• Category Archives New York at Night
  • Michael Jackson

    By now, most of the world knows that the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, died yesterday afternoon in Los Angeles. By yesterday evening in New York City, spontaneous memorial music jams and sing-alongs were everywhere.
    At 10 PM, I suggested to a few companions that we make a trip to Union Square, always a mecca for events of this nature and magnitude. As expected, hundreds of fans had gathered – a boombox supplied music while a group sang Michael Jackson songs together. At one point, a white glove with sequins was passed through the group to one of the prominent singers.

    Fans waved illuminated cellphones and candles. Here and there, some initiated small vigils. A similar but smaller scene could be found in Washington Square Park. On Laguardia Place and Bleecker Street, there was crowd of singers that could be heard two blocks away. I was informed last night that a huge crowd gathered at the Apollo Theater in Harlem (confirmed by the press today), where Michael had performed many times as a member of the Jackson Five. I am sure that in the coming days and weeks, there will be numerous tributes and memorials, both planned and unplanned, in the theaters, streets, and parks of New York City.

    With over 750 million records sold, Michael Jackson was the best selling solo pop artist of all time. Of course, anyone who looms larger than life, as Jackson did, will have his life under a microscope. Jackson was both lionized and demonized by the media, with his later life plagued and darkened by scandal. However, I think that his work will outshine any darkness, leaving a legacy brighter than than shadow of his final years…


  • Birds Sing at Night

    Have you ever been to a place where on a moonless night it is so black that you can not see your own hand? Perhaps you live in such a place. But I can assure you – you will not find that here.

    Have you ever been to a place where you can read a magazine virtually anywhere at any time at night unaided? Welcome to New York City, where the difference between day and night is blurry enough to confuse birds who sing at night and fly to exhaustion and, in some cases, death. An estimated 100 million birds die annually hitting various structures. New York City makes a sizable contribution. Campaigns have been initiated to reduce building lighting at night in urban areas, saving both energy and birds.

    In cities like New York, Chicago, and Las Vegas, where there is tremendous man-made light at night, circadian rhythms and all manner of habits of humans and other fauna are disrupted. I have not made any major study of this, but recently I have been using a black out shade in my bedroom and have found improved sleeping habits.

    In spite of this existing ambient light level at night, we still occasionally run across night time movie sets where areas are lit at levels like that of a sports stadium. In October 2006, local filming for the film I Am Legend took place in Washington Square Park over a two week period of time. This became a nightly social event and afforded some spectacular photo opportunities. I got a series of very atmospheric and dramatic shots – fog, cars in flames, burnt human bodies (see my postings and photos here and here).

    A few nights ago, I became aware of spectacular lighting of the Village prewar building at One Fifth Avenue from several blocks away. The height of the building with art deco elements being lit from directly below created some very unusual harsh shadowing reminiscent of the flashlight under the chin monster effects.
    ‘Twas enough light to make birds sing at night and wake up the dead. But I’m sure the residents of One Fifth Avenue, as inured as New Yorkers are, slept fine 🙂


  • Flash of Light

    New York Daily Photo started originally as a photoblog, a publishing format where postings are driven by photos rather than text. In time, however, with an interest in research, small descriptions grew to longer articles. With an interest in giving subjects a less clinical and more personal view, I have drawn from anecdotes in my life, and the writing in many postings may be better described as stories and are more about the story than the photo. Now there is an expectation, both on your part and subsequently on mine, of writing.

    I have come to really enjoy the writing of this blog, and recently, in reading about writing short works, I came across an entire genre of fiction which I was completely unaware of: flash fiction, aka sudden fiction, microfiction, nanofiction, micro-story, postcard fiction, or short short story. There are even types of fiction which use exact word counts: 55 Fiction (55 words), the Drabble (100 words), the Drouble (double Drabble or 200 words), and the 69er (as the name suggests). There is no better time for flash fiction with the growth of visual media, competition for everyone’s time, sound bites, and the decline of book reading.

    The bane of nearly every student of English in high school was the dreaded writing assignment where there was a word length requirement. For me, being somewhat verbose, these assignments were not quite as painful, but there still was always the concern that I would not have enough truly meaningful things to say. Certainly there is value in exposition and learning articulation skills, but there also is much to be said for using one’s words sparingly and not padding the writing. I am sure that flash fiction would have been heartily welcomed in my English classes.

    Flash fiction is, of course, not without its critics. In the same way that assignments with minimum word lengths may encourage verbosity, some feel that flash fiction with maximum or exact word lengths is no better, artificially paring a story down where perhaps a few more words may have improved the story. I think there is value, at the very least, to use flash fiction as a writing exercise.

    I hope you enjoyed today’s unnecessary digression because, after all, not only is brevity the soul of wit, but this picture should also be able to speak for itself and be worth at least four hundred and one words 🙂

    PHOTO NOTE: I witnessed this dramatic pink and blue sky framing the Washington Square Park arch on Wednesday evening, March 11, 2009, at 6 PM.


  • Who’s Getting Technical?

    The first time I went to the West Coast was by car, and it occurred to me at the time that one of the special new experiences to come was to see the sun set over the Pacific Ocean – the first time I would see a sunset over water. However, the assumptions regarding East Coast sunrises and West Coast sunsets over water are mistaken.
    Although it is not the rule, there are many places where it is possible to see sunsets over water on the East Coast (and sunrises over water in the West Coast). These do occur in special situations, such as bays and peninsulas. In these places, sunrises over water are also typically visible by making a short trip across the peninsula or island.

    In most cases, however, land is visible between the water and horizon, but there are locations where no land is visible at all and the sun sets entirely over water. The bay side of Cape Cod is one good example. Technically these sunsets are not over the open ocean, but when there is no land in sight, the experience is virtually the same.

    I thought I was the only one who gave serious consideration to the phenomenon of East Coast sunsets over water. But, surprisingly, there are others who share my interest, and I even found a blog on the subject it with locations, criteria, and discussions about horizons.

    I haven’t met a person that doesn’t enjoy a beautiful sunset, and on my recent excursion to Broad Channel, I was told that sunsets were some of the most spectacular. So it became an immediate agenda item for the afternoon. Being in the center of Jamaica Bay, surrounded by water, sunrises and sunsets over water can be enjoyed with a short stroll across town.

    When the sun sets at Broad Channel or at the Jamaica Wildlife Refuge, one can see land at the horizon, so for the sunset-over-water purists, Broad Channel does not strictly make the grade. But I doubt anyone really cares, because when it comes to sunsets like this, who’s getting technical?

    Note about the photo: Today’s photo was shot from the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and not in the town of Broad Channel itself.


  • Light and Lights

    One of the best locations to enjoy vistas of Manhattan and the surrounding waterways is from the promenade in Brooklyn Heights. Here you will find postcard views of lower Manhattan, South Street Seaport, the Brooklyn Bridge, the East River, and many of New York City’s iconic landmarks – the American International Building, the Empire State building, the Chrysler Building, the New York Life Insurance Building, and the Met Life Tower.

    An added bonus is that the promenade faces west, and that means sunsets. This is the time I would recommend visiting; during the evening, you have the best light and the gradual darkness coming over the city with a menagerie of lights. If you are fortunate, you will be rewarded with a sunset like this one – brilliant orange-red with streaks of yellow, all back lighting our Lady of Liberty. But I sell you no longer – I think the image speaks for itself…

    Note: If you look closely at this panorama, you will notice the silhouettes of container cranes, eerie and surreal. I have written before of the attractiveness that can be found in industrial landscapes in Hell’s Gate.


  • National Drama Queen

    There are some things so absolutely integral to this city that to write of them in a general way is to inform no one of anything. Who has not heard of the theater district or Broadway theaters?
    To take in a Broadway show in New York City is really one of the best uses of the phrase de rigueur. Trips to the city from surrounding areas to see shows often are a person’s first, if not only, experience in New York.

    Cable television and the Internet have dramatically changed our world; there is infinitely more knowledge and exposure to products and culture. And the character of the city itself has changed. Unfortunately, gentrification has homogenized the planet, and there really is less for many to visit in urban areas. Many of our unique businesses have disappeared, being replaced with large chain stores which can be found outside New York. This phenomenon has been written about for some time. In 1995, a New York Times article appeared which referred to “The Malling Of Lower Broadway.

    There are things, however, that do require population density and an artistic community to exist. One of those things is the theater district. Individual shows do travel to local theaters, but for breadth and depth, New York City is the place to go.

    Like retail, the theater has also suffered from rising costs. To survive, shows must be capable of supporting a large overhead, so, like film, there has been an aversion to risk. Shows are mounted which are much more formulaic, with elements that tend to give shows the “Broadway show” character that many newcomers to theater expect. We find a stable of old standbys, revivals, and shows which tend to be highly derivative of historical successes. And ticket prices are extremely high. There are always discounts available, however, and prospective theater goers would be well-advised to investigate the options.

    Streets lined with marquees, like the one in the photo (Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theater at 247 West 44th Street), signals loud and clear that you are in New York City and nowhere else. Most of us do look for constants and anchors we can hang on to – the heart of nostalgia. When I pass through Times Square and the theater district, I am reminded of my first visits to New York and how different and exciting it was. The theater district is such a perfect icon for New York, a city which is itself so theatrical in character. I dub it National Drama Queen 🙂

    Note: The term Broadway theater refers to a group of 39 theaters defined both by size (minimum of 500 seats) and location in the theater district. Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway theaters are also defined by size, not location – Off Broadway with between 100 and 500 seats, and Off-Off Broadway with fewer than 100 seats.


  • Devil Ups the Ante

    It would be fair to accuse me of wanting to have my cake and eat it too, but I would not mind attending the New Year’s celebration at Times Square without the crowds. Crowds are obviously part of the experience, but it’s an experience most New Yorkers can do without. I can’t recall anyone I know attending in decades. I have attended a few times, including the millennium celebration.

    New Year’s Eve is very much a partying holiday, and most activities are overpriced, overcrowded, and many fraught with logistical issues. This is one holiday that scares many who opt for a less stressed night at home, perhaps watching the ball drop at Times Square on TV and looking forward to another workday off.

    I hope today’s photo does give evidence that I am not the complaining curmudgeon. Last night, before going to sleep, I decided to get dressed, go back out into the cold, and make a trip via subway to Times Square to see and photograph the preparations. I was surprised to find the area packed and abuzz at a late hour. Broadway theater-goers leaving shows contribute to the crowd. The media was already there, setup in as central and prime a location as one could have.
    The lighting in Times Square is now absolutely amazing, with an array of neon and state-of-the-art electronic displays. There is actually an ordinance requiring building owners to display illuminated signage.

    Whether visitor or resident, I recommend visiting this devil’s playground any night. The ante has been raised – even the devil needs plenty of new tricks to compete with so many other temptations…

    Photo note: This is the view looking south. Above the Toshiba display (where the count down appears) you can see the LED illuminated Waterford crystal ball atop a pole.

    Related New Year’s Postings: Times Square Ball Drop, New Year’s Day, Density and Intensity, Let’s Have a Parade, ArtKraft Strauss


  • First Flakes

    Snow is a funny phenomenon – bemoaned by most once there is an accumulation, yet beloved during its first flakes. That was the case yesterday, when New York City had its first real snowfall for the winter of 2008 which stuck to the ground. At one point in the mid-afternoon, enormous flakes came down, and there wasn’t anyone that didn’t seem awed by the sight.
    New York is not really a very natural place, so displays by Mother Nature are particularly outstanding. A flood here rather than in a coastal area or a tornado here rather than in Kansas is going to be very dramatic juxtaposed against the urban backdrop.

    Snow brings out the child in many of us, with memories of play, days off from school, sleds, dogs barking, snowmen, and snowball fights. As I wrote in Small Gestures: “Like a child who does not need to go to school on a snowy day, a rainy day gives permission to play and indulge in the small things we often miss or forget. This opportunity can be for a pause for reflection – a welcome moment of respite for the weary New Yorker.” I have witnessed absolutely remarkable things during blizzards, such as people making snow angels in the middle of 7th Avenue and business men in suits cross-country skiing down Broadway to go to work!

    So it is with great pleasure that I observed the final moments of our first snow and the thin white blanket that was cast over Washington Square Park. The scene was reminiscent of photos by André Kertesz, a village resident, who produced many stunning black and white images of the park after a snowfall. Snow softens the city, and watching it can be a mesmerizing and relaxing experience.

    By morning, everything had melted, typical of the city with its warmer infrastructure and climate. Our snows often melt or turn to rain, quickly erasing all traces of childhood indulgences. I awakened to a gray day, reminding me that there’s work to be done…

    Related Postings: Small Gestures, First Snow, Anomalies, Nor’easter, New York Survivor


  • Ice Blue

    This is the new Polar Rink at the American Museum of Natural History. I was invited to attend a press preview before the official opening on Saturday, November 22nd. The rink is beautifully situated on the Arthur Ross Terrace, with magnificent views of the Rose Center for Earth and Space glowing in blue and the surrounding Theodore Roosevelt Park. Skaters glide around a 17-foot-tall polar bear made of openwork stainless steel festooned with pine boughs and twinkling lights. And of course, access to the Rose Center (with the new Hayden Planetarium) and the Museum itself is just a stroll away. It is nice to see the museum make efforts and investments in modernizing to keep up with changing times and patrons who have become more used to an increasingly technological world.

    One thing that fascinated me was that the rink was using synthetic ice. Apparently, synthetic ice has been around since the 1960s (most using polyoxymethylene, i.e. Delrin), but widespread adoption has been held back by inherent limitations of the polymers – to glide on the surface as one can on real ice, there must be a regular application of a silicone compound. This compound builds up on the surface, collects dirt, and has been a source of much dissatisfaction among skaters. Also, joinery of the panels was an issue – earlier synthetic ice products used simple butt joints which could be felt by the skater. These shortcomings have been addressed by Perry Boskus, developer/inventor of the Super-Glide surface, which is being used at the Polar Rink and is manufactured by Florida Skating, Inc. The product is made in-house with their own technology. Lubricating ingredients have been injected into the core material to provide a surface which provides glide properties regardless of wear. A new joinery system (a variation of a dovetail joint) was also developed to hold the panels together to make the seams nearly undetectable.

    I had the privilege of meeting Perry at the ceremony. He was quite enthusiastic about the new installation and worldwide interest in his product. There are hundreds of commercial and residential installations around the world.
    I subsequently learned through my reading that Perry was North Atlantic Figure Skating Champion, Eastern Seaboard Speed skating Champion, a hockey player, and Professional Figure Skating Coach.

    I love blue, and the aura of the evening was decidedly blue. I was pleased to read the Super-Glide brochure this morning and find out that the latest incarnation of the product is called Ice Blue

    Note: Hours and additional information about the rink can be found here (update 1/9/12: Link no longer works). Skate rentals are available and included with the admission.


  • Tired of Life?

    “Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” — Samuel Johnson

    Now that’s a strong assertion, but I think many New Yorkers feel the same way. Certainly there are things that one would not find here, but for most city dwellers, those things are either of no interest or are compromises they are willing to make. And there are ways to satisfy many exurban or country experiences here. Want a walk through rustling leaves in the autumn? Take a stroll through Central Park’s Ramble.

    Yearning for the beach? There is always Brighton or Rockaway. Aquatic nature? Try the Jamaica Bay wildlife refuge. Of course, Central Park is not Vermont, and Rockaway is not Cape Cod. And for those requiring extreme sports and dramatic natural landscapes, perhaps they are best living out west. For we have no real mountains to scale, only buildings.

    But for those of us who want to be immersed in culture and a soup of human diversity and intellectual stimulation, living out of the city is untenable.
    I was reminded of the Johnson quote while enjoying the vista in the photo and realizing I had seen this same panorama so many times but did not tire of it. For if I tire of this grouping of Manhattan icons, so beautifully lit at dusk on a late summer’s eve, perhaps I have tired of life itself…


  • Light Anyone?

    There are people who are afraid of light. Those with heliophobia have fear of sunlight. Some have a condition known as photophobia, an extreme sensitivity to light. But apart from these relatively atypical, draculean individuals, most people love light and shun the darkness. How often we experience down spirits on a dark and cloudy day or see children afraid of the dark.

    On the other side of the coin, we have an endless capacity to enjoy light in every variation, produced from sources both natural and man-made. The sun, the moon, LEDs, neon, southern exposures, fire, fireflies, illuminated toys, or Times Square. It’s built into our vocabulary – light up your life…

    Here in this photo, we have the latest incarnation of fascination with light and a recreation based on its manipulation: Jedi light saber play with NY Jedi, a group that is now 2.5 years old. Judging from their website, this appears to be a growing phenomenon many of us might have missed. And yes, there is now equipment, forums, meetings, events, teams, costumes, classes, films, videos, and a vocabulary, all specific to the activity. Some of the Light Sabers can run up to hundreds of dollars. If you want to know more about activities, meetings, or equipment, check their website here.

    The concept of light is virtually synonymous with things good and positive – we have acknowledgement in Genesis:

    And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

    Light anyone?…

    Related Postings: Spinning, Signature, Let’s Have a Parade


  • Wake Up Call

    Wow is all I could say as I stood at Times Square looking west along 42nd Street into one of the most amazing sunsets I have seen. This stretch of 42nd Street is already quite dramatic at dusk or at night. But this sunset was remarkable, with the heavily stratified clouds and beautiful color gradation of orange to deep blue. One could have easily seen the sky as part of the artificial spectacle. Drama added to drama. Perfect for a world that knows no bounds when it comes to sensory overload. It really looked like Batman’s Gotham City.

    One can easily live a lifetime in New York City without hardly a hint of the natural world. With the exception of the sky, occasional tree, squirrels, and birds, we live in a place that is almost entirely man-made. Some are fortunate and have park, river, or garden views. But for most, this is a life of concrete, stone, brick, steel, and glass. We look to other things – culture, business, restaurants, architecture, and human interaction.

    Some seek out nature in the city. It is can be found in promenades, parks, gardens, and waterways. And occasionally, when you least expect it, it slaps you in the face. A wake up call to nature…


  • Mesmerized

    When I was a young boy, I couldn’t stay away from fire – there is some allure for boys. Playing with fire was not a metaphor but rather a real activity. We got matches, we tried rubbing sticks, and we lit grass clumps from mowed lawns with magnifying glasses. And I became a Boy Scout – one of the benefits was that it legitimized using fire – what’s camping without a campfire? We were just mesmerized by fire and flames.

    The photo was taken on Carmine Street in the Village. It was a practice session involving members of CERT, or Community Emergency Response Team – a group of neighborhood and community-based volunteers who undergo an intensive, 11-week training program in disaster preparedness and basic response skills. Volunteers took turns putting out a small fire. The billowing flames in the evening light was quite a spectacle.
    But, regardless of the merits of the program, everyone observing was drawn by the mesmerizing effect of those flames.

    Whenever I see firemen, I always feel that somewhere in there is a little boy who never outgrew his interest in fire and just transmuted it into a profession. Good for all concerned, n’est-ce pas?


  • Sunshine Makes You Happy

    Here is where New York really shines: the arts, particularly ones that need brick and mortar establishments, like live music, opera, theater, art, and indie or art films. Art house films on the big screen are things you can’t squeeze down the internet pike. And you need a big audience to support a place like Sunshine Cinema.

    Located in the now fashionable Lower East Side at 145 East Houston Street, Sunshine is one of a handful of premiere houses featuring art films, along with Angelika, Quad Cinema, Film Forum, IFC, Village East, and Lincoln Plaza.

    Rather than rewrite history, here it is from Landmark Theatre’s website:

    “Built in 1898, the Sunshine Cinema building was formerly the Houston Hippodrome motion picture theatre and a Yiddish vaudeville house but for over 50 years it had been shuttered serving as a hardware warehouse. Landmark has restored the theatre back to its artistic roots and now offers the art-house film lover five brand new state-of-the-art screens dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film as well as non-traditional studio programming. The Sunshine Cinema has exceptional presentation and amenities including stadium seating, Dolby Digital Surround EX sound and gourmet concessions. The theatre also offers attractions such as a Japanese rock garden and a viewing bridge that offers breathtaking city views from the third story spectacular glass annex. The restoration was a team effort—floor plans by TK Architects and interior design by architects Tony Pleskow and Tom Rael of Pleskow + Rael.”

    I have been to Sunshine and can heartily recommend it. It is also in an interesting neighborhood with plenty of things to do. You can’t miss it – with its beautiful facade, especially when lit at night, it’s like a beacon letting you know that if you like film, Sunshine will make you happy…


  • A Second Look

    There are many perks in doing a website like this, such as discovering things I never knew and learning new things about those I was familiar with. The most exciting are the big surprises – unexpected stories behind things which appear to be rather ordinary. In a city absolutely saturated with people and things, looking over and overlooking are standard fare.

    When I ran across this striking sculptural light form at North Cove Yacht Harbor behind the World Financial Center, I assumed that it was just an above average ornamental light. I thought it would be difficult to identify this sculpture and glean any information about it and its creator. Not at all. This piece and its mate in granite, entitled North Cove Pylons, was created by renowned sculptor Martin Puryear. Read this article in Sculpture Magazine about the work. Puryear has all the makings, training, education, experience, and accolades of a major artist, with feature articles (The New Yorker) a MacArthur grant, and major museum shows such as the 30-year retrospective of his work at the Museum of Modern Art (here is a YouTube video of the exhibit).

    Puryear, who is African American, studied native crafts while serving in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, and later studied woodwork and design at the Swedish Royal Academy of Art. On his return to the US, he studied at Yale University, where he received an MFA in sculpture.

    I am finding that works of public art in NYC which I assume are perhaps whimsical, casually placed, and/or created by unknown individuals are often by major artists and go relatively unappreciated.
    So take a second look at the obvious. Or come here and let me do it for you 🙂

    Related Postings: Koons Balloons, Asaf and Yo’ah, Sky Mirror, Sfera con Sfera, Knotted Gun, 11 Spring Street, Sylvette, Night in Bloom, Subway Art, Sink or Swim



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