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Streets as your living room

  • July 1, 2011September 19, 2011


One thing that I noticed and fully embraced the minute I’ve started living in NYC is the way we people of nyc take over the streets here, and make them as their own living room.
Not sure if it is due to the small size of a typical New York apartment or  maybe it is due to the weather : after 6 months of hibernation during the winter, you just wanna enjoy the concrete jungle and its dirty streets even though the summer are insanely hot!! Or maybe it is just the pleasure of  sitting on stoops that makes up for the pain of climbing the steps…

Anyhow, on summer nights,  it is a habit I really enjoy, with my girls, or by myself , or just stooping in my block with my neighbors and all of  a sudden, the Big Apple turns into a really small village.. How Magic is that ?

 

Geekland

Madame Lego

  • February 8, 2011February 23, 2011

As A true Geekette and street art lover, I could resist posting this NYC discovery : Lego and street art mixed together.

It all started yesterday when I went to the Social Media Week kickoff Party at the NY Public Library,  when i saw this on the wall:

and after a little research I found out that there was many like this spread all over the city:

Central Park:

It is actually a global project and featured in many cities such as Tel aviv, Berlin, Amsterdam, and much more.

I have no idea who is behind it but I think it’s pretty cool – Visit their site http://www.dispatchwork.info/

And if you can find legos in NYC Concrete Jungle , why not get Concrete Lego ? Found on Etsy

Featured

Money Island

  • November 4, 2010April 4, 2011

Winter is too long in NYC, so today will be a day for a denial post… And the first image that comes to my head ‚when I think about summers in New York, is Coney Island. I love this place, even though I wouldn’t get in the water over there, nor lay down on the sand !

It can get a little crowded as well during summers’ heatwave:

The Iconic Wonder Wheel…

…Reminds me of Paris (jardin des Tuileries)

I like also all the handmade typography you can spot there , very retro feeling :

Freaky 🙂

Even in the winter, it keeps a very cinematographic look & feel:

And in the summer it has amazing saturated colors:

Featured

Only in NY

  • November 2, 2010April 2, 2011

After reading the article from the Voice about the 50 reasons I love living in nyc I though I could add up the typical NYC images that still makes living in NYC

The NYC Skyline

 

Chinese take-out boxes

sound of fire truck police car sirens


Red Brick WallsNYC Sewer

NYC Steaming StreetsSteaming NYC Streetsfire escapesFire Escape

Hot-Dog Cart

“NO PARKING” SIGNSDon't even think abot it

Never Fuckin Park here
 

Something’s always happening here. If you’re bored in New York, it’s your own fault.-Mirna Loy

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Featured

Stuff Tourists Like # 3

  • October 11, 2010August 22, 2011

This is the peak season for Tourists : dear Nouillorqueur, I am sure your couch is booked till Labor Day ( and trust me I feel your pain…), and  just in case you were wondering how they would spend their day in NYC, I can bet you that they will end up in 2 spots :

Tourists Like to Stop in the middle of a street : Move to the side

Using a Pedicab to get to the Apple Store

this is a no-no using a pedicab is a tourist thing, no New Yorker would ever do that.

Apple Store : la tourneee des grands ducs

Oh lawwwd , where to start ??? I guess with the iPad crazyness, I can tell you  I have already  shipped several of those giant iPhones to the motherland, and thank you Steve for releasing the iPhone 4 in France at the same time as here …and even if we have 4 Apple stores in NYC, this not a reason to go to every single one and compare the price with the euro/dollar rate, because at the end, it is gonna be hard to carry your 27 inches iMac in your luggage back to France.

So of course , Thank you Steve, with the new Mac Book Air at $999 and 999 euros in Europe, I am gonna have a lot of orders as the Euro /Dollar rate is around 1.40 …

Featured

New York Best Kept Secret

  • August 5, 2010June 29, 2012

New York’s Best Kept secret is NOT Century 21, trust me on that one, but the fact that it has so many beaches all accessible by public transportation. Here are some few options if you are spending your summer in NYC & still want to get a carribean tan!

☼ ROCKAWAY BEACH :

  • How to get there ? Take the blue line, the A train to Broad Channel, transfer to the S to Rockaway Park-Beach 116th St. (Last Stop).
  • How Much ? $4.50 Round Trip, Subway ride.
  • What to do ? Get a beer & a slice at the Sand Bar on the beach, or even order chinese take out and get it delivered on the beach.

☼ RIIS LANDING/ FORT TILDEN

  • How to get there ? it’s a boat ride & it only works on week-end. Take the Ferry on Pier 11 (same as Ikea boat), click here more infos and schedule.
  • How Much ? $30 Round Trip on the American Princess. add $5 more if you bring your bike.
  • Tips: Bring your own picnic to the beach and drinks as it is a wild beach with no lifeguards neither. The boat ride to get there is 45 mins and is amazing , you get to see the Statue of Liberty, Coney Island, and the Verrazano bridge.

☼ FIRE ISLAND:

  • How to get there ? Take the LIRR train in Penn Station to Bay Shore, then the Ferry to Fire Island .
  • How Much ? around $60 RT -> $26 for the train & $12 for the ferry (round-trip)
  • What to do ? try to spend the night there, or the weekend, as it is an 1.5 hour away from the city, and it is a little corner of  paradise there, no cars, almost no  stores and beautiful sunsets.

Et Voila ! Now You know how I spend my summer in the city 🙂

Featured

New York Photo Booth

  • July 29, 2010December 30, 2010

In the era of all digital images, it became more fun to play with analog pictures, and as I got my summer tan on, it means I am eligible for picture time without the ususally mandatory Photoshop retouching … Here is a quick round-up of the Photobooth (or Photomaton in French) in NYC:

1. Coney Island

Deno’s Wonder Wheel – 3059 W 12th St. Brooklyn, NY 11224- Color

2. 7B


7B – 108 Avenue B – New York, NY – B&W Only

3. Ace Hotel

Ace Hotel – 20 West 29th Street, New York, NY‎ – Black&White Only

And some others I haven’t tried yet:

Lakeside Lounge – 162 Avenue B New York, NY 10009- Black & White

Otto’s Shrunken Head – 538 E. 14th St.New York, NY 10009

Featured

Walk on the West Side

  • May 9, 2010May 11, 2010

On a bright but chilly sunday afternoon, I decided to take a walk on the West side of the city , and here is my West Side Story in pictures with some amazing Street Art characters.

Mickey loves NY
WWest Side Ride
@grenadeboyjc2
One of those day
Elle
Che and Mussolini
Beautiful Brunette
Colors on the Corner
Love this
U just got BrainWashed
BEAU
Wall Kicks
Gay Paris
Monsieur Moustache
Through Tears the Pain
Doggy Style
Monsieur Alec
Madonna
Outie
Lapin aux Chiottes
She Ain’t Nothing to Mess With
Bright Drips, Big City
Dr Spock
DickChick
Hakula / Kardashian
Hello
No!
Even Cops stick on the Block
‘Sup
Parking Sign
Blowing All Up
Red Lights District
Stop in the West Village
Village Paris in NYC
Sure & Faust
Matching Vespa with the House
Str8 From the Sewer
The Dogs are Watching
Freeze
Love Me in Blue
Nobody Cares
Featured

$how Me the Money

  • May 8, 2010May 10, 2010

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell stacks dollars tattooing celebrities, so he can laser cut his piles of cash, go & check his first  NY exhibition  called “If You Don’t Belong, Don’t Be Long” – April 29 – May 30, 2010 at 109 Crosby Street (between Prince & Houston).

Shepard Fairey

The final exhibition at Deitch Gallery, is with one of the top money maker of Street Art, Shepard Fairey, aka Obey. The opening was the it event of the year, the whole block was packed, and filled with celebs’.  “May Day ” at Deitch Projects, 18 Wooster Street, May 1 – 29, 2010.

Banksy Exit Through the Gift Shop

The best movie/documentary I  have seen in a year. Period.

Mister Brainwash

The biggest con artist ever, it make sense to see his exhibition  just if you have seen the Banksy Film, I won’t tell more asides that MBW is a Frenchie 😉 – ICONS REMIX – Opening Sunday May 9th at 3pm – 415 W 13th street, NYC, until the end of May. Muchas Gracias @foodrap for the picture, and check out his blog he has super nice pictures on a daily basis.

Design

MoMA with PoPa

  • November 12, 2009October 21, 2010

Yesterday I went to my favorite museum in NYC, the Moma with my Popa who was visiting me here for the first time. Here are some snapshots taken with my iPhone with the effect of the polarize App, and written on the WordPress App for the iPhone as well.

Apps used for this post : the Polaroid effect is done with Polarize (free App) WordPress (free as well) . Enjoy !

I can’t wait for the Tim Burton Exhibition next week !!

popa

Design

Graffiti New York City

  • November 5, 2009November 29, 2010

I have always had admiration for graffiti artists, especially for the lettering and typography style more than the cartoon & drawing type.

There is an amazing exhibition at the Cartier Fondation in Paris based on the  work of Evan Roth (check his website he always have great art project going on)

cartierfondation-graffiti

I have several shots of graffiti pictures in NYC below :

[nggallery id=4]

some others taken with my phone below :

wise
Wise
skull
Skull

Door on 7th
Door on 7th

Street Light
Street Light

And finally, some others on my Flickr page:

DSCF1089.JPG
Under the Bridge

DSCF1142.JPG
Under the Bridge II

DSCF1180.JPG
Red Stripe

Update: How could I do a post about graffiti in NYC and not mention Faust ??? My bad, he is amazing, here is below his season greetings and a link to his site, check him out !


Featured

911 ain’t a joke in this town

  • September 11, 2009February 6, 2010

Sunday september 9th, 2001
Sunday september 9th, 2001

Today is has been 8 years, since the twin towers collapsed, I wasn’t in my favorite city when it happened,  as I left the sunday evening before (9/09/01) , this the last picture I took from my stay in NYC this year on my way to the airport. We were gonna saty till this famous tuesday 9/11 but we couldn’t find anymore tickets to go to the Michael Jackson concert at Madison Square Garden for monday 9/10… I was in Paris that afternoon when it happens, and I felt so guilty for not being in NYC.  So here I am , in my love town, on a cold & rainy day,  8 years later and still no memorial for the victims, and no more Michael Jackson…

So here are below some pictures of  the Magical New York skyline:

Al Pacino and the Twins ( not the Olsen...)
Al Pacino and the Twins ( not the Olsen...)

Iconic Image of NYC and its skyscrapers (Peter Adams)
Iconic Image of NYC and its skyscrapers (Peter Adams)
Empire State city, original picture by Peter Adams
Empire State city, original picture by Peter Adams
Twin Towers in a rainy day during fashion week
Twin Towers in a rainy day like today + fashion week ny

Custom LOLO DKNY mural
Custom LOLO DKNY mural

NYC skyline by Michael Kenna
NYC skyline by Michael Kenna
Before the Twin Towers NYC 1951
Before the Twin Towers NYC 1951
Downtown view - 1942
Downtown view - 1942
II Towers
II Towers
Irony
Irony

Pakistan Airlines Print ad
Pakistan Airlines Print ad
Design

Gone Baby gone…

  • July 9, 2009October 21, 2010

Another downtown NY reference gone this week, after the DKNY  mural now the Keith Haring wall on Houston and Bowery is over…

Keith Haring Mural

covering Keith Haring

image via animalnewyork.com

The mural was commissioned by  Deitch in 1982 and the new mural will be designed by brazilian graffiti  artists Os Gemeos, also courtesy of Deitch…

Final
Final
Os Gemeos Close-up

UPDATE : (also known as too lazy to do a new blog post)

now the mural has changed again just for the time of the big Shepard Fairey “May Day” exhibition at Deitch and I am guessing the Banksy film showing across the street at sunshine theater is a good promo as well. (MUST SEE MOVIE by the way)

And even if I like Shepard Fairey, I absolutely hate this mural, and my favorite part was this just right next to it:

Featured

Stuff Tourists Like #2

  • June 14, 2009March 9, 2010

Another obsession for tourists in NYC, is getting the I ♥ NY tee-shirt, on Canal Street or Times Square. Only tourists get that shirt & wear it in New York on top of it…


There are so much cooler and nicer shirts out there:

Check this one form Reason a Store on 6th street between 2nd & 3rd Avenue:

Reason

Or this one very 2009 for $14.99

And below some cool creation based on Milton Glaser logo ffffound randomly on the web.

iloveberlin

itkio

I Rain UK

iheartstache

GP_10_22_08_158

Featured

The End of an Era.…

  • June 9, 2009October 19, 2010

The Famous DKNY wall is no longer a mark for tourists in despair, has been covered up. It was a great sign for lost tourists, and ready to shop girls like myself, to enter the Soho Mall

Here is what is looks like today:

Pic via Animal New York ( great NY by locals site )

for those who missed it

DKNY wall - January 2007
DKNY wall - January 2007