Visual Serendipity.

 

A different view of “The Highline” a beautiful urban project in New York City that has become a major tourist destination. The picture was taken from an elevator, through the tinted glass.

Visual Serendipity.

 

 
The other Brooklyn. The one you DON’t know.

Visual Serendipity.

 

Visual Serendipity.

 

Don’t believe the rumors; New York is really safe.

Visual Serendipity.

 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City measures almost ¹?₄-mile (400 m) long, and occupies more than 2,000,000 square feet (190,000 m²). Every single time I go, and I do it often, I discover something new.

Visual Serendipity.

 

Sea Gate is a private, gated community at the far western end of Coney Island at the southwestern tip of of Brooklyn. It contains mostly single-family homes, some directly on Gravesend Bay. According to Wikipedia, “residents refer to Sea Gate as “the gate,” and venturing into adjoining Coney Island as going “out the gate.” There is no universally recognized demonym for residents of the community: “Sea Gatians” and “Sea Gaters” are sometimes heard.

I was completely unimpressed by the neighborhood, but it was fun, as always, to discover hidden gems nearby.

Visual Serendipity.

 

A very quick shot at the lobby of the famous New Yorker Hotel while attending a BlackMagic event last week. According to the hotel’s website “from Muhammad Ali to Nikola Tesla, late President John F. Kennedy to Jennifer Hudson” have slept there.

Visual Serendipity.

 
Apparently even Ocean Parkway has a VIP Lounge!

Ocean Parkway, located in Brooklyn, NY, covers about five miles (8 km), from Prospect Park to Brighton Beach, and consists of “a central bidirectional avenue of seven lanes, the middle lane being for left turns or a painted median, two small parallel side streets, and two medians with trees, benches, and pedestrian paths.” The west median also has a bike path always full of selfish pedestrians. The parkway is designated New York State Route 908H, an unsigned reference route.

Visual Serendipity.

 
Serendip­ity: noun; the occur­rence and devel­op­ment of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

A random walk in Manhattan on weekends often produces truly unexpected images like this one, which was captured at Madison Square Park during an Indian meeting.

Visual Serendipity.

 
Apparently the traffic problems in New York City not only affects adults…

Visual Serendipity.

 
“Hanging out” is our newest image on “Visual Serendipity,” a weekly series of unplanned photographs taken with an Android cellphone. Serendip­ity is the occur­rence and devel­op­ment of events by chance in a happy or ben­e­fi­cial way.

Fascinating China.

 
The Atlantic consistently uses excellent photography, but their 41-image photo essay about China raises the bar to a new level.

“As China’s population and economy continue to grow, the country is scrambling to solve challenges in housing, elder care, cultural and political institutions, the environment, and other areas of everyday life. Today’s collection, a recent gathering of images from across the nation, covers a range of subjects from wheelchair dancers to bear bile farms, a monkey-controlled robot arm to a Tibetan exile protester who set himself on fire earlier today, and much more.”

Brew some coffee, and enjoy this cultural feast through outstanding imagery. The complete set is here.

Visual Serendipity.

 
Serendip­ity: noun; the occur­rence and devel­op­ment of events by chance in a happy or ben­e­fi­cial way.

“Multitasking” is our newest addition to “Visual Serendip­ity,” a weekly series of unplanned pictures taken with a smart phone.

Visual Serendipity.

 
Serendip­ity: noun; the occur­rence and devel­op­ment of events by chance in a happy or ben­e­fi­cial way.

323YUHDDHMSF

Our new addition to “Visual Serendipity,” a weekly series of unplanned photographs taken with an Android cellphone. Grace Church, a French Gothic Revival masterpiece, is a historic parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York, located at the corner of Broadway and East 10th Street.

Visual Serendipity.

 
Serendip­ity: noun; the occur­rence and devel­op­ment of events by chance in a happy or ben­e­fi­cial way.

Spring leaves? No, it is just arriving.

Visual Serendipity.

Serendip­ity: noun; the occur­rence and devel­op­ment of events by chance in a happy or ben­e­fi­cial way.

Biking is fun, good for your health, and great to explore a new neighborhood. The colorful building is a simple storage facility in Brooklyn.

Stunning tilt-shift video at the Carnival in Rio.

 
An absolutely stunning Tilt-Shift/Timelapse video of the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Shot by Sydney photographer and filmmaker Keith Loutit and Jarbas Agnelli.

Visual Serendipity.

 
Serendip­ity: noun; the occur­rence and devel­op­ment of events by chance in a happy or ben­e­fi­cial way.

I saw this ad at a subway station, and found it really engaging. I must admit I had never realized that a) each borough in New York has its own facial hair style, and b) that shaving is now super hip hop cool. The poster is part of a huge campaign for Braun’s Cruzer 6 which apparently “delivers cutting-edge technology and performance giving you a close shave, neat trim or defined edges and provides an innovative wet & dry technology making it a convenient shaver for use under the shower.” Wow. That’s  a mouthful!

 

Visual Serendipity.

 
Serendip­ity: noun; the occur­rence and devel­op­ment of events by chance in a happy or ben­e­fi­cial way.

I love reflections and colors, and also have a strange fascination with mannequins. This image, shot just a few days ago on 23rd Street near Baruch College, captures everything, including myself.

The source for the word “mannequin” comes from the Middle Dutch “mannekijn,” which means “little man,” or “little doll.” Mannequin is the French spelling from this Dutch source. Even though the word means “little man,” the literal French meaning is, “a young woman hired to model clothes.” Go figure.

Visual Serendipity.

 
Serendip­ity: noun; the occur­rence and devel­op­ment of events by chance in a happy or ben­e­fi­cial way.

The Flatiron Building was designed by Chicago’s Daniel Burnham as a steel-frame skyscraper in white terracotta, and intended as the headquarters of the Fuller Construction Company. The building was soon dubbed “Flatiron” after its unusual shape, caused by a triangular plot.

The building inspired unforgettable photographs by Edward Steichen and Alfred Stieglitz, and it is now one of the most photographed and recognizable landmarks in New York.  It is also frequently used on television commercials and documentaries, in the opening credits of the “David Letterman Show”, during scene transitions in “Friends”, and as the headquarters of the “Daily Bugle Newspaper” in Spider-Man.

 

Visual Serendipity.

 
Serendipity: noun; the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

“Chinatown at Dusk” is the second picture on our “Visual Serendipity” weekly series. The goal is to post a new cell phone image every week (click here to see last week’s pic).

For years I’ve been fascinated with Chinatown. So many things going on, so many colors, smells, and sounds at a somewhat isolated place in the hearts of very dense cities like New York, Chicago or San Francisco. What intrigues me the most about ethnic neighborhoods like Chinatown is to walk into a corner store (how do you say “bodega” in Chinese?), and see things that I can’t tell if are vegetables, animals, medicine, food, toys or decorations.

An added bonus the restaurants which are amazingly good and cheap! One of my favorite spots is Vanessa’s Dumpling House, what’s yours?