Bat, man

Today's commute was a little more interesting than usual. Just before we pulled into Penn Station, a small, terrified bat appeared in our car, flitting back and forth.

The bat repeatedly flew up and down the length of the car, causing startled commuters to duck. The bat -- which appeared to be more freaked out than the commuters -- vanished just before the train pulled up to the platform.

The Empire State Building on a gorgeous spring day

Sometimes the light and the subject are so beautiful, you can't resist taking a picture. This was one of those days.

Is that it?

Spotted this while walking around far western Soho in Manhattan yesterday. It makes you think. And think again. Artists ...

Iron Man

An advertisement for the "Iron Man" movie hitting U.S. screens next month, stretched over Madison Square Garden.

First vblog

This is a bit of video I shot in the subway station near my office. It's my first video posting using Blogger. Hope it's not TOO awful.

Rats ...

On my train, I often see egrets, ducks or Canadian geese in the waters of the Meadowlands between Newark and Weehawken, N.J.

This evening, I saw what I'm pretty sure was a rat swimming in a (probably) polluted bit of water near the tracks.

I was initially surprised, then realized it was more surprising that I had not spotted a rat in the 2 years and three months I've been riding the rails from New Providence, NJ, to New York.

Say what?

"The Battle for Eternity is the Fantasy of a Lifetime"

- Tagline in U.S. ads for the film "The Forbidden Kingdom," starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li

Great bumper sticker

Indiana Jones and the Huge Times Square Billboard

Took this in Times Square on the way to work the other day. Great billboard!

This truck rolled past my office in Times Square. What is "Athenian Ice Cream"? Do you eat it in a toga and sandals? (I know, I know, the founder/owner is/was probably Greek. But still)

But I wanted "Shaft" ...

The other day, I took the No. 2 subway up to Columbia University when a man with an electric guitar and a portable amp stepped into my car. Without a moment's hesitation, he called out that he would play songs for people he looked at. 

After playing a tune for the "lady with the polka-dot bag," he called out that he would play one for the "white girl with the pony tail." He began playing his own version of "My Girl," including the lyric "I've got the white girl with the pony tail." You could almost see her blushing.

Standing next to him was a guy in a nice red leather jacket. The musician said he would play a song for the "guy in the red leather jacket," then launched into a spirited version of "Superfly."

Then he said he would play a song for the "white guy in glasses." That would be me. He was kind enough not to mention the gray pinstriped suit I was wearing (I was on my way to a memorial service).

And then, to my chagrin, he began singing "Raindrops keep fallin' on my head."

Graffiti ...

This is a a hand dryer in a rest room in a Chelsea cafe.

I'm baccck

After a long absence, this blog is back. I'll post things that catch my fancy (and, I hope, catch yours).