Beacon Court holiday tree

Every year around this time I notice the beautiful blue holiday tree inside Beacon Court between 58th & 59th Streets and Lexington and 3rd Avenue. Nearby is one of my favorite shopping areas as well as my old workplace. Within Beacon Court is a Starbucks, the restaurant Le Cirque, the Bloomberg offices and some residential condos. The tree is a nice touch to the amazing architecture of this block—and goes so well with the address and sign!

Close-ups of the holiday tree by Wall Street

The holiday tree outside the New York Stock Exchange

While braving the after-work rush of Wall Street to get some nighttime photos near the seaport, I came across the amazing holiday tree that is across the street from the New York Stock Exchange. I've seen it unlit before, so it wasn't so memorable, but after seeing the many bright lights this time around, I have to say it's a holiday tree I'll never forget!

It towers over the plaza/walkway of Broad Street and almost takes away from the very grandiose money market to its side (the Stock Exchange). The views, the space, the lighting and the crowds are all perfect photo opps here!

Pink is in this holiday season!

Over on Lexington Avenue and 59th Street are some very pink holiday displays. Across the street from Bloomingdales are two neighboring shops Victoria's Secret and Shoe Woo, which have holiday decorations out that are fun, festive and all in PINK!

Victoria's Secret store entrance


Shoe Woo's window display




Here's an extra pink image - taken of the Daffy's window display in Herald Square:



Thanks @AmyDenev for ID'ing the shoe store for me on Twitter/TwitPic!

Santacon NYC!

Santacon was this past Saturday and the red and white crowds gathered in Williamsburg Brooklyn, New Jersey, Staten Island, Astoria Queens and Manhattan—all before dispersing around the boroughs throughout the day. I heard that most had gathered in Washington Square Park so my photo-blogging friends and I ran down to the West Village and got some great pictures of the red and white sea of Santas, reindeer, snowflakes and even elves!

Santas gathered in Washington Square Park in the West Village

note: they are all actually IN the fountain!
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Radio Santa blasting some dance tunes

An inebriated Santa leaving the Bohemian Beer Garden in Astoria

Check out my flickr photostream for more Santa pics, including the one I dubbed, "Office Chair Santa."

Outside Bloomingdales

I've spent the past couple of years taking pictures outside of Bloomingdales on 59th and Lexington, but no time actually shopping there. One night I contemplated going in but decided to just take some more pictures! I guess I see no need to shop there during the holidays—because it's so picturesque outside, just to shoot!

View from 60th and 3rd Avenue

View from 59th and 3rd Avenue

Colorful holiday displays

Macy's and "Believe"

Macy's is very festive around the holidays—you might have seen them on the annual airing of the Thanksgiving Parade on NBC ?—haha. My favorite part of the the parade is when performances take place in front of this flagship store on 34th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.

Shortly after Thanksgiving I ventured over to the crazy, crowded area of Herald Square to visit some offices located across the street Macy's and enjoyed views of the "Believe" sign. This year the store held a contest as part of the "Tell Us Why You Believe" campaign. Kids could write a letter to Santa and drop it off in an official Santa mailbox inside the store. Maybe you've seen the commercials!

Tree Lighting in Bryant Park

The holiday tree in Bryant Park was lit ton Friday night with musical performances and synchronized skating on The Pond. Since I skipped the tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center on Wednesday (went last year and couldn't find a good viewing spot), I figured the event in Bryant Park would be perfect because there's a lot more space along 42nd and 41st streets.

The event was great and I was joined by Amy while taking pictures of the wonderful holiday tree and its surroundings, which include the skating rink, referred to as "The Pond" and Celsius, a restaurant/lounge/bar overlooking everything in the park.

The holiday tree

Skaters on The Pond

Celsius restaurant

Holiday!

So far the festive holiday stuff that I have spotted around town has been mostly on 5th Avenue. Saks, Henri Bendel, Bergdorf and lots of other stores already have their decorations out. Bloomingdale's on Lexington and 3rd is getting there, and I believe Macy's over on 6th and 7th started decorating first, as I noticed trees (and pumpkins) lining the streets right before Halloween!

There's ice-skating in Rockefeller Center next to the big tree, in Central Park at Wollman's Rink and in Bryant Park at The Pond. I'm not crazy about ice-skating. Too slippery if you ask me, but I'll probably be out and about throughout the winter to watch from the sidelines since there's always tasty food and attractions nearby—especially at the one in Bryant Park!

Cartier, near Saks Fifth Avenue

The exterior of Bergdorf Goodman on 59th & 5th has lots of wreaths!

Wollman's Rink in Central Park

More to come of course...

Empire State Building Colors

I've been seeing pictures of the Empire State Building a lot more lately - mainly thanks to NewYorkology and ESB_Lights on Twitter. The twitter handle LatinoEvents posts gorgeous photos from time to time as well. It's cool to learn about the meanings behind the different colors that appear every other night or so—on Halloween the lights were orange and the next day for the ING Direct NYC Marathon, they appropriately stayed orange. Recently they were purple to honor the March of Dimes foundation, and blue for World Diabetes Day.

Tonight, it was back to its usual white.

Two famous buildings from a distance

From Queens you can sometimes see two of our city's most famous skyscrapers - The Empire State Building and The Chrysler Building. Whether it's dark or bright, day or night, you can see their pointy tops beyond the few tall buildings and water towers in Long Island City.

It's always nice to be on the subway and look out the windows or across the platform to see amazing sights like these. I hope that everyday commuters take a moment every now and then to enjoy the unique and bold sights and sounds that we have all around us from whatever point in New York City we might be in - Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, The Bronx or Manhattan.

View of The Empire State Building and Chrysler Building from Queens borough Plaza

Big apples in the Big Apple!

Apparently there are a few big apples throughout this city. I found some info on flickr that details their purpose and what they were a part of. They were decorated and placed around the city back in 2004 as part of the Big Apple Fest, "a public art initiative to promote the city and benefit charities."

I came across one of these back in July and another one on Halloween night. This was when I realized there might be more than just the one! These sculptures are very unique and obviously tongue in cheek!

This one is on 86th Street and York Avenue

Spotted in Midtown East between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue

The Empire Hotel

A very scenic part of New York City starts at Broadway in the Upper West Side. From 59th Street's Time Warner buildings and the fountain at Columbus circle, to 66th Street's Lincoln Center and in between at the Empire Hotel on 63rd Street. Julliard, Avery Fisher Hall and Fordham University are all within the vicinity as well.

Scenes from Gossip Girl and Sex and the City 2 have been shot here, and thanks to all of the recent hype, there will likely be many more to come!

This is a great little part of town to visit if you are visiting. The famous Tavern on the Green restaurant is nearby, plus Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath and Beyond and a Leows theater featuring IMAX makes this a great spot for shopping and entertainment.

The Empire Hotel with the Time Warner Buildings in the background

Louis Vuitton on 5th Avenue

Louis Vuitton stores and window displays always impress. The mulit-colored thing was in season last November when I was touring NYC with a friend, and now they've gone back to the darker, more serious look (below) in which the brown purse moves from one window display to another. Sort of like at airport security (?)

What I like about this Louis Vuitton display is that it's all about motion and activity. The viewer can stop and watch the purse as it glides through the various windows on a conveyor belt and turns the corner along with the building's exterior (not pictured). You can follow it along its way and then continue making your way back down 5th Avenue towards maybe Saks or St. Patrick's Cathedral.





There is a also a very active display a few blocks away on Lexington and 59th Street where Bloomingdales is located.

The Brooklyn Diner

Located on West 57th Street, the Brooklyn Diner has had great reviews and is heard of by all (sort of like Katz Delicatessen down on Houston Street).

Once when I had a friend in town visiting they asked if we could have lunch at "some famous diner by Carnegie Hall" that their friend told them about. I knew exactly what place they were talking about, so we made our way to 57th and 7th to eat at the The Brooklyn Diner but didn't end up staying because for just a hot dog it was something ridiculous like $18.

This famous place is great for a free picture though!

Boating in Central Park

On one of the last warm fall days of the year I made an attempt to go boating in the pond in Central Park. For just $12 plus a $20 deposit that you get back, you can spend 1 hour out in the water with up to 4 people in your canoe.

Canoes are rented beside the Central Park Boathouse where movies like 'When Harry Met Sally' and more recently '27 Dresses' were filmed, and where shows like 'Sex and the City' taped a while back (think of Carrie and Big when they fell in the water)!

Despite there being several dozen other canoes paddling nearby, there was still plenty of space in the pond to row through—though there were a few times when we bumped boats with 'canoe-ddling' couples who weren't paying attention or when we 'beached' ourselves along the rocks!

Here are some pictures I managed to capture and not lose by almost dropping my camera in the water...

The Gondola guy in front of the Boathouse






People on the bridge who waved hello!


Under the bridge

Inside the New York Aquarium

In the two and a half years that I've lived in New York, I hadn't yet made it out to see the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn. Luckily I made it out there this past weekend and enjoyed free admission as a Bank of America customer (only during the first weekend of every month).

Anyway, though it was a rainy day and every exhibit was crowded with jumpy, screaming kids, it was amazing to see all of the aquatic creatures like, starfish, jellyfish, sea horses, seals, walruses, eels and even frogs!

I think my favorite exhibit was the 'Alien Stingers' where all of the jellyfish were. The orange medusa looked beautiful behind the glass and swimming in the dark blue water. They were irresistible!

Torpedo Penguin!

Nemo and Dory from Finding Nemo!

The anenomes! Apparently they fight

Dumbo: Art Under The Bridge Festival '09

I'd been looking forward to the annual Art Under The Bridge festival in Dumbo, Brooklyn since last September when I first attended and saw this unique neighborhood for the first time. It provides great views and chances to see new contemporary art from up and coming artists.

This year, by the time I went (which was Sunday, the last day of the festival), there wasn't much going on since a lot of outdoor performances and installations were either over or had been rained out. But I still got to see a few cool pieces indoors and out:

From inside Smack Mellon studios on Plymouth Street

Ellen Driscoll's 'Revanent: New Work' inside Smack Mellon

Under the newly improved Archway on Water street,

below the Manhattan Bridge

rainy sign

out in front of powerHouse Arena on Main Street, facing the Manhattan Bridge

outdoor installation in Brooklyn Bridge Park, near the Brooklyn Bridge

and I always forget what building it is that had this piece,

but I know it's mostly photography studios inside.

Astor Place and EV

One of my favorite places in the city to spend time in other than Union Square and the Flat Iron District/Madison Square Park is Astor Place. Since it is a trendy college neighborhood and on the edge of the East Village, there aren't many skyscrapers or corporate businesses, but there are a few architectural treats!

Building on Lafayette and Astor Place (near 8th street)

tile-covered lamppost in Astor Place

The Cooper Union building on 3rd Avenue

Radio City Music Hall revisited

I've posted about Radio City Music Hall a few times before (in one post I even say that I have no desire to attend a show there!), and now I'm revisiting it. Actually, I visited it.

I got to attend the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, September 13th and I snapped away whenever a celeb actor or musician was on stage performing or presenting! I wrote about the show more in detail here on my other blog. 

Now I am glad to have made it inside this amazing music venue that I claimed I'd never bother to step foot in. Next year, if the VMA's are held in New York City again, count me in!

My view from the far right of the theater

Cameramen situated on a platform to stage left

The host, British actor Russell Brand, making his entrance, following a 

performance by Katy Perry and one of the guitarists from Aerosmith

Screenshot of Taylor Swift's performance to her Moon-man award winning 

"You Belong With Me" outside of Radio City Music Hall on Avenue of The Americas

Roxy Paine on the Roof of The Met

Through November 29, 2009, a special exhibit will be on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum on Museum Mile in NYC. The special exhibit is by the artist Roxy Paine and it is a large, sinuous, sky-reaching steel sculpture. More info here. The work's title is "Maelstrom", which means a 'powerful whirlpool' or 'state of confusion'. I didn't really get either of those definitions/feelings from it. I just thought it was amazing, amazingly silver and amazingly long. 

9/11/08

Last year on the 7th anniversary of 9/11 I went down to the site of the World Trade Center to take some pictures and explore the area. I went the year before and was so impressed by the flowers and people and the all over presentation. The people, colors and architecture around the space inspired me to make a video to a song that reminds me of September 11th.

Skyscraper in pink

This skyscraper in Midtown is pretty in pink and I bet a lot of businessmen work here!

View from Lexington and 55th

More of Bloomingdale's

Sometimes I don't mind walking home in the rain. It can make for the greatest photo opp, especially at night when there aren't as many people around—even in front of one of the busiest department stores in New York: Bloomingdale's. 

I used to work a few blocks away from this store, but I've only been shopping there once. 

At night, the outside of Bloomie's is a beautiful sight. The old white exit/entrance sign that faces Lexington Avenue glows, the window displays surprise, and the surroundings amaze : )  

Nighttime passersby in the rain

New Juicy Couture window display

Multi-colored Louis Vuitton

The corner of Bloomingdale's on Lexington Avenue and 59th Street has a nice transitioning Louis Vuitton display.  First I was impressed by the neon red/orange so I got out my camera to take a picture. I turned around to walk away and it was pointed out to me that the display had changed colors! The neon green was nice too. Bloomingdale's, I'm impressed!

stop!

go!