I Shot Manhattan
I was on my midday walkabout and took these photos. Something interesting always pops up. It makes a tedious day bearable. I wish my phone took better quality pics. Where's the iPhone 5?!
* * *
I saw this little peanut sprite walking up 6th Avenue near 57th Street.
She wound her way through the oncoming businessmen, office drones and delivery jockeys. Nobody seemed to take notice of her! What's wrong with New Yorkers!? They're so absorbed in chasing their destinies that they forget to look around them.
Her handler—I don't think it was her mom—was several paces in front of her. Too many, if you ask me. 57th Street is a main east/west artery in Manhattan. It's a raging boulevard! She should pay closer attention.
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There's a great new window display at Burgdorf Goodman. Window displays in Manhattan are a pretty serious business. They can take on the air of an art exhibit—especially around Christmastime. This crop of displays uses paper as its root design element. That's a giant vegetable peeler on the wall. It's hard to tell from the photo, but the jacket material looks very paper-like.
This one is my favorite. Paper is fed through a strainer and comes out the other end looking like angel hair pasta.
At the other end of the window, the threads of paper are whipped by a gigantic egg beater. In person, the paper looks soft and frothy. How fun is that?
The women who buy these clothes have probably never operated a vacuum cleaner in their entire lives. I suppose that's reducing them all to a cheap stereotype, but I call 'em as I see 'em. I'll bet I'm right.
The mess on the floor is comprised of tiny bits of confetti that are perfect circles.Look at the previous photo. That's a LOT of confetti!
Look what they did to this poor book. Just to sell a stupid handbag! Those butchers. *shudder*
* * *
Blogger has updated its dashboard interface. It now includes the actual read count for each and every post. The only thing this has accomplished is to mock how miniscule my readership is.
posted by The Unbearable Banishment at
10:18 PM
23 Comments:
I'm still here
between the faerie-child and the paper tigresses in the window, i'm itching for a return visit.
how could they not notice that child?!? how could her 'handler' not be tracking her? how did they find a vacuum cleaner that size? why are you still whining that WE (your loyal readers) aren't ever going to be sufficient to assuage your insecurities? what's the capital of north dakota? why did i drink so much red wine on a work night?
Hem: Thank God.
Daisy: I love my loyal readers. Maybe you most of all. But whining is a part of the package, I'm afraid. Isn't that why blogging is a healthy outlet? Because it's a forum for me to spew my insecurities all over my nice, clean shirt? If that doesn't work, think of it as a fascet off my boyish charm.
you're right! how could anyone NOT notice that little girl???? great window displays, by the by...inventive and, for me, a very subtle dig at their customer base. *snickering*
anywho...
thanks for telling me about the readership thingy.it'll be one more thing i don't look at on the dashboard/interface page! you're a real pal, sugar! xoxoxoo
Without Googling: Fargo?
What tremendous displays. I like how the objects being sold are completely subordinate to the art surrounding them. Fantastic, better than a lot of stuff in galleries.
And re the readership: it's quality, not quantity :)
Damn. It's Bismarck. Fargo is the largest city in the state.
sav: Does the readership thingy matter to you? It does to me! I should just lie and say I don't care. It would make me appear more noble.
looby: I will buy your quality vs. quantity line of horeshit. Thank you. Wish you could see these displays from the street. My photos don't capture the textures. And nice effort on the state cap guess. You score points simply for knowing that Fargo is in ND.
I look at those pics and think, "How many trees had to die for that display." I'm so boring.
Next you shoot Berlin? :¬)
sid: You're not boring at all. That's a very poignant comment.
map: Next, I shoot the sheriff. (That's the earworm I was going for. Did it work?)
I love the window designs - make the norm seem banal.
Awful to see the sprite crossing a city road virtually alone. That Mum needs a kick up the bum!
Re readers - surely it is a matter of quality over quantity?
I suppose you would groan if I asked you if you happened tosee Liz'z jewels being auctioned. I know they are in execrable taste but my god they sparkle.
I think that Bergdorf Goodman's windows are the best!!! They are always so inventive and eye-catching. I've even done a painting or two :-).
I love that confetti, it makes me want to save all the little circles that collect in my hole-punch.
That no one looked at that little girl is astonishing, thank goodness you did.
I have the iPhone 4s and the camera is splendid...
Pat: Here's a fun fact about the Liz Taylor jewel auction last December: I usually like to pop over to Christie's on my lunch hour to preview auction lots but at that particular auction, Christie's decided to make previewing a TICKETED EVENT. And they had the cheek to charge everyone $30 a ticket to attend! The gall!
Sharon: And the Barneys window, too, don't forget. Those guys know what they're doing as well.
Eryl: Actually, I couldn't tell who she was with for about a quarter of a block. It was criminal. I'm packing an iPhone 4 and my understanding is that the camera on the 4S is vastly superior to the 4.
Great windows UB. Thanks for posting.
Dang.....Looby beat me to quality vs quanity....now I will have to think of something else pithy and not very comforting, sigh......Have to get back to you on that, but as you have said half of blogging is self-help therapy removing the weight of the world off your back, and the other half is sharing cool things you see in that wearisome world. We appreciate every word you write, so don't let the numbers get you down......better 20 or 30 faithful readers than a 1,000 who view once and move on the their next hot site of the day. Hang in there, I am sure you numbers will increase eventually!
Cheer up, UB--maybe the shredded book was Twilight or something similar. And why you gotta be hating on women who don't vacuum? :)
HJ: That was an excellent pep talk not an ounce of pith in it at all. Thanks for that. I know the nature of the game and realize that getting wrapped up in numbers is a dead end, but I can't seem to help myself. Like a moth to the flame.
HIF: You have misinterpreted my envy as hate. I don't have an ounce of hate in me. But envy? That's my ninja skill.
A "ninja skill"! I'd kill to have a ninja skill.
If you really want to appreciate your readership, go onto site meter and get that hooked up on your blog. I have it on mine. It's free and in the case of my corner of the universe it reinforces just how all alone I am out there!
Loved these pictures--really makes me want to visit! Thanks for posting.
-Amanda
AK: It all depends on what it says on your ninja skill certificate. Take it from me, envy is not such a productive skill to hone.
VL: I'm intrigued by your alias. Are you a big Fleming fan? Did you know that the character name "Vesper Lynd" is Fleming's twist of West Berlin?
Poor wee mite. if she was mine, I'd be keeping a firm grasp of her hand all the way to our destination, and talk to her. Kids can have fascinating ideas and observations.
Not too sure about the paper art. New Zealand window displays are still at the stage of pyramids of soup tins.
I had no idea! I'm just a fan of the character in James Bond, haha.
p.s.- I do wish replies would get e-mailed to me--sorry for the delayed response!
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