Empire Pizza II, 1rst Ave. between 3rd and 4th Streets, Manhattan

 

1) On the street in Brooklyn and Manhattan; 2) at Ikea in Red Hook; 3) on the G-train, overlooking the glorious Gowanus

An Avenue B realtor gives itself a way too literal name . . .

. . . and it looks like you're expected seal the deal while displayed in the front window. I actually like this shot because it has many levels of looking directly and being reflected, including a shadowy one of my own stance as I take the picture

On Ave. B there's a tiny, elegant bird bath set in stone.

The black and white bathroom at Participant Inc.

Another storefront reception area, Ave. B.

And the magazine and candy stand at the Delancey St. Station

Late night ride home, Fourth Ave., Brooklyn

In front of the house there's a fire engine, and the whole street turns red.

On Lexington St., Bed-Stuy, the police have set up a surveillance tower. Artist Duron Jackson referred to this as a process of defining an entire neighborhood as a prison -- a portable prison, as it were. Just add watch towers.

A house on Quincy Street, Bed-Stuy, that has seen a few too many modifications in the style, function, and perspective of its architecture. May be really great from the inside, however, with a tower, a second-story deck, and a bay window in back.

A red house and red stairs and the red and black flag of Trinidad and Tobago, also on Quincy Street.

I walked behind this man on Marcus Garvey, minding my own business, until I caught sight of his t-shirt, which spells out a litany of names of those who have gone before.

This one is from last fall, a shot from an Occupy Wall Street demo that got lost in a folder in a folder.

 

This is not my grandmother looking through my library in my loft space, but rather a shopper at Ikea condsidering the same set of Billy bookcases that I and thousands of others are also considering.

The check-out line at Ikea, above, and bins of impulse items, below.

Returning from Ikea, the bus takes us through Gowanus, and I catch a glimpse of the train that I want to get back to Bed-Stuy, high on the horizon.

From the G-train, on a beautiful day, an elevated view over Gowanus.

East Village, No. 6 Train Downtown

United States Post Office, Brooklyn, and other adventures

A trip to the slowest Post Office in America, Times Plaza Station, Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn,
with religious peace & love advocates at the crossroads, handing out life-saving/shattering information for the New Year, to read on the subway, perhaps.

While the real deal is to be had a few stops away at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, inside the majick of the new snowfall.

Thanking the goddess, I head home to the funny, funky reality of life on Park Place, with messages from the super, Guss, and a refrigerator in the lobby.

A second-hand store in East Williamsburg does NOT want to take down its Obama sign.

Then in Red Hook, I visit the Ikea.

Other streets, Manhattan.

An East Village evening, then downtown to Puck's Fair, and home again

Holiday Lights and frosty windows at the Horseshoe Bar, East Village

I like this billboard at Broadway and Lafayette. Am I becoming co-opted by advertising?
The billboard in situ, below...
...and a rare train ride, the No. 6 train all to myself...

...on the way to meet up with the No. 4 and then the No. 2, and safely back in Brooklyn town.