Whoopi Too

Yes, that's Whoopi Goldberg (two photos bottom left) getting her highly coveted iPhone a few minutes after the release of the new, heavily promoted device at the Apple Store in SOHO at 6 PM, Friday June 29th. People had camped out in line around the block outside the store as early as since Tuesday. Some had paid others as much as $150 to wait in line for them. This scenario was played out in Apple stores around the country. Two guys had set up a ping pong table to pass the time (upper right photo). There was cheering when UPS made their delivery in the morning. All manner of press was there with reporters doing interviews. The whole scene was sheer lunacy, since iPhones were readily available just hours later with no lines whatsoever. Apple employees assured me there was adequate inventory - an estimated 2,000 phones were delivered to this location alone. Also, the phones were simultaneously released at AT&T stores, where I understand the lines there were negligible. Apple's ability to inspire a cult following and religious zeal among their customers - (as documented by Guy Kawasaki in The Macintosh Way) and their ability to create buzz and hype for a product is remarkable. An iPhone search on Google brings 96 million hits. The actual product has received very favorable reviews, however. David Pogue, in an article from the New York Times - The iPhone Matches Most of Its Hype, refers to the product as "amazing." He also reports that over 11,000 articles have been written on the iPhone in just the six months. I'll find out good this product really is this weekend with some hands on time - a friend purchased one last night when we visited the Apple Store at 10:30 PM ...

Bloomberg

This is the residence of Michael Bloomberg, mayor of NYC. Elected in 2001 and for a second term in 2005, Bloomberg opted to live in his Manhattan residence rather than Gracie Mansion (the official Mayoral residence since 1942, when Robert Moses paved the way for Fiorella LaGuardia to become Gracie Mansion's first resident.) The 5-story, 7,500-square-foot townhouse at 17 East 79th St. was built in 1889 and purchased by Bloomberg in 1986 for $3.5 million - ($17 million today). Don't be deceived understated elegance of this building - these small townhouses and limestone mansions between Fifth and Madison on the Upper East Side are among the most coveted properties in NYC in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the world - this is super prime real estate. Bloomberg has been a unique office holder, not coming from the world of politics. With a B.S. in electrical engineering from John Hopkins and a Harvard MBA, he certainly had the intellectual acumen and academic achievement for his forays into the business world using his background in technology, after his stint at Salomon Brothers. A self-made billionaire from a humble background, Bloomberg is in various Forbes' lists as one of the world's richest men with homes around the world. His Bermuda home has billionaire Ross Perot and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as neighbors. He has a 20-acre farm in North Salem, NY, a Victorian townhouse in London and a condominium in Vail, Colorado. He is a private pilot with a fleet of aircraft at his disposal. Yet, ever to be practical and demonstrate that at some level he is still one of us plain folk, he continues to take the subway every morning to City Hall (albeit with bodyguards) and list his address and phone number in the white pages (yes, I checked) ...

Light on Bobst

My recent interest in the evening and night sky prompted this photo. It is remarkable how out of touch with the natural world city dwellers can be - there is a serious dearth of knowledge in subjects like plants, animals, insects, astronomy etc. Recently, I have noticed some very brightly lit heavenly bodies - however I was not able to find anyone who new what these objects were (by studying some online star maps, I was able to confirm my suspicion that Venus was one of them). The photo was taken at sunset of the Bobst Library, which houses over 3 million volumes and is one of largest academic libraries in the US. This massive red sandstone edifice on Washington Square South was designed by Philip Johnson for NYU (New York University) and completed in 1972. It has been steeped in controversy since its construction: 1) To begin with, there were substantial delays in its construction. 2) There has been much criticism of its bulky, monolithic form and how it towers over Washington Square Park. The work of Johnson himself has been the subject of much criticism. 3) The library was named after Elmer Holmes Bobst, who made a $6 million dollar contribution. There was embarrassment for the University, however, when it was learned that Bobst was a Nixon supporter, had been accused of a corrupt contribution to Nixon and made antisemitic remarks. 4) In 2003, Bobst made big news with two suicides in one month - students jumped from the open-air catwalks to the marble floor below. 5) Steven Stanzak, an NYU student unable to afford his housing costs became homeless and took up residence in the basement of the Bobst Library for eight months from 2003-04 ...

Mermaid Parade 2007 Part 2

This is part two of the 2007 Mermaid Parade in Coney Island. Please click on the photo for an enlarged, detailed view. This collage represents a small number of the 300+ photos I took at the parade. I endeavored to show the diversity of costumes that were present. As you can see, the themes of art parades in NYC are not policed and many of the costumes certainly go beyond what one would expect in a Mermaid Parade - hula hoopers, goth garb, ghoulish characters, alien invasions, geishas, visual puns (like the Seapranos), Coney Island postcard groups and creative assemblages. Of course there were mermaids, anemones, nautiluses, brassieres from shells, seahorses, lobsters and a myriad of other sea creatures. The creativity was overwhelming and tough to absorb and process with the volume and speed at which these remarkable displays pass by the spectator. Trying to get decent photos in this intense environment was a challenge. If you check back here in a day or so, I should have a link for more photos of the parade on myFlickr site...

Mermaid Parade 2007

This has become my favorite parade - it's on the boardwalk, at the beach (yet reachable by subway), in NYC, beautiful mermaids, blue everywhere, Astroland with the Cyclone and Wonderwheel as backdrop, manageable in size, imaginative creative costumes and a spirited atmosphere. Add a sunny day with blue skies and what's not to like? Surprising how many have still not heard of the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2007. Click here and here for my postings of the 2006 parade. Founded in 1983 by Coney Island USA, the not-for-profit arts organization that also produces the Coney Island Circus Sideshow, the Mermaid Parade pays homage to Coney Island's forgotten Mardi Gras which lasted from 1903 to 1954. The Mermaid Parade celebrates the sand, the sea, the salt air and the beginning of summer, as well as the history and mythology of Coney Island, Coney Island pride, and artistic self-expression. The Parade is characterized by participants dressed in hand-made costumes as Mermaids, Neptunes, various sea creatures, the occasional wandering lighthouse, Coney Island post card or amusement ride, as well as antique cars, marching bands, drill teams, and the odd yacht pulled on flatbed. Each year, a different celebrity King Neptune and Queen Mermaid rule over the proceedings, riding in the Parade and assisting in the opening of the Ocean for the summer swimming season by marching down the Beach from the Boardwalk, cutting through Ribbons representing the seasons, and tossing fruit into the Atlantic to appease the Sea Gods. In the past, David Byrne, Queen Latifah, Ron Kuby, Curtis Sliwa, Moby, and David Johansen have presided over the assembled masses. Click here for their official website. Even though I set aside the day to see the event, I still missed many of the events: floats and autos on Surf Avenue, the costume judging and the Mermaid Parade Ball. Tomorrow I will post a collection of the best photos of the hundreds I took ...

Pride March

This weekend was one of parades and marches - on Saturday we had the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island and the Dyke March ; on Sunday the 2007 NYC LGBT Pride march. The gay pride march in NYC, produced by Heritage of Pride, is the big kahuna - marchers included mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, one of the nation's most prominent openly gay elected officials. Religious groups led the parade this year with a float from Dignity, a gay Catholic group, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum who heads the world's largest gay synagogue, Reverend Troy Perry of the Metropolitan Community Church and a Buddhist group. A big issue at hand locally and nationally is the issue of gay marriage, so there was cause for marchers to celebrate the recent passing of a bill in the New York State Assembly legalizing same-sex marriage - Govenor Eliot Spitzer supports the bill, although it is unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled state Senate. Tens of thousands attended the march which started at 52nd Street, proceeded down Fifth Avenue turning west along 8th Street, finishing in the West Village. Spectators lined the route. At this point in time, after 38 years, the march has become an institution and in spite of the usual coterie of exhibitionists - dancers in bikini briefs, drag queens, Dykes on Bikes - and their voyeurs, the march is no longer the controversial event it once was ...

Dyke March

This is Gay Pride Week (6/17/07-6/24/07) - an international phenomenon now taking place in 140 cities around the world. Manhattan's own celebration includes parades, marches, festivals, rallies, dances and parties. Yesterday was the 15th Annual New York City Dyke March, taking place the day before the big Gay Parade (today). The Dyke March has been growing in size which is particularly interesting, given that even in NYC, the lesbian community is still a relatively invisible group, particularly in comparison to the gay men's community which has made large gains in the last 40 years with visibility and approval in many spheres and sectors - witness the TV program Queer Eyes for a Straight Guy, e.g. Much of the populace now sees various sexual orientations as just part of the human condition - a percentage of the population has been gay/lesbian since the dawn of time and will continue to be so regardless of of any efforts to eradicate these groups. I believe that one of greatest problems facing full acceptance of the gay community is the continuing position of the various churches that view homosexuality negatively. Social mores in this country still trickle down from religious doctrine owing to a history largely as a judeo-christian society rather than secular ...