Photojournalist

Vicenza: An Unexpected Jewel

In travel, as in life, it’s the unexpected surprises that stand out and capture the heart in a way that expected highlights rarely do.

On a recent trip to Venice and Verona, I added, at the last minute – due to the recommendation of both a cousin who lives in Venice and a New York architect – the small town of Vicenza, about which I knew next to nothing, except that it was midway between the two other cities, home of 16^th century architect Andrea Palladio, and easy to access by Italy’s excellent railroad system. Read More

Sicily Part 1

For decades, what have we thought of when we thought about Sicily? Barren earth; old women dressed in black; Mafiosi; unemployment; an impenetrable Italian dialect, and an almost medieval village way of life.  (Top photo: Mt. Etna – Viewed from Fiumefreddo)

Recently, we’ve been hearing about another Sicily, a land of villas and vineyards, with UNESCO-designated archeological sites, Baroque churches; sandy beaches, a unique cuisine, agriturism resorts,  attracting everyone from back packers to sophisticated travelers. Read More

Sicily Part 2

Layers of Siracusa’s two-and-a-half-thousand-year history are visible in its rich architecture and archeological remains. Our first stop, on an exceedingly hot morning in mid-September, was the city’s famous Archeological Park. For me, its top attraction was the beautifully situated Greek Theatre where it is said that Aeschylus attended performances of his own plays, and theatergoers perched on the top benches could see the sea. Read More

Sicily – Part 3

Over the centuries, Sicily has suffered from innumerable natural disasters, including devastating earthquakes. One in particular, the earthquake of 1693, flattened a number of towns and villages in southwest Sicily. Paradoxically, it resulted in rebuilt villages of great beauty whose architects embraced the then fashionable and impressive Baroque style. Read More

Sicily Part 4

One of the unexpected lessons of travel is discovering how much of what we think of as “modern” is actually as old as civilization itself.  So, for example, if you think today’s mania for lifting weights and going to the gym is something new, think again!  Read More

Sicily – Part 5

Palermo, the capital of Sicily, has been the vital heart of the Island since the 9^th Century. Its architecture, neighborhoods, people, art and food are a fusion of cultures and styles — Arabic, Baroque, Norman, Hebraic, and African – as generations of invaders have come, ruled, and ultimately been ejected. (Top: Cathedral of Palermo)

It’s a beautifully situated port city, surrounded by dramatic mountains, dotted with lovely parks, graceful piazzas, and broad boulevards, and is home to some knockout ancient treasures. It’s a bustling, wealthy, modern city, as well, which is perfectly clear as one drives through its prosperous outer ring towards its historic center. Read More

Empty Spaces

I used to joke that, after a trip, when I returned to my East Side neighborhood in New York, I would walk around the block to see which store had closed. At first there were small losses: a corner grocery store where I bought inexpensive condiments and flowers; a shoe repair shop. Then it escalated to a locally beloved family-run card and party shop, a Greek restaurant, a convenience store and small dress shop. In came the Duane Reades and CVSs, as well as the Chase and TD Banks.   Read More

Sel et Poivre

The disappearance of small family businesses in New York – especially restaurants on the Upper East Side — has recently accelerated. Rents have soared and unless a restaurateur owns the building, he/she eventually departs. Just this week, Mon Petit Café, on Lexington Avenue, closed due to “sky high rent.” So it’s a double pleasure to toast the food, atmosphere and longevity of a neighborhood French restaurant just up the street from Mon Petit Café  — Sel et Poivre — a family-run French bistro on Lexington Avenue. This June it will celebrate its 28^thAnniversary: same family (husband and wife team, Christian and Pamela Schienle); same location, and same daily specials. Remarkably, it’s also open seven days a week, as well. Read More

Women’s March

A larger than expected crowd estimated at 400,000 jammed midtown on Saturday as they wound their way along 42^nd Street and up to Trump Tower to participate in NYC’s Women’s March. New Yorkers found a way, through one of the city’s largest peaceful demonstrations, to make their diverse voices heard.

A flotilla of pink hats in an ocean of women, men, children and – this is New York – celebrities turned out.  Despite the morning chill, the vibe was warm and welcoming. The mood was upbeat. Camaraderie reigned. The event was exhilarating and, for some, reminiscent of the early days of the feminist movement in the 1970s. Read More

Lobster Lust

We were looking for a good “shoulder-season” fare for a long weekend away from the hot, humid, noisy and gridlocked city. Also, for a place neither of us had been to before. So, like Monopoly players, without much forethought, we landed on Portland, Maine, less than an hour away on a Jet Blue flight. We assumed it would be less packed with visitors than in summer. Read More

Stones of Block Island

When I travel, I don’t spend a lot of time with guidebooks that tell me, in painstaking detail, what monuments and cathedrals to visit or how to best arrange my days. I like to be surprised.  Of course, I run the risk of missing “must see” places, but I prefer having my eyes on the new sights and sounds around me rather than in a book or on a cell phone.

Given my studious avoidance of touristy facts, I had no idea what to expect when I was invited to stay on Block Island for a few days before the July 4^th weekend. It’s the least well known of the three islands – Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket being the other two – within driving (and ferry) distance of New York City. Read More

Easter Bonnets

A sure sign of Spring is New York City’s one-and-only Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue. While some New Yorkers were reluctant to give up their winter jackets, the parade was all about the hats. Read More

Mr. Turner – The Beauty of Art Juxtaposed with the Reality of Life

If you want to see a film whose every frame is as beautifully composed as a painting, go see British Director Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner.

And if you are a lucky New Yorker, as I happened to be, you can see the film at Cinema 1,2,3, where they have just installed comfortable, cushy, wide leather recliners, where a huge screen does justice to the poetry of this particular film, and where – as in the theater — you can reserve yours seat via Fandango. All of this makes for quite a blissful movie experience. Read More

Leaf Peeping – And Much More – In Door County, Wisconsin

Recently, I went leaf peeping in an unexpected place for a New Yorker, Door County, Wisconsin, a 70-mile thumb of land that juts out into Lake Michigan, an hour’s drive north of Green Bay. Surrounded on both sides by water (Green Bay on the left and Lake Michigan on the right), with 300 miles of shoreline, it’s known as “the Cape Cod of the Midwest,” but has a personality and history all its own. Read More

Postcards from Central Park

New Yorkers, and visitors from around the world, swarmed Central Park this weekend, finally released from winter coats and indoor pursuits. Nature, a bit late this year, began to blossom, slowly slipping into its Spring finery. We share, with pleasure, some images from Manhattan’s great outdoor stage and garden. Read More

Paris Parks: A Walk on the Green Side

Parks reflect the soul of a culture. So while Parisians are mired in angst about their economy, unemployment, taxes and role in the world, as a visitor, one can’t help but notice the number of beautifully planted, well-tended small and large parks scattered throughout the city, normally the hallmark of an economically healthy and prosperous metropolis. Read More

Grand Central’s Centennial – A Sight to Behold

As most New Yorkers know, Grand Central Station was saved from demolition through a well-orchestrated preservation campaign led by the Municipal Art Society, and Jacqueline Kennedy, among others. Saving and then, brilliantly, renovating Grand Central, launched a national preservation movement throughout the country, inspiring similar reclamation projects from Union Station in Los Angeles to Union Station in Washington D.C. Read More

Season of the Jewish Book: Two Exhibits and One Personal Discovery

Totally by chance (although maybe somebody up there is watching), two exceptional exhibits focusing on collections of rare Hebraic and Jewish Books and Manuscripts are on view in New York.* Each has a different focus, given the nature of the Collections from which they are drawn, and each is fascinating for the multilevel stories they tell. For those interested in the extraordinary beauty of early printed and handwritten books, for those who love historical artifacts and what they reveal about the past, and for those interested in all things Jewish, these exhibits are not to be missed. Read More

Easter Parade: A Feast for the Eyes

Last Sunday, the weather was perfect: sunny, blue skies and in the 60′s. Young and old, male, female and in between came out for New York’s Fifth Avenue Easter Parade. It’s an exhibitionist’s (and photographer’s) paradise, and here are some of the highlights for those who couldn’t enjoy the explosion of personal expression in person. Read More

From Rainbows to Sunsets—Jet-Away to La Romana, Dominican Republic

Two-week vacations are so-o-o-o 20th Century. Who has the time? Or the money? Or the patience? Today, it’s “getaways,” especially winter “getaways,” because they give you the feeling you’ve been away forever at a fraction of the cost.

In mid-November, JetBlue inaugurated a new nonstop “Getaway” to La Romana on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic (its 5th destination in the DR), with twice weekly service on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Read More

Gay Pride Parade—A Joyous Celebration

Sunday’s Gay Pride Parade down Fifth Avenue, following on the heels of New York State’s historic vote, late Friday night, to legalize same-sex marriage — the largest state to do so — was a particularly joyous event. As in past years, old, young, fat, thin, American, South American, Asian, Black, Latino and everyone else under the sun cavorted in their costumes. Read More

Intimations of Spring

On the first warm day of Spring, with everyone out on the streets and dulcet breezes blowing, it was pure pleasure to stroll past the Mayor’s hyacinths into Central Park, past the shadows of trees on the Metropolitan Museum’s southern flank and around the Reservoir to enjoy the first taste of Spring. Read More

New York in Black and White

For a short time after a fresh snowfall, New York is a masterpiece in black and white. Wrought iron fences hold onto the fluffy white stuff creating beautiful designs. Central Park is transformed into a winter wonderland. The trees, black branches outlined in white, arch over city streets. And the heated steps at the Metropolitan Museum of Art envelop the entrance in a mystical fog. Every now and then, we see a flash of color, a golden dog wearing bright blue booties, and we have to laugh. Just for a moment until it’s time to face, once again, the slushy streets. Read More

People Watching New York Style

It is the wonderful mix of people — their faces, colors, outfits, attitude, zaniness — that makes New York so special. Walking a New York Street is not like walking a Boston, Chicago, Washington or San Francisco street. Our ethnic ingredients make for a wonderful visual stew that is a New Yorker’s and photographer’s delight. It’s why we love to walk New York’s neighborhoods. It’s why, living in New York, we never get bored. Read More

Strolling Around the Old-New Lower East Side

New York is a street-photographer’s paradise. Nowhere is the contrast between old and new more evident than in the Lower East Side. Once teeming with poor immigrants crammed into decaying tenements, it’s now a mix of classic and cutting-edge architecture, long-established vs hip shops, restaurants, bars and residents. Some bemoan the neighborhood’s gentrification; some welcome its renaissance. I love strolling its streets and recording its only-in-New-York contradictions. Read More