this beloved rooftop gem. The new tenant would be the Grand Havana Room, a cigar temple that will bear as much resemblance to a smoke-filled parlor as, say, the Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel. Right now I’d give anything for a mid-west cooked Stouffer’s meal atop of the Six’s. The best I can do, is to go to my rooftop, spread a tablecloth and open my microwaved Stouffers dinner – it’s just not the same.
What are your memories of “Top of the Six’s”?
October 21, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 666 Fifth Avenue, architecture, “Top of the Flame” in Detroit, “Top of The Hub” in Boston, “Top of the Rock” in downtown Chicago, “Top of the Sixes” in New York City, “Top of the Town” in Cleveland, Empire State Building, Hans Von Rittern, Isamu Noguchi, Lobby fountain wall designed by Isamu Noguchi, Manhattan, Mondays on Mmemory Lane, NASA space program food, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, Queens, rooftop dining, Stouffer's frozen foods, Stouffer's Restaurants, subway, The Tishman Building, Tishman Building, vintage New York nightlife, vintage New York postcard, vintage NYC postcard, World Trade Center | 11 Comments
Photo of the day: NO, BANKSY WUZ NOT HERE – But you are, thank you! Today at the iconic 5 Pointz Graffiti Art Museum, they decided to make a statement about the current Banksy craze – so, Meres, curator of the museum made his statement and created this graffitied artful canvas.
‘Banksy’ is a highly secretive British graffiti artist who is currently making headlines in New York City. For the month of October, every night Banksy paints one of his stencil art pieces in a location somewhere in one of the 5 boroughs. The thing is, creative as Banksy may be, it still is art that is not asked for by the buildings he paints them on. That is where 5 Pointz is different. It is a factory building spanning an entire city block in Long Island City, Queens. 200,000 square feet of spectacular art that has been requested an approved. Considered to be the premier graffiti art museum in the world, now in danger of being torn down (see my previous October 3rd post) thanks to the unending greed of the Bloomberg era. While enjoying a big spike in visitors since the potentially horrible news has broken, 5 Pointz’s curators were though, getting a little tired of being asked, “has Banksy been here yet?!” Well – there is your answer “No. . Banksy wuz not here, but you are, thank you!” They and Meres welcome you to take their tour via SideTour.com, I highly recommend it!
5 POINTZ: 45-46 Davis Street, corner of Jackson Avenue, under the 7 train line, Court Street stop. Long Island City, NY
http://5ptz.com/about/
October 20, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 5 Pointz, 5 Pointz Graffiti Museum, 7 train, 7 train Court Street Station, Banksy, Banksy craze, graffiti art, graffiti artist, Hans Von Rittern, Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Long Island City Queens, Meres One, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, Queens, Side Tour, SideTour.com, street graffiti | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: GIVE ME THE LIBERTY TO TOUR ! – French muralist Veronique Barrilot painted this great mural as a (hopefully not) final statement at the 5 Pointz Graffiti & Mural Museum on Jackson Avenue in Long Island City, Queens, which is in danger of being torn down in favor of twin glass high rise towers. (See my earlier post). Her bold Liberty statue proclaims in French “Give Me The Liberty to Paint!”.
For the past week I have been faced with the frustration of leading my European tourists who have come so far to see (shall we say) their Eiffel Tower, our Statue of Liberty – only to find signs posted that the despicable government has shut the symbol of freedom down and their tickets have been canceled. There we are left standing in Battery Park which is still mostly destroyed from hurricane Sandy. No park. No island. No Liberty.
I too join my friend Veronique in proclaiming “Give Me The Freedom – to Tour!”
October 8, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 5 Pointz, Battery Park, government shut down, graffiti art, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Manhattan, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, national park shut downs, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, Queens, shutdown hurting New York tourism, Statue of Liberty, Statue of Liberty closed to tourists, Statue of Liberty mural, street art, tour guides hurt by shutdown, tourism, VERONIQUE BARRILLOT, Veronique Barrilot | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: “BLESSED ASSURANCE” GOING TO CHURCH (THEATER) WITH CICELY TYSON – On Friday night I had the great privilege of seeing one of the greatest actresses of the present day – Cicely Tyson give her final stage performance of her career in Horton Foote’s play “The Trip To Bountiful.” It has taken me a full day to recover from the emotional reaction to this stirring performance. In my 57 years, this ranks as the single top performance I have ever seen on stage. I have seen Ingrid Bergman, Katherine Hepburn, Jane Fonda, Patti Lupone in Evita, Jessye Norman, Elaine Stritch, many of the great others and even the great Bette Davis on stage, but this is the most emotional performance I have ever witnessed. Cicely Tyson’s entire being transforms into the character she portrays of 88 year old Mrs. Carrie Watts.
“The Trip To Bountiful” resonates so much now to the sold out performances because it speaks to our fast moving times. Mrs. Carrie Watts (originally played by legendary Lillian Gish on televison) wants to go home one more time to see her birthplace home in the town of Bountiful. She lives in 1953 Houston, Texas with her son and his self involved wife (Vanessa Williams), both of whom prevent her from going home for two reasons: her (supposed) weak heart and most of all, her social security check her son’s wife covets. Carrie finally slips out of the house and to the Greyhound bus station only to find out Bountiful doesn’t seem to exist anymore. Determined, she boards the bus for the next nearest town. On her way she befriends a young newly wed woman (Condola Rashad) to whom she reveals her story. As they arrive in the nearest town’s bus station, Carrie discovers she has lost her purse with her money (.35 cents), social security check and the truth that no one is alive anymore in the town of Bountiful. This seemingly to be the end, Carrie cheers herself up and the young woman by determinedly singing the hymn “Blessed Assurance.” And then, an unheard of phenomena occurs.
Cicely Tyson’s character is so convincing and the hymn so moving – the audience softly starts joining in. There is no orchestra, this is a dramatic play. Breaking through the fourth wall, the souls of the audience are joined with the spirit of Cicely Tyson’s character. I was moved to streaming tears of wonderment and joy. The joy of witnessing the lifting of souls to “Blessed Assurance” and a divine performance, the likes of which I have never seen.
See it from my perspective: I am white, sitting in an audience that is mostly of color, filled with many church going women. I did not know the hymn Cicely sings is an actual hymn. The audience does. It is a faith restoring hymn that has become a staple in the black churches of America, it is a part of their upbringing. As Mrs. Carrie Watts/Cicely is trying to lift their spirits up and she starts to recite, then to hum and then sing the hymn, this ‘chorus’ seemed to emerge. I didn’t understand what the effect was. A recording? A chorus back stage? In that instant you realize you are part of an extraordinary unprecedented experience as the audience by their being so moved, joins in. I have never experienced anything like it. It has been reported in The New York Times, this phenomena of, for first time in theater history, that the audience joins to share the moving spirit of the encouraging moment. Cicely’s body language as the old 88 year old woman, clasping her handkerchief, her face joyfully beaming, waving her hands in the air to god, is a vision I will never ever forget. I was shaken by the experience for the entire next day, making me think – what are we all rushing towards so quickly, only to run past what we are looking for? It made me wish for a gentler time, a quieter time, and to treasure the present before it’s gone and we wind up having to search for it, only to find it gone. I too yearn for a trip to Bountiful which alas seems to be gone.
This great actress, who has given us ‘The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman’, ‘Roots’, ‘Sounder’, ‘A Woman Called Moses’ – the story of Harriet Tubman, and recently ‘The Help’, has given the world an incomparable stage moment at age 80 (some say 88). In the final moment of the play, her son and daughter have caught up to her to bring her back home, forced to return, she is peaceful that she has seen her home in Bountiful one last time. Mrs. Carrie Watts waves and says “goodbye” to her home before she has to head back to Houston, then, turns to the open neglected farm fields (the audience) and waves, quietly and softly says “goodbye.” Curtain, the end.
The overwhelming meaning and emotion of that moment has moved me beyond compare.
1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.
2. Perfect submission, perfect delight,
visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
(Refrain)
3. Perfect submission, all is at rest;
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love.
(Refrain)
October 6, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: "Blessed Assurance" hymn, "The Trip To Bountiful", 'A Woman Called Moses' - the story of Harriet Tubman, 'Roots', 'Sounder', 'The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman', 'The Help', 1953, audience joins in song, black churches, black heritage, Blessed Assurance, Blessed Assurance lyrics, Broadway audience participation, Broadway history, Broadway legends, Carrie Watts, celebrities, Cicely Tyson, Condola Rashad, Elaine Stritch, gospel music, Greyhound bus, Hans Von Rittern, Horton Foote, Houston Texas, ingrid bergman, Jane Fonda, Jessye Norman, Katherine Hepburn, Lillian Gish, Manhattan, memorable Broadway scenes, Mrs. Carrie Watts, New York City, New York photo, nostalgia, Patti Lupone in Evita, Stephen Sondheim Theater, theater legend, theater phenomena, Times Square, Vanessa Williams, wanting to go home again | Leave a comment
NEW YORK CITY - IN THE WIT OF AN EYE 