Posted in BY THE WAY, Friends, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged Easter Parade 2011, Fifth Avenue, Finley Ray, Helen Uffner, Lori, Peter on April 26, 2011| 2 Comments »
Helen and Lori
Here we are post-Parade and post-cocktails too!
Helen and her sunglasses!!!
Check out Helen’s saucy vintage hat!
Finley and Gigi on the Avenue
Dapper Peter and Dazzling Jessica
"Sorry about the hat" - The real Helen
I hope to have more photos soon!
Posted in BY THE WAY, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged Easter, Easter bonnet, Easter Parade, Fifth Avenue, Helen, holiday, New York, New York City, Times on April 26, 2011| 8 Comments »
Yesterday in spite of dire predictions of showers, Fifth Avenue was crowded with New Yorkers and tourists. The annual Easter Parade has been a New York tradition since the 1870’s. Over the years, it has attracted the colorful, the crazy, the fashionable and the NOT so fashion-minded.
Peter and I and our friends, Helen and Catherine joined us in strolling down the Avenue. Helen was wearing a very saucy hat from the 1940’s or 30’s (I should have asked her for clarification). Anyway, she looked lovely and maybe she’ll be in the Times next week. She had one of her employees join her who was decked out in an unbelievable knock your socks off vintage outfit. Jessica was a vision of the past in a deep wine red dress, sable fur draped over her arm, wearing net gloves and classic heels from that era. Topped off with a perky fur hat tilted to the side , she turned everyone’s head – check out the Times, I bet she’s there.
I’ve never gone for the vintage look when it comes to the Parade but that’s mainly because I maintain I can’t find vintage clothing in my size. Well even so, I like to wear wide brimmed hats and I like to decorate them with lots of flowers and ribbons. I have made a few and recycled them and sometimes reconstructed them so when Catherine decided to join us, I offered her a hat. She picked a favorite of mine, pink with a very wide brim. She wore a beautiful sun dress and the hat complemented it perfectly. Peter was dapper as usual in a soft gray double-breasted suit, vintage tie and a straw “boater”.
We had a great time, strolling along the Avenue and having our photo taken many times. And as the day wound down, we decided to top off the afternoon enjoying a cocktail. Now where to go? Elegant was the byword of the day so we headed to the King Cole bar in the St. Regis Hotel. It was definitely the right choice. Turns out many of the people whose outfits we admired apparently had the same idea. The King Cole bar was only the more elegant with everyone’s Easter finery.
I managed to forget my camera at home (that was a first). So I’m dependent on others to send me photos from the Parade. So far I only got one I can use but am hoping for more. I’d like to show Finley Ray in her bright orange and hot pink sun dress and wearing the wreath of flowers Gigi made for her.
Lori, Peter and Catherine
Posted in BY THE WAY, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged Drag Queen, Dress, Easter, Easter bunny, Easter egg, Easter hat, Easter Parade, Fifth Avenue, holiday, New York City, Rabbit, Religion and Spirituality, Traditions on April 24, 2011| 4 Comments »
Since I know you don’t all live in New York City, I thought you might enjoy some FAB FOTOS of Easter Hats from the famous Fifth Avenue Easter Parade. These are some of the prettiest, wildest, biggest, smallest, and creative from Parades past. If the weather holds (and it’s not promising), I hope to take photographs of this year’s offerings.
The Big Apple
Big Hat-Little Kid
Two Flower Girls
Our Friend, the Dapper Dude Greg!
Photo by Dubois
Peeps!
Drag Queen in the Pink
Teeny Tiny Topper
On the Rotogravure
Going Green for Easter
Posted in Fab Fotos, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged April Fools Day, Central Park, Gold Finches, Murray Head, National Audubon Society on April 3, 2011| 1 Comment »
It’s kind of a lame and late for an April Fool’s Day joke so let me say right up front, the fact that Friday’s Fab Fotos did not get posted till Sunday is NO JOKE! Other things kept popping up and some even got posted for that matter…this is where a cliché comes in handy; “Better late than never.”
After the Robins as harbingers of Spring, come the Finches.
I wonder who hangs these Finch feeders in Central Park? Maybe the Audubon Society although in addition to that organization, there are hundreds of amateur bird-watchers and lovers.
Flock of Finches Feeding
Photo by Murray Head
Caught in the camera in midair
Photo by Murray Head
Feet First Finch
Photo by Murray Head
Approaching the Dinner Table
Photo by Murray Head
Apparently Finches are a bit territorial about their feeding stations and quite testy too.
"Oh No You Don't"
Photo by Murray Head
"Now scram"
Photo by Murray Head
I'm Full
Photo by Murray Head
"I'm Not a Gold Finch"
Photo by Murray Head
Now how did he get in the picture?
Posted in BY THE WAY, Friends, New York Speaks, Only in New York, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged Boston, Chiara, Chiara's birthday, New Jersey, New York, New York City, New York City Metro on April 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »
The back story to this photograph is that my lovely daughter Chiara got married in June ’08 and although they were living in Boston, Tom and she got married in New York City. So they weren’t really here much before or after the wedding. They came in to get the license and left the day after the wedding for a two week honeymoon and returned directly to Boston.
Soooo, Chiara had a New York license from before when she lived here and it was in her maiden name; It hadn’t expired so she kept it. Time passes, one child is born, Finley Ray. More time passes and another child is born, Francesca and still the license had not expired. Chiara was still in Boston all this time.
This January they moved back to New York City, so she has been here for 3 full months, (can you see where this is going?). She just had her 34th birthday last week and Tom bought her birthday cake. I think the message is pretty clear – When the hell are you going to change your name?
Did You Get My Message?
Posted in BY THE WAY, Fab Fotos, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged Installation art, Metro Areas, New York City, Park Avenue, Tom Otterness, United Nations, United States, Will Ryman on March 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Some people think New York City is a lonely place and they couldn’t be more WRONG! You never have to be alone in this city especially if you live in the East 40’s, specifically Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. There’s always some art installations around the City. If you think back, I’ve published photos of many. such as the giant flowers on Park Avenue in the snow, the fanciful creatures of Tom Otterness and now there is a veritable crowd of not quite humans and not quite androids and they have taken up residence in this famous plaza near the United Nations. They seem friendly enough although not great conversationalists!
Back to Back
Do you really mean it?
Can you tell me how to get to Bloomingdale's?
"The sun feels good doesn't"?
The Thinker
"I was just sayin' "
A bit nippy for the end of March
All photos by Murray Head
It’s not Friday but these are some FAB FOTOS!
Posted in Fab Fotos, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged Bengal, Dol Purnima, Holi, India, Maharashtra, Manhattan, Murray Head, New York City, Rasa lila, Rati on March 25, 2011| 3 Comments »
They don’t call New York City the Capital of the World for nothing…Diversity is Manhattan. When I first moved to the City, I was amazed at the foreign faces I saw and the myriad languages spoken everywhere. Now, well I don’t even notice except when a foreign tourist is holding a guide-book or map. After a while you come to know that (and these are somewhat generalized), most nail salons are run by Koreans, the news stands are manned by Pakistanis or Bangledehis, the dry cleaners seem to be Korean and tailors are often Chinese, not to mention the numerous coffee shops throughout the City owned by Greeks and Deli’s owned and run by Indians. You can also visit the enclave neighborhoods of Jamaicans, Haitians, Italians, Vietnamese, Hungarian, Polish, German, Irish, Hispanic, Romanian, Russian, Thai, Indians and dine on the best culinary offerings from those countries!
BUT what brings all the countries together in the City are the PARADES! There’s always a parade somewhere. Today I’m featuring photos from an Indian Festival Parade. The festival is HOLI;
Holi and the following day, Dhuleti, are known as the Indian Festival of Color. Playing Holi or sharing colors is a highlight of this holiday. Gifts of sweets or Holi colors are common and greeting cards are often sent.
The holiday is observed all over India and celebrates the harvest of the winter crops as it welcomes the beginning of Spring. Holi is called Dol Jatra or Dol Purnima in Bengal, Rangapanchami in Maharashtra, Kamavilas, Kaman Pandugai or Kaman-dahanam in South India.
In Northern India, the Raas-Lila dances celebrate love in the Spring and honor Radha and Krishna. In Southern India, Kamdev, the Love God, and his wife Rati are the focus of the stories and songs.
No matter which part of India the festivals are in or which gods are involved, they are feasts of color and usually involve sprinkling colored waters and gulal, brightly colored powders, on the gods and on the other revellers. Balloons filled with colored waters are splashed on friends and anyone else who happens to be near.
Ready to Celebrate
Even the drums are colorful
Incredible India
Celebrate
Colorful HOLI Dancers
Just Do What I Do
Festival of Colors
Jumping for Joy
All photos by Murray Head
Posted in Fab Fotos, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged Art, Community centre, Fine art, Lower Manhattan, New York City, Paint, Photograph, Pratt Institute, Recreation, sea gull, Visual arts, Washington DC, water taxi, World Trade Center on March 17, 2011| 6 Comments »
Many of you know that in my FAB FOTO FRIDAY segment, I have a few ongoing series such as RED, FACES , Art Is Where You Find It and a couple others. These photos were taken in Lower Manhattan and through the eye of the artist shooting them, an every day cityscape becomes a piece of art.
Blue Transformers
photo by Murray Head
Gray on Gray
Photo by Murray Head
Sea Gull in Lower Manhattan
photo by Murray Head
The Bridge in the Background
photo by Murray Head
Kite Flying in Lower Manhattan
photo by Murray Head
Water Taxi
photo by Murray Head
<center><a href=”http://www.unknownmami.com/?s=Sundays+In+My+city” target=”_blank”><img border=”0″ alt=”Unknown Mami” src=”http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt184/UnknownMami/SundaysinmyCity.jpg” /></a></center>
Posted in BY THE WAY, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged bagpipers, Cottage pie, Guiness, Harp's, Irish Stew, Manhattan, New England boiled dinner, New York, Saint Patrick, Saint Patrick's Day, shamrocks, sheleigleigh, Shepherd's pie, st patricks day, tartan, Upper East Side on March 16, 2011| Leave a Comment »
1912 St. Patrick's Day Souvenir
The twelflth reason to celebrate this year is connected to last week’s when I suggested we should celebrate going on a diet so we could all eat and drink like it was our last meal. Today’s suggested reason(s) for a celebration are two-fold; Breaking the Diet – we eat and drink like it’s our first meal in a week! Silly I know, but if you really need a reason to celebrate this is as good as any. Personally one of my main dieting issues is that I often fantasize about the meal that I’m going to have once I’m off the diet. And that is exactly how you lose 10 pounds and then gain 10 pounds and the yo-yo merry-go-round continues!
Ahhh, but wait this week is a double-barreled opportunity to enjoy yourself; celebrate with friends, family, and even with strangers as this holiday brings us all together in the spirit of Erin Go Braugh.
St.Patrick’s Day – Celebration begins around sunrise in Manhattan – I swear that’s when I hear the first mournful sounds of a bagpipe. New York City with its 5 boroughs is heavily populated with Irish residents as well as a lot of wannbe Irish (at least for one day a year). Many of them converge upon Manhattan to march in one of the nation’s most well-attended and colorful parades. The parade goes on all day and as it ends in the Upper East Side, that particular neighborhood is replete with New York’s Bravest, New York’s Finest, and New York’s Strongest; bagpipers and marchers – celebrating Erin in a well-lubricated style.
This is the day of the “wearin o’ the green”; Shamrocks and Sheleighleigh pins, Irish wool cable-knit sweaters, Tam o’ Shanters (originally a Scottish style cap but not when knit in Irish wool), Tartans, honorary green sashes and the ubiquitous Kiss Me I’m Irish buttons!
It’s a night for partying hard well into the night and of course indulging in a great meal of Irish Stew or Corned Beef and Cabbage, Shepherd’s or Cottage Pie washed down with a pint or two of Guiness or Harp’s
This year I’m not going to be in the City on St. Patrick’s Day and will miss the glorious parade – I LOVE the bagpipes. But Faith and Begorrah I’m sure I’ll find an Irish bar where I can raise a mug and toast the motherland and eat some corned beef and cabbage.
2010 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City.
Posted in Fab Fotos, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged American Heart Month, Central Park, Entertaining, Holidays, Murray Head, New York City, Photograph, snow, United States, Valentine's Day on February 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Big Dog Little Dog
photo by Murray Head
Just Ducky
photo by Murray Head
I Hear Voices
photo by Murray Head
STOP!!
photo by Murray Head
Who Needs Snow?
photo by Murray Head
American Heart Month, Valentine’s Day – RED is everywhere!
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