Things I Actually Saw

There’s a tradition in many places in the English-speaking world that women may propose marriage only on Leap Day. There’s probably another tradition that men have their sturdy travel suitcase pre-stocked and ready to bolt at a moment’s notice when February 29th rolls around. In case you need to be prepared, here’s the programming algorithm [...]

Walking across Rockefeller Center today my usual path was blocked by a huge sculptural work replete with neon tubes and fancy light bulbs. It looked like an electric representation of a fountain, or maybe it’s meant to be some whipped cream extravaganza. In any case, it reminded me of a Coney Island ride. 

“What’s New, Scooby-Doo?” The “Mystery Machine” turned up on the Upper West Side today, replete with Scooby-Doo decked out in his foul weather gear. He looks good for his age, he’s almost 40 years-old now, but he’s still dancing to the music over on You Tube.

In the future, every building will be famous for fifteen minutes. Today’s quarter hour goes to Frank Gehry’s pleated, “incredible lightness of being” structure along the West Side Highway in Chelsea. I’m a big fan of unique architecture, especially in New York, where it seems that every building designed from 1970 through 1990 came from [...]