The ocean spreads out, relatively flat and gray, from Brooklyn shores to the Rockaways and New Jersey. In this urban setting, land masses usually lurk at the horizon.
This photo could be an artwork by Vija Celmins. For years, the Latvian-born American artist has returned to natural themes – the sky, rocks, and the ocean – [...]
Archive for August, 2009
The gray mid-Atlantic Ocean
Posted in art & photography, tagged atlantic ocean, brooklyn, drawing, latvia, photography, rockaways, vija celmins on August 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Store on a 4th Avenue corner
Posted in Misc, tagged 17th st, brooklyn, coffee, corner store, donuts, fourth ave, park slope south, photography, pictogram, sanka on August 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Just an average corner store. Weather rubbed off the details, but the blue outline on the sign is enough – we instantly know it’s a Greek-motif paper cup. Remnants of long-gone letters spell out Donuts and Sanka. Do people still ask for the fake coffee by name?
The other side of the sign is less subtle. [...]
A truly bad picture
Posted in Misc, tagged brooklyn, fifth ave, ninth st, park slope, photography on August 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
My snapshots are more spontaneous than rule-following. Here, I’m shooting into the sun, the camera is tilted at a nauseating angle, and the composition ain’t going to win any prizes. The photo feels like something I found on the sidewalk after someone else discarded it, and that endears it to me in a small way.
This is not a walnutz
Posted in Food, tagged brooklyn, cabbage, church ave, greengrocer, photography, vegetable, walnut, walnutz on August 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Neither above nor below will you find the rare walnutz or any variation thereof. The cabbage look quite pleasing, though, and can be had for a fraction of the price, maybe 59 cents a pound.
Learn an Arabic word
Posted in Misc, tagged arabic, atlantic ave, brooklyn, horse, photography on August 27, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Seen in a window on Atlantic Avenue. The horse was one of several dozen panels.
Snacks? Where?
Posted in Misc, tagged brooklyn, brooklyn beach, coney island, photography, prospect park ducks, seagulls on August 26, 2009 | 1 Comment »
The seagulls at Coney Island aren’t terribly aggressive, the way gulls at some beaches are. Maybe they are spoiled, like the ducks in Prospect Park, where soggy, unwanted bread laps the shoreline. The seagulls’ beach diet is more diverse – there’s greasy, salty food from the boardwalk and picnic leftovers.
The viewing hole (mini version)
Posted in Transportation, art & photography, tagged brooklyn, bullet hole, fourth ave, park slope, photography, rushhour, viewing hole on August 25, 2009 | 6 Comments »
Next to the large hole in subway bridge over Fourth Avenue, there’s a small, round one that looks like a bullet hole. Peering through it is a way to see what’s going on out on the street, pass some time while waiting for the F or G train. Not much is happening during [...]
Herbs at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Posted in Misc, tagged bbg, brooklyn, brooklyn botanic garden, herbs, photography on August 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a beautiful sanctuary in the middle of the borough. You wander around, get absorbed in the plants and scenery, and now and then are reminded where you are by the sound of cars beyond the fence or the sight of an apartment building in the distance.
Count all the footprints
Posted in Misc, tagged brooklyn, cement, dog footprints, footprints, photography, sidewalk on August 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
It’s rare to see a square of sidewalk that bears the marks of so many. I count two dogs and about four human footprints. Usually, there’s a flimsy barrier set up around setting cement, and a guy sitting on an upturned bucket who appears to be dozing until you get within half a foot of [...]
Went to the beach, saw PeeWee Reese & Jackie Robinson
Posted in Misc, art & photography, tagged baseball, brooklyn, brooklyn dodgers, coney island, jackie robinson, mlb, peewee reese, photography on August 22, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Next to Keyspan Park, the Cyclones’ stadium, there’s a statue of PeeWee Reese and Jackie Robinson. In 1947, Jackie Robinson was the first black player to join a major league baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Story goes that teammate Reese put his arm around Robinson’s shoulder when an opposing team taunted him. Unlike some of [...]
