Post-Blizzard Ramifications

Warm weather and slow snow removal have left the city slushy.

Intersections are swimming pools.


Cars can't move out of their Saturday, pre-blizzard parking spots.


Because Saturday was Christmas, there was no garbage pick-up. Many bags are simply trapped under the mounds of snow. Now residents are piling new bags on top of the snow heaps hoping that garbagemen can make their way down the street for pick-up.


Apparently Santa forgot to give Mayor Bloomberg a better clean-up strategy for the holidays. At least we're not trapped at the airport!

BLIZZARD!

Shots from INSIDE the Canal Street station the night of the blizzard.

CANstruction '10

The holiday season is always heralded by this event held at the World Financial Center. This year there were some clever entries (remember that all the sculptures are made out of cans).


Legos



Russian Nesting Dolls



Can you make out Super Mario?


All the cans were donated to a food bank the Monday before Thanksgiving.

Check out a CANstruction in your area.

http://canstruction.org/cities

Sukkah City

I'm a wee behind on posting, but wanted to give a shout out to the Sukkah City -- a design contest that occurred in October. Architects were asked to design modern sukkahs and the winners were displayed in Union Square.




Here are more images of the sukkahs (these pages don't seem to load if you hit the link so you'll need to cut and paste them into another browser window).

http://designnotes.info/?p=2836

and a story about the contest

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/42991/

Underground

Back in September PS 122 and the Alliance Francaise co-produced a reading of Daniel Pettow's The Sea Museum in an abandoned subway tunnel in Brooklyn. The environment made the reading quite unique.

To enter the space, everyone climbed through a manhole in the middle of the street.



and then walked through this "entry way"


The performance took place down the length of the tunnel. My Nokia's flash isn't too strong, but you can make out the rock wall at the end of the tunnel which marked the end of the playing space.

Sugar Plum Fairy...

...prancing at 42nd and 8th Ave

x-rated

Random yet strategically placed art at the entrance to the Time Square station.

High and Low Culture

These books were next to each other on a shelf titled "Popular Selections" at a book store in Columbus Circle.


Clearly New Yorkers like all types of literature.

Bag Lady

At Macy's in Herald Square

Secret Identity

Seen on the L train, a man in a full business suit with a pair of spaceman pajamas just peeking out from the bottom of the pant leg.

Fantasy Clocks

These fantastic clocks were shown at the Washington Square Arts Festival.

You can contact the artist Richard Birkett at 607-988-7409

Chicken?

In case you fear the dentist but need some work done, here's the practice for you -- check out the tagline on the bottom right of the sign.

NYC vs Stockholm

In Central Park you will find an Organic Fast Food cart. Here is the list of hot dog offerings:


Compare that to the Hot Dog stand I passed in Stockholm:



That's right, your options include two scoops of mashed potatoes (second picture on the right), shrimp salad (third picture on the left), or roasted pork (third from the right).

6th St and 1st Ave: A Love Story

Oy, Mister Velo, you are a colorful chap and so full of life. I am drawn to you.

Si mio piccolo sidecar, I too feel the electricity between us. You are so sturdy, so understated. Will you attach yourself to me?

Are you not afraid, dear sir, that I will weigh you down?

Mio amore, you will bring balance to my life. I adore you.

And I love you. Let us drive into the sunset together.

Glow in the Dark

The small square at 6th Ave and Bleeker was recently refurbished. The new fountain lights up at night. A wee bit European but with a day-glow twist.

Fairy Princessland

This Fairy Princess Closet of Magical Gowns brought to you by Cookies in Brooklyn.

Supersized Sound

Dial P for Playground

It's late at night. A Phone Rings:

Park Worker: Mr Playground, can you come by to fix the broken swing in Washington Square Park?

DPG: That's Dr. Playground to you son. I didn't spend 8 years in playground college and get my degree in see-saw-ology not to be shown the respect I deserve.

Mohonk

About an hour and a half outside NYC is a mountain lodge named Mohonk. It's a beautiful place of repose...especially for mountain elves.

That'll Hurt Later

New York fast food restaurants are required to list the calorie count next to each item for sale. A jaw dropping example from the Original Nathans in Coney Island. Calorie Count located at the bottom of the display.


Just as a comparison:

All Smiles

In the bathroom at Scandinavia House on 38th and Park-

Innovative Design or Happenstance?

Sidewalk Catwalk

From Herald Square to Times Square along Broadway you'll find mannequins with outfits by top designers making the sidewalks more eye-popping. Here are a few of the creations:



www.sidewalk-catwalk.com


The mannequins will be on display until Labor Day

Hand Made

This is the scarf my mom just made for me! It will be Seen Around NYC more prominently this fall.

Comparison

What you see just next to the entrance to the Trader Joe's near my apartment in New York

What you see just next to the entrance to the Trader Joe's near my parent's apartment in Minneapolis.


Well, there are all those lakes.

Nobody Knows Who You Are...Yet

The Spiderman musical, which has been plagued by both script and money problems, had to delay its announced February opening and rumors are the production costs close to $50 million dollars.

Apparently there is some movement towards raising the curtain on this Julie Taymor helmed project (with a book by Glen Berger and music by Bono and the Edge) as I walked by the Hilton Theater the other day and the crew was loading in. Here's an image of the set being hung on the back wall of the theater. You can see similar grey images on Gotham just behind the flat to its right.


And apparently Local 1 doesn't have Spidey sense so their materials all needed to be well labeled.

New Sand Painting in Union Square

Walk, Stop, F*%k You

GREED stays on track

The MTA is about to cut service and take away students' free Metrocards prompting the following change of service sign recently posted in one of the stations.


Sorry I couldn't get closer so you could read the fine print. I'm sure it ain't appropriate for younguns'

Big City Heathens Repent

The Big Apple

Literally

Trash with Class

Even garbage in New York is treated as High Art


In the top left corner, you can also make out the new Shepard Fairey (Obama poster artist) mural on the side of the evil Cooper Square Hotel.

http://www.freshnessmag.com/2010/04/30/shepard-fairey-new-mural-on-cooper-square-hotel-event-recap