The Play of Light

The City is filled with sights and sounds. Early mornings are quiet and the streets are empty. Being alone in a crowd is rare anywhere - in NYC, it's a treasure.

As I walk the streets, I look for moments of quiet beauty - how the light reflects. How textures create shadows. How colors become warm or cold or surreal.

Even the wares of a corner bodega take on a new life when bathed in beautiful light.

Once, on a walking tour, our guide advised to "always look up". The City has surprises at every turn and rewards the curious with small gifts.

While this is a faux French eatery - the decor hand picked to transform this corner of the Meat Packing district into a bistro-like experience, the colors - paint, pastels and frosted glass - look even better in Sunday Brunch light.

I call this hunting with a camera and find morning light the best time for me.

These old ads - fading by the day - remind the viewer that we live in an ever-changing world. But not necessarily better...

 

In the morning I look for subtle colors and strong side light - these ordinary apartment windows caught my eye.   

Even in soft light, stark colors can make their presence felt.

Sunday mornings in good light. Armed with only a camera and a comfortable pair of shoes, life can be exciting.

The Cloisters - NYC

One of the most beautiful, restful places in NYC is the Cloisters - part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I have been going there for relaxation since college and many years later, it still works its magic.



This is an apse taken from a church in Spain and rebuilt in NYC.



This is the outside view - this photo was taken in December. Northern Manhattan is a cold place but the Christmas decorations are beautiful and worth the trip.

It's beautiful in any season, but the gardens are especially wonderful in the summer. High above the Hudson, you can enjoy the sights and smells of a Renaissance garden (smell the herbs - watch for bees!)

My absolute favorite thing in the museum. This is called a "rosary bead" - a smaller-than-a-tennis ball work of carved art. Pictures do not do it justice.

This is how you scare the faithful into being good - here is a depiction of hell in one of the cloisters.

Beautiful carvings are everywhere - I see something new every time I visit.

This is a fountain by an inner cloister. They occasionally have chants playing. With the sound of splashing water, you can meditate and cogitate in peace.

All of the cloister elements are here - water, the cross, natural beauty.

Here is an example of espalier - I have watched this plant for many years and it's beautiful in every season.

I love the statue dogs at the feet of the dead - to keep them warm in the after life.

Those statue "heads" used to contain relics of saints. That's before their trip to the new world.

The Cloisters - spend an hour or a day. It may be the best museum in New York City.

Central Park Walk

My friend Stew and I have a tradition - we tour a NYC neighborhood 2 or 3 times a year, usually starting off with brunch. On this trip, we went to "Good Enough to Eat" on the upper west side. Stew had waffles and strawberries with strawberry flavored butter. Talk about red lining your cholesterol.


In good weather, you can eat outside with the beautiful people as bus and car traffic flavors your meal. That's Stew after his meal. Ready to explore the park and walk off some calories.

I look at the fountain as the emotional heart of Central Park. In the summer, it's a magnet for New Yorkers looking for a scrap of cool air and community.

There are lakes in the park and you can rent a boat (provided you have lots of money, of course).

The park is so big, you can be in the middle of a City with 8 million people and still get a sense of being in the wild. The traffic noise is far removed and the air is surprisingly fresh.

Here is an example of the kind of detail that dates back to the origin of park.

Walking The Streets - NYC

This is a wonderful little brunch place in TriBeCa - perfect for a Sunday morning waffle with strawberries. Parking in NYC on Sunday (before noon) is usually simple and you don't have to feed the meters.

In the Village, Caffe Reggio was one of the original coffee houses and a hang out for the early "beats". JFK once made a speech here on his way to becoming President. It could be called "Starbucks V 1.0".

Jesus saves, but Moses invests!

If you have a need and a few bucks, NYC has a deal for you. look at these prices. And, no doubt, you can haggle a bit to improve even the best prices - or at least avoid the sales tax.

The corner grocery always has fresh fruit and flowers for sale. The play of light makes them even more appealing. Of course, only the foolish would eat a peach without washing.

The perfect NYC get around (after shanks mare). A Vespa with chain about the size of the Andrea Doria's anchor line. The pale blue paint is so retro.

The perfect street food - Pizza - like Rodney Dangerfield gets no respect from the spray can crowd.

Not the first to get the idea for this shot and certainly not the last.

I can't imaging what surgery was like in the 1890's. The walls could tell tales that would keep medical phobics like me awake for days.

Chinatown Crawl - Spring 2010

Chinatown has lots of low cost food outlets - here are two of the best. How does 5 for a dollar fried dumplings sound? This small storefront is on Mosco St. near Mulberry.





The Shop, as you can see, is a hole in the wall but it has a loyal following and the price is right. These made a perfect appetizer for the main meal. I hear it's crowded during the week with people on lunch from jury duty - the court house is near by.

We then walked over to The Excellent Dumpling House for lunch. I had pork Shu Mi as a Dim Sum starter and them we had Sizzling Steak and Shrimp with Broccoli. Both quite good and the tab was quite reasonable.

The staff was polite, efficient and spoke perfect English. The floor, tables and utensils were clean too. I recommend you give it a try if you are in Chinatown and are hungry for authentic Chinese food. Excellent Dumpling House can be found at 111 Lafayette St.