City walks

The interesting thing about walking from one end of Central Park to the other is that it allows you to face prominent and not so prominent vistas. On the southern end (at 59th street) there is the Plaza Hotel. On the northern end (at 110th street) there is a little plot of land set aside for home gardens. Behind it are apartment buildings of the sort that, one hopes, would not be built anymore. But just inside the Park, on the northern end, there is a reservoir and at dusk it is stunning.

Suddenly, after 96th street, the nature of the neighborhood changes. 

The Plaza at one end, this at the other.

It is, nonetheless, worth investigating the northern corner of Central Park

Week-end in New York: from the noble and refined, to holiday crass commercialism

Yesterday was all about seeing good people and beautiful museums. Here, I even took a photo of the building that I lived in and the museum where I hung out for the better part of the afternoon.

Yesterday's run in with the past at 1010 Fifth Ave, and with culture at the Metropolitan. 

Today was entirely different. I spent the morning filling Big Brown Bags (aka shopped at Bloomingdale’s). Why did I do it? I am, after all, known for my hatred of malls. But I’m staying a mere four blocks away from the department store and it seems right to be holiday shopping a week before the holidays.

Oh, and guess whom I ran into there? Answer: no one known to me, but everyone else was making a fuss. So I went up, always eager to make a fool of myself with my camera and as a result, I was filmed chatting to this guy. I am certain that there will be the following commentary: Robert Verdi (that appears to be his name) meets a shopper in Bloomingdales while filming for his E! Fashion Police show and wonders, after looking her up and down, why people go out in public looking so… casual. I was very sorry I did not wear my new French rose-beige corduroys.

So take a look. Am I the only one who had no idea who this dude was? Btw, that’s me, the one with the gloppy cords, but cool enough jacket and scarf, standing next to him.

Hey, his scarf matches my shirt.  

Bloomingdale's shoppers with Big Brown Bags, reflected in the windows of the store