“Street art is nothing else but urban poetry that catches someone’s eye.” Christian Guemy C215
These if I remember correctly are all near each other in or close to NoHo.
My personal favorite in this group is the one on top, although the one on the bottom is a close second. Which one catches your eye?
You can find some interesting murals on the walls of buildings in New York City, but did you know some of them involve advertising? Here are a couple of advertising murals I found in Manhattan.
It is always fun to find new murals, even ones that advertise products. I find these a lot more interesting than bill boards. What do you think?
Where can you skate for free in NYC if you bring your own skates? What rink has a holiday market around it? Which rink has several food choices close by? Bryant Park in Manhattan has all of these.
Bryant Park borders 42nd Street and 41st Street behind the main branch of the NYC Public Library. It is about two blocks from Grand Central Station. Between Thanksgiving and the beginning of January the park also hosts a Holiday Market. There are a booths outside carrying a variety of items from clothing to food and gifts.
Yes, if you bring your own skates it is free. They have a changing area. Skating starts early in the morning. There is food available in the lodge, an indoor area near the rink. There is also a Whole Foods across one of the streets it borders and other restaurants and shopping nearby. There are also permanent food kiosks in the park.
It is a rink with some nice views of Midtown Manhattan. It does not get the crowds that the rink at Rockefeller Center gets. I recommend this rink over the others because of that and the close proximity to food and shopping.
Whether you ice skate or not, it is worth visiting Bryant Park in winter. Watch the action or catch a bite to eat and enjoy the scenery of Midtown Manhattan.
The residents of New York get the reputation of being rude. Are they all Grinches at Christmas time? I saw plenty of locals in the holiday spirit.
Sometimes New Yorkers get a bad wrap. Manhattan is one of the best places to get some holiday spirit and the locals contribute to that.
Who doesn’t love a parade? In New York City there are some big ones. This includes the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
This parade takes place in New York every year. It is run by Macy’s. A local employee told me they are asked if they want to volunteer for the parade. It sounds like some hold the ropes for the floats. This year the floats had to be close to the ground due to the high wind gusts.
If you want a close up view, get there early in the morning. I was there by 8:30 and was in the sixth row with some tall people in front of me. Some people could not take the cold and left giving me a front row standing location for the last half hour or so. It gets packed in though. I do not recommend trying to get a location around Columbus Circle or north. I also would not recommend getting a location close to Macy’s.
If you are in New York for Thanksgiving go down and watch the parade. Kids will love it and also kids at heart.
Do you ever see interesting people on your travels you would like to have a conversation with? Are certain people a fixture in a neighborhood? I recently stopped to chat with one such person.
Louis Mendes I have seen quite often on 34th Street near the corner of 9th Avenue in New York City. Since I love taking pictures, I see him when I visit my favorite camera store in the city, B and H. Louis is never without his camera. For street portraits he uses a 1940s Speed Graphic camera that he turned into an instant camera by rigging polaroid gear on the back.
Louis has taken many photos over the years of famous people. Some of those names include Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, and Hillary Clinton. He also has photographed some of the jazz greats such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie. He is from New York, but also he has liked visiting New Orleans to take photos. These days he makes money by taking photos of people on the street in New York.
Louis is an interesting person to talk to. He does move around, but I have seen him quite frequently on 34th. If you are visiting Manhattan and get down in the neighborhood of 34th Street and see him, say hello. Louis is truly an icon of New York.
Louis has a Facebook page that is maintained by a friend. You can view it here: https://www.facebook.com/LOUIS.MENDES.ICON/
You can find out more about Louis here: https://twitter.com/nypost/status/980894638205800448
Have you ever been in a coffee shop that shares its space with cats? Do you want to experience a relaxed setting where you can play with cats and kittens up for adoption? Perhaps your building does not allow animals and you want to spend time with a furry buddy. If any of this interests you head for Meow Parlour on Hester Street in Manhattan.
Go to Meow Parlour at 46 Hester Street on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. They have a window where you will make your appointment. Then you head next door to the Macaron Parlor Patisserie featuring Harney and Sons tea, macaroons, scones, muffins, cookies and other baked goods. Order your food and sign the online form releasing responsibility in case you get scratched or bit. Then wait to be called. I only had to wait about 15-20 minutes. You can take your food with you when you hang with your feline friends.
When you return you take off your shoes. They have plenty of toys to tempt the cats with. There are areas in the store for cats to sleep in. There are sitting areas for the humans. When I visited there were some older kittens and younger ones as well as one cat that appeared to be full grown.
You pay on the way out. The cost is $8 for thirty minutes. This helps them pay their heating and electric costs for the premises.
The location is filled with cat related items for decoration and some for sale. There are books on the shelf you can sit and read while you spend time there, all about cats of course. There are children’s books such as The Cat in the Hat and others.
They also sell cat related items such as t-shirts.
Meow Parlour partners with the shelter Animal Care Centers of NY. The kittens and cats that are at this location are up for adoption. There are opportunities to foster as well.
For more information look here: https://www.meowparlour.com
If you are looking to adopt, foster, or just spend time with a feline friend, travel to Meow Parlour. Its the cat’s meow.
Who can be found on many buildings in England? Whose image adorns the face of some buildings in Germany, France and others places? It is the Green Man.
Did you know it also can be found on buildings in the United States? There are at least three locations where the Green Man can be found in New York City. Below are some grotesque-like images I found on one Manhattan building.
See if you can find any Green Men in your locale. There seem to be more of these around than people know.
Did you know Manhattan has a Korea Town? Do you know where it is? Which restaurant has decor that makes you feel you are in Korea? Jongro BBQ can transport you to Asia.
Korea Town, also known as K-Town, is south of the Empire State Building. It is on 32nd Street roughly between Broadway and 5th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The neighborhood has several restaurants. The first few I walked into that were on street level were packed on a Sunday afternoon. I decided to try Jongro- which was on the second floor of a building at 22 West 32nd Street. I was pleasantly surprised.
The decor of the restaurant brings you to Korea. I lived in Korea for two years and it reminded me of a restaurant in the country we stopped in on the way back from hiking a mountain. Jongro BBQ has antique items from Korea on the walls and on poles. They have old signage, a post box, and a vintage delivery bike to name a few. They also constructed areas of the restaurant to look like architecture you would find in Korea.
This is a BBQ, so you will find cooker areas on the tables. I am supposed to avoid beef and pork. A lot of items on the menu include those things. However, they did have my old standby, BeBimBop. This dish can be served hot or cold. I like it both ways. They only serve it cold at Jongro. It was excellent. I asked for it with egg on top instead of beef and they obliged. The rest of the dish is vegetables and rice. They had a couple of other items on the menu if you did not want a meat dish.
If you are visiting Manhattan and want to eat Korean food or something healthy, head to Jongro BBQ. Enjoy the decor while you are there. It is one of the gems of Korea Town.
You can visit there website at: http://www.jongrobbqny.com
Where can you find the highest concentration of grotesques in New York City? The answer is on the campus of City College of New York.
City College is located on Amsterdam Avenue near 138th Street. It is in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood of Manhattan just north of Harlem.
According to “The City College of NY 150 Years of Academic Architecture” written by Paul David Pearson (1997) the buildings are “encased with over 600 grotesque figures that directly relate to the educational function of each building. The figures were designed by Livingston Smith, a staff member in the post’s architectural office, modeled by G. Grundellis and cast in terra cotta.” I got this quote from another website. Scouting NY website says there are 1,000. I don’t think I was able to access close to either of those numbers walking around campus, however, there are a lot to see.
In Manhattan take the number 1 subway line to 137th Street- City College station. Exit and walk up Hamilton Place and turn right on 138th Street. When you cross Amsterdam Avenue you are there. Anyone can walk around the campus. There are not many people there on the weekend, but I was still able to walk around the buildings. There are areas you can not walk on campus. Some streets or alleyways may be closed off with fences.
If grotesques peak your interest, it is worth a trip up the 1 train. It may also be a good destination prior to Halloween.
Sharon's Iconic Travel Photography Blog 