Missoni for Target pops up! Sixth Avenue & 42nd Street, NYC

September 8-10, 2011
THU 6pm-11pm; FRI 9am-8pm; SAT 9am-8pm

Remember the Target Pop-Up shop in this very location on Sixth Avenue & 42nd Street, some 17 months ago? Yes, it was Liberty of London. Well stay tuned for another great one! Missoni! I am eager to see what this Italian knitwear company has created at a lower price point. I hope there will be dresses! And skirts! And tops! Excited. Yes, very.

The Pop-Up Shop starting to pop. Up.


A Fiat. That'll hopefully be stuffed with dresses.

fixtures!


and more fixtures!

August 12, 2011, 8:10am

TGIFerry!

Now this is a proper start to a Friday. The East River Ferry! There is nothing like standing on the Port side of the boat (that's the shady side) with the wind messing up half of your hair. Nothing! That salty East River air makes you feel like you're on vacation, even though you're just going to work.

The waves off the Port side of the boat. Look at the colors today!

59th Street Bridge & LIC piers [R] where we run

Launch of the East River Ferry! June 13, 2011. Monday morning Skyline


June 14, 2011. Tuesday morning Skyline

In case you didn't know, and I'm not exactly sure if I want you to know, because so far there are no lines, the brand new East River Ferry service launched Monday. And the good news is it's free for 12 days, through Friday, June 24. If you want, you can investigate this link.

Monday evening, we joyrided from 34th Street all the way to Wall Street
and back home on the ferry. Yup, pretty great.


Williamsburg Bridge


The S.S. Yogi Berra


The S.S. Christopher Columbus


Greenpoint dock, map & schedules [click image to enlarge]


cinematic


new egg sandwich I found yesterday morning walking to work from the ferry


Good Mexican eats we had last night after we rode the ferry to all stops and back. Fun :-)

Futuristic & new covered walkways. Doesn't this shot
look like an architectural rendering rather than a photo?


This sign is new too. And I'm sure it lights up at night.

This photographer loved these two, so I jumped behind
him to shoot him shooting them.

I cannot express how much unexpected fun I had yesterday taking the 1 up to Lincoln Center to study the new New York Fashion Week. I didn't expect to love it. But Lincoln Center has always cast a magic spell over me, ever since I was a kid and dreamed of becoming first clarinet at the New York Philharmonic. (Yes, when you're in the 4th grade you can dream big. I used to play clarinet rather seriously, but then my life turned towards Japanese Art in college, and later, fashion, after college. It's strange how many twists and turns one's life takes...)

As usual, the people-watching at Fashion Week was fantastic. I may go back today to take more pictures and enjoy the scenery.

I love these (I'm guessing) Upper West Side ladies.
The composition with the 2 cops in the background
was a happy accident.


I love the graphic white lines of the ground and the Philharmonic
in the background.


Rachel Roy models handing out cleverly shaped lookbooks.


This man was perhaps the biggest character.


I don't get why a Starbucks safari girl is with the cameraman.


Again, so glad I got this shot.

Sorry, Bryant Park. Normally I am a fan of you in every way. You know that. But when it comes to Lincoln Center -- the grandeur, the 60s architectural beauty, the drama -- you just can't compete. And imagine the tony parties that can be held on the balconies!

This first production of New York Fashion Week at Lincoln Center is better in every way. There had to be set designers involved in the design of The Tents. Just look at the monolith they built! And the secret? The marble that exactly matches the signature (and oh-so-stunning) Lincoln Center marble is actually fabric! Printed fabric that has been stretched over a metal armature. If I hadn't seen the metal armature a few weeks ago when we watched Dr Atomic at the Met's HD Festival, I would have never known. And the disembodied dress. I love it. It seems like it's something out of The Tales of Hoffman. Bravo Lincoln Center!

I'll be back with fashionable crowd shots tomorrow.

I happened to find this New York Post video today, and we're in it! Starting at minute 2:12. Pretty neat.


Paul Ramirez Jonas' Key to the City is a participant-based public art project that opened in Times Square last night at 6pm. The project "reinvents the civic honor of bestowing keys on luminaries" with a specially-designed commemorative "master key able to unlock more than 20 sites across New York City's five boroughs." You can't bestow a key on yourself, so be sure to bring a special someone. Or meet a fellow New Yorker in line and make friends. Participation in the ceremony and in Ramirez Jonas' art project is FREE (and magical). Keys will be distributed through a kiosk in Times Square, Broadway & 43rd Street, everyday from June 3 -27, Mon-Fri 2-8, Sat-Sun 12-8.

Through a series of fortuitous events and links, I learned about last night's opening on Twitter -- where else? And so my husband and I lined up at 5:55pm and serpentined our way through the line pretty quickly. At the presentation ceremony, a member of Creative Time officiated. We got goose bumps. It felt like a Times Square art version of our wedding. Today my mood has changed so much for the better. I truly believe Key to the City is a metaphor for unlocking possibilities in one's own life. And as my dad would say, "It's a happening!"

I don't know how often I've walked past Macy's Herald Square, mostly trying to dodge the crazy crowds. All that push-pull. Stampeding New Yorkers and halting tourists mixing in a mob does not make for an easy passing.

One day around 2pm, I looked up (halting right after stampeding) and saw this beautiful stopped clock, and thought, how strange that there are around 10 full-size Christmas trees above the main door. Full size! You just can't imagine the larger-than-life sense of scale about some things in New York until you imagine it crammed into your apartment.

Just installed last week. The new courts at Bryant Park.

So here it is. The new surface. I don't know about this at all. I prefer a sliding game like the simulated Har-Tru they used to have. Sure it wasn't so level, and a little dusty, with the occasional pesky puddle that you had to dodge, but it made you feel like you were in the Great Outdoors!

I don't know about this marble with its harness and its seams. How are you supposed to wear stilettos while playing* without getting heel stuck in the crack and throwing out your back? Let me put it this way. I don't like change. I know that's not a particularly cool thing to admit. But it's true. Don't get me wrong, I do like new. As in new sweaters, new ideas, new horizons, new shoes. But not change. Perhaps the change I don't like is "change in dynamics." Like for example, this new playing surface at Bryant Park Ping Pong. Sure it's a quote unquote improvement. A quote unquote upgrade. But is it better?



*worn for the purpose of psyching out your male opponent. Believe me, this works.

Oh the destruction of the ice rink. So sad. No more lunchtime ice skating...

By the way, this is the current state of the Bryant Park Ice Rink. Well, as of yesterday morning, to be specific. By now they have taken down all the rink walls and moved in many many more Fashion Week risers like the stacks pictured at right. I was wondering if there was one more Fashion Week at Bryant Park this February before it moves up and west to Lincoln Center. The answer is yes, despite the confusing Website that touts, "New location, same excitement! Only in New York!" But anyway, yes, there will be one more. Starting February 11-18. Free WWD's everyday! My subscription should be up by then.

Remember when I went to The Ace Hotel three times in one week, took lots of pictures and was going to blog about it? Well I didn't (remember). Until just now, when I found all my pictures in my folder. That post may come tomorrow. In the meantime, here's a small tease. My favorite pretzel and macchiato. The pretzel is made by Brooklyn's own Frankie's Spuntino. Quite an ingenious shape -- thin and crispy on top and soft and chewy at the bottom. Somewhere around $3. Salt: totally removable. I like an unsalted pretzel myself.

The sesame pretzel from [brand new] Sigmund Pretzels
comes with a free dip of your choice. Mine was wholegrain mustard.

Braving the windy, chafing, chapping cold of the East Village yesterday, we set out on our pretzel pilgrimage to Sigmund Pretzels. Why? Because this review in Serious Eats New York told us that Sigmund had soft pretzels to rival Philadelphia's. Well, the pretzels were quite tasty. But the pretzel attitude was all wrong.

In my humble opinion, a soft pretzel is a food of the Everyman. Sigmund's pretzels, however, are a little too precious. And they don't make enough of them. I was planning to buy 6 (and give a bunch to my Mom & Dad), but they only had one sesame pretzel left. And it was only 2pm. Weren't they going to make any more? I mean, they're open until 10pm. The counter person wasn't so forthcoming with any information. And the two owners were milling about having coffee. It wasn't a great vibe at Sigmund, to be sure; but upon returning home, heating up the pretzels, and making our own tasty sandwiches, I wouldn't necessarily never return. Well, that's the best I can do for a positive review here. Try it if you are nearby. On a warmer day.

Sigmund Pretzel Shop
29 Avenue B (2nd & 3rd Streets)
East Village/Alphabet City
646.410.0333
Tues-Sun 10am-10pm
Closed Mondays

I amazed myself and deftly sliced the pretzels in half. No rips!
And then spread the mustard on every square inch, both sides.
Super delicious.

Voila! A pretzel sandwich many vegetarians would enjoy.
Sesame pretzel, mustard, soy salami.


I definitely want another right away. But to be honest, I would
probably take the Amtrak to Philly and get the yummy Philly Pretzel Factory
soft pretzels instead. We still have 2 in the freezer! More pretzel sandwich pics to follow.

CNN's outdoor broadcast in Times Square

and the TKTS bleachers.

Fox News outdoor screens

The streets of New York were electric on Election Day. I wandered through Times Square and ran into the CNN outdoor coverage of the action, complete with bleachers (permanently installed thanks to TKTS) and a giant outdoor screen. And then I wandered East and found the FOX outdoor coverage, complete with outdoor screen. After that, I had to check out NBC's election plaza, or whatever they were calling it. Pretty neat. Here are my pics.

NBC's Election Plaza


Testing the window washer rigged lo-tech apparatus that would measure
electoral college votes. I really liked the lo-tech nature of this apparatus


Interview in progress.


Crazy amounts of camera equipment.


Exactly 12 hours ago at 6:08am, I voted, in Brooklyn.