Who is the TelePrompTer?

I was walking around Morningside Heights the other day when I passed by this interesting courtyard at 521 West 111th Street. I went in to take some pictures…

Teleprompter 01

…and I noticed this odd sign to the the left of the front door.

Teleprompter 05

. . .

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The Hungry Gargoyles of 110th Street

One of my favorite buildings in Morningside Heights is the Britannia at 527 West 110th Street.

110th 01

The building, built in 1909, is divided into two wings and features two rows of fantastic gargoyles below the second floor balconies:

110th 02

What makes this building particularly great is how low the gargoyles are to the ground. At only ten feet up or so, a passerby can actually appreciate their design (as opposed to those stationed tens or hundreds of feet up that seem to have been put in place only for the birds).

The gargoyles were said to be “symbolic of some form of the homely art of housekeeping,” according to a recent NY Times Streetscapes article, but nothing more is known to elaborate on this. First off is a man writing in a ledger, a very shifty look on his face:

110th 03

Next is a man carrying a platter with a roast chicken:

110th 04

Next is a man eating from a bowl:

110th 05

Finally, there’s the cook, stirring a pot and taking a taste:

110th 06

So money, ingredients, preparation, and consumption? The building features other interesting design elements as well…

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The Hidden Owl at Columbia University

One of the most beautiful and pleasant places in the city is the campus of Columbia University. It is simply incredible that such a place exists in the tightly packed metropolis that is Manhattan, and I never pass up a chance to visit.

Alma Mater 01

Located in the center of campus is . . .

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The Servents Entrance

Quick one for today: I was eating lunch in my car at 113th & Riverside when I noticed an interesting sign on this beautiful apartment building:

Service 01

Next to the gate on the right side of the building is this sign: “Servants & Tradesmens Entrance,” complete with one of those great old-fashioned directional hand . . .

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