• Category Archives Extreme NYC

  • Piercing Al Fresco

    Posted on August 7, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    This photo is a footnote to yesterday’s posting about the Police Riot Concert held in Washington Square Park. Click here for a photo collection. When I told people, young and old, that I had photographed piercings being done outdoors on the ground, everyone had the same reaction: “Outdoors, on the ground?” But I found it in keeping with the defiant spirit of the event. After all, I am not sure that prudence, propriety, and proper procedure apply to attendees of a punk rock concert. At first glance, I was not sure why these people were sitting on the ground looking looking at something, but closer examination revealed the object of interest to be a small zippered case opened to display body piercing jewelry and disposable rubber gloves (and, I imagine, the piercing tools themselves). Actually, it appeared that the piercer was operating as professionally as she could under the circumstances.

    Body piercing, of course, has a long history and large subculture. It’s a world unto itself, with many facets: the jewelry, the procedure and tools (sterilization, autoclaves, needles, cannula, scalpelling, dermal punching), healing and cleaning, allergic reactions, scarring, keloids, infections both bacterial and viral, where to pierce, etc. Click here for a good overview…

    Posted on August 7, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, fashion, Festivals Parades and Events, Music and Concerts, Parks, Rebels of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Police Riot Concert

    Posted on August 6, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    This was an event that really caught me by surprise. No one I met was aware that it was to be held, apart from the many music fans. The annual Police Riot concert is typically held in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village, but this year, the concert was rescheduled for Washington Square. The concert, which featured Leftöver Crack (a group that has been been banned from several NYC venues), commemorated the 19th anniversary of the police riots of August 6-7, 1988 in Tompkins Square Park.

    The park at that time had essentially been taken over by drug dealers, skinheads, and squatting homeless. The riot, which occurred on the day of a rally, protesting a recently enacted curfew, was seen as largely police-incited as a result of mishandling on their part. Many complaints of police brutality were made, along with public condemnations (such as in the New York Times) against the police department and the commissioner, Benjamin Ward.

    In addition to Leftöver Crack, the groups who performed were False Prophets, World Inferno Friendship Society, Planned Collapse, and Witch Hunt. There were guest speakers, such as Norman Siegel (former ACLU director). Event-appropriate books and magazines were being sold.
    The concert was essentially punk rock, however, more specifically, there were elements of ska, hardcore, crust punk, and metal. The music was LOUD, of course, and spontaneous moshing occurred with stage diving. This event was a superb photo opportunity – the Mohawks, hair colors, clothing, piercings, mosh pits, and stage diving made great subjects in a perfect clear day’s afternoon light.  Click here for a photo set of the concert…

    Posted on August 6, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, fashion, Festivals Parades and Events, Music and Concerts, Parks, Rebels of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Figment

    Posted on July 9, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    Figment was a one-day arts festival held on Governors Island (click here for more photos). There was a sense that this was to be a New York-style Burning Man – many of yesterday’s participants have attended, and the organizers have themselves have referenced Burning Man as an influence. The event took place at Nolan Park, a historic district with a shaded green surrounded by period homes. Attendees were encouraged to bring projects, contribute, and participate (at the Burning Man festival, being a spectator is discouraged in keeping with their 10 principles: radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation, and immediacy.) Over 50 exhibitors attended, with names such as Misericordiam, Limbonade Stand, Krinkl-O-Torn, Groovehoops, Sisters, Earth Paint Tree, the Tub Project, Wish Tree, Zenbend Hanger Reuse Project, etc.

    From the Figment website: ” Expect a dizzying array of fabulous art and activities, spanning a variety of imaginative possibilities ranging from ambitious sculptures to exquisite performance to wild costuming to edgy arts and crafts and beyond.” The goals of Figment would not appear to be so ambitious for a first year festival, given NYC’s large population and arts community. However, although having the fest on Governor’s Island has its merits, having to transport everything and everyone by ferry definitely had a substantial impact. The free 10 minute ferry ride to Governors Island (the subject of a future posting) turned out to be somewhat harrowing. The lines for the ferry were huge, with waits of over an hour – by days end it was clear there would not be enough ferry space and crossings to carry everyone – only 6 ferries were scheduled between 10AM and 3PM. But I imagine this festival will build momentum and I look forward to seeing its growth in future years. Note: The events name “Figment” was inspired by an Andy Warhol quote stating that he would like his own tombstone to be blank: “No epitaph, and no name. Well, actually, I’d like it to say ‘figment’ “

    Posted on July 9, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Art and Sculpture, Extreme NYC, Festivals Parades and Events. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Mermaid Parade 2007 Part 2

    Posted on June 27, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    (see Part 1 here for more photos)

    This is part two of the 2007 Mermaid Parade in Coney Island. Please click on the photo for an enlarged, detailed view. This collage represents a small number of the 300+ photos I took at the parade. I endeavored to show the diversity of costumes that were present. As you can see, the themes of art parades in NYC are not policed, and many of the costumes certainly go beyond what one would expect in a Mermaid Parade: hula hoopers, goth garb, ghoulish characters, alien invasions, geishas, visual puns (like the Seapranos), Coney Island postcard groups, and creative assemblages. Of course, there were mermaids, anemones, nautiluses, brassieres from shells, seahorses, lobsters, and a myriad of other sea creatures. The creativity was overwhelming and tough to absorb and process with the volume and speed at which these remarkable displays passed by the spectators. Trying to get decent photos in this intense environment was a challenge. If you check back here in a day or so, I should have a link for more photos of the parade on my Flickr site…

    Posted on June 27, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, fashion, Festivals Parades and Events. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Mermaid Parade 2007

    Posted on June 26, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    This has become my favorite parade – it’s on the boardwalk, at the beach (yet reachable by subway), in NYC, beautiful mermaids, blue everywhere, Astroland with the Cyclone and Wonderwheel as backdrop, manageable in size, imaginative creative costumes, and a spirited atmosphere. Add a sunny day with blue skies and what’s not to like? It’s surprising how many have still not heard of the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2007. Click here and here for my postings of the 2006 parade.

    Founded in 1983 by Coney Island USA, the not-for-profit arts organization that also produces the Coney Island Circus Sideshow, the Mermaid Parade pays homage to Coney Island’s forgotten Mardi Gras, which lasted from 1903 to 1954. The Mermaid Parade celebrates the sand, the sea, the salty air, and the beginning of summer, as well as the history and mythology of Coney Island, Coney Island pride, and artistic self-expression. The Parade is characterized by participants dressed in hand-made costumes as Mermaids, Neptunes, various sea creatures, the occasional wandering lighthouse, Coney Island post card, or amusement ride, as well as antique cars, marching bands, drill teams, and the odd yacht pulled on flatbed. Each year, a different celebrity King Neptune and Queen Mermaid rule over the proceedings, riding in the Parade and assisting in the opening of the Ocean for the summer swimming season by marching down the Beach from the Boardwalk, cutting through Ribbons representing the seasons, and tossing fruit into the Atlantic to appease the Sea Gods. In the past, David Byrne, Queen Latifah, Ron Kuby, Curtis Sliwa, Moby, and David Johansen have presided over the assembled masses. Click here for their official website.

    Even though I set aside the day to see the event, I still missed many of the events: floats and autos on Surf Avenue, the costume judging, and the Mermaid Parade Ball. Tomorrow I will post a collection of the best photos of the hundreds I took in Part 2…

    Posted on June 26, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, fashion, Festivals Parades and Events. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Cappuccino & Tattoo

    Posted on May 6, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    This is Fun City Cappuccino & Tattoo, a unique fusion of two extremely popular things, both with a long and international history. Tattooing is certainly not new or uniquely New York – it can be traced back thousands of years, and the term itself is Polynesian. Tattooing was banned in the city from 1961 (when an outbreak of hepatitis B was traced to a tattoo parlor) to March 27, 1997, when it was re-legalized. But, ironically, the American-style tattoo was born here in Chatham Square (Chinatown) at the turn of the century. Later, in the 1920s, with the advent of electronic tattooing, the practice moved to the ports of NYC (Coney Island and the Brooklyn Navy Yard), catering to sailors. The period when tattooing was banned here was the time it became the mainstay of hippies and bikers. Tattooing went underground in the city and was eclipsed by other cities, such as San Francisco. Since the re-legalization, NYC has been playing catch-up.

    One of the early practitioners was Jonathan Shaw (whose father was the bandleader Artie Shaw), original owner of Fun City Tattoo, the oldest tattoo parlor in the city dating back to 1976 (as a private studio) (read the history here at their website – click on the “Press” link). The photo is of the business’s public incarnation at 94 St. Marks Place, dating back to 1991. Michelle Myles is the new owner – she also runs Daredevil Tattoo on Ludlow Street.

    Tattoos have certainly shed much of their criminal, outlaw, or bad boy image – it is now popular in the burbs as well as in cities. Estimates are that 16% of the population has a tattoo. No person in the United States is reported to have contracted HIV via a commercially-applied tattooing process. Still not interested? Perhaps a beautiful temporary henna (Mehandi) tattoo. Or perhaps just a cappuccino…

    Posted on May 6, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, fashion, Food and Restaurants, Rebels of NYC, Stores. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Spring Madness

    Posted on April 8, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    As I have pointed out in previous posts, this city certainly tolerates and embraces eccentric behavior. This guy in the photo was definitely garnering a lot of attention – onlookers looked puzzled trying to understand a grown man with pink bunny ears in the dog run in Washington Square Park, especially when his playful game went on a little too long. And it was not clear that the dog in the photo (or any other) was his – we became more concerned when he started to leave the enclosure with the ears still on and no dog in tow.

    The weather has been extremely cold for this time of year, so spring fever this is not. Plus, I have already done a Spring Fever posting when we had a nice run of warm days in mid-March. In naming this post Spring Madness, it occurred to me that apart from the man in bunny ears, the only madness I have encountered lately is the frustration that people are having with the weather and how long it is taking for springtime to arrive. We have had 31-degree nights and mid-40s by day with a chance of snow flurries today! Happy Easter…

    Posted on April 8, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Animals, Extreme NYC, Holidays, People. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Spike

    Posted on March 26, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    Here we have the classic NYC character. The city well tolerates this type of emboldened eccentricity, perhaps even encourages it. Frequently seen parading in full regalia, this baroque individual is an amalgam of goth/punk symbols and icons. He’s got it well covered – iron crosses, medieval cross earrings (Noctis?), British flags, piercings with studs, a Clash patch, and the requisite black leather jacket and boots (I learned a lot about these accoutrement this morning by visiting this British site, Gothic Style). And don’t miss that standout hair spire – his signature pièce de résistance.

    His militaristic persona was enhanced by his standing at attention for lengths of time. I have seen him a number of times before, and this weekend, I saw him two days in a row. On this second occasion, a number of photographer friends and I were gathered in the park; our increasingly bolder and more obvious photo taking of the subject was not met by resistance. We agreed that perhaps he was a bit of an exhibitionist, n’est-ce pas?

    Posted on March 26, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, fashion, People, Rebels of NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Defiant Hydrant

    Posted on March 7, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    Last night, a photographer friend alerted me to a slow leak in SoHo that he thought might be blog-worthy. (By the way, after conversations last year regarding the curious and ubiquitous standpipe, this friend got on a hydrant/standpipe kick and shot quite a number of excellent photos. Click here to see his gallery.)

    We have been in a cold-snap in NYC the last few days. and at 16 degrees F, water moves quite slowly, hence the photo. In July, of course, we see a different scenario. I suppose a question that comes to mind is why fire hydrants don’t normally freeze in the winter. The answer is that there is no water in the hydrant and the valve is below the frost line. Water is supplied to the hydrant via a riser which is controlled by a valve rod, which in turn is controlled with that special pentagonal nut (using a large wrench and matching socket). Hydrants are also equipped with an anti-siphon valve, so that any water remaining in the hydrant drains back into the ground. This is the theory. In practice, we find defiant hydrants, such as that in the photo…

    Posted on March 7, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Curiosities of NYC, Extreme NYC, Natural NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • The Strand

    Posted on February 21, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    Everyone in New York knows the Strand Bookstore at 12th Street and Broadway. With the slogan “18 miles of books,” the Strand is a contender for the largest used bookstore in the United States (along with Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon). Independent and family-owned, it was founded by Benjamin Bass in 1927 on book row – an area on 4th Avenue between 9th and 14th Streets which at one time had over 30 used book stores. In 1956, it was taken over by son Fred Bass; in 1957, it was moved to its current location. Under the stewardship of Fred’s daughter and owner Nancy Bass-Wyden, the Strand appears to be trying to come of age; I notice that they now have an online presence. The second floor has been renovated. However, it still is a browser’s store. The size and inventory is overwhelming – the store with its 3 floors is a virtual maze (if you go, visit their rare book room – the largest collection in the city).

    Its inventory is not organized like a typical bookstore. Most find it daunting. Click here and browse these very entertaining reviews, and you’ll get an idea of what you’re in for. Here was one of my favorites: “Holy mother of GOD is this a huge bookstore. Never in my life have I seen this many books in one place. When I went in, it was daytime. When I left, it was dark. The Strand is like a black hole…it sucks you in, devours time, and never lets you leave empty handed. I found books here that I didn’t even know I wanted. I spent far more than I could afford. It’s EVIL! Be careful when you enter this place…it will steal your mortal soul!”

    Posted on February 21, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, Stores. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Provocateur

    Posted on January 24, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    This photo was taken through the shop window of Agent Provocateur at 133 Mercer Street in SoHo. I have gone by here many times, but walking with a camera changes things – I become much more attentive to the usual in my life, subconsciously looking for that photo op.

    What struck me here was that at first glance I thought that this was a real person, not a mannequin. I also did not realize until doing this post that Agent Provocateur is a well-known lingerie brand started in SoHo London in 1994 by Joseph Corre and Serena Rees (Corre is the son of British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and the Sex Pistols’ ex-manager Malcolm McLaren.) They now have a number of stores worldwide featuring upmarket goods and a coterie of celebrity patrons. They are also known for their over-the-top controversial ads, such as the one in 2001 featuring Kylie Minogue riding a bull in lingerie to punk music (you can do your own youtube search). They “introduced their vision of lingerie avoiding the British prudery that insists on categorising anything to do with sex as sleazy or smutty.” You can read their vision statement here…

    Posted on January 24, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, fashion, Stores. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Little bite To Eat

    Posted on January 16, 2007 by Brian Dubé

    Described as a “sliver-sized Noho snack bar redefining fast food”, bite, at 335 Lafayette, has to be the city’s skinniest restaurant. I have always been intrigued with this bizarre wedge of a retail space that is so thin, it is barely one person wide (click here for more photos. It is located in NoHo (North of Houston), a neighborhood between the Central Village and East Village.

    Considered by many to be a real gem of a sandwich shop, bite claims that the sandwich makers “work like monkeys on speed to bring you pleasure in bread.” Bite goes the extra distance to use premium ingredients (organic greens, Holland tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, ciabatta, panini), many from neighbors, such as breads from Balthazar and mozzarella from Joe’s Dairy. Most find the food excellent – click here for reviews and their menu. Some have found the lines to be long at times, but, like many things New York, the extra good usually costs more in one way or another…

    Posted on January 16, 2007 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, Food and Restaurants. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Museum of Sex

    Posted on December 21, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    This is one of the most fascinating stories I’ve read in a long time. MoSex, located at 27th Street and 5th Avenue, occupies two floors of a 5-story building that reputedly was a brothel. Then there was the denial by the Board of Regents to charter it as a cultural nonprofit organization, saying that a “museum of sex” made “a mockery” of the concept of museums. And, of course, the controversy: immediately after opening in 2002, William Donohue of the Catholic League, condemning it as MoSmut, said, “If the museum’s officials were honest, they would include a death chamber that would acknowledge all the wretched diseases that promiscuity has caused.”

    The museum is “wholly dedicated to the exploration of the history, evolution, and cultural significance of human sexuality,” according to the mission statement of founder Daniel Gluck, who has endeavored to give the museum an educational format. Gluck, a suburban family man, is a fine arts graduate of UPenn with a business degree from the Wharton School. The executive curator, Grady Turner, was a former director of exhibits at the New York Historical Society. There are 18 Ph.Ds on the board of advisors. He accepted no funding from anyone in the porn industry. Still, the content is explicit, and visitors must be 18. Exhibits include photos, film, porn, BDSM, lesbian and gay history, erotica, fetishism, and history – like that of Julius Schmid, an impoverished German-Jewish immigrant, who, in the 1880s, turned from sausage making to condoms, (illegal but later widely sold under the Ramses brand name) (read here).

    The museum acquired the collection of Ralph Whittington, a retired curator who worked at the Library of Congress for 36 years and had collected and documented pornography since the 1970s (click here for article). The collection includes more than four hundred 8-mm films, 700 videos, 1,500 magazines, 100 books, and artifacts (such as blow-up dolls and artificial genitalia). And at 57, he lived with his mother…

    Posted on December 21, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Curiosities of NYC, Extreme NYC. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Dyker Lights

    Posted on December 17, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    There are Christmas tree lights, and then there is Dyker Heights. This Brooklyn neighborhood (between Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst) is known worldwide for its elaborate Christmas light displays (more photos here). PBS did a 2001 documentary detailing the phenomenon – apparently many of the displays have been motivated by various family events and crises. When I first visited this area in the 1980s, I had never seen anything remotely like it.

    The predominantly Italian neighborhood is quite affluent – many of the homes are mini-mansions. The premier block is 84th Street between 10th and 12th Avenue. Here, the traffic becomes bumper to bumper as gawkers cruise slowly down the block (click here for photo). In addition to the myriad of lights, you will find animated characters, motorized dolls, miniature villages, armies of illuminated soldiers and choirboys, live Santa, free toys, huge nativity scenes, synchronized music, and computerized displays like that of Robert DeLauro, who, with Light-O-Rama software, a programmable microprocessor, and a computer in his basement, controls 10,000 lights using 32 extension cords. Apparently, extravagant computerized displays are becoming more common nationwide – check out the home displays on planetchristmas.com.

    Posted on December 17, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, Holidays, Homes and 'Hoods, New York at Night. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Tongues and Flames

    Posted on December 15, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    When a friend and I on a photography shoot ran across this place, our reactions were the same: “WHAT?” Not only is the exterior unusual, but the business concept is also atypical. The Gershwin, at 7 East 27th Street in the historic Flatiron district, is a hybrid hotel and hostel, providing everything from 8-bedded rooms to more standard accommodations, even maintaining two separate websites (gershwinhotel.com and gershwinhostel.com – these now link to the same website as of 2012).

    The fiberglass sconces on the facade were created by Finnish artist Stefan Lindfors, who was asked to create something to distinguish the 1905 building. ”This hotel is always on fire,” said Lindfor, whose piece is called Tongues and Flames. The entire hotel has created has created an atmosphere to cater to the young, chic, arty, and European with the requisite amenities: Internet access, The Living Room featuring jazz and comedy, an onsite gallery, and a pop art-adorned lobby with a signed Andy Warhol soup can…

    Posted on December 15, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Architecture, Extreme NYC, Tourist Attractions. Bookmark the permalink.


  •  

  • Want to receive my latest stories directly in your email inbox? Subscribe to my RSS feed here:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

  • For special offers, tours & free downloads, sign up below:

    We respect your email privacy

    Email Marketing by AWeber

  • Archives

  • dinamic_sidebar 4 none

©2026 New York Daily Photo Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS)  Raindrops Theme