Inside Limelight Marketplace

The new Limelight Marketplace opened up sometime recently, and I came across it one day while walking down Sixth Avenue on my way to Bed, Bath and Beyond. I stepped inside and couldn't believe what they'd done with the place—not that I'd ever been inside before... back when it was the Avalon Nightclub. I do remember seeing lines of people waiting outside though, and wondering what they were waiting for all dressed up outside of a church on a Friday night.

The marketplace has many upscale shops like Hunter Boots and LeSportscac; fancy dessert spots like Butterfly Bakeshop and Cupcake Stop; and soon to come, the famous Grimaldi's pizza! Complementing all of the gourmet foods sold on site is a peak season fruit and vegetable market outside in the courtyard.

This is the perfect place to go for unique food and gift ideas, and an historic architectural view since this venue dates back to 1847!

The outside


Busy on a Saturday!


View across 6th Avenue from the entrance


View from inside the entrance

Views from Midtown

My work sent me out to another one of our furnished apartments to assist in a photo shoot, this one being at The Centria, located in Midtown by Rockefeller Plaza. While the professional photographer took his interior shots with a Nikon D200, I take my hobby/for fun shots with a little Sony.

With this particular photo shoot, both of our pictures came out with different backgrounds. We started at noon with the sky looking dark and gray, and ended at 1:30 with a clear blue sky and cottony white clouds.


The view from one of the bedrooms looking south


Close up of the Empire State Building


At one point the view looked like this:


But an hour before it looked like this!




View towards Avenue of the Americas

Hudson River, Pier 66 Maritime

I traveled from Mid-Chelsea to the edge of Manhattan and out to Pier 66 to take some pictures of Jersey City and the Hudson River. I last went out there in March for the Fountain Art Fair and it was very cold out on the water.

It was windy and sunny so it was hard to see anything or to even stand still (the winds were powerful enough to blow you a few feet away!) but I managed to spot the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, as well as some buildings in lower Manhattan and Weekhawken, NJ.

From there I had lunch at The Frying Pan, an historic lightship docked on Pier 66 Maritime that serves as a sort of dive bar/seasonal bar and grill with a tiki bar. In March when I attended the Fountain Art Fair that took place on the ship, I could feel the boat rocking from the wind and water, and it did the same when I was out there on this windy May day!!


View of Jersey City, the Goldman Sachs Tower and the Statue of Liberty
(to the left of the tower)


View towards Midtown and the Empire State Building


Park on Pier 66, view towards New Jersey


View toward Chelsea Piers from the dock of The Frying Pan


The John J. Harvey fireboat, situated next to The Frying Pan, formerly of the FDNY.

Through the glass

While at the Affordable Art Fair last Thursday (at 7 West 34th Street), I spent some time relaxing in the lounge and enjoying the view uptown towards Times Square and Bryant Park. Even at 7:30 in the evening the sun provided what looked like an early afternoon view.

View towards Times Square and Bryant Park

View towards Midtown East, The Chrysler Building

The Affordable Art Fair

The Affordable Art Fair is my new favorite art fair in New York. It was similar to The Armory Show, which was rows and rows of 20th and 21st Century fine art set up in gallery booths from all over the world.

This show was comprised of rows and rows of fine art from both young talent and established artists and galleries, but it wasn't as overwhelming and the artwork seemed closer to home (lots of city scenes). I didn't buy anything because my walls are already covered with Jack Vettriano, Le Chat Noir and vintage James Dean posters, but the theme is affordable art ranging in price from $100 - $10,000.

While there I enjoyed viewing works from local NYC galleries, London and Toronto galleries, and even the familiar studios in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Below are some of my favorites.

Julio Brujis, 'New York', digital photographic print
at the Mark Jason Gallery booth from London


Floyd Douglas, Dutch artist, photography on canvas
on display at The Art Shop booth from Amsterdam

Stephen Brooks, acrylic on canvas pieces from Behr-Thyssen LTD in New York

Goodnight Moon

While walking home alone up Broadway to 5th Avenue, I spotted the moon. That's a rarity in the city as it's usually blocked from view. I noticed a couple of people taking pictures of it, so I joined in. We were on the corner of 20th Street I believe, and even though it was after 8:00, there was still a bit of daylight with a hint of night-light.

I walked a few blocks north toward Madison Square Park and on my right was the Metropolitan Life Tower with the clock and then on my left was the Empire State Building. Even though I see it every night, you'll still find me taking a picture of it for some reason. And as we go into the end of Spring and the beginning of the Summer season, I hope to see more of the moon every night.

Looking East on 20th Street

The Met Life Tower at One Madison Avenue

The Empire State Building

The CRRNJ in Liberty State Park

For travel between Manhattan and New Jersey, as well as to Ellis Island, the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal (CRRNJ) was built in 1889. Today it is mostly used for recreational purposes—a station for ferries full of tourists and maybe a local commuting here and there.

The Earth Day 2010 celebration took place inside the terminal and out on the lawn surrounding it. There were lots of families there partaking in activities, eating funnel cake and watching a concert that was going on. I was there mainly for the views though!


The CRRNJ


Inside the terminal


Spring flowers and an old train parked in the background


Events taking place in the park

"... the largest human migration in modem history and is a memorial to the immigrant experience.

Ellis and Liberty Islands share this important era in American history with the CRRNJ Terminal. Millions of immigrants, having been greeted by the Statue and processed at Ellis Island, traveled to their new homes via trains from the CRRNJ Terminal. - www.libertystatepark.org

Views from Liberty State Park

Last weekend I went out to Liberty State Park in Jersey City for the Earth Day 2010 event. I took the PATH, then the Hudson-Bergen light rail, then a shuttle bus–and it all took quite a while! But along the way there were amazing views of the city skyline, the Statue of Liberty and its close neighbor, Ellis Island. It amazes me every time I see these famous places and sites. I've been out to Jersey City nearly every other weekend lately, just to take it all in.

Manhattan Skyline—mostly downtown and Battery Park City


View towards Ellis Island (and the Statue of Liberty is hidden behind it)


You can see the top of the Empire State Building over the hill




View toward Midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building

Out in Jersey City

Twice recently I have visited Jersey City—once for work and once to visit the Jersey City Museum and some galleries. It was my first time back in the Garden State since flying out of Newark back in '07.

During work I viewed some furnished apartments located near Jersey City's waterfront and got to see a little bit of the neighborhood. These apartments have THE BEST views of Manhattan. Even the sun decks present an unrivaled sight of the Empire State Building and downtown/Battery Park City.

During a gallery tour I got to see all of the beautiful brownstones along Montgomery Street, and people watch in Van Vorst Park while on my way to the Jersey City Museum.

Jersey City is a unique place, with great views, lots of mom-and-pop establishments and definitely more fresh air than there is in the city!

Next stop, Hoboken!

View of Downtown Manhattan from inside Riverside at
Towers of America, an apartment building at 1 River Court.


View of the Goldman Sachs Tower from the J. Owen Gundy Park.


View from the sun deck at Marbella, an apartment building
at 425 Washington Blvd.


View of Manhattan and the Empire State Building from
Jersey City's waterfront walkway


Grove Street in Jersey City, near the Grove Street PATH Station

Katz's Delicatessen

I never saw the movie When Harry Met Sally so I haven't ever craved a visit to this NYC landmark, but I had a friend in town who did, so we ventured down to the Lower East Side to see what all of the sandwich fuss was about.

We sat at the table NEXT to the table where Harry and Meg Ryan sat for their big scene.

We split the chicken. And that was all!

Inside the new Upper West Side Apple Store

This place is so colossal it makes me feel small and powerless. Actually, my exact words to my friend who visited this fairly new iLocation with me were, "I feel lonely!"

You have to visit in person. It is just another unique experience in iShopping ;-)

Wherever work takes me...

Sometimes my work takes me to high-up places! As a Graphic Designer in the marketing department of a corporate housing company that provides furnished apartments all over Manhattan, I sometimes get to view the apartments in person to take pictures or plan video shoots.

A while ago I took part in a video tour at Tower 31, a luxury high-rise in The Flat Iron District and got to photograph the views from inside one of the rental units. And there are more to come following this one!

This apartment, located a block away from Times Square, was amazing because it provided views of all of New Jersey, Downtown Manhattan and The Statue of Liberty. My personal favorite is the view of New Jersey. To me it is amazing to be able to stand in one state (New York) and SEE another (NJ).

It was a bright and sunny afternoon up on the 60th floor of this luxury high-rise. I can't wait visit again!


Looking South towards Downtown Manhattan


Battery Park City, Jersey City and The Statue of Liberty


Looking West towards New Jersey


View towards Chelsea and Gramercy; the New York Life Insurance Building and Met Life Tower (gold top)

A few odd things around NYC

I was inspired by Nick and LevysUniqueNY on Twitter to write a post about some odd signs and sights I've spotted around the city. Some I see every day, some I saw a long time ago but never forgot, and some I see on occasion.


Lost sock sign in the Upper East Side on 2nd Avenue & 65th Street
(spotted almost a year ago)


Spotted in front of the Whitney Museum on Madison Avenue
and 75th Street


In the Upper West Side on 74th Street between Central Park West
and Columbus—a street sign that reads "Baxter" in an apartment window


An upside down Pedestrian sign on Spring Street in SoHo


"Pray", written on door handle of an NW subway