In Plain Sight

  • Forgotten Storefronts in Williamsburg

    Forgotten Storefronts in Williamsburg

    I’m always on the lookout for the remnants of old storefronts. You can pretty much find them in any residential area that has gone through a period of economic decline, and Williamsburg is no exception. One in particular I’ve always wondered about is at the corner of North 5th Street and Berry Street… Now boarded…

    read more

  • The Pigeon Master of Delancey Street

    The Pigeon Master of Delancey Street

    I saw the coolest thing as I was driving over the Williamsburg Bridge the other day… Above this building at the end of Delancey Street… I noticed a huge flock of birds circling overhead…Except, they never left the area. They just kept circling, and it soon became clear they were following something… That’s when I…

    read more

  • Burger-Klein!

    Burger-Klein!

    I love stumbling on New York’s ghost signs – essentially, signs or advertisements for businesses long since deceased. I wrote about the great stationery store sign hanging on Broadway just north of Canal Street a year ago (I promise, that arrow doesn’t lead to greeting cards anymore): Anyway, I was driving by the intersection yesterday,…

    read more

  • The Animal Building on East 67th Street

    The Animal Building on East 67th Street

    I was walking past this art deco apartment building on East 67th Street yesterday… …when I noticed a series of really neat animal designs surrounding this side entrance. Above the door, a bulldog: Perched in the corners are an unhappy-looking dog and a menacing-looking rabbit: And above the entrance is this fanciful relief: It seemed…

    read more