Last week, I was walking up Third Avenue near 22nd Street when I noticed something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before in New York… …an enormous, 21-story highrise that appears to have been built to accommodate a diminutive, three-story townhouse below. What bizarre parallel universe had I stumbled into?! Here’s a view from straight…
A few days ago, I was scouting for office space around West 57th Street when I happened to walk by Stack’s Rare Coins shop… …and noticed what looked sort of like an ATM out front. Curious, I looked a little closer and realized this wasn’t any ordinary ATM… This ATM dispenses gold. Gold or silver,…
For the longest time, I’ve wondered about a mysterious ghost sign at the corner of 51st & Ninth Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen: If you’re unfamiliar with the term, a ghost sign is a sign left from a business that no longer exists. This one is for “Network – The Entertainment Company,” and it’s in such…
Last week, I was driving down Division Place in Greenpoint when I noticed something at the corner of Porter Avenue… …what has to be the weirdest limo I have ever seen: Once a normal Lincoln Towncar, the body has been covered in metalwork straight out of Mad Max: Everything is jagged and menacing, from the…
One of my long-term life goals is to climb to the highest point in each state (only 48 left to go – looking forward to Florida’s 345 ft Britton Hill, not looking forward to Alaska’s 20,236 ft Mount McKinley). This past weekend, as I was considering where the next destination should be, it suddenly occurred…
When driving in Manhattan, I love taking a random turn and finding myself on a curved street. While commonplace pretty much anywhere else, crooked streets are incredibly rare in Manhattan. There are certainly avenues and streets with gradual curves, but when it comes to sharp angles – the kind that require you to really twist…
A while ago, I was walking down East 7th Street in the East Village when I suddenly got the feeling I was being watched. I glanced over… …and realized it was Predator. Now, running into Predator on a New York City street isn’t that strange in and of itself. But this Predator is special for…
A year ago, I heard that plans were in the works to remake Rosemary’s Baby, and my reaction was exactly what you’re thinking now: NO. The film is a masterpiece, and to remake it would be nothing short of cinematic blasphemy. In the days that followed, however, I found myself mulling over the central question:…
Last week, I was trudging through a very slushy midtown when I happened to turn onto 47th Street… …and walk past what has to be one of the strangest buildings in Manhattan: A six-story office building, the facade of 15 East 47th Street is completely obscured by a wall of brass-colored rings: Here’s a close-up….
Last week, I was walking around the Financial District when I found myself staring at the little diner on Pearl Street in amazement. How in the hell had this thing managed to survive into present day New York when you consider the towering skyscrapers surrounding it? New York has its share of diners, but it’s…