From Jamie Scott.

[Photo Via: Japan Society]

Last night I was waiting on the uptown platform at 103rd Street. There was a kid playing the guitar across the tracks and at first I didn’t notice him but then I couldn’t help but listen. He wasn’t playing a song just jamming. I waited for him to finish so that I could applaud. He was good. But he didn’t stop. So I saw that my train wasn’t coming yet and ran up the stairs, crossed over to the other side, ran down the stairs and threw a dollar in the kid’s guitar case.

“You are doing work,” I said.

When I got back to the uptown platform I was able to capture this just before my train rolled into the station.

Soul Surfer

Listening to that dude play made my day.

[Photo Credit: Frederick JG]

My grandparents lived across the street from the Museum of Natural History and my brother, sister, and I visited them almost every weekend. They weren’t the kind of grandparents to get down on the floor and play with children so when they wanted to get us out of the apartment they took us across the street. It got so the museum was like an extension of their place–over-heated and boring. That’s what I remember of it, anyhow. We had to be well-behaved. Man, it was tedious.

I stayed away from the museum for years and it wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I went back. And I realized it was a great, mysterious place. I especially loved the scenes like the one pictured above  and recognized then how big an impression they’d made on me as a kid.

[Photo Credit:  Joel Zimmer]

Through the end of the month there is a Wayne Thiebaud retrospective at Acquavella. Don’t miss it.

“Shoes Row” 1975

Over at Serious Eats, Dorie Greenspan takes a tour of the Essex Street Market. I’ve been meaning to get down there. Must do that, man.

New York, New York. Dig.

[Photo Via: Eye Heart New York]

Waiting to cross the street last night in my neighborhood, guy walks up next to me, late forties, early fifties. We see a car nearby looking to park. Guy says to me, “He’s not going to find a spot. I just came around the block, nothing, drove around again and found one. I always have luck since I came here.”

I ask where he’s from and he says California.

“I always find a spot and after the hurricane people would be waiting hours for gas, I went, twenty minutes I was done.”

He was bragging. The light turns and we cross the street.

“Well, it’ll come around and even out,” I say. “Karma does that.” I don’t mean to use to word Karma but that’s how it comes out.

“No, I’m a good person so I’ve got nothing but good Karma. That can never touch me in a bad way. Just remember if you are a good person you’ll always have Karma on your side”

I thought of saying something else but let it and him go.

[Photo Via: Eye Heart New York]

Elegant picture circa 1913 found over at How to Be a Retronaut.

I never look at the bus schedule while waiting for a bus. Never occurs to me and I’m always surprised when people check it. For me, it’d just be an excuse to get upset when the bus is invariably late. Seems like such chance. I know they run on schedules but when you’re at a bus stop you don’t get an update if there is a delay and sometimes you’ve got to wait 20 minutes for a bus, other times three-in-a-row pull up. It’s a classic Go Figure situation.

Anyhow, I always feel better off not knowing.

When I was growing up my father told me that the best hot dogs in New York were from Nathan’s. The real Nathan’s he said was out in Coney Island and he even took my brother, sister and me out there a few times. Mostly, though, when he was inspired to treat us, he brought us to the Nathan’s in Times Square.

Remember the spot?

[Photo Credit: Retro New York]

Instagram pictures via Subway Art Blog.

Sandy photography by Bryan Derballa.

And now, another storm. Oy.

Stay safe, everyone.

Picture by Iwan Baan.

Two takes on the cancelling of the New York Marathon: Chris Jones and Emma Span.

[Photo Via: Men’s Fitness]

Over at Lenscratch…

dig this wonderful photo gallery by Robert Herman.

Open for business.

Via Laughing Squid, check out these long exposure photographs by Randy Scott Slavin.

Also found at Laughing Squid, this time lapse movie of the hurricane.

Man, still hard to believe what hit us.

Picture by Jonathan Percy.

Warriors, come out and play…

[Photo Via: The Atlantic]

Over at Frontier Psychiatrist dig this photo gallery by Max Maddock.