Day 212 feels like a king

"You know when you hold a door open for someone and they just waltz right in past you? No acknowledgment, no 'thank you'. You're just standing there, 'WELL YOU'RE WELCOME, YOUR MAJESTY. SORRY I DIDN'T SPRINKLE ROSE PETALS FOR YOU.'"

Ten points if you know the quote.

Day 211 is feeling meta

Yesterday (sorry I forgot to post!) was a really long, productive day: I slept till 2 and watched movies all day. Literally, all day. I left my apartment once around 11:30 at night and then got back in bed to watch more movies. You can judge all you want but I don't get a weekend like ya'll so suck it.

Point being, sometimes we all need a little meta in our lives. Also, there are only so many things I can take pictures of in my apartment...

day 211: you get what you pay for...?

i always ponder the type of calculating that went into making this price list for "services" (awkward.) It seems really random, and yet brilliant. For example, how odd that it is $10 for 10 minutes but then $32 for 46 minutes. Wouldn't you just say, self.... for $22 more I could get an additional 36 minutes of services (still awkward.) Cause i know I would. Not that I've ever gotten or intend to get any "services" in chinatown. Except for the "40 minutes Foot" of course.... that sounds too good to pass up.

Day 210 is the outdoorsy type

I passed this tonight in the window of a shoe store and, um... what? I don't get it. I also didn't read it... I'm too tired. I thought it was funny. Shut up.

day 210: honesty is the best policy

new yorkers are a tough crowd. Some poor guy (or gal) was trying to ask a simple question. They were reaching out... they needed a friend, a hug, a cupcake, whatever. And someone came along and said 'no'. no one is out there that cares. except for that cut out yellow cat, of course. but other than that. nope. no one is out here. this is a new york cares fail!

day 209: get creative!

the girls and I had some pre-theater dinner at this quirky little thai place in brooklyn. quirky both because it was in brooklyn but also because thai places in new york in general look like an ikea catalog exploded in them. This one got wild and crazy with my fried rice! that shit came out like a star (as pictured). I took about 3 seconds to snap this picture then promptly devoured it. delicious!

Day 209 basks in the glow

It is cold, foggy and mysterious in Beantown tonight. This is one of my favorite buildings between my apartment and the theatre and I don't know much about it. I do know that the Boston Massacre happened here, that there are tours and reenactments featuring bored children on weekends, that it lights up at night and that the Blue Line on the T stops here. Did I mention it lights up? Weather (and camera phone) conditions being what they were, this isn't the greatest photo in the world and I will try to get a better one. Just look at the lights for now.

day 208: recession meets coffee meets warm weather

madness ensues.
it was a truly warm and lovely day in the city today. I guess DD wanted to capitalize on this as much as possible by.... getting their name out there? I'm not sure what the logic was exactly, but this was the result. This poor guy was trying to shout out a catchy and cool catch phrase but just kept saying over and over "Enjoy a hot cup of coffee on this hot friday." Nothing sounds less appealing to me than a warm cup of coffee on a warm day. He needs to work on his script.

Day 208 is a child at heart

This is the first in a series: Things on My Desk. Today I introduce to you, dear readers, Linus. He's the best. One time I played him on stage. Need I say more? I didn't think so.

Day 207 appreciates the beauty

I've taken pictures of all the theatres I've worked in since we started this little blogject so I thought it was time for one from Boston (ed: I may or may not have already taken an Opera House pic, I can't remember). This place is huge and weird and creepy and pointless and awesome. And I like how this came out.

day 207: yes, man made signs!

oh, chinatown. you so crazy! is "siamese" code for "louis vuitton stolen off a truck"? or code for "delicious dumplings made with mystery meat"? either are good options, obviously. this beautiful man made sign, also pretty remarkable. (hey EB day 205! man made signs are awesome)

Day 206 supports local establishments

My bro and I are known for finding awesome little coffee shops and restaurants. This find, right off Harvard Square, is really nice and serves cupcakes which boosts its rating an extra 10 points. I went back yesterday to eat lunch and do some work (I've always wanted to be a cool coffee shop/laptop-working/book-reading nerd and sometimes I play the part well) and ended up sitting upstairs which offers this view. It struck me and I snapped this which I like because it's just a moment in time. Now I want another cupcake...

Day 205 is a funny guy

Come on, that's hilarious! Guitarzan! It took me a minute to get it but I say points for creativity on this one. There was no one around (why leave such an amazing sign behind?) so I don't know the story but it was sitting on this bench and it made my night.

Day 204 is an actor by trade

There is nothing I hate more than a full day of tech rehearsal. And yet, I love it. It's just one of those things. I'm always so excited for tech but I dread it more than anything. Monday was no different. One part amazing, one part WHEREISTHEGODDAMNSPIKETAPE??? You know how it is. This came out nicely though. I think. If I never see another mic belt or light board as long as I live I might be okay.

day 206: sign of the times

yes, guerilla marketing!! these are truly all over the city. popping up overnight but then gone within a day, usually half ripped off like some angry wall street anti-truth peeps are manning the streets making sure the public doesn't get a chance to see these in all their glory.

day 205: the mystery of nyc signage

okay, i have to admit that i have NO idea what this sign means. It's all over new york scaffolding and walls and just.... everywhere i think. but what does it mean??? i find my lack of understanding of this to be frustrating.

maybe i should google it...

day 204: to the birds

its probably time i stop associating sunlight and sunshine in general with warmth. its just not always the case. Like the scene for instance.... doesn't it look warm? the birds are out (not pictured is the crazy person feeding them with no shoes on....where your shoes at??!), the sun is shining on the pavement, just looks like a generally wonderful day. false. it was a balmy 34º... ugh! is it spring weather time yet??

Day 203 is feeling reflective

Right near the stage door is this office with this piece of artwork hanging inside. It's a lighted triangle of pieces of stained glass that stays on all the time. Even when the office is dark (like today, on weekends) it's still on. I don't know what it's for or who made it or why it's wasting energy 24 hours a day but I think it's pretty incredible. This picture came out more artsy than I intended but me likes it, matey.

Day 202 found them!

I pass this building every day on the way into the theatre. I wish I knew what the Advocate was. A newspaper? A relief organization? A secret society for us Chosen folk? Now I'm curious. I'll do some digging and report back. PI Berkowitz, over and out.

day 203: the clarification is appreciated

i'm all about quirky. I can appreciate understated wit and smart humor. This is none of those things. It wants to be cute, but really all it got outta me was one arched eyebrow and a 'wtf?' stare. Also, i think we all understand how light switches work. If you don't, you're probably not old enough to be able to even reach the switch. all i'm saying.....

day 202: a little bit of anything in BKLYN

i'm afraid any attempt at wit or humor will take the focus away from the awesomeness that is this picture. this scene was captured in brooklyn, at a quirky little cafe which was SO brooklyn - industrial, clean, grunge, off the wall, classic, young, old, ethnic, straight laced, odd, etc.....These half plaster people were hanging from the ceilings.... in lieu of lights? i'm not sure... but it was awesome and insane and destracting and yet still so naturally meant to be there. brooklyn clearly makes me crazy in the head.

enjoy and gnight!

day 201: pretty pretty churches

I'd first like to apologize again for the poor quality of the camera on my phone. i'll try to be better about taking my actual camera around so i can do these parts of the city justice! This really is a beautiful church, i swear!

(wait.... we've done 200 of these post things??! crazy!)

gnight!

day 200: but, how did it get here?

i must walk home in some kind of semi-coma daze because it has been a few weeks of discovering shit on my post-work commute that i have NEVER seen before, ever. i walk by this building every week. 5 times a week. i've never noticed this! this building was built in 1868... fyi, that's a long time ago, so....they didn't just build it last month and i missed it. So here's a little part of downtown new york history. I wonder what this building was before it became the coffee shop it is now... hmm?

Day 201 feels artsy

You know I like pictures like this. This is in the food court of the office complex next to Emerson where I do banking for the show. It caught my eye and I like it. 'nuff said.

Day 200 is still learning the currency

CVS. Self-checkout. Sign showing all the payment options. Mastercard. Visa. AmEx. Gift Card. $25 bill. Hold up! There it was. My question is this: how did they make the sign? I'm pretty sure scanning and editing money borders on fraudulent activity. I always knew there was something fishy about that store...


We've done 200 of these suckers?

day 199: ahh, yes.... spring

one of my favorite, FAVORITE, favorite (!!) times of the year is the switch from winter to spring. oh man! i don't know what it is about the imminent warm(ish) weather, but the people of new york just lose their shit. everyone seems about 2 seconds away from stripping off all their clothes and dancing naked in the streets! It'll be 55º, and you find the ladies with the short skirts, open toe heels, tanks, no jacket.... etc. this is amazing to me! where are your clothes?? yes, its warmer than yesterday's 30º, but it is certainly not warm enough to be inappropriately under dressed! oh, these people bring joy to my heart. i could stop and stare all day!


phew.... glad i got that off my chest. this photo made me ridiculously happy because i got the sense that others out there understand my joy about the premature nudity of new yorkers with the incoming warmth. enjoy!

Day 199 is trustworthy

Harvard Square is a big ball of awesome. While walking around today we found this table of used books for sale. There are two boxes with this note taped on top sitting on both ends of the table and there's no one around keeping track. We think it might be a sociology experiment or some other project for a class. I think it's amazing.

Day 198 isn't Irish

I was all geared up for a CRAZY BOSTON ST. PATRICK'S DAY ERIN GO BRAGH WOOOOOOOHOOOO!!! It was actually pretty tame. I had to work which cut out a full day of drinking. Plus my (underage) bro is in town so we just went out for desert after the show. The Prudential Center, of Day 174 fame, was our first destination and just across the street is this... this. I don't know what it is but I'm mesmerized by anything with lights so I ran into oncoming traffic to get this shot. I miss my camera in situations like this because the whole courtyard with the row of lights and pool out front was really spectacular and the camera on my phone just don't catch enough detail. Ah, well. Enjoy the lights.

day 198: what year is it??

you find the craziest stuff along central park west, you really do. usually about 300 doctor's offices all in a row followed by the standard million dollar apartment building complex complete with doorman and old lady in fur coat walking her miniature dog.

Today I came across this along good old CPW... doesn't "Dr. Edwin W. Wolf" sound like it's from the 1800's? Or a story by one of the Austen sisters? Or a sherlock holmes mystery? Is it a joke? Is it a leftover sign from Halloween? What does it mean? I have so many questions for Mr. Wolf!

Day 197 spreads the word

Often times writing on walls, buildings, posters, lampposts, etc. is nothing more than graffiti. But once in a while something truly exceptional pops up. I couldn't tell you what this means but it's pretty amazing. Nothing funnier than deluded, paranoid, crazy people scribbling on municipal property. The transcribed text, just so you don't miss it:

Only when the last tree has withered,
the last fish has been caught,
and the last river has been poisoned,
will man realize we cannot eat money.

Wise words, I say.

Day 196 is smart. It reads.

This is posted right outside my front door and I just noticed it. Obviously this stands for "Boston Fire Dept" but after a 5-show weekend I stared at it for a good 45 seconds before coming to that conclusion. It reminds me of that Roald Dahl book, The BFG. I never got all the way through it but it still reminds me of a simpler time. Ah, youth.

day 197: ask the right questions

translation: "who watches the watchmen?"

is this from the movie? do i have to be a super uber crazy comic book freak to understand why this graffiti is all over the city? It doesn't even say anything fun, its just angry. It's all... "who watches this??!" When i first saw this (at another location, not pictured here) i thought it said "who watches the watched?"... at least that's interesting. a little philosophy for the average new yorker on their walk to or from work. now isn't that better than some angry graffiti-er slamming their angry messages all up in your commute? yes, i say. yes indeed.

day 196: new city discoveries

so after my lovely trip into DC to view all the amazing historic buildings (and obama, duh), we drove back to nyc today. it's true that from a car you get a whole new perspective on the city. This building, for instance. It's on the corner of 73rd and Broadway, a spot i've walked by a million times, but I swear I just really noticed it today. i love it! its beautiful and full of really incredible details that my poor phone camera simply cannot do justice.

Day 195 is part of the scene

I often feel that bars/clubs/restaurants/lounges, etc. can be judged on a scale of 0-Swanky based on their bathrooms. Bina, right next to our theatre, doesn't quite fit the mold. These bathrooms are somethin' else. The place looks really upscale and nice. The drinks are foreign and expensive and high in alcohol content and delicious. The food comes in small portions on tiny plates. And yet all sat there in jeans and sneakers after twelve hours at the theatre. It's a really cool place and I'll definitely be back. If only for the rockin' bathrooms.

Day 194 read the writing on the wall

Sometimes this blogject of ours inspires me to just see the beauty in the very, very mundane. The most ubiquitous items we see every day are suddenly interesting to me. I can't explain it, it just happens. Construction markings in spray paint? Everywhere. And yet today these caught my eye.

day 195: obama takes on lincoln

the world traveling continued with my very first trip to DC. we stopped by to say hi to our friends abe, washington, jefferson, a ton of awesome old buildings, awkward carousels, police men on horses, etc.... and we brought alone my good friend obama for the ride. IT WAS SO FUN! We took obama on a photoshoot around the city and it was amazing. i love history and obama (who i guess is now a part of history, right?).

gnight!

day 194: world travelin'

this is the second weekend in a row i find myself traveling on something that is not the local B train and going somewhere that is not my apartment. basically i'm a highly trained world traveler, gracing all areas of the east coast with my presence and hair. Today's choice of transportation: amtrak. I do love the amtrak dearly. I snapped this as we were speeding by the newark airport train station, which gets a bad rap but is actually a hidden shining star in the trash disposal that is NJ (sorry to my friends who live there, but let's be honest!). the sun was going down, you can see another train in the distance and it has a very nice mood of stillness and order - all things that i love. hope you all enjoy it, too.

gnight!

Day 193 is drunk at 3 in the afternoon

I have several friends with whom I drink pretty regularly. Nothing problematic, no need to get all Intervention on me. Just that hanging out and having a good time usually includes food and alcoholic beverages. If I had to name my Drinking Buddies, however, I'd undoubtedly go with T1; 3/4 of which were reunited this week (miss you TGasm!) and it was a drunken good time. Down the street from my apartment is a bar/restaurant called "Jose McIntyres" which I think is hysterical. I've been meaning to check it out and B-squared and I stopped in for lunch today. The food actually wasn't terrible for a MexicIrish bar, but the best part was this giant pitcher of margaritas. Needless to say, it didn't stand a chance. This came, by the way, after a tour and tasting at the Sam Adams brewery where we tried three different types of their beer, and ganked the leftovers. We all had a pretty good buzz going before even getting to the restaurant. All in all it was a pretty awesome day, even for T1.

day 193: it's a bird, it's a plane, it's.....

so this is fun...

i couldn't even laugh when i saw this today. I just kind of stared, tilted my head to the side and stared some more. eventually cars started honking, a lovely reminder that i was basically standing in the middle of the road. i snapped my picture and left perplexed and once again giddy with my little new york surprise of the day.

(ps. that's for sure one of the dwarves in the passenger seat)

day 192: blue angel of soho

could it be? the soho return of one of my favorite artists, banksy? perhaps you remember him from this. or this. or even this?

i wish you could see this one person (please go to the corner of Grand St. and W Broadway if you're interested) because it really is stunning when you come across it. the blue is insanely blue and the colors really pop. this sounds nuts because its literally spray paint art on the side of the street, but its actually really pretty and striking and wonderful!

Day 192 likes a good sundae

Brians! In a teacup! Eating sundaes! Need I say more?

Day 191 likes a good one stop shop

Driving back to Boston we stopped at this... place. There were groceries, and auto parts, and used DVDs, and Burger King, and Dunkin' Donuts and arcade games. I'm pretty sure it was fake. Proving its fakeness was this ScentOmatic in the bathroom. Is this something other people know about? Does this exist anywhere except the Bermuda Triangle that is Connecticut? Baffling.

Day 190 reaffirms its love for its favorite things

Union Square is still one of my absolute favorite spots in the city and it continues to prove itself. These posters were on the outside wall of a store on 17th and they called to me. I don't know who or what they're about but I think they're just swell.

day 191: anything is a canvas for your art

New York is so fancy. its all art-mecca, grunge, abstract, guerilla, corporate, graffiti, wild and shit. it seems all of downtown soho took this very serious sign, whose purpose was to direct unknowing pedistrians of the correct way to walk, and turn it into a white canvas board for their own personal art projects. and i have no qualms about any of this. in fact, i enjoy this time of street art the most.

(ps. this is the 400th post of this fancy blog of ours. thank you and goodnight.)

day 190: getting some perspective

i'm not gonna lie, this is about to become one of my favorite pictures to date. It's not particularly spectacular in terms of technique and just general "wow, what a great picture", but I love it anyway.


14th Street/Union Square station is a rat maze almost like 42nd street, except, smaller (if that makes sense). I was New York speed walking my way through the station this evening, in my own head - thinking, humming, spacing, etc... and i just kind of looked to the left and came upon this. It's obviously been here for years I've just never noticed it. New York knows how to surprise me like that... keep me on my toes.

This wall goes on and on and on. Which is tragic and compelling. The names are just always here. I don't know if it's all new yorkers who died in 9/11, but it must be. Its a beautiful memorial because it's simple, shocking and stoic. It also made me stop rushing and running into people and just take a breath and get some perspective.


enjoy!

Day 189 appreciates the local scenery

Boston continues to surprise me. I've passed Boston Commons many times since I've been here but today was the first time I really noticed how beautiful it is. The weather cleared up for a brief, glorious moment in time and it was a lovely, bright, brisk, sunny, endless-possibilities type of morning. The fountain, the gold dome, the grass (nature!)... it all caught my eye and I felt excited and ready and rejuvenated for the first time in a weeks. Spring may not quite be here yet but I can feel it on the horizon and I'm so ready for it. Thanks, Boston Commons, for helping me realize it.

day 189: art history

when i had to take AP art history in high school, I resisted it with almost every part of my being. I hated history, I hated studying, I hated GIANT textbooks that weighed more than I did and I hated learning (not really, but go with it). It ended up being one of the most rewarding and interesting classes i've ever taken to date. That being said.... architecture of greek and roman cultures was one of my favorite sections. you can't really appreciate and learn about its intricacies and how far its influences spread in a single chapter, but beautiful columns like this make me smile. its remarkable that a style of construction from however many centuries ago found its way all the way over to us, and in this instance, to this lovely church (?) on Tremont Ave. in good ol' Boston.

day 188: post it!

i love post-its. They're versatile. They're a beautiful shade of yellow. They're adhesive. The list goes on.... Here we see that they can be used to send a message. A message of love, appreciation, thanks, etc...

(Actually the thing I like most about this picture is the white brick background. shhh)

Day 188 and one of these things are not like the others

The stage door at the Opera House opens out into a back alley that is alternatively very cool and interesting and terrifying and abandoned. What sometimes adds to both feelings is the cars that use it as a secret throughway meaning you often get interesting people coming through and crazy Boston drivers barreling around blind corners. The theatre does its part by putting out these cones after dark. They do absolutely nothing. But I like them and so here they are. Drive safe!