New York City| Rudy's Music Stop| Guitars| 2013

This photo was taken at 169 W 48th St.(between 7th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas). I  was photographing anything as I waited on my family to shop.  Apparently every floor of this building is filled with guitars. They carry ukuleles and banjos also. From the reviews of this place they have some nice guitars but apparently too pushy of a staff (but it is NYC were the rent is high!). There is a good selection of vintage guitars also. If you love guitars it seems you will want to stop in here just to gawk. Yelpers give it a 4 out of 5.

Next door is Alex Music, the top NYC guitar repair shop. Carlo Greco is partners with his friend, top repairman, Alex Carozza here. Carlo is considered one of the best guitar makers (luthiers) in the world. If these guys cant fix a guitar it cant be fixed.

you can read more about it here:
http://www.rudysmusic.com/

Taken with my Nikon D300s and Tokina 12-24 f.4. No tripod

New York City | US Custom House and More | 2013

A city is a confluence of delirious angles. The array of geometric figures that meet each other near the ground or sky can make your mind spin.  New York City is no different. If you have been to the city and looked up frequently as you should have to get the full affect of life, you will know the dizzy feeling of the upward angles combined with the city noise. It is actually hard to look up at some buildings and stand steady. Walking in a crowded noisy city itself can make one dizzy.

Here is a unique photo I took while walking near the National Museum of the American Indian, on the left in this photo. Its a magnificent building located very near the South Ferry where we usually get off from Staten Island.

http://nmai.si.edu/visit/newyork/

If you are looking for something different to do in NYC this building not only is the Indian museum but is the home of the National Archives branch for New York City. 



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As well it is called the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House.  It was built from 1902-1907 and designed by Cass Gilbert who also designed the Woolworth Building. The building sits on the site of Fort Amsterdam, the fortification constructed by the Dutch West India Company to defend their operations in the Hudson Valley. The fort became the nucleus of the New Amsterdam settlement, and in turn, of New York City.    Its address is 1 Bowling Green.

Taken with Nikon D300S and Tokina 12-24 f/4 lens

The Bitter End | New York City | Greenwich | 2013

Here is a photo of “The Bitter End.” Sounds like the end of your own life, doesn’t it?

The “Bitter End” is another famous NYC music club. Lucky for us it still exists though maybe not with the same reputation. It is directly across from the other music club that I photographed, Cafe Au Go Go. It is located at 147 Bleecker St. It has its own website at http://www.bitterend.com. You can actually watch a live stream from this place now. While they don’t get quite as many famous people as they used to, they did in “the day.” The people who played at The Bitter End, be it comedy or music is almost unreal to me.

The Bitter End began in 1961, before the Vietnam War. It is the oldest Rock club in NYC! Unfortunately I never get to spend the night in NYC so I have yet to go there. Hey, anyone wants to road trip there from Central Pennsylvania for a good time let me know. We'll get a group! It is open every night and is in the heart of Greenwich Village. Go there if you get the chance.

Here are some of the people who performed there in the early days. Woody Allen, America, Joan Armatrading. Joan Baez, Blues Traveler, Albert Brooks, Jackson Brown, Dick Cavett, George Carlin, Harry Chapin, Judy Collins, Chick Corea, Bill Cosby, Jim Croce, Miles Davis, Neil Diamond, Bo Diddly, Cheech and Chong, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Ricky Nelson, Bette Midler, Lady Gaga, Billy Joel, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Joan Rivers, George Thorogood. And this is less than half the list of famous people!

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Cafe Au Go Go | New York City | Greenwich | 2013

The photo you see here is of a Capital One Bank. What is this crap you say?  Its really not even a good photo as it has lens flare and is not very interesting anyway.

But this is no ordinary place.  This was the former home of “Cafe Au Go Go.” This is where the infamous comedian Lenny Bruce was arrested in 1964 for using obscenities in his act.  It was a landmark case focused on the first amendment.  The even more famous Dustin Hoffman played in a movie of Bruce's life. Read about it here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071746/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_53. The comedian George Carlin was a regular here as well.

The real club was actually in the basement of this building. Its at 152 Bleecker Street. Not open long, from 1964 to 1969 it featured a large list of famous performers. This was where the Grateful Dead first played in NYC!  Other notables who played here were Linda Ronstadt when she was in the Stone Poneys and Jimi Hendrix. Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, the Youngbloods, John Hammond, Jr., The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Michael Bloomfield, Jefferson Airplane, Cream, Canned Heat, The Fugs, Country Joe and the Fish, all played here.

These places are thrilling yet sad to walk by.  Times are changing and things just aren’t as thrilling as the days when places like this were hangouts and nothing great was on TV or on a cell phone.  Plus a person could get as drunk or high as they wanted and barely get into trouble. Now you can't even have two drinks in a club without feeling paranoid that you may get into trouble.

Wonder how much those tiny apartments go for above.  It would be a cool place to live!



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Village Gate | New York City | 2013

Just another photo of the infamous Village Gate......

The Village Gate | Greenwich Village | NYC | 2013

As I approached the old "Village Gate" bar and theater in New York City I felt hyper and nervous at the same time. For those like me who love all kinds of music this is one of those special places from the past. If you look in the photo you can see the Village Gate sign on top of this now CVS drug store.  Its a shame it all went away. But this is where it was, at the corner of Thompson and Bleecker Street. Bleecker Street is not really that long so do yourself a favor and walk the entire length of it in honor of the history of this famous street. I have written earlier posts on how we got there from the Staten Island ferry terminal.

I don't need to repeat much of the history of this famous night club, since it is all over the internet.  But lets say in "the day" such greats as the following played or got their start there. John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, Vasant Rai, Nina Simone, Herbie Mann and Aretha Franklin (who made her first New York appearance there). The show 'Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris', debuted at the Village Gate in 1968.

This club opened in 1958 and was also responsible for popularizing Latin music in NYC. Other greats such as Sonny Stitt, Eddie Palmieri, Dexter Gordon with Machito, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, James Moody, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Hutcherson, David "Fathead" Newman, Slide Hampton, Pharaoh Sanders and Jimi Hendrix played here at least once.  It was jazz heaven in the day.

From 1971 to 1973, a musical comedy revue called "National Lampoon's Lemmings" had a successful run at the Gate. It starred future comic notables John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Garry Goodrow and Christopher Guest.

The Village Gate closed its Greenwich Village location in 1993. The off-Broadway capacity Village Theater, which hosted performances of the musically themed Love, Janis, Dream a Little Dream, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, and Escape From Bellevue, occupied the sub-level performance space until Fall 2007.







Here is an atmospheric photo I took of the place with my usual Nikon D300s and Tokina 12-24 mm f/4 lens.


You can purchase many of my New York City photos at:

jordanphotography.artistwebsites.com

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Rocco's in Black and White | New York City | 2013

I like to try my photos in both color and black and white.  I get so many more vibes from a black and white photo if it is the right subject for such. I turn my photos into black and white using the best software there is, which is  Silver Efex Pro.

Rocco's Pasticceria | New York City | 2013

While walking down Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village we passed and stopped in Rocco's bakery. This was a somewhat popular bakery in the day but it seems to have gone down hill.  I wonder why? We bought some cookies and they were only average at best.  I feel a little ashamed by this since I am Italian and this is suppose to be  a  popular Italian bakery. Italians can cook like no one else when they have the money, equipment and time. Ok, the French are pretty good also.

http://pasticceriarocco.com/

Johns of Bleecker Street Pizza | Greenwich | NYC | 2013

Here is a photo of a typical day on Bleecker Street. In this photo we passed John's of Bleecker Street Pizzeria, one of  the most well known pizza places in all of NYC. Another pizza shop owner from my favorite pizza place in midtown (Belle Napoli) told me that Johns is one of the few pizza places in the city that is allowed to use a coal fired pizza stove, and that makes a unique pizza. These stoves were outlawed unless an established place already had one. We did not eat here as they don't serve slices and we did not want to sit and eat. We did eat at the other famous place down the street, Joe's Pizza, where many famous people have eaten also.  Joe's is basically a hole in the wall, in like a 15 by 15 foot store front.  The pizza there was good, not great, with huge slices, and not as good as Belle Napoli.

http://www.johnsbrickovenpizza.com/ 

Here is the location of John's. 278 Bleecker Street (between 6th Avenue & 7th Avenue):


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Magnolia Bakery II | New York City | 2013

Just another routine shot of the famous Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village on Bleecker Street. No big deal, just sharing all my photos.

Magnolia Bakery | Bleecker Street | NYC | 2013

Here we were approaching the infamous Magnolia Bakery at 11th and Bleecker Street (to the left in this photo).  The local rich and famous frequent this place, however we found it tiny, expensive and relatively boring. No one cared to revisit again.  I would have liked to visit the BookMarc across the street but no one was interested.

http://www.magnoliabakery.com/ 

http://www.marcjacobs.com/bookmarc/

Its hard to get good photos on a sunny, contrasty day.  Cloudy days are better for color and exposure.  I also need to upgrade my Nikon.

Bleecker Street and Bank | NYC | 2013

Just for reference, here is a photo of the corner of Bleecker and Bank Street where we began our walk all the way down Bleecker street (East) to see the beautiful people, the wealthy and other tourists. On our journey up West 4th Street before we got to Bank Street we did run into a NYC realtor who saw one of our t-shirts which read "Cincinnati Reds". The realtor was from Cincinnati as a youth and we talked to him for 20 minutes and about New Yorkers compared to Cincinnati-ins.  Some members of our group are from the Cincinnati area.

This photo shows the Bleecker playground which is very tiny. I liked the little dog carrying its master's paper!

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New York City | Greenwich Village | Wilfie and Nell

Here is another decent shot of Wilfie and Nell but looking back down West 4th Street toward 7th Avenue.

Wilfie and Nell | New York City | Greenwich Village West | 2013

This time in NYC we took the Staten Island Ferry over to  the Whitehall terminal at the tip of Manhattan, as we usually do. We picked up the number 1 subway train (Red line) right there at Battery Park and took it to Christopher Street/Sheridan Square. It is not hard to do so don't hesitate to take this method to reach the West Village.

Since it was Memorial Day the terminal parking was actually free on Staten Island!  That saved us 8 bucks. We were not aware of this so that caused some confusion when we parked.  I was trying to put money in the lot meter and it would not accept it.  I had no idea what was wrong.  Another group was in a panic as well wondering why they couldn't pay.  I asked a guard and he said it was free that day. This is not the best managed parking lot.

The subway stop at Christopher Street comes up at the corner of Christopher Street and West Forth Street and 7th Avenue. I have included a map below. We walked up 4th street toward 10th as planned and encountered the famous Irish bar, Wilfie and Nell, where several celebrities supposedly frequent. The plan was to head up 4th Street to Bank Street and then left (West) to Bleecker playground and then down Bleecker Street.

A famous Irish bar in Greenwich Village (The West Village)

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Jersey City | NYC | 2013

Once again we traveled to NYC aboard the Staten Island Ferry.  I shot this with my trusty Nikon D300s and Tokina 12-24 mm on the way over.  It seemed to have come out pretty good! This time in NYC we walked down Bleecker Street. Quite cool!  It was Memorial Day and so there were extra boats in the Hudson.  It was actually a good day to be there and the crowds were unexpectedly low. More photos coming......

Jersey City from the Staten Island Ferry. 2013

The Dakota | Scene of the Lennon Shooting | NYC

Here is a photo of the exact entrance where John Lennon was shot.  Ok, for people under, like, 30 you may not even know who John Lennon was! Google him if you don't know. This is a magnificent building even if you are just going to look at it for the architecture.

This photo was taken with my Nikon D300s and Tokina 12-24mm F/4 lens.  It was converted to black and white with Silver efex Pro (version 1).

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Columbus Circle Globe Part 2 | New York City | 2012

Here is another shot of the steal globe at Columbus Circle at the beginning of Central Park. I liked it in black and white, as well as the wide angle look.  Taken with my Nikon D300S and Tokina DX 12-24mm f/4 at 12mm. That seems to be my favorite NYC lens so far.  We had just gotten off the subway and were exiting up to the park.

Disney Store | New York City | 2012

I thought this was a unique closeup of the Disney Store in mid-town Manhattan. I liked the art deco feel. I was bored waiting for my people to shop at the typical tourist stores, and so took this photo. The store is on 7th Avenue between 45th and 46th.

One of the most exciting things about Manhattan is people watching.  Yes the stores are great and the noise is marvelous and the excitement intoxicating, but just watching people is the best! You see some of the most attractive people you have ever seen there passing by dirt poor homeless people puking in public.  Last time we were there some lady had two dressed up chickens walking with her and they were pretty tame for all the people that were around them.  Then she claimed one laid an egg as she proudly showed it (likely a slight of hand). You can also see some pretty good street dancing from make-shift groups, who seek donations of course.  There is usually a crowd of tourists gathered around. Its one of the strangest places to ever visit because for the most part it seems like most of the people are tourists with just a few real NYC employees walking past on occasion. The whole place seems like some kind of amusement to me and not a real place where people work. It is hard to feel that you are in a real working environment and the tourists are actually secondary to life there, because it really seems like its the other way around. It seems the people who live and work there are almost in the way of the tourists!

...oh and yes the Disney Store is a must see for any first or second timers who like Disney!

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Motorcycle Rally | FDR Drive| NYC | 2012

Not the most interesting picture but I liked it. It was the end of some huge motorcycle rally that day, coming down FDR drive near the South Ferry station, where we had just departed the ferry.  By the time I got to the location to take this photo it was the last guy passing. I believe it was a 9/11 rally.  Must have been a few thousand bikes pass, and that's not an exaggeration! But I was too busy watching before I decided to take a photo from this overpass.  Brooklyn bridge in the background. It was pretty cool! As usual taken with my Nikon D300s and Tokina 12-24mm f/4 DX lens.