Photo from wikipedia.org

So I’m riding what I think is a digital N train from Astoria, when all of sudden it stops at 28th Street. I thought it must be running local or maybe the W and N trains had switched routes again. (That happened my first year in New York - one day they permanently swapped which was express and which was local, landing me in Canal instead of Prince Street on my way to work).

But no - it was a W. A shiny, modern W. I like it! They look clean and new, they show the time, and they even have a little video screen showing MTA messages. I wonder if this means that all older W and N trains will be disappearing sometime soon…

Art Deco architecture and an artist colony in the South Bronx? I don’t like when neighborhoods keep secrets from me, but this is a secret the Bronx has kept until now.

As Seth Kugel reported this week, in the NY Times this past weekend, you can combine a trip to see Yankee Stadium for the last time, with a trip to another kind of history — architectural history.

But forget you’re in the Bronx and think you’re in South Beach [for a second]? I don’t know…..maybe in the heat wave of the last few days, you could stretch the imagination. The South Bronx’s bad rap has not lent itself to exploring the neighborhood around Yankee Stadium, but things have changed.

Three blocks away from the stadium is the largest collection of art deco style buildings outside of Miami [who knew?]. And Kugel recommends the jerk chicken from the Feeding Tree Restaurant
or a panini from the Press Cafe

And the Mott Haven neighborhood to the south, long known for antiques, has become an artist colony! There are art galleries like Haven Arts and 2 upscale bars — The Bruckner Bar and Grill and Alexander’s Cafe. If you prefer to have a drink after the game, try the newly-opened Gallery Lounge.

Photo from pps.org

Yesterday marked a favorite yearly event - the Museum Mile Festival. Every year, 5th Ave shuts down to cars in the evening and the museums open their doors for free. It’s always a nice opportunity to get to the museums (which I, like many New Yorkers, don’t often do). Plus, it’s just fun to walk down the middle of a street usually filled with traffic.

Last night, the weather was perfect for the occasion. I met up with some friends at the Museum of the City of New York - my first visit there. With a grand entrance and historic appearance, the building is beautiful. We checked out the Maritime exhibit (which showed a historic look at downtown ports), New York Interiors (lavish displays of historic interiors), and a theater exhibit (with costumes from major musicals, including Rent). Definitely worth a visit.

As usual, there wasn’t much time for more than one museum. We headed down to the Cooper-Hewitt Museum courtyard, always a nice spot, and watched a cool glass-blowing demonstration. After that, there was only a little more time to walk along 5th and admire the chalk artwork covering the street.

I’m looking forward to the upcoming free events in the city - movies and concerts in the park. There will be free live music this weekend at the annual Madison Square Park barbecue event.

If you happen to be in midtown this weekend and see some art walking down the street, don’t be alarmed! The art is in the form of tattoos, and the wearers are probably in town to attend the NYC Tattoo Convention at the Roseland Ballroom. This is approximately the one millionth year that the NYC convention has been at Roseland, and it’s always a good time, even if you just go there for people-watching. Lots of amazing artists, both local and from all over the world, come to this convention, some of whom you’d have to travel a very long way to see otherwise. Some of my favorites include New York Adorned’s Chris O’Donnell (just around the corner in Brooklyn) and Dan DiMattia of Calypso Tattoo (usually very far away in Liège, Belgium). There are also plenty of piercers on hand if you want to acquire a new hole or some new jewelry for an existing one, and several companies selling tattoo-themed wares such as Lucky Girl Handbags. I’ll be heading over to the convention sometime this weekend, probably hovering somewhere near the Lucky Girl booth trying not to drool on their handbags. (What? They’re very nice.)

The NYC Tattoo Convention is this Friday, May 16 through Sunday, May 18th at Roseland Ballroom on 52nd Street, just west of Broadway. Hours and ticket info are on their website. See you there!

The Camera Club of New York is a long lived organization that has been around for over 100 years. It is THE club that helped photography gain acceptance as an art form. The movement by Alfred Stieglitz was started right here in our city. It became a forum for the advancement of the new art form with lectures given by some of the world’s famous photographers, Steichen, Atget, and Avedon. The Camera Club is steeped in rich tradition that makes me proud to be a New York photographer. I went to see their new space recently at 336 W. 37th st. They have juried exhibitions and some of the best darkroom rental rates in the city; provided that you sign up for at least 3 months or a year. The Camera Club is for serious photographers who want a forum to present their art and a place to create it. I urge anyone who has even a remote interest in photography to go and view their exhibition space or attend a lecture.

Hello Spring! Walking on the streets in NYC in the springtime is one of my absolute favorite things to do. I was walking to a local restaurant to get some dinner last night and had two beard conversations! I ran into Ron whose beard is looking fabulous. I picked up my dinner and started walking back to my apartment. I ended up walking next to a spry looking guy with a full white beard lugging some big bags. He complimented my my beard right off and we started talking about all of beard styles we have ever had. He used to be able to grow a stomach length beard in 13 months’ time! Amazing! It takes me about a year to get to my maximum of about 6-7 inches. He was an absolute treat to talk to. It made me smile to talk with a random person on the street and have such a effortless conversation. Hint to all men: Grow a beard, it’s an instant conversation starter., and the ladies like it too!

Photo from Wikipages.com

Brooklyn Botanic Gardens is hosting the annual Cherry Tree Festival this weekend. This event usually draws a large crowd, including many people dressed as Japanese anime characters. Last year, the gardens looked beautiful with the trees bursting in shades of pink and white. I haven’t made it there yet this year, but the festival continues tomorrow until 6 pm.

Photo of Round Valley from landbigfish.com

Today I received two bits of news that depressed me greatly - the failure of the congestion pricing plan and NJ’s proposed budget plan to close a number of state parks. Both legislative proposals relate to the environment and quality of life in this area.

The first issue - the congestion tax - has caused considerable debate, even among New Yorkers. Just take a look at the post below. I supported the plan for environmental reasons and I think its death shows a selfish lack of concern for the issue. I enjoyed hearing this quote from Bloomberg, “It takes a special type of cowardice for elected officials to refuse to stand up and vote their conscience on an issue that has been debated, and amended significantly to resolve many outstanding issues, for more than a year” (from www.ny1.com).

At the same time, I just heard the sad news that NJ budget cuts will result in the closure of a number of NJ state parks - including High Point and Round Valley. Environmentalists have suggested a number of alternative solutions to the park closings, including increasing the camping fees, but so far these suggestions have been ignored. These parks serve as campgrounds, swimming holes, fishing spots, and hiking trails for so many people! I’ve been a frequent visitor since childhood and, even now, try to get to one of these spots for a summer camping trip. Not far from the city, they act as some of the closest campsites and natural escapes for New Yorkers. They represent a natural and beautiful side of New Jersey so many people forget - a side Corzine doesn’t seem to think is that important to keep.

And today is just two weeks away from Earth Day!

Today was the first Sunday of the Brooklyn Flea for the year 2008. Brooklyn Flea is a flea market that meets every Sunday at Lafayette Avenue at the corner of Cleremont in Clinton Hill. From the pictures below you will see that the fair was packed today, the gusty winds not withstanding.

This is Brooklyn’s largest flea market in its hippest neighborhood. Its definitely worth a trip for all the non-brooklynites.

Check out more pics at Clintonhill

Happy Easter. Brrrrrrr. Those Easter bonnets are going to have to be lined with wool. It’s colder and earlier than usual this year.

And it doesn’t coincide with Passover this year, which makes for difficulty with the school calendar. NYC students and school employees had a long weekend this time. The week-long Spring Break will be in April, a month from now. I have learned that most of the country, as well as Christian parochial and other private schools in our area, had Spring Break last week or this week, coinciding with Easter.

NYC still operates on a schedule conducive to giving time off for observance of Jewish holidays. But I wonder about twenty, or even ten, years down the road. The faces of NYC teachers are changing. What was traditionally a career for Jewish people, is opening up to more and more non-white college graduates. This is a result of a new generation of African-American and Hispanic college graduates who want to go into the education field, and it is a good thing. The faces of the students have been changing for a long time. White families have been leaving the city for the suburbs for decades, and the ones who stay typically send their children to private schools when possible. Even in the whitest neighborhoods, there are few secular Jewish students. There are pockets of exceptions — newly-arrived Jews from Russia former Soviet Republics in Brighton, Bensonhurst, or Rego Park for instance. Better yet, with increasing Muslim student enrollment, do we close NYC schools on those holidays as well?

It will be interesting to see, in the coming decades, how the DOE adjusts the school calendar to the changing needs of a new demographic.