Fabulous small business signage from crumbling 
Plans are afoot (or they were before the financial meltdown) to build a high speed train between 
The city is an old world beauty, full of gorgeous pre WW2 architecture, gorgeous Gothic churches, a university campus, and all these terrific small businesses.
Charley and Ben. No doubt, delivery men of some sort. Mail carriers maybe? Milkmen? Must be cold outside by the looks of Ben's scarf. Taken in an old diner in Ocean Grove, NJ. A pic of a pic. A seaside town with history.
Witness a survivor. This lone facade at 211 Pearl Street in the Financial District was declared landmark status last year, after a long battle. The New Yorker and other publications chronicled the building's unusual tale: built circa 1840, it passed through various hands and businesses, was rumoured to be the birthplace of Herman Melville, and when its destruction was eminent, a weird, seemingly occult symbol was found buried in a load bearing wall. No one knew what the oblong shaped triangle meant, and each of its side was inlaid with a different material. Anyway, it was found that the developers were using state grant money to destroy, then rebuild the site, and was thus 211 deserved local review: landmark status. But only for the facade! So now when you walk down Pearl Street you see this ancient facade tacked to the front of yet another sparkling, faceless, soulless, Financial District behemoth. No one ever did figure out the meaning of the symbol, however. 
Hey, I can't be slumming all the time in my GV hood!
The Music Inn, located at 169 West 4th between 6th and 7th Avenues, is another Village institution, though to the casual passerby the place is an unknown oddity. Presenting a classic Village façade to the busy street outside, the Music Inn is chock full of musical instruments taken from the world over. Filled to the rafters with zithers, sitars, balalaikas, horns, keyboards, dilubas, bells, guitars, mandolins, gongs, hand drums, keyboards, various stringed and hundreds of rare, unique and unclassifiable instruments, the Music Inn has been in business since 1958. (the Music Inn was featured in an episode of the Naked City, starring Alan Arkin) 
Owner Jeff is an old school, warm hearted kind of guy who has seen every era of Village change, from the ‘60s folk music boom to the ‘70s disco plunge to today’s gentrification rage. Back in the early '60s, Bob Dylan lived a few doors down at 161 West 4th, and was a regular patron, buying harmonicas and “100s of records,” Jeff recalls. Today, Jeff’s vinyl LPs (10,000 and counting) fill The Music Inn’s basement, though his stock is currently off limits while he tidies up the downstairs.
Jeff employs five workers, though he could obviously handle the place himself. He enjoys having them around; one employee has even created the Music Inn comic book series, featuring Jeff and his son. Jeff is working on the latest comic himself, concocting a story where George Carlin hangs with George Bush. Yea!
The Music Inn doesn’t have a website yet, but Jeff is working on it.
Lenny Cecere runs a 
The subway entrance to Lincoln Center at 66th Street is covered in these cool inlaid murals. I think they represent characters from particular operas, but not sure. Do you recognize either of these two? Calling all opera fans!
I take weekends in Princeton, home of Bea the wonder pup. Here she is, tugging at my girlfriend's hair...
To those under 30, heck, to those under 25, "Howard Johnsons" means nothing. Howard Johnson's was one of the first national hotel chains, and their calling card -- yummy ice cream -- assured familes of a good time even if they were only pulling off the road for a meal. HoJo's bright orange facades could be seen on Main Street as well as along state highways (we're talking pre-Interstate). The Times Square HoJo's closed in '04, I think. On its final day they were even selling the menus. I love the bold neon, the whacky 70s era floor tile, and the 40s era art deco styled "Howard Johnson's" entrance tile. By the time this HoJo's closed the food was horrible and crackheads and hookers held court in the bathrooms, but it still looked magnificent to me.
70s green and orange!
Like so much in old New York these days, the party' s over...
As first noted at Brooks of Sheffield's Lost City, the beautiful Long Island Restaurant in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, has closed. For how long nobody knows. The old Brooklyn diner/bar has a wondeful back story, three generations of one family running the place forever, until the family's grand dame passed away last year. I visited LI Restaurant years ago and spoke with this marvelous lady, who served me beer ina '50s-era glass. Entering LI Restaurant was like time travel, the mahagony bar perfectly polished, lace curtains in the window, ham and cheese sandwiches served on white bread with chips. They don't make 'em like this anymore.
Remember TV repair shops? Remember big tube television sets? How bout transistor radios? VCRs? Portable TVs? This old place in Brooklyn Heights has seen better days, even though their sign still looks new. G&D? Gone & Departed.
Wall Street's greed, corruption and stupidity has screwed the U.S., let's hope the world doesn't deflate from the shock..
Revolutionary war enactment and the ladies who lunched in Princeton NJ
An Englishman In New York is currently being filmed on my charming block, and stars John Hurt as Quentin Crisp. Cynthia Nixon and Swoosie Kurtz too! Enjoy these '70s era cars being used in the film. Ahhh, the Kodak moments. 
From moving tribute...
To Star Trek sci-fi surreal scape
…to a swell champagne party for those well heeled suits with passes…see the tents on the left?
