The 2010 ING NYC Marathon

Sunday, November 7th was a fun day. Like Christmas. I woke up early and turned on the TV to watch the INC NYC Marathon playing live on channel 4. Then I left my apartment, got on the subway and made my way out to Long Island City to see it in person.

Two years ago I watched the marathon from the sidelines of Central Park West, 59th Street and Columbus Circle. The 2008 marathon was my first taste of a national running event and my first time learning about such an event in which runners begin in Staten Island and make their way across the five boroughs of New York City, toward the finish line in Manhattan's Central Park. Along the 26.2 miles that they run, participants get a chance to see so much of the city, which is great for the out-of-towners. From the views while running over the Queens borough Bridge around Mile 18, to the adrenaline kick from the cheering crowds as they enter 1st Avenue in Manhattan, to the relief when they make it to the scenic home stretch in Central Park, I'm sure it is an inspiring event, and as I Still Heart New York puts it, a very competitive event to get into.

My participation in the event was all about handing out free bananas to the runners around Mile 17 as they passed the Citibank building in Long Island City, and just before they get to the Queens borough Bridge. Agent J and I set aside our cameras for most of the day while we passed out around 150 bananas, claiming all the while, "Let's buy more next year!"











And from my friend Joseph's flickr photostream:


Another banana shot! At first people weren't taking them,
so we moved to various spots along them mile until we
could get a crowd interested in taking some!

On the LIE and BQE

Over the weekend some friends and I went out to the Queens County Farm Museum to attend the Amazing Maize Maze - a 3-acre corn maze located on the farm, where there was a scavenger hunt, a DJ and live music. The farm also had pigs, llamas, hens, turkeys, horses, goats, sheep, a butterfly garden, pumpkin picking and hot apple cider stands.

On the way out there, we drove on the BQE and the LIE and enjoyed views of the New York City skyline and the lone skyscraper in Long Island City, the Citibank building.

Pictures of the corn maze and llamas are to come in the next post...

Citibank in Long Island City

I ended up in Long Island City again in an attempt to get some Panera. Beforehand, I stopped by the Warm Up party at PS1 MoMA. It was so hot outside I didn't really get around to the partying part (the party was held in the front courtyard), but I browsed through the hallways (formerly public school hallways) of this contemporary art center, viewing video installations, photographs, mixed media and what not.

Anyway, before all of this, I was at the subway station near the Citibank building, the only skyscraper in Queens.

I feel like this is one of the most iconic skyscrapers in New York City—at least for me—because it's so easy to recognize, even from afar. I always notice it when I am flying into La Guardia airport or running around Brooklyn or the east side of the City, and I used to have a pretty good view of it from my old apartment in Astoria, Queens.

Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, Queens

At the time there was just one week left of the Play Me, I'm Yours piano installation throughout the city, so I went to Long Island City's Gantry State Park to listen to the music, observe the public and get a good view of the city from across the East River—all in one!


So while I was out there I spent a good couple of hours taking pictures and baking in the sun, enjoying the view of the blue-hued Manhattan skyline that stretched in front of me.


View of the Manhattan skyline with the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and United Nations.

The Pepsi Cola sign, which residents of Queen and Long Island City view as "aloC espeP" since it faces away from them and toward Manhattan.

Pianos throughout the 5 boroughs

I think most people have heard by now about the 60 pianos placed in pubic parks and spaces throughout the 5 boroughs of New York City as part of the Play Me, I'm Yours outdoor art installation. These are real pianos with real keys and peddles for anyone to sit down at and play their choice of music on.

I visited the musical spot of Lincoln Center where Julliard, Alice Tully Hall and the Metropolitan Opera attract music lovers of all kinds. There were two pianos located there, with the sounds of Beatles classics filling the crowded space. Impromptu performers here, like the one below, seemed to love all of the attention!

Next I ventured out to Long Island City in Queens to not only see the two pianos in action out there, but to get a good view of the City skyline from across the East River. It was a treat to also see the Pepsi Cola sign up close. It is located by the north end of the Gantry State Plaza Park, just off of 50th Avenue and 2nd Street and close to the Vernon Blvd/Jackson Ave. 7 subway stop.

Contemporary Art in LIC

Here are some more images from the P.S. 1 MoMA: Contemporary Art Center, located in Long Island City. These are all in the same room as part of the Jonathan Horowitz: And/Or exhibit, containing minimalist style sculptures, humanist pop portraiture and video projections. Man, I love going to museums!

Tofu on Pedestal in Gallery, 2002



Go Vegan! (200 Celebrity Vegetarians
Downloaded from the Internet), 2002

and there's Miley...



Recycling Sculpture (World Trade Center Memorial), 2005

The MoMA in Queens

There's a MoMA in Queens! I didn't realize that until now. The venue is called: P.S. 1 MoMA: Contemporary Arts Center.




I've been reading about this awesome installation by Leandro Erlich titled Swimming Pool and was unsure of the piece's ending date (March 09? October 09?) so I rushed over there on Sunday afternoon to check it out and see for myself what it would be like to stand inside of a swimming pool, fully clothed and camera equipped.

Erlich's installation is a full size swimming pool that is actually empty except for a few inches of water on the surface that lie above a full length piece of acryllic. You can enter inside the empty pool by taking the stairs underneath the deck, through a hallway and then into a small entrance way, and look up at the visitors above as they look down at you, standing inside a pool, unwet!