RANDOM NY MOMENTS

                                           A small selection of random NY moments…

 

                                                all photos ©Ken Brown

"GIFFY-POP" NYC POSTER GIF

Posters have always been part of the local landscape in NYC and I've been having

some "giffy-pop" fun with some of them...

                                                photos @Ken Brown

"SOME RECENT RANDOM ODDITIES"

                                  some random oddities gathered over the past few months…

                                on the East River Ferry

                                "soft landing"

                                Lady Liberty checks for FB likes …

                                 Baldwin Belting Gaga

                                 Big Boy or little devil?

                                 ambling…

                                scrambled pup poster

                                 lunch with extra cheese…

                               all photos ©Ken Brown

"WARM GREETINGS"

warm V-day greetings from NYC. ...…

Image ©Ken Brown

"SNOW DAY"

                        I've been having a lot of fun with gifs lately and was saving this one for a "Snow Day" …

HAND PAINTED SIGNS IN NYC

Still, a favorite subject on all my bike rambles, the hand painted sign is an increasingly rare item.  Here is a small sampling from this past year.  Enjoy.  

all photos ©Ken Brown

"ANGEL"

Last fall, as I was biking through a neighborhood in Queens, I thought I had hallucinated something colorful and strange in a yard. I turned around for a closer look and yes, there it was, a huge clown head caught between American and Puerto Rican flags.  A large man was working on a small car with the hood off and engine exposed. He smiled, and gestured for me to take a closer look.  He said his name was Angel and that the clown came from Coney Island. He told me he was in his car that morning and was hit by a truck.

He was repairing the radiator, fender and hood by himself.  I asked about insurance and he said the driver of the truck was crying on his shoulder that he had three kids and would lose his job if it got reported, so Angel said, don't worry, I can take care of it. I remarked that the truck driver had met an angel that morning, and he said he knew about hard times and was glad he could do something.

photos ©Ken Brown

"SOME SUMMER SNAPS"

some summer snaps to help counter the cold…

                                 at the Brooklyn Flea

                                 Coney Island

                                 Sunday morning in Madison Park

                                 Wonder Woman takes on the chess masters in Union Square

                                 Riverside Park

                                Chelsea

                                 Jogging in Williamsburg


                                  all photos ©Ken Brown

HAPPY NEW YEAR

and a stellar New Year to all…

"ABOMINABLE SNOW YETIS ETC.) NYC.

Last week, I went out looking for some samples of seasonal store window displays and came up with these two...

Uptown at Saks 5th Ave, I came across an array of animatronic figures featuring an abominable snow Yeti who has travelled from Siberia to NYC. ...(and why not?)

and downtown, one of my favorites for clever windows, Fishes Eddy, purveyors of    glassware on lower Broadway.

                 

                                                   all photos ©Ken Brown

the "BROOKLYN BOULEVARDIER"

something for a sloshy Monday morning in December..the "Brooklyn boulevardier" .

"5 POINTZ"

This small selection of photos represent a tiny fraction of the aerosol artistry that once covered the block long former warehouse and "graffiti mecca" known as "5 Pointz" in Long Island City. In a long standing legal tussle between artists and owners (who once sanctioned the endeavor), the art covered walls were whitewashed in the middle of the night on November 19th. Of course, all graffiti is ephemeral, but this full tilt assault on a beloved art institution was insulting and heart breaking for everyone. 

I know that part of the contract we make with this town is that change is constant but I am really saddened that the change here represents the latest volley in a long march of the condos and the soul sucking sound of homogenization.  

Meanwhile, big thanks to the curator of the walls, Jonathan Cohen, and to the many talented artists who contributed to this amazingly vital international art attraction and kept it going since 2002.  It is a big loss for us all.

November 5th 2013, just before this wall and the rest of the block was whitewashed in the middle of the night.

all photos ©Ken Brown