New York Daily Photo

Automat Redux

Posted on October 26, 2006 by Brian Dubé

I discovered Bamn! last night at 37 St. Marks Place in the East Village – return of the automat to NYC. The glow of the pink light and its techy decor gave the place a Japanese flavor. More photos here. The automat, originally a German concept, was introduced to the United States by Horn and Hardart of Philadelphia in 1902 and then introduced to NYC in 1912. Food is served via coin operated vending machine, with compartments for the different selections. Read about them here. At their peak in the 1950s, there were hundreds of automats. Horn and Hardart alone had 180. The last (Horn and Hardart at 42nd Street) closed in 1991. There were a number of reasons for their demise, including the rise of fast food and inflation, which made the food too expensive to be purchased conveniently with coins (machines for bills were not common in the 1960s-70s).

Bamn! was conceived by Robert Kwak, David Leong, and Nobu Nguyen, who were inspired by modern automats which they saw in Amsterdam. Launched on August 29, 2006, it appears to be doing well – the selections (mostly finger food) are priced between $1 – $3. They also serve thick-cut Belgian fries and soft-serve green tea ice cream. And, appropriately for NYC, it’s open 24/7…

Update: Bamn! has since closed.

Posted on October 26, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Food and Restaurants. Bookmark the permalink.
Bargemusic

Posted on October 25, 2006 by Brian Dubé

Bargemusic, a small venue for classical music with its roster of internationally renowned musicians, is one of the true gems of NYC and is still relatively unknown to most New Yorkers. The 102-foot barge is docked in Brooklyn in the East River at the Fulton Ferry Landing. Founded by Olga Bloom (now 87) in 1977 (update: Bloom has passed away as of November 2011), she is still at the helm as its chairman. Bloom, originally from Boston, was a professional violinist, as was her late husband Tobias; she playing under Stokowski, he under Toscanini. After her retirement as violinist, Bloom purchased this 108-year old coffee barge (originally used by the Erie Lackwanna Railroad)for $10,000. The space, with cherry paneling and fireplace, seats 125.

Perhaps its most distinguishing feature is the magnificent view of the Manhattan skyline through the picture window behind the stage, providing a spectacular backdrop during performances. (Note: The performers in the photo who graciously allowed me to photograph during their rehearsal were: Mark Peskanov, violin, Bracha Malkin, violin, Anat Malkin-Almani, violin, and Clancy Newman, cello). During intermissions, audience members are free to go outdoors and atop the barge itself, enjoying the sea air and views of water, city, and bridges. As so aptly stated on their website, “Our present cargo in this small floating room is sound: potent, ephemeral, and magical.” I don’t know of a space with more ambiance, more intimate, and better suited for chamber music…

Posted on October 25, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Music and Concerts, Scenic NYC. Bookmark the permalink.
Trylon Towers

Posted on October 24, 2006 by Brian Dubé

The Trylon Towers are a unique structural addition to the Chrysler Building. Three pyramid-like trilon forms in glass and tubular steel rise 57, 68, and 73 feet tall. Designed by renowned architects Philip Johnson and Alan Ritchie (there are a few photos on their website), their placement here at 155 East 42nd Street provide a beautiful and startling contrast to the towers around them.

The property was leased to Capital Grille in 2004, a leading steakhouse chain of 22 restaurants (see second photo here). Four separate dining environments for over 200 people have been created from over 12,000 square feet of interior space: The Chrysler Room, The Trylons, The Wine Vault, and The Chef’s Table. They have a reputation as one of the best steakhouses in NYC, with beef that is dry aged on premises. The wine vault has over 400 varieties with over 5000 bottles. Click here for more info about the restaurant. Take a look at the building if you’re in the neighborhood…

Posted on October 24, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Architecture, Tourist Attractions. Bookmark the permalink.
I Am Legend

Posted on October 23, 2006 by Brian Dubé

No, this is not a war zone. For two weeks, there has been nightly filming in Washington Square Park of the 2007 film I Am Legend, starring Will Smith. You can read about the cast, synopsis, etc., here. This is the biggest production I have ever scene – 12-hour film days from 6PM to 6AM with cranes, stadium lighting, large felled trees, lit helium balloons to simulate moonlight, and, last night, the most impressive fog/lighting display. Click here for more photos.

The film is based on the novel of the same name by highly acclaimed author Richard Matheson – some consider it one of the best horror novels written (the film The Omega Man was also based on the novel, but the new film is not based on the older film). This is a “last man on earth plot” with Will Smith trying to fend off the population, which has been transformed into blood thirsty, vampire-like hemocytes by a virus. The entire park set has been very surreal, with the various types of night lighting. And the film production crew has been extremely cooperative with the community – we have been enjoying the nightly entertainment.

Posted on October 23, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Festivals Parades and Events, New York at Night, Parks. Bookmark the permalink.
Night in Bloom

Posted on October 22, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This is my last post from the Dumbo Arts Festival. Here, we see Jae Hi Ahn’s patch of underwater flora which embraces the shore of the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park with the Manhattan Bridge as backdrop. The sculpture created a lot of interest – it was one of the most visually prominent works outdoors, with its bright plastic colors. The installation was part of an outdoor group of works called Project Glow. Click here to see works nearby, including Sparkling Air, with its sparkling sequins.

Jae appears to be quite an active artist – you can read her resume here and her artist’s statement here. The afternoon I was there, I got to meet her; Jae was on site taking photos of her work – that’s her in the upper right photo. By the way, click on the photo to enlarge it and take note of her earrings 🙂

Posted on October 22, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Art and Sculpture, Festivals Parades and Events. Bookmark the permalink.
Grove Court

Posted on October 21, 2006 by Brian Dubé

On Grove Street in the West Village lies a narrow gate (left photo) leading to Grove Court. This private courtyard (right photo), with its row of 6 houses, is the quintessential NYC cul-de-sac, not that there are many contenders. The irregular property lines of early NYC left this parcel of land, and a passageway between 10 & 12 Grove Court gave access.

So, in 1848, Samuel Cocks, owner of grocery store Cocks and Bowron at 18 Grove Street, decided to develop the property into backhouses for tradesmen and thereby improve his grocery trade. The properties were completed in 1854. At the time, it was nicknamed Mixed Ale Alley – ironic that a row of backhouses like this would be considered undesirable for those with money. Today, of course, it’s a “secluded court”; quite exclusive and rarely available…

Posted on October 21, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Homes and 'Hoods, Secret NYC. Bookmark the permalink.
Gallery View

Posted on October 20, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This is a view of the Manhattan Bridge from Smack Mellon Studios on the waterfront in Dumbo, Brooklyn. The gallery is on Plymouth Street, which abuts Brooklyn Bridge Park, so it gets unobstructed views of the Bridge, the Park, Manhattan, and the East River, which separates Brooklyn from Manhattan. Click here for another photo.

This fantastic space is newly occupied – it was vacant for decades. There are 25 windows on two levels with 35-foot ceilings. For information regarding the gallery’s mission, type of work, upcoming shows, etc., check their website here.

Dumbo is one of the most spectacularly beautiful and visually dramatic neighborhoods in the 5 boroughs of NYC. I highly recommend that you visit, regardless of the time or your interests – just walk the streets and, of course, visit the galleries…

Posted on October 20, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Scenic NYC. Bookmark the permalink.
What & Where?

Posted on October 19, 2006 by Brian Dubé

Today, I thought I would try something different: can you guess the subject and location in Manhattan of this image? This photo is unaltered in any way – straight from the camera, no Photoshop. I imagine some of you NYC aficionados will correctly identify this, so I suggest that you make a guess before reading the comments.

Let’s see how this goes the first time around. I will respond to comments later tonight and/or tomorrow morning. I have no prizes to offer, but maybe down the road I can come up with something…

Posted on October 19, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Curiosities of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.
Masonic Lodge

Posted on October 18, 2006 by Brian Dubé

I had a difficult time selecting an image to represent this site, so please take a moment and click here for a series of 8 photos on one of the most remarkably unexpected spaces in the city. After all, isn’t the very concept of a Lodge something which we associate with the suburbs?

I was completely amazed to find a place like this in Manhattan at 71 W. 23rd Street. This building is the New York Grand Lodge Headquarters for the Freemasons – over 60 lodges meet here in 12 stately rooms with pipe organs in every room. The Masons actually own two buildings here (see building history here). The one facing 23rd is an office building, and rental income helps support the actual Lodge building, which faces 24th Street. A long portico provides access from 23rd Street. They have a two-story, auditorium-style Grand Lodge room which seats 1200 people.

This two-century-old secret society has seen a slow decline in membership, so it has become a little more interested in attracting new members. They have a history of doing philanthropic work, including underwriting medical research. Their members include many famous individuals: 14 presidents (among them George Washington), Ben Franklin, Beethoven and Mozart, Clark Gable, Houdini, and Count Basie. Tours are available Monday through Friday, so go there and check it out…

About this photo: This was taken during the weekend of Open House New York. For more information, see their website here.

Posted on October 18, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Architecture, NYC's History. Bookmark the permalink.
Palehorse Productions

Posted on October 17, 2006 by Brian Dubé

There have been many street performers in NYC. This small troupe, who describe themselves as a bizarre commedia dell’arte circus, was in fine form. I was particularly impressed by their costuming and staging – a lot of work and creativity, and quite sophisticated for a nomadic street act.

“Palehorse Productions is a close company of actors/dancers/craftsmen, who play the roles, build the sets, sew the costumes, and clean the mess: most of whom have been collaborating since childhood.” The photos are from their current show, which they describe as an original adaptation of FAUST, which steals from Goethe, Marlowe, and from the traditions of English morality plays, Eastern European and German puppet-FAUST farces, and even PUNCH AND JUDY. It was performed under the guise of Maestro Mephistopheles’ Theatro-Zirkus-Show. The dialogue was quite snappy. I recommend checking their website for more information about the company, its productions, and actors. And if you get a chance to see them, I recommend it…

Posted on October 17, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Street Performing. Bookmark the permalink.
Sink or Swim

Posted on October 16, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This sculpture was part of the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition’s (BWAC) 24th annual outdoor sculpture show Garden of Delights in Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park in Dumbo. This show overlapped the Dumbo Arts Festival.

The sculpture, Travel with the Kitchen Sink, an assemblage of stainless steel sinks, was created by Tyrome Tripoli. More photos here. (BTW – I learned from reading online and a photo that the work had stainless steel sinks flowing out from a suitcase, but the suitcase was gone when I was there). Originally from California, Tyrome studied biochemistry but became interested in pursuing art after a stint as itinerant surfer.
From his website:

“Tripoli creates assemblage sculpture from transformed materials and ordinary objects. This new medium was first inspired when Tripoli was selected to participate in an artist in residency program at the San Francisco Refuse and Recycle Center in 2001 … At the moment he resides in New York City pursuing a career as an assemblage sculptor. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and surfs Rockaway Beach, New York.”

He apparently is fascinated with water 🙂

Posted on October 16, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Art and Sculpture, Festivals Parades and Events. Bookmark the permalink.
Dumbo Arts Festival

Posted on October 15, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This year is the 10th annual Dumbo Art Under the Bridge Festival, now the largest event in Dumbo. Dumbo (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is an artist’s district (now heavily gentrified) along the waterfront in Brooklyn between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and also extending east. This 2-day event (Oct. 13-15), featuring hundreds of emerging artists, expects to draw 250,000 people. There are extensive gallery showings, outdoor installations and sculptures, interactive art, live art, graffiti, video, music, light installations – even the Pink Ladies participate with Plouf! (a comedy cruise).

The photo was taken at the PowerHouse Arena (see here), which was doing No Sleep ’til Brooklyn – a 30-Year Hip Hop Retrospective. There was so much to take in, so I will do a couple more posts this week. If you can’t make it today, try next year. I think that regardless of your interests, there is so much diversity that you are likely to find things that you will enjoy. And, of course, the vistas of Manhattan, the bridges, and waterfront from the parks are magnificent…

Posted on October 15, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Art and Sculpture, Festivals Parades and Events. Bookmark the permalink.
Lockwood de Forest House

Posted on October 14, 2006 by Brian Dubé

The Lockwood de Forest house, at 7 East 10th Street, has to be one of the most unusual houses in NYC. Click here for more photos.

Lockwood de Forest had interests in art and architecture – he studied with Frederic Church and with Louis Tiffany in 1879, and he co-founded Associated Artists, a very influential decorating company of the 19th century. He had this house built in 1887 – a relatively plain structure. It is the intricately carved teak exterior elements (provided by a woodworking factory he owned in Ahmedabad, India) that are so striking to everyone who passes by it – the doorways, cornice, and, most noticeably, the 2nd floor projecting oriel window with its intricate filigree and relief carvings of birds, flowers, and many other details. The interior had large expanses of teak paneling, Indian furniture, and a brass ceiling on the 2nd floor. In 1900, a writer for House Beautiful described it as “The Most Beautiful Indian House in America.”

An interesting note: De Forest met Rudyard Kipling in India – Kipling stayed at 7 East 10th on at least one occasion. In 1922, the house was sold, and much of the interior was sold at auction. The house was purchased in 1994 by NYU for $2.5 million and was converted to the Edgar M. Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life. Efforts have been made to preserve the exterior and remaining interior details…

Posted on October 14, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Homes and 'Hoods. Bookmark the permalink.
Secret Rooftop Garden

Posted on October 13, 2006 by Brian Dubé

For just 4 hours, as part of OHNY (Open House New York), the rooftop garden atop the British Empire Building at Rockefeller Center was open to the public. This private garden is rarely accessible, and a detailed online search returns very little information about it. According to the Rockefeller Center website: “Originally, the architects envisioned an even more elaborate network of roof gardens to be connected by aerial pedestrian bridges, which they compared to the hanging gardens of ancient Babylon.”

At this point in time, the garden primarily functions as eye candy to those in nearby buildings who are fortunate enough to have views of the hedges, wildflowers, fountains, lawns, pools, and beautiful walkways. The rooftop overlooks Fifth Ave., St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, so, of course, the views are spectacular. I feel fortunate to have visited, as I am sure all the other visitors were. In a post 9/11 world, seeing special places in NYC is becoming more difficult or, in many cases, just not permitted. My thanks goes to OHNY for coordinating this great weekend and for making these places accessible…

Posted on October 13, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Natural NYC, Scenic NYC, Secret NYC. Bookmark the permalink.
Astor Hairstylists

Posted on October 12, 2006 by Brian Dubé

Astor Hair, Astor Place Hair – everyone knows this place, including many who have heard of it from far away places. A family business, the shop was started in 1945 by Enrico Vezza Sr. In 1965, it was taken over by his son, Enrico Vezza Jr., who now manages it with his son, John. In the 1980s and ’90s, people lined up to get cuts there; haircutters gave live performances on TV and in clubs. They occupied a ground floor retail space, a mezzanine, and a basement space, with over 100 haircutters total. The walls are covered with photos of celebrities who have been there over the years. In 2005, due to a rent increase, they consolidated operations to the basement space with about 30 haircutters.

The haircuts? Haircutting is very personal – people are often convinced that only their haircutter can do it right. There is also a lot of snobbery in haircutting; many feel that a cut so cheap ($13) just CAN’T be good. To the contrary – many of the cutters here have left high-end operations for the more relaxed, low-stress atmosphere at Astor Hair. Many have found that more expensive cuts elsewhere have not necessarily been better. Of course, like any surgical procedure, there are always less experienced cutters, so I give Astor Place a thumbs-up with a caveat – try to get a recommendation. I use Scotty…

Posted on October 12, 2006 by Brian Dubé

This entry was posted in Curiosities of NYC, NYC's History. Bookmark the permalink.

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