Summer Days, in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Photo by myself in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

It is July 4th weekend, and everyone in the States is enjoying the long weekend. A peaceful chocolate lab in our neighborhood looked like he was thinking fondly of summers gone by. He often naps on his front stoop.

Many folks took the whole week prior to this weekend off. We are spending a few days in Woodstock, New York, about 2.5 hours north of Manhattan by car. Woodstock is a very charming town in the woods, filled with art, music and old hippies.

It is just as hot here as it is in the city, with temps in the 90s and high humidity. In our rush to leave, I forgot to pack the little gizmo that downloads photos from my camera. Drat.

I posted a photo of the same dog a couple years ago in black and white, here.

Related posts: Dog Days of Summer, at Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Four-Legged Co-Pilot, on Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, and The Spray of Summer, in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Outside a Deli, in Brooklyn

Photo by myself on Fifth Avenue, in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

A fellow wearing a Yankees cap stood outside a deli in Brooklyn.

This photo was taken from the car from the passenger's seat, while stopped at a red light. I had Mark roll down his window.

I thought I was being stealthy but now I think the guy could see me. So much for my career as an undercover agent!
--Apologies for the on-again, and very off-again posting. Life has been busy but not crazy, thank goodness. Things have been really good. Clients are strangely happy, which is an odd and welcomed thing. Ha.

Falling into a little slump with taking photos is to be expected, I suppose. Taking photos means finding something special in the everyday. After a while when experiencing the same 'everyday' (the same commute to work, the same project location), it is a challenge to find those special moments.

Anyway, that is the challenge, and though this post sounds like a complaint, it isn't! I am glad for it. With every challenge, one must dig deeper and get on with it. Bear with me!

Related posts: Typical Streetscape, in Park Slope, Brooklyn, Outside a Neighborhood Deli, Downtown, and A Dollar and a Dream.

Batter Up, in Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Photo by myself, in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

Summer is in full swing (excuse the pun)!

Prospect Park is littered with baseball games every weekend. Some of the teams are made up of tiny little kids who can barely hold the bat upright. There are more serious teams, too.

All the teams are coached by parents, and neighborhood businesses help sponsor the cost of uniforms.

We've been having some really glorious weather, interspersed with heavy rain storms. As a result, the vegetation looks more suited to a tropical island than the northeast.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Related posts: Shooting Hoops at West 4th Street, in the Village, A Quick Game, in Tompkins Square Park, and Fierce Competition, in Bryant Park.

Night View on Fourth Avenue, in Park Slope

Photo by myself on Fourth Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

The graffiti, roll down doors and cars in desperate need of a wash. Home sweet home.

It's surprising that parts of Park Slope look this scruffy. Not all of it is filled with gentrified brownstones.

Coming back to the grind from sunny California and daily walks on the beach was not easy. It was a wonderful reunion though, with our little dog, Rupert.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Related posts: Graff Attack, in the Meatpacking District, The Urban Art Form, Downtown, and Alarmed, in the East Village.

Outside Academy Records, in Williamsburg

Photo by myself, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

A snapshot from Williamsburg Brooklyn, land of fashion-conscious hipsters, graffiti and stickers.

Williamsburg has become very developed of late, with tons of new condominium buildings near the water. Prices are expensive, since the commute into the city is so quick. It's only one stop away on the L train.

It's President's Day today in the US. Banks are closed, and most people have the day off.

Related posts: Hipsters in their Natural Habitat, The Hipster Olympics, and The Three Pete's.

Yellow Cab, Under Snow

Photo by myself in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

We're climbing out from under a bunch of snow, in New York. Overnight, about 8 inches or so came down in our neighborhood. The entire northeast was snowed under and we escaped the worst of the storm.

You rarely see cabs parked overnight, since the medallions cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each. Recently, medallions have been sold for over a million dollars (!!). The cars are driven almost 24/7, as a result.

This cab is a hybrid. I've been told by cabbies that hybrids are better on fuel usage but the repair costs are very expensive. And since the cars are driven constantly, it's not a good thing to own a hybrid cab.

I've been in a hybrid cab before and immediately knew it was a hybrid because it didn't vibrate when we stopped for a red light. At slower speeds, hybrid vehicles run on electric energy generated by their own movement, rather than gasoline.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Related posts: Portrait of a Cab Driver, on Fifth Avenue, The View, from the Back of a Cab, and Cabs Galore, on Lexington.

Cost was Here, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Photo by myself, somewhere in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

A guy checked his phone during a smoke break, in Williamsburg.

Behind him, one of the many, many paste-ups bearing the words 'Cost was here' that were in the neighborhood.

Apparently Cost was a prolific graffiti artist in the 90s. He must have had a resurgence, since I hadn't seen his work until recently in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Mark tells me that the artists' tags don't really mean anything literal. The artists simply like the composition of the letters next to each other, and spray paint them over and over (and over) again.

Related posts: Graffiti, Soho, Growing up Among Graffiti, Downtown, and Cereal Killers Mural, in Williamsburg.

A Splash of Graffiti, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Photo by myself on Berry Street, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

An explosion of graffiti in Williamsburg.

One of the paste-ups reads 'I can't afford to *heart* NY', a riff on the popular 'I *heart* NY' slogan.

It has been very chilly here, with strong winds. Yesterday we had a bit of snow mixed with rain. Brrrr!

Related posts: Lost in a Crowd, in Midtown, Ready to Rumble, in Alphabet City, and Abandoned Lot, East Village.

Merry Xmas, from Park Slope, Brooklyn

Photo by myself in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Colored lights decorated a front lawn in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Santa seems to have left his boots.

Some of the front lawns in Brooklyn are very tiny or non-existant, with concrete slabs and little patches of grass. Occasionally, there is a tree.

Many brownstones don't have driveways or garages, so there isn't a place to keep garbage cans (!). A paved front yard means less upkeep and a place to keep trash cans off the sidewalk during the week.
--Merry Christmas, everyone! It was a sunny and chilly day here. Mark, Rupert and I are staying in town.

We drove into the city briefly to try out my xmas present, a new camera lens! Hip hip, hooray! It is a fantastic zoom lens that I have to get used to.

I wish everyone a safe and lovely holiday.

Related posts: Random Graffiti, on Second Avenue, Graff Attack, in the Meatpacking District, and The Urban Art Form, Downtown.

Jingling and Jogging, in Prospect Park

Photo by myself in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

Thousands of runners ran the loop around Prospect Park, this morning, dressed in costume. Nearly 6,000 runners finished the race.

The 'Jingle Bell Jog' is a 6K run held every year by the New York Road Runners club. I happened to be in the park this morning with Rupert and had no idea the run was held today. But when I heard the distinctive jingling and loud whoops of joy, I knew we were in for a treat.

Rupert and I stood to the side while hundreds of runners dashed by us dressed in reindeer antlers, red noses, santa hats and santa tutus. Runners were given t-shirts and bells for the race.

There was even a guy wearing nothing but a santa hat and a red speedo! Eek! Fortunately for him, it wasn't too cold.


What seemed to be an endless stream of runners went by, as we waited on the curb to cross.


Above, one runner wore the tshirt for the run, along with his antlers.


The least dressed runner of the morning, to the right, in a hat and red speedo.

For more about the Jingle Bell Jog on the New York Road Runner's website, click here.

Apologies for the sporadic posts once again. It's been crazy, crazy busy at work!

Related posts: With Bells on, at the Jingle Bell Jog, in Prospect Park, Leaving the Santa Convention, in the East Village, and On Line Behind Santa, Underground.

Night View, in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Photo by myself in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Parts of Park Slope remind me of parts of Boston, where townhouses have gently curved fronts.

Related posts: The Sky Above Park Slope, Brooklyn, The View from Park Slope, Brooklyn, and Parked in Park Slope.

First Snow, in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Photo by myself on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

The Northeaster we were warned about arrived Wednesday night in the form of snow and cold winds. Across the street, a little girl in pink with a pink umbrella waited for the light to change.

We rarely get snow in New York so early in the year, but this may just be the new normal? Last year we had snow the night before Halloween. As of this writing, we have three inches stuck on the ground.

The subway ride Wednesday night was strangely quiet, even though we've had a hurricane, a presidential election, then snow, all in rapid succession. No one batted an eye.

Related posts: Early Snowfall in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Even More Snow, in Central Park, and Fresh Snow, at the New York Public Library.

The Borough of Brooklyn, on the Subways and No Reservations

Photo by myself on the Q Train, in Brooklyn.

Just another night underground on the way home.

You know the drill. The boom box comes out. The kids start clapping and calling out in loud voices to enjoy the show. And then it begins.

The twirling, the whirling, the flipping upside down and yelling. Meanwhile the rest of us are trying to sleep or read or play that game on the phone that we're addicted to.

The commute between Brooklyn and Manhattan went smoothly Monday. You wouldn't have known there'd been a hurricane at all.
--Speaking of Brooklyn, Anthony Bourdain chose our humble borough as the location for the final episode of his food show, 'No Reservations'. The show premiered last night.

Tony includes some new high end restaurants with tasting menus and some old school restaurants that have been around forever. He even takes a ride around Red Hook with Ralph Balzano, whose pad I photographed a few years ago (!).

Mark and I watched the final episode and were amazed by the list of restaurants we'd never heard of and now have to visit. It was very flattering for Bourdain to choose Brooklyn to showcase, since he's sampled food all over the world.

For more about Bourdain's final episode of No Reservations, click here.
For my impromtu photo session with Ralph and his incredible hang out pad in Red Hook, click here.

Related posts: Flipping Out, on the B Train, Daredevil Tattoo, on Ludlow Street, and Hot Diggity Dogs, All Day Long.

A Sense of Humor, in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Photo by myself around Seventh Avenue and Twelfth Street, in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

A sandwich board style sign outside a liquor store proclaimed the obvious: 'Sandy is so not getting a Christmas card this year.' Ha.

Life is just getting a tad closer to normal, though lines outside gas stations are still very, very long. Mark ventured out to look for gas today but was out of luck. We have enough gas to drive about 20 miles, and dare not getting stuck on the side of the road.

You would think that not going to work for a week would be wonderful, but it hasn't. I think it's the constant news on television, watching people suffer so, that has been tough.

Related posts: Pork is the Answer, on the Lower East Side, Tongue in Cheek, on the Sidewalk and in the Subway, and Last Call, Park Slope and 10 Things to do in New York.

Life Goes on, in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Photo by myself in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

There was a call for donations for Red Hook residents, who were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. Our neighborhood woke to find flyers posted, requesting candles and perishables.

Red Hook is a small neighborhood only a couple miles away. It is located at the edge of the East River.

As of this writing, Brooklyn is nearly cut off from Manhattan. Anyone trying to get into the city Wednesday by car was stuck for hours in traffic. Today, only cars with three or more passengers can even attempt to drive in.

Subways are running today in two sections, one within Brooklyn, and one between Manhattan and the Bronx. Some buses are running, too, but I'm sure the going will be very, very slow. Our city is so dependent on mass transit, that not having buses or subways has been crippling.

The lines to get gas are tremendously long. Our car is low on gas, so we've been essentially stuck at home, watching the news all day.

Halloween did go on yesterday. Kids walked through the streets in costumes to stores that were open. Our apartment building observed Halloween, with kids going door to door.

Apologies for the lack of photos. I will attempt to escape our neighborhood today (!). We are all a bit stir crazy at home.



Related posts: On Man V. Nature and the Gowanus Canal, On the Opera Collective and Hurricane Irene, and Wet and Not-So-Wonderful, Downtown.

After Hurricane Sandy, in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Photo by myself in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

A large tree lost one of its major limbs as a result of Hurricane Sandy.

Most likely, this tree will need to be put out of its misery. The Parks Department was out first thing in the morning, making sure that tree branches wouldn't injure anyone.

Park Slope, Brooklyn, is breathing a sigh of relief. We were extremely lucky in this devastating storm. We are located very close to Manhattan, but somehow managed to come out without losing power and without any flooding. The aftermath only looks like the result of a bad storm.

Mark, Rupert and I took a very short trip to Prospect Park this morning, since Rupert was going stir crazy. Just a handful of owners and dogs were there, while the chilly wind whipped through the trees.

Like many others, Mark and I are tuned into the news on TV. Seeing familiar places and tunnels underwater is shocking. The power is out in Manhattan south of 39th Street, which means our offices are closed.

I'm not sure how we'd even get to work anyway, since it will take days before the subways are restored. The enormity of the situation is such that it's difficult for our little brains to grasp what it all means.

Our building is fine; one elevator conked out, but windows are intact. 90% of Long Island, just a stone's throw away, does not have electricity (!). Friends living in Manhattan are without power and heat. They say that all they can hear outside is the constant sound of sirens.

Our thoughts are with the rest of New York City. It was a huge comfort to hear Mayor Bloomberg give his status report on television, this morning.

I don't agree with all Bloomberg's ideas but I do feel he is enormously practical. It is good to know that we are in capable hands.


Along the west side of Prospect Park, folks were already coming and going this morning.


A typical street in Park Slope, this morning. It was a miracle to come out of the hurricane virtually unscathed.

Related posts: Goodbye Irene, from Park Slope, Brooklyn, On Taking Snaps, and More on Irene, and An Early Snowfall, in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

Bracing for Hurricane Sandy, in Brooklyn

Photo by myself at the local supermarket in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

The canned soup section at my supermarket looked like it'd been raided, this morning. I'm sure it will be completely desolate later today.

It was a mob scene, with people running around with shopping baskets, looking very stressed. Then they got in line and stood there, for a long, long time.

We are all preparing for Hurricane Sandy, which is due to hit us later tonight and tomorrow. Very heavy rain and tropical-force winds are in the forecast.

New York is not typically hurricane territory, but it's become that way in the last couple years. Most New Yorkers are not 'home owners' in the typical sense. Since most of us live in apartment buildings, we don't clean out gutters or rake leaves. And so we're a little clueless when it comes to forces of nature.

This morning, I fielded questions from neighbors about what utilities go out if the power went out. Will we have cold water? Will the stove work? The intercom system? That kind of thing.

I'll be sure to post 'After' photos on Tuesday.


Lines for each cash register snaked down the aisles, Sunday afternoon.

Related posts: Goodbye Irene, from Park Slope, Brooklyn, On Taking Snaps, and More on Irene, and An Early Snowfall, in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

Evening in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Photo by myself on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

An evening photo from Park Slope, Brooklyn, after a rain. Across the street were a diner and a well-stocked liquor store.

As far as neighborhoods go, Park Slope is very nice. There are pretty brownstone townhouses, an eclectic assortment of very good restaurants and sidewalks free of crowds and trash.

Happy Monday, everyone!

Related posts: After the Rain, in Midtown, West 10th Street, at Night, and Night View, from Union Square.

Outside a Creperie, in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Photo by myself around 6th Street and 7th Avenue, in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

A patient pug waited outside a creperie in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Crespella serves up sweet and savory crepes all day. I stopped by for a crepe stuffed with scrambled egg and pancetta the other night. It was de-lish.

I was sorely tempted to have one with strawberry jam and fresh ricotta. Oh, and another with lemon curd and raspberries! Argh!! Decisions, decisions...

For the Crespella website, which includes a current menu, click here.

Related posts: Pork is the Answer, on the Lower East Side, Brunch at Barbuto, in the West Village, and Colorful Eats, at Kelley and Ping, Soho.

Cowboy, in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Photo by myself in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

A cowboy ornament attached to a car antenna caught my eye, Sunday afternoon.

In the background, a typical street in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Like many older walk-up buildings, the fire escapes are afterthoughts and attached to the front side.

Most of the lower floor windows have bars on them, but this is a relatively safe neighborhood.

Related posts: Parked, in Park Slope, The Camera Van, in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and Old-Fashioned Knife Sharpening, in Park Slope.