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Archive for March 2008

The Love Bike

March 12, 2008

You see a post with a name like “The Love Bike” and it makes me wonder what you think you’re going to see.

Is it a Harley? Some sort of huge motorcycle?

How about a Honda? They used to have one of the great slogans: “You meet the nicest people on a Honda”. That was before they did cars and mowers and all.

Perhaps a tandem bike. You know, a bicycle built for two.

Nah. Nothing so exotic.

It’s too late for Valentines, so this must be a year-round Love Bike.

Actually, there was a clue to it in the basket. There was a pamplet for a “Bike Lane Liberation Clown Ride” for March 15 (a Saturday). They’re planning on having clown makeup and everything.

I know people who fear clowns. I hope they aren’t wandering around Manhattan and run across a mess o’ clowns dedicated to protecting their turf.

-H

Categories: Manhattan, Wanderings

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Spitzer Stakeout

March 11, 2008

Unless you’ve been hiding somewhere, or are coming to this site from another country, you’ve probably been hearing the news about New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and his current scandal.

This isn’t a forum that I want to use for politics, but it does turn out that he has an office that is on my way to work. This morning, as I approached the corner of 41st Street and 3rd Avenue, I saw some news trucks. I happened to have my camera with me so I took some quick pictures, but wasn’t too expectant of anything (thinking it was just some little news story or human interest event going on that I’d never know anything about).

I didn’t know that the Governor had an office there until I came home from work and mentioned that two news crews had apparently spent the whole day at this relatively obscure corner. The doorman told me that there’s a long-time office for him there. Apparently, Spitzer has been hiding out all day in NYC and there’s speculation that he’s in this office.

I wish I had taken better pictures. There was one camera crew in evidence and two trucks. First, Channel 11 (independent).

Second, Channel 5 (Fox) was also there.

I didn’t use my flash so the focus wasn’t very successful.

Anyway, it goes to show that there are interesting things nearly everyplace in NYC and that I oughta be a little more careful when I take a picture when the sun ain’t fully up.

-H

Categories: Mid-town

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La Plaza Cultural in Alphabet City

March 10, 2008

I was recently back in Alphabet City in the Lower East Side (AKA, the East Village), and ran into another of the small parks that have sprung up in the area. These are associated with NYC’s Green Thumb program. But just being a park ain’t enough to make me take a picture of it; instead, I need something a hair different in some way.

And I think having strange and bizarre stuff on the top of the fence does qualify.

It’s La Plaza Cultural, located on East 9th Street and Avenue C. Their website doesn’t seem to say a word about the fence, so maybe they don’t think it’s worthy of comment.

I think it is.

I mean, just look at what’s there.

The interior of La Plaza is bigger than most, but mostly unremarkable.

Well, it is winter, but that’s still awfully sparse.

-H

Categories: Greenwich Village, LES, Manhattan, Wanderings

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Flag of Heroes in Grand Central

March 9, 2008

I was recently in Grand Central and noticed something that I hadn’t seen before.

If you look to the right side of the above, you’ll see an American flag in a frame. When I saw it, I wondered what it was about. Having framed pictures on the wall isn’t really one of those things you see.

I took a closeup of it and saw that it really isn’t a “real” flag, but rather an artistic representation called “Flag of Heroes”. The “flag contains the names of the emergency services personnel who gate their lives to save others in the terrorist attacks of 9/11.”

You can see their names in small print on the red stripes.

It turns out that this is a commercially available flag. That just strikes me as unusual for the City to have in a public space. However, the proceeds seem to be strickly earmarked to charitable projects.

-H

Categories: Manhattan, Mid-town, Wanderings

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McSorley’s Old Ale House

March 8, 2008

My recent jaunt in the Village was with the mind to find a legendary place. Okay, it wasn’t all that legendary to me. Some co-workers had mentioned it as the place to go for the St. Patricks Day Paraders and I hadn’t heard of it (at least to my recollection).

It’s McSorley’s Old Ale House, a bar located on East 7th Street near 3rd Avenue. It has the slogan “We were here before you were born”. True enough, it was founded in 1854.

It strives to maintain its history, including sawdust covered floors and bragging rights that its patrons range from Abe Lincoln to John Lennon.

As it is strictly a bar and I am not a lover of beer, I didn’t bother going in. It looks interesting for others, though.

-H

Categories: Greenwich Village, LES, Manhattan, Wanderings

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