Artist's Tour: New York, New York

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I picked up the wooden cat mask and held it up to my face. Brittany in turn raised its dog counter part and we stood solemn facing each other, masked, until we both broke out in laughter.

It is like Breakfast at Tiffany's. she remarked.

Actually, being in New York City was like Breakfast at Tiffany's, and The Cruise, and Annie Hall, and the many indie films that showcased the creativity and quirkiness of all that makes up this city which was my only reference about the area previously.

Everyone I knew was either in Brooklyn or in the process of trying to move there. I had gone to visit the artists who had formerly been my school mates and collaborators, my security net, who all migrated to New York, an environment to exercise their fresh graduated talents on the creative and much more demanding real world challenges of an artist appropriate of that domain. I went to be surrounded by my people and talk about lenses and projects over coffee. I was in search of the passion and innovation that powered me through so many nights-turned-to-days of design projects cutting mat board at four thirty in the morning; in search of inspiration.

Where better to go than the setting of so many great works? Where Alvy Singer fell in lerv with Annie Hall, where John Travolta sparked the disco inferno in Saturday Night Fever, where Francie Nolan and Pete Hamill grew up poor but resilient only to showcase their genius spinning books like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and A Drinking Life. Surrounded by Andy Warhols and designer labels, workshops of Diane Von Furstenburg, where you could live in the books and movies, where the experience is art; New York, New York.

Sitting in the Delancy station waiting for the J train to take me to Fort Green, I anticipated a Broadway scene where at any given moment commuters would break into song and dance. Everyone was dressed with eclectic, edgy style and I noted the youth and energy that resonated through the dim subway tunnels.

My friend Ben met me at the station as I emerged from below and he took me over to a small bar where we sat in the courtyard in a garden that was pocketed between buildings and caught up over a beer. If it hadn't been for the buildings reaching skyward, towering around us, I would have forgotten we were in the city at all. Instead of looming and belittling they shined in the moon light and it felt intimate and magical.

We then went to Mexican Radio, a local authentic Mexican restaurant where Brittany serves up unique margarita mixtures like Jalapeno and Mango that are delicious and therefore dangerous! Once she was relieved from work we headed over to Oro, a small dessert and wine bar that exuded such Parisian sophistication that I was compelled to order champagne from the bartender who later I found out was an aspiring actor and also coincidentally Brittany's room mate.

I expected New York City to be grittier, with We Own The Night bar busts and Bruce Willis running from car explosions on every corner, but it felt..warm, with a certain comradery or espirit du corps. The baby sitter is a writer, the waitress is a photographer, the bartender is a musician, such are the double lives of many young New Yorkers. Surprisingly, I found this had a humbling and outgoing effect on the people I was meeting in this borough (appropriately named for the host district of an underground scene if you ask me.)

The next day, I woke in Brittany's small, compact apartment on the sixth floor with a view of the brownstone neighborhood below me. At breakfast, we people watched and talked about her life since moving to the city over strong, dark roasted coffee at the french bistro across the street, Cafe Lafayette, and then grabbed our cameras to embark on a long awaited photo safari into the various districts of the city. Between the wonderful introduction to the Bright Lights of the Big City, mixed with stimulated senses of fresh baked goods, the revving of engines taxiing people to work, and the left over dumb love dopiness of a boozy night, it had taken me approximately eleven hours to become smitten with the area.

It is no wonder so many flock here, to live and be in the belly of the beast. The sound of heels on concrete, the thuds of markets preparing to open up, and even over all of this the sun shining brilliantly through the buildings illuminating the streets and the wind rustling the trees. I was excited to explore the morning preparation and hustle and bustle of the daytime.

Everything was alive and I wanted Rhapsody in Blue to play as I rode the subway over the Brooklyn Bridge, the skyline coming closer and closer into my reality. Back In The New York Groove as I pirouetted through the crowds in the markets. On the streets, the Black Keys beats jiving through my bones turning red and orange leaves to atomic amber and big apple red bursts, tree stars in the wind drawing figure eights on concrete. The rustic antiquity of the brownstones bringing a homey nostalgia while the clean designs of modern architecture and the monumental trademark buildings were making it seem so simple, pointing me toward some sort of epiphany.The style, the attitude; young and draped in bulky hand knit scarves browsing vintage bookstores, packing sidewalk cafes, out walking, nodding to the locals hanging on the stoop smoking cigarettes, the tawny alley cat lounging on the steps beside them.

I got back on the bus refreshed and satiated from a weekend of cultural binging. New York, I think..I love you.

New York, I love you.

Many have fallen in love with New York before even getting there, here are the must-dos when you find yourself in the Big City.


1. Drink saluting the greats at Chumleys, a former speak easy popular with the hippest writers of history including Jack Kereoac, and J.D. Salinger. Located in the West Village. 86 Bedford Street. 212-989-9038. Or White Horse Tavern, a favorite of Bob Dylan, 567 Hudson Street. 212-243-9260.

2. Go on a tour with infamous street philosopher and urban guide Speed Levitch, on who Oscar winning director Bennett Miller based the 1998 documentary The Cruise. Plan your cruise of NYC here:
http://speedlevitchonline.com/tours/speeds-new-york-tour/

3.Feed your creative soul with some can't miss classics such as MoMA, MMA, Guggenheim, Whitney or head out on an art tour to see the up and coming artists acknowledged by Artlog Tours and the graffiti art at 5 Pointz.

ArtLog Tours: http://artlog.com/r/3cbt

5Pointz:45-46 Davis Street
Long Island City, NY 11101
[phone]

4. Dress the part: New York Vintage
A vintage store visited by fashion editors, costume stylists, and celebrities, you won't find grandma's moth-eaten cardigan here. This eclectic little gem offers timeless, high end pieces.

New York Vintage,
117 W. 25th St, New York, NY. newyorkvintage.com
Read More: http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/editorsblog/2009/10/16/the-secrets-of-new-yorks-best.html#ixzz1YZkYFfqH


5. For sleek shopping, head to Fifth Avenue, where beautiful architecture houses couture designs. Bring your camera for some great cityscape shots.

6. Go on a gourmet food forage with tours offered throughout your favorite neighborhoods such as Chinatown / Little Italy / Greenwich Village, or create your own!
Check out your options at:
http://www.foodsofny.com/

7. Grand Central Terminal: a destination not only for commuters but for anyone who wants to experience the magic and romance of the "Golden Age" of travel. Recall the days when ground transportation was a luxurious easy-going ride and not just reserved for commuters, types who wouldn't clear airport security and backpackers who don't know better.

Grand Central is located in the heart of midtown Manhattan, on 42nd Street and Park Avenue.

8. Get a free scenic cruise with the Staten Island Ferry.
Schedules and directions look here:
http://www.siferry.com/Default.aspx

9.WALK:
Chinatown: to Sara Delano Park where men bring their songbirds out in the mornings for some air.
Battery Park City Esplanade
and sure, Central park.

10. Remember: Visit the World Trade Center Memorial and Museum.
Visitor Center: 90 West St. (Corner of Albany Street)
New York, NY 10006

11. Catch a gig: Village Vanguard
This cozy club’s small stage still hosts the best of today's jazz talent. Plenty of history has been made here: John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Bill Evans have all played here.

Village Vanguard
178 Seventh Ave South between Perry and W 11th Sts (212-255-4037, villagevanguard.com). Doors open at 8pm.

12. Party like a New Yorker: The Lab.
All ways the epicenter for a good , New York continues to cultivate their nightlife. This inventive warehouse turned electronic dance club, is a great destination to shed inhibitions and just dance!
http://brooklyn-spaces.com/2011/08/the-lab-electric-warehouse/

13. Recover like a New Yorker: Cafe Gitane at the Jane Hotel.
Spacious, hip and offering the best brunch in New York according to New York Magazine's "Best of New York" the menu offers a fusion of French elegance and Moroccan exoticism.

14. Say "I <3 NYC" in your own way: Unique Souveniers:
Chelsea Market offers a wide selection to choose from when it comes to considering those you've left behind. From cutesy decorated cookies in shapes of taxis and the Empire State Building, candies, and they even prepare special gift baskets.

15. Treat for the road...or whenever: Billy's Bakery.
Dedicated chocolate chip cookie girl extends her reach to banana nut mini loafs and German chocolate cup cake.

PHOTOS TO COME SOON.

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