• Category Archives People

  • Huddled Masses

    Posted on December 4, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    These may be huddled masses, but I’m not sure if they’re yearning to be free. Certainly not free of shopping on 5th Avenue. I usually avoid such environments, but I thought capturing the hordes of holiday shoppers would depict the ultimate in cliched New York City crowds.

    Fifth Avenue is NYC’s most upscale shopping district and one of the world’s premier shopping streets, with many retailing icons (such as Tiffany’s). This photo was taken on the steps of St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 50th Street looking south along 5th Avenue. It is now so crowded during holiday season that police barricades have been put up for several blocks to provide additional walking space in the street itself.

    If you come to this area, I suggest that you embrace and surrender to the experience. Fighting the crowds is a no-win proposition and certainly will not lead to enjoyment of the holiday season and its festive spirit…

    Posted on December 4, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Holidays, People. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Black Friday

    Posted on November 24, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    Today is Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which is considered the official start of the holiday season. It is the biggest shopping day of the year as defined by customer traffic. The origin of the term itself has a number of interesting theories (click here for a Wikipedia article).

    In the United States, the Christmas season has become extremely commercial – it now accounts for 20% of the year’s retail sales. For many merchants, the season is a make-or-break time – yearly profits depend on a good season; a bad season can push a retailer into bankruptcy. Every year I see holiday decoration and marketing start earlier, in many cases quite a bit before Black Friday. I do like the festive atmosphere and the distraction from the day-to-day grind. It’s just sad that a fundamentally religious holiday would become so enormously commercial…

    Above, David Blaine assists Target in a publicity stunt by escaping in time for their Black Friday sale starting at 6AM Friday. He was chained and suspended from a spinning gyroscope over Times Square. Above photo, AP/Seth Wenig – sorry folks, not my photo this time, but this AP photographer was able to capture the scene from above, and got a view of the city, while I was at my folks’ in Connecticut doing the traditional holiday thing…

    Posted on November 24, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Holidays, People, Rebels of NYC, Stores. Bookmark the permalink.

  • One-Man Band

    Posted on October 3, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    Jord Jayrodin Peck is an itinerant one-man band. I was fortunate to meet him twice,  the first time at night (with no camera). This photo was taken in Union Square, where he was discussing his run-ins with the law. Click here for more photos. He was prevented from playing, having been told that his drums were amplified instruments (?). It’s sad in the city to see people like this ticketed while drug dealers sell their wares with impunity because they know how to work the system.

    He plays several instruments simultaneously – two drums, each connected to the back of one foot via a cord, cymbal sets from his arm and wrist, harmonica, and guitar. I did get to see his street performance on the first night – everyone was really impressed with his talent. The expectation was that his show would be gimmicky, but his musical interpretation and performance were excellent. I recall a nice rendition of a Dylan song. I was told that his repertoire is somewhat limited – quite understandable. Jord has to work out the arrangement for all of his parts. I wish him luck in his endeavor and that the raw, untamed, unbridled energy of youth will keep him going in the face of adversity…

    Posted on October 3, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Music and Concerts, People, Street Performing. Bookmark the permalink.

  • War … and Peace

    Posted on September 24, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    Posted on September 24, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Curiosities of NYC, Parks, People. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Joe Ades – Gentleman Peeler

    Posted on September 6, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    I have observed this vegetable peeler salesman for years at Union Square – he is nearly always surrounded by a crowd (see more photos here). Joe Ades, 72, is a remarkable pitchman; people watch just to see his impassioned sales style, selling his peelers at $5 a clip (which he claims are from Switzerland and unavailable elsewhere – see here). A terrific in-depth article was done by Vanity Fair in the May 2006 issue titled The Gentleman Grafter. You can read the story here.

    I learned that Joe, impeccably dressed, dines in fine restaurants with his fourth wife, drinks Veuve Clicquot at Cafe Pierre, and retires to a three bedroom apartment on Park Avenue. However, it was not clear how much of his posh lifestyle is a product of his own accumulated money versus his wife’s. In this photo, you see Joe displaying a 1994 newspaper article and an image from the Vanity Fair cover. Although the magazine exposé uncovers tidbits which I’m sure Joe would rather not make public, he knows what good promoters know – all news is good news. His notoriety will just bring more people to watch the artist at his work…

    Note: Joe Ades died on Sunday, February 1, 2009.

    Posted on September 6, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Curiosities of NYC, People. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Fiorello LaGuardia

    Posted on September 2, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    This bronze statue is located on LaGuardia Place in Greenwich Village – I have passed it nearly everyday for years but knew little of the man, who was born in NYC in 1882 and served as mayor of NYC from 1934-45. The most striking thing is his small physical stature – it turns out that he was just over 5 feet tall. However, he was no small man as far as achievements: Congressman (representing Greenwich Village), translator (he spoke several languages), lawyer (NYU law school grad), Attorney General, major in the U.S. Army, and NYC mayor for 3 terms.
    He was responsible for leading the city through the Depression and for many public works programs, including roads, bridges, tunnels (including the West Side Highway, East River Drive, Triborough Bridge, and Brooklyn Battery Tunnel), and public parks.

    A lover of music and conducting, LaGuardia felt that his greatest achievement was the creation of the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. I recommend reading his bio.

    Click here for a series of photos of the plaques at the statue site.

    Posted on September 2, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Art and Sculpture, NYC's History, People. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Superheroes

    Posted on August 28, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    When I took these photos, Squeegeeman was meeting a couple of his superhero friends (and a videographer). I met them, spoke to them, and I’m still not sure what they really do. You can go to their myspace sites: Squeegeeman, Dark Guardian and Tothian – perhaps you can figure it out. Here is a short video I took of the encounter:

    Let’s just say that, in spite of all the NYC resident cliches – high-powered, workaholic, fast-moving, driven, busy etc. – apparently there are still people who have a little too much time on their hands? According to their websites, these guys are real superheroes – they say that they go out several times a week on patrol and are driven to make the world a better place. Finally we know why NYC has progressively become a better place to live…

    Posted on August 28, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, fashion, People. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Homeless Art Scene

    Posted on August 24, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    I’m not an artist by training, but living in NYC, one does become acquainted with art and the various aspects of the “art scene.” So I recently was surprised to see a series of canvases in the park at night and with no attendant artist. The mystery was solved yesterday morning when I found this woman drawing and enjoying her work. She was in high heels, apparently the new requisite wardrobe item for artists 🙂 Her clothes were neatly folded on her chair. She became aware of my presence taking photos of her and at one point looked up, smiled, and said good morning. See more photos here of her and her art. If I see her again, I’ll let her know she’s had her 15 minutes of fame (I doubt she has Internet access to see this post though).

    Lingering doubts about her homeless status were quelled last night when I found her sound asleep in her chair (sorry, no photo). Thinking that this is the latest trend and that I was the last to know, I did an online search this morning of “homeless art scene” – it returned no results. However, an artist friend told me that there is a history of outsider artists, which includes ones who were homeless. Click here for the story of one of them: Bill Traylor…

    Posted on August 24, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Art and Sculpture, Curiosities of NYC, Parks, People. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Newlyweds

    Posted on August 2, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    While in Central Park, I experienced a unique occurrence. I was watching a musician (thatguitarman.com) who plays weekly at the same spot (photo left). In the middle of the performance, a bride and groom strolled by (Central Park is an extremely popular venue for wedding photography.) The musician confirmed their just married status and asked if they would be willing to have their first dance right there while he played. The couple agreed, and the audience was quite enthusiastic, including a group of boaters nearby in the Lake (with Manhattan buildings as backdrop – Citicorp Building, Plaza Hotel, etc.). Here is a video of that special first dance of the newlyweds:

    Posted on August 2, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Only in New York, Parks, People. Bookmark the permalink.

  • New York Nymph

    Posted on July 30, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    The Washington Square Park Council has been scheduling summer events in Washington Square Park. Saturday’s event was called Groove on the Green, with SubSwara, JP001, and the FreekFactory dancers. The woman in the photo was apparently one of the FreekFactory, but I found her to be more sprite or nymphlike than freaky. She and a handful of others could be found undulating and writhing to the very amplified “indo-inflected breaks, scratching, and live tabla.” Another photo here.

    The afternoon was very hot and humid, so here we have our New York Nymph with glistening skin taking a breather, amidst the trees, just where we would expect to find her…

    Posted on July 30, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in fashion, Parks, People. Bookmark the permalink.

  • The Urban Glass House

    Posted on July 27, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    The Urban Glass House, at 330 Spring Street, is another “starchitect” project. It was designed by Philip Johnson and partner Alan Ritchie. Last night, a soiree was put on to celebrate the completion of Johnson’s last project (Johnson died in January of 2005, before completion).
    The photo is actually of a model of the building on display in one of the apartments for sale. Here is a photo of the building from the street. The residential building is modeled after one of architecture’s most iconic structures – his Glass House in New Canaan, CT.

    There are a myriad of articles online on Johnson; here is one which I recommend, which profiles Johnson and his work. Just a few of his many credits: Lincoln center, Museum of Modern Art, Trump Tower, and Boston Public Library. Johnson was one of America’s most influential architects. I cannot begin to do justice to his life’s work here – I recommend some independent reading. More articles: a good bio here, another overview here.
    Oh, and prices for the apartments: about $2,000,000 to $10,000,000.

    Posted on July 27, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Architecture, Art and Sculpture, People. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Fire and Drums

    Posted on July 24, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    Fire manipulation has become very popular in the last few years – fire eating/breathing, fire poi, fire meteor, fire staff, fire dance, fire fans, fire torch swinging, and fire juggling. In the photo, we have Lars (from Germany), well-furnished with body art, preparing to do fire staff. The highlight of this post is the short video, which shows his fire staff and fire eating skills while accompanied by Zafar, an urban drumming street band from Durham/Chapel Hill, North Carolina. An audience quickly assembled and responded enthusiastically. People are fascinated with fire and danger…

    Posted on July 24, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, New York at Night, People, Sports Games and Hobbies. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Derek Lake

    Posted on July 16, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    Bicycling in NYC is very dangerous – many experienced bikers I know no longer do it. The congestion and aggravation battling with traffic are reasons enough. But a bicycle is a great way to get around any city, and efforts are always being made to improve cycling conditions.

    Derek Lake, a 23-year-old film school grad, was a huge proponent of biking – he commuted from Brooklyn to Manhattan by bicycle daily. Sadly, he was recently hit and killed on Houston Street, a major cross street in the Village/SoHo, currently under major reconstruction. He was the 3rd to be killed on Houston Street in the last year. I had some reservations about posting this, but I thought this memorial was striking and beautiful – I see it every day (see posted sign here). And, unfortunately, this type of incident is an all too common part of city life, and I promised to bring you that.

    Posted on July 16, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in People, Slings and Arrows of NYC, War Against Wheels. Bookmark the permalink.

  • People Of Color

    Posted on June 28, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    In Central Park, near the Bandshell, I met this colorfully dressed couple who appeared to be selling extremely colorful knitted items. They gave new meaning to the phrase “people of color.” They reminded me of Adam Purple and his girlfriend from the early ’70s who rode around on their purple bicycles all dressed in purple and became known as the “Purple People” (if you are not familiar with Adam Purple and his Garden of Eden, see this New York Times article here and this article and photo gallery here).

    New York City seems to do more than tolerate eccentric people and lifestyles – it embraces and nourishes them. Some become landmarks and institutions.

    Posted on June 28, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Extreme NYC, fashion, Only in New York, People. Bookmark the permalink.

  • Con Edison

    Posted on June 21, 2006 by Brian Dubé

    Con Edison is NYC’s local utility, providing steam, gas, and electricity. They, along with others, are forever digging up our streets with people, cables, and other things going in and out of manholes. We’re never sure what they are doing, and no one ever appears interested enough to ask.

    These workers are a group that maintains some of our most essential services, absolute lifebloods of the city. Yet despite the brilliant fluorescent orange cones and stanchions, they are all but invisible to most of us.

    Posted on June 21, 2006 by Brian Dubé
    This entry was posted in Curiosities of NYC, Only in New York, People. Bookmark the permalink.


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