NYC Revisited

A few shots I snapped while in New York:

Cafe Habana:

The playground at Spring and Mulberry:

Elvis at Kiosk:

Back at the playground:

Another Photographer

I should be in Warrenton hunting for antiques, but it just ain't happening today. Tomorrow. In the meantime, I found this photographer on Etsy. Matt Schwartz' polaroid transfers on water color paper:

Todd Selby's Eye .. . . . Is Too Good

Photographer Todd Selby documents (extremely beautifully I might add) the eclectic homes and families of friends, acquaintances, and strangers across the globe. His subjects just so happen to be madly creative types. Endless inspiration:

Annie Vought

Paper Cuts

190 Bowery

In the late 1800's, the Bowery in New York City was home to one of America's first street gangs - the Bowery Boys. From the 1930's to the 1970's, it was home to the "Bowery Bums". In the 70's and 80's, high crime, low rent. Since the Civil War, it hasn't had much to promote besides the historic Bowery Mission and great deals on industrial kitchen supplies. All that has changed though as the Bowery has recently experienced a renaissance beyond anyone's wildest dreams. There's contemporary architecture everywhere (New Museum), there are swank hotels up and down the street (Bowery Hotel), and John Varvatos's high style has taken over the old CBGB's. Weird to say the least.

Now to the point of the story. Jay Maisel saw past the grime, the homelessness, and the violence. In 1966, a fledgling artist and photographer, Maisel bought the old Germania Bank building on the Bowery for $102,000. $102,000! 35,000 square feet and 72 rooms for $100K. I used to walk past this building every weekend and never knew what was inside. Look at it now - and read this article from New York Magazine. Amazing:

Sick As A Damn Dog

Like a punch you never saw coming, a killer bug crept up and knocked my ass out with a hard and heavy sinus infection overnight last night. I hit the rack at 5:30 this afternoon and just woke up to eat some black bean soup, down some Emergency-C, take the dog out, and show my loyalty to this here blog before heading back to bed. What I hope will be a brief illness (it's the biggest week of the year for antique shopping and Austin music) made me think of the trend in vintage medical charts over the past few years. A bit creepy to some, but they've been like gold for me at the antique shop (Uncommon Objects), and it's clear how much artistic effort went into these back in the day. Modern ones aren't half this good:

Michael Eastman's Vanishing America

Before there was a Blockbuster, a Starbucks, and a Chilis on every corner in America, there was a soda fountain, a drug store, and a barber shop on every Main Street. I much prefer the latter to the former, and I think it's safe to say that MIchael Eastman does as well. In his most recent book, Vanishing America, Eastman catalogues the simple yet powerful structures of yesteryear and the stark silence that has overcome them.

Holy Moscot

So I've never been a big Ray-Ban Wayfarer guy. Too big, kinda clunky, and now ubiquitous from preppy banker to too-cool hipster. I ran across the Moscot glasses company a few years ago but forgot about them until this past weekend in New York. While checking out Earnest Sewn, I spotted a pair of Nebb style Moscot sunglasses and snatched them up immediately. I finally have something to replace my tiny Allyn Scura's. I'm not sure I'll ever need to buy glasses from another company:

p.s. - Kupp (preppy banker), Clayton (preppy politico), Beach (actor extraordinaire), et al, I fully expect a rebuttal on Ray Ban's

Day 2 in the NYC

John Derian. It doesn't get much better than this place.



Kiosk. A crazy good collection of odd products from odd countries. If only American companies still made cool packaging like this.



I picked up an antique lighted magnifier, a graduated beaker, and some print blocks at Obscura. They also had a $20,000, full size, hand-made, hand-painted, anatomical model. I should've snapped a pic but I didn't. Go.



John Varvatos on the Bowery:

In the City

So I've been running around New York all day. Here are a few of the spots I hit:

Freeman's Sporting Club:

Cafe Habana:

Matter:

Nice Lites

I've got a 4 a.m. wake up call, so this'll be short and sweet. Nice lights:

Wastberg Desk Lamp


The Small Fold from Established and Sons'

Nicolo Taliani's Lampada No 1

Gimme some Bistro

I'm headed for New York tomorrow morning, and I can't wait to get there. I lived in the city from August of 2000 to the winter of 03/04, and it's always really nice to go back. Especially in September. There's a laundry list of places I'll be revisiting over the next 5 days, but tops on the list is always Corner Bistro - my favorite burger joint / watering hole / jukebox spot on earth. If you've never been, go. Just avoid it from 6:30 to 8:30 unless you wanna stand in line for an hour for a table. That's actually half the fun though b/c you get to drink McSorley's Ales for $2 and catch up while in line. This one fits under the food design category I guess. It's a stretch: