Photo of the day: NEW YORK HALLOWEEN 2012
NEW YORK HALLOWEEN 2012: In a Photoshop world, we might have created the eerie surreal spooky landscape of New York City for great effect. It need not be done, this is real. Some say life must go on, others say in a place of devastation – to celebrate Halloween is sacrilegious. The world’s largest (3 million people) Halloween parade in Manhattan has been canceled for the first time in it’s 39 years. There are many neighborhoods where there are no houses, if there are houses – no sidewalks. If there are homes – no stores open to buy candy. If you are safe – the streets are currently not at night. With New York at it’s longest standstill in it’s entire history – you decide. Happy Halloween ~ in spirit.
Photo of the day: DUPLEX APARTMENT AVAILABLE
DUPLEX APARTMENT AVAILABLE: GREAT DUPLEX APARTMENT RENTAL IN ASTORIA, QUEENS. WALKING DISTANCE TO TRAIN STATION! 2 LEVELS, 2BR, 1.5BA, FRONT PORCH, KITCHENETTE , LIVING ROOM W/VIEWS, BONUS DECK, OFF-STREET PARKING, PRE-WIRED. SMALL PETS WELCOME.
From the gallery: MARGE SIMPSON’S BEAUTY SALON
THE SIMPSON’S BEAUTY SALON: Ever wonder where Marge Simpson gets her blue up-do hair done? Well I found the place! Apparently when Marge is in New York she goes to “Hair We Are” at 45-15 Queens Blvd. in Sunnyside, Queens. Their window designer ‘Lawrence’ may not have realized that their mascot painted in their window has a very strong resemblance to the residents of Homer & Marge Simpson’s Springfield 🙂
UPDATE: July 20, 2014 – The above hair salon has closed and been replaced with a new hair salon with much better decor 🙂
From the gallery: THE WATER HOG
THE WATER HOG: This was the scene outside my window the other afternoon. A frustrated little sparrow kept waiting his turn for a sip of water, but this fat pigeon wouldn’t move out of the water dish. I have this dish set up so that the birds and squirrels always have some crucial water to drink. In the summer months I have to refill it twice a day. Most birds come for their morning and afternoon drink and socialize on my fire escape. My local squirrel (dubbed Oscar) receives an unsalted peanut every day. So we were a happy little bunch till this fat pigeon showed up the other day. He/she apparently thinks it is their personal sitz bath. This poor little sparrow kept coming back again and again, hopping around the dish to just get that one little sip while the pigeon contently contemplated life with it’s eyes closed, resting in the water dish.
Can you just imagine the conversation?:
“Ah, hey bud, you about finished in there?”
“Hey bud?!”
“You’re not going to fart in there on anything like that are you? I mean you’re just sitting there, right? No pooping either right?”
“Hey! It’s our water dish too and my other sparrow friends are gonna come in a minute and, and, and – well, we’ll come and stare at your rude self!”
“Hey, you even listening?”
“Gee! Peep, peep!”
Nothing, the pigeon just keeps it’s eyes closed till sundown when it finally stretched it’s wings, waddled over to the edge of the fire escape and flew off to his condo somewhere nearby. Another day in Sunnyside, Queens, 3rd floor.
Photo of the day: COFFEE SHOP STILL LIFE
COFFEE SHOP STILL LIFE: Americana is the classic local coffee shop with the Coke machine, the cake tray bearing the last croissant, the classic pewter coffee shop water pitcher, the calculator to add the take-out order’s total. This little corner of Americana is the New Post Coffee Shop on Queens Blvd and 40th Street. It is comfort. Having stood still in time since the 1960’s, it is reassuring that the hectic pace of change can go away, just for that time you spend here. The classic ketchup bottle on the counter, those wonderful thick white coffee mugs, the cake trays with the plastic domes, the sizzle of the gridle, vinyl covered counter stools that twirl, laminate counters with plastic menus offering a wide variety of comfort food to make that awful boss, that annoying subway ride or that really bad day just go away.
Photo of the day: SATURDAY IS BATH NIGHT – WHY?
NOEL – my sheepdog/terrier mix
SATURDAY NIGHT IS BATH NIGHT – WHY?: ‘Why
couldn’t we have just gone to the park instead?’.
Our dog ‘Noel’ was found Christmas day in a shelter slated to be euthanized at 6 months old. She became our ‘Clifford the big red dog’. She went from a tiny ball of fluff, to a 60lb ball of fluff. Mom calls her ‘the throw rug with legs’. She is 13 years old now . . . but she thinks she is only one years old. 🙂
From the gallery: CHOOSING MEAT
CHOOSING MEAT: Some people are adept at hunting in the forest, some people are adept at fishing in the sea, some people are adept at trolling for Perdue chickens in the aisles of the local supermarket.
Photo of the day: WARHOL COMES TO TARGÉ
WARHOL COMES TO TARGÉ: Now you can buy soup in style! In a move to boost sales, Cambpell’s soup is selling Andy Warhol style soup cans for just .75 cents. There are four color combinations and just 1 million cans have been produced. As soon as I heard they were being released on Sunday, Sept. 2nd, the 50th anniversary of Warhol’s Campell’s soup can 1962 painting, I naturally rushed to my nearest Targé to stock up.
I stood by and watched the phenomena of Warhol in Targé as the people walked by. I was curious, who in Archie Bunker’s Queens would buy?? I waited. Most walked by, looked curiously and didn’t get it. Who did? The Japanese. In my unscientific observation of only one hour’s observation, it was Japanese, young hipsters and gays that very intently checked each can on the shelf until they felt satisfied they had secured the ‘best’ cans. Naturally, I did the same 🙂
So…for those of you looking to invest in your future, the investment costs you just less than a dollar!
(Of course – you have to hope, that at least half a million of those cans, or hopefully more, will be bought by unknowing Americans, who will just take a can opener to the can, gulp down that veltvety red soup and throw out the can. So, start dumpster diving for the labels or just spend the .75 cents.)
Photo of the day: THE OLD ROCKERS
THE OLD ROCKERS: Old rockers never die they just get played out.
There is so much going on here. I am passing by a disco concert on 46th Street/Queens Blvd. in Sunnyside, Queens yesterday, and I see these two faded rockers sitting in the front. She grabbed my attention first. In the glaring heat, she is wearing all black. The earrings are gold inverted crosses. Her t-shirt is the best – it has a big metallic gold chain (from the hood) printed on it. The sunglasses are pitch black Dolce Gabbana. But . . . she can’t keep awake to the blaring sounds of “Disco Inferno”.
Her husband (?) is wearing the 2012 equivalent of a 1970’s leisure suit: a brown colored jogging suit. Any color is permissible in jogging suits, but brown = leisure suit. On the shoulders of his jacket are hanger impressions from the jacket having hung in the closet too long. He has a long pony tail that has many shades of color no longer on his head.
He loving ‘Disco Inferno’, nudges her enthusiastically, she just nods off . . .
NEW YORK CITY - IN THE WIT OF AN EYE 