Lexington Avenue, October 2006

For the last several months, a new building has been going up around the corner from my apartment. The workers have been using interesting construction bins, with stencils of a tiger (or some kind of cat) on them. I like the worn, splattered surfaces of the bins.

I'm not sure yet what the building, which took the place of two old townhouses, will be. My guess? Condos.

Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, June 2006

The iron fences that surround many of the old townhouses in Bed-Stuy are tipped with leaf-like finials. I guess that was the style of the day when they were built, 100 years ago or more.

I took this photo, looking straight down at shadows on the sidewalk, in June. But it seems sort of lonely and autumnal to me. Maybe it's those leaves.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Sept. 2006

Everyone thinks Williamsburg is such an artistically evolved neighborhood...so why does a chimpanzee preside over these trash cans?

Hell's Kitchen, June 2006

A lot of older tenement buildings, like this one on W. 53rd Street, have these arched openings onto the sidewalk. I believe they're old coal chutes, where coal for furnaces could be dumped directly into the basement. Now they're all sealed over, but they can be visually interesting.

"Tovid" is a common graffiti tag all over Hell's Kitchen. This one is especially fun, with those stars and squiggles!

Chinatown, October 2006

A newsstand on Canal Street, with a nice shadow from a nearby "Don't Walk" sign.

So, let me tell you about my celebrity-heavy weekend! First, on Friday, I went to the Out 100 Awards, which are presented each year by Out Magazine to trendsetters and notable figures of signifigance to the gay community. This year, speakers and recipients included Isaac Mizrahi, Iman, Claire Danes, Anne Hathaway and Michael Kors. The ceremony was held in a huge old bank building on the Bowery with Klieg lights playing across its facade. I felt very Hollywood.

Then, last night, I went to a fascinating talk by author Antonia Fraser, who is touting her new history of the wives and mistresses of Louis XIV. When my friends and I walked in, we passed an attractive woman in black standing near the auditorium door. One of my friends bravely approached her and said, "Excuse me, but has anyone ever told you you look like Judy Collins?" She replied, "Well, that's because I AM Judy Collins." I'm a huge Judy Collins fan, so it was pretty exciting for me - and who would expect that she's a fan of Antonia Fraser? We also saw author Salman Rushdie and playwright Tom Stoppard. (I didn't recognize Stoppard, but Rushdie was unmistakable.)

Pretty fun, huh? And quite a step up from Geraldo Rivera's car.

Key West, November 2006

The last of my Key West photos! Sue and I stopped at this waterfront bar - the same place where I took Tuesday's cat photo. I liked the bright colors of the tables and stools, from which guests can contemplate the amazing turquoise water.

I waited about ten minutes to get the shot above, because the sun kept going behind clouds. When it finally came out I leaped into position, right in front of a couple wandering along the deck. I had to apologize and tell them why I was a little overenthusiastic. The woman said, "No problem! We're on island time!"


I tried to do something with the different groupings of furniture, both with and without sun.


The overall effect of the paint job was colorful and fun!

Tomorrow: Back to New York!

Key West, November 2006

Palm trees are specially designed for wind - in hurricanes they often come through better than many trees around them. After all, their leaves are already torn to shreds! When I lived in Florida I always loved palms because they're always moving, rustling, swaying. Even on relatively still days they're in constant motion, and never return to quite the same position.