In Plain Sight

  • The Mystery Ballroom on East 125th Street

    The Mystery Ballroom on East 125th Street

    For the past week, I’ve been going into Manhattan via the Triboro, and each time I drive down 125th Street, I’ve wondered about the sign on the building at 26 E 125th Street for the Trowel & Square Ballroom. It’s such a great period sign, with red lettering that looks as though it dates to…

    read more

  • The 8 Best Fake Storefronts & Phony Building Facades In New York City

    The 8 Best Fake Storefronts & Phony Building Facades In New York City

    Way way back, when I first started Scouting NY, I did a post about a great tailor shop window I saw in Chinatown, writing “I love this sign lettering that is most definitely not nostalgic/ironic.” Of course, I had been completely fooled. Back then, this was actually Milk & Honey, a super hip, semi-secret, invitation-only…

    read more

  • A Hidden Theater In The Times Square Visitor Center

    A Hidden Theater In The Times Square Visitor Center

    UPDATE: This is now closed, sadly. OK, I’ll admit it: I was a Times Square Visitor Center snob. From my earliest days as a tourist in NYC, to my years as a student at Columbia, through my career as a scout, right up until…well, right up until last week, I’ve always considered the Times Square…

    read more

  • Is This Times Square Grate A Portal To Another Dimension?

    Is This Times Square Grate A Portal To Another Dimension?

    Last week, I was scouting a building in Times Square. After, I was standing on that large grate on the island between 45th & 46th checking my email… …when all of a sudden, I noticed something… What the hell was that noise coming up from below? Here’s a recording I took with my phone: At…

    read more