Manhattan - Day 8

A long day of shooting inside a tiny conference room and then lugging all the equipment back from Jamaica and I'm exhausted. Falling asleep much too early at 7:30 so out for a quick walk in a light drizzle. Ended up in a coffee at a Starbucks across from Chelsea Market - nice finish to a successful day.

Manhattan - Day 7

Well, looks like we have a contest. Spent the afternoon at Doma - great little coffee shop in the West Village and just when I thought I had it all figured out with 71 Irving Place. So, I guess I'm gonna have to take a step back and reconsider. And . . . well, this must be the beginning of the official search - what is the best coffee shop in Manhattan?

Manhattan - Day 6

Spent most of the day editing but this evening I went out for a coffee and there was a film company shooting on the corner of 8th & 19th, so I sat and watched while I had my coffee. Even though I've seen them shoot like this many times, it never fails to amaze me how many people they employ on a feature film. Tomorrow I'm off to Jamaica to shoot interior shots of the Queens Library Children's Discovery Center - something tells me my crew will be considerably smaller.

Manhattan - Day 5

Today I just couldn't resist the Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy.

San Gennaro is the patron saint of Naples and the festival was first organized in the early twenties by a men's club and mutual benefit society of immigrants from southern Italy.  In 1997 after years of rumors about the Mafia involvement, several members of the Genovese crime family were convicted of extortion in connection with the festival.

It's a real mad house but how can you not love a cliche ridden Italian singer and a bag of deep fried zeppole (I ate 6 and reached my calorie limit for the coming week!)

Manhattan - Day 4

Out and about today, made the park rounds - started in Central then off to Bryant for a while. Next down to Union Square for the market and then back up to Madison Square where they had a great day of live bluegrass. Della Mae http://heyheydellamae.com - terrific all female bluegrass band. Ended the day at 71 Irving Place, maybe the best coffee shop in all of Manhattan - maybe, it's still only day 4.

Manhattan - Day 3

Coffee and a bagel at Chelsea Market this morning and then off to a meeting in Jamaica.

Jamaica is the largest most densely populated neighborhood in central Queens and is named after the Jameco Indians that inhabited the area and lived on the northern shore of what is known as Jamaica Bay before the English Colonists arrived from Massachusetts in 1656. 

Downtown Jamaica

Later, back in Manhattan, David and I kicked around the park, had a late lunch at Bread and Honey grocery on 8th, strolled through Hell's Kitchen and topped off the day with coffee and a brownie at Cafe' Forant. I'm beat - see ya tomorrow.

Riding the E train

Manhattan - Day 2

Well, a long but somewhat better day today. Kicked around Chelsea for the most part, worked via the free wifi down at the market this morning.

Started the revisions to the Barnet short for the Arkansas Arts Center exhibit.

Will Barnet - Self Portrait 1989

Unpacked the rest of my stuff after UPS delivered the final box - yes, I brought too much. Then this evening it was off to the opening of the Barnet retrospective at the National Academy. A really beautiful show that filled all four of the second floor galleries. Amazing, I lived with so many of those images for the year plus I was working on the film but had only seen a hand full of the paintings in person. Will and Elana weren't there but I saw Ira Goldberg, director of the Art Students League, and had a nice chat with him. Was able to locate and introduce myself to Bruce Webber, the curator of the Academy show, but I'm not entirely sure he placed my name as the guy who did the film they're showing at the symposium in November.

Nighty night faithful followers.

Manhattan - Day 1

Well, somewhat of an inauspicious beginning to my New York adventure. Started off the morning by spilling my entire Starbucks, grande halfcaf down the front of my jeans, followed in the early afternoon by some piano sized piece of street dirt blowing into my eye (I can still feel it there) and then capping off the evening with a pigeon crapping on my arm. Is someone trying to tell me something? The rest of the day was relatively uneventful, a nice visit to Bryant Park and brunch with my friend David, the actor. Tomorrow evening is the Barnet opening at the National Academy and one of the reasons I came to New York in the first place. So, onward and upward, don't let the bastards get you down, don't cry over spilt milk (or halfcafs), etc., etc., etc.

I'm going to bed.