Manhattanhenge 2011 Meet-up

Since I missed the May 30/31 Manhattanhenge (I was out seeing Bridesmaids one of the nights, and at home watching Bachelorette the other... shame on me for being a girl), I am making up for it with two meet-ups on the July 11th and 12th dates!

From NewYorkology -
The 2011 Manhattanhenge dates:

Full-sun on the grid:
Monday, July 11 at 8:25 p.m.

Half-sun on the grid:
Tuesday, July 12 at 8:25 p.m.


Monday, let's meet at 42nd Street and 5th Avenue at 7:30 pm. I know that's not the best viewing spot but it is next to Bryant Park and I am seeing Gentlemen Prefer Blondes there that night as part of their HBO Summer Film Festival. If you would like to move further East, then we can simply meet-up to say Hi, share tips and stories of past Manhattanhenge events, then go our separate ways!

Tuesday, let's meet at 34th Street and 1st Avenue at 7:30. There is a plaza on the northeast corner in front of the East 34th Street Heliport. The Express Bus M15 and Crosstown M34 both stop near here. We will have a great view of the Empire State Building in our shots. I will be taking pics from the middle of the street during red lights. Join me in the crazyness!


From my 2010 viewing of Manhattanhenge on July 11th from the Tudor City Bridge on East 42nd Street:






If you're interested in a far out view, go to Gantry State Plaza Park in Long Island City, Queens:

Bubble Battle 2011

Luckily, I have a friend with lots of bubble guns, wands and bottles. These items were called for at the 2011 Bubble Battle which took place out on Coney Island, the same day as the Mermaid Parade. So my friends and I watched the parade, got some franks, then prepared to duel.

But it wasn't so much a battle as a medium-sized crowd simply blowing bubbles and getting soapy water everywhere. Either way, we had a blast!

Scenes from the 2011 Mermaid Parade

The Coney Island Mermaid Parade... I go every year and I just love it! It felt so amazing to return to Coney Island on Saturday, June 18th, since my last visit in June 2010 for last year's parade. I used to go lay out on the beach every weekend with my friends back in the Summer of '08, but these same friends moved away and I haven't been back as much since. Then Astroland closed down in September of '08 and we all thought that would be the end of Coney Island. But it is still thriving, thanks to the new Luna Park and various flea markets occupying the former fair grounds.

It was vey crowded, but I didn't mind. This is a magical, historical place and it's important to me to try and visit every year that I live in New York. The only other day when it's this crowded is on the 4th of July during the hot-dog eating contest. Believe me, I've been!!

This year, I vowed to walk in the parade for next year (maybe as a Hula Girl?) and to also return to the park again this summer to ride some of the new Luna Park amusement rides. But not on July 4th...


Golden Girl


Dancers


Ice Skater float


My friend calls the man below, "The Guy" because he always
sees this guy around the City at festivals, parades, shows, etc.


Got a kick out of these guys: "Life of Pi"


Sorry, no naked Mermaid pics. I'm a chick so...

Museum Mile Festival - 2011

Every year I look forward to the Museum Mile Festival, taking place on 5th Avenue between 82nd and 105th Streets. Last year I followed the inspiration quotes of artist James De La Vega down the mile and captured pictures of Central Park and the City from the Met Roof top.

In 2009 I went inside the Guggenheim Museum despite the crowds, and admired the quotes and chalk drawings along the way.

This year my friends and I teamed up to walk the mile from top to bottom, hoping to catch a glimpse of De La Vega in action, and we did! See below for all of the fun that was had admiring his quotes and writing our own!

De La Vega in action - writing his famous "Become Your Dream"


Joe drawing Andrew Wyeth's 'Christina's World'


With De La Vega's "Become Your Dream" quote


Close-up of the fish... becoming their dream...


Friends jumping in front of the Guggenheim


My sidewalk quote:


Admiring...

Interactive video installation at Park Ave Armory

Closing tomorrow, June 11th, some pictures of Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda's projected video installation called "The Transfinite" at Park Avenue Armory. I stopped by last night with the after-work crowd, so it was very busy, which made for some interesting people watching amid the strange visuals and accompanying sounds.

The Park Avenue Armory is a giant space just off 66th Street where performances and grand scale art installations take place. Taken directly from the Armory's website, it can be described as a "55,000 square foot drill hall, reminiscent of the original Grand Central Depot."

Recent exhibitions and activities at the Park Avenue Armory include a giant showing of red and white quilts (which I am bummed I missed) and a music festival as well as an indoor carnival last October.