12th St Church

Church on E 12th Street near Union Square:

Off topic:
Since second grade, or thereabout, I have this unfortunate habit of mixing up "union" and "onion" while reading.  Just something I need to double check myself on because "Union of Guerrilla Fighters" is very different from "Onion of Guerrilla Fighters." (oh, Redwall, you are my childhood...)

Q to Coney Subway People

Some people on the way to the beach a few weekends ago:

Lobster Burn and Stupid Gulls

Despite the fact that this is my second summer not completely landlocked, I have only gone to the beach a handful of times (like, twice?).  Got a fantastic lobster burn on my legs (naptime on the skillet), but my shoulders have been burned enough that at this point it just starts browning (hurrah -- no longer quite the pasty blue person).  Got some locals (the best part was the umbrella in the top left corner):

There was a fellow sitting somewhere behind us who kept feeding the gulls, so even when he stopped they would prowl around behind us every so often looking for more handouts:

Gallery Night BBQ

Finally made it to gallery night with EC.  (I know, kinda bad that I've been in the city for almost three months and haven't bothered to go out on Thursdays.)  Afterwards we went out for dinner at Texas BBQ (very much like the midwest's Damon's): their brisket sandwich is really good, and they have giant frozen cocktails (which are also very good, but unless you're very thirsty, you should go halvsies with whomever you're out with).

I can't remember the artists and galleries we saw because I left all my postcards at the restaurant table when we left.  That and EC and I were rather tipsy from complimentary wine and champagne

St Mark's Lion

The Lion in front of St. Mark's Church on 12th St, early July

This image was the first in a long time that people came up to compliment me on (last time I got that was early last June).  I ended up adding color when I returned, but it was gratifying in a sense that at least the black and white could hold its own as well, even in its incomplete state.

There was one fellow who came up specifically and started chatting.  He apparently works the night shift... somewhere, and was meeting a friend of his in the square to plan a walking tour of the area.  He wished to compliment me on my sketch, and he showed me a tattoo on his upper right arm of a lion (rampant?): a big-cat enthusiast.  We discussed briefly the nature of lion statues, and if you keep your eyes out while you walk, lions are everywhere: over portals, guarding the steps of residential buildings, in front of official buildings, portrayed in reliefs that pan across second and third story levels of older buildings...

The Bean Cafe

When I go to cafes or otherwise, I always order something like a coffee or pastry to avoid being evicted before my drawing is finished.  Although, sometimes it really is a close call sitting at a table and the waitress walks by every few minutes with a decidedly irritated glint in her eye.

The Bean, 9th St. x 2nd Ave (or 3rd?)

At the rate I now visit coffee shops I'll become both addicted to caffeine (like most of the world) and increase in pants size.

Egg Cream?

SG came to visit (two weeks ago, now).  She had an interview for a couple jobs (which seemed to go relatively well: I will be very surprised if she doesn't get hired by both companies).  One interview was in Brooklyn, and, being both ahead of schedule and angry that the bookstore we wanted to wait in did not exist, we stepped into the nearby diner.  I ordered a Cappuccino (still not as good as the Italian's), and SG got an Egg Cream.

What in the world is an egg cream?

According to Wikipedia: "An egg cream is a beverage consisting of chocolate syrup, milk, and soda water, probably dating from the late 19th century, and is especially associated with Brooklyn, home of its alleged inventor, candy store owner Louis Auster. Modern versions of the drink contain neither eggs nor cream, although earlier versions did include eggs in the ingredients."

It was one of the least appealing things I have had the misfortune to consume at table (including my mother's Blue Cauliflower Casserole, circa July 2009)

Donny Darko

Thursdays are free movie night in Tompkins Sq Park:  a couple of weeks ago they were showing Donny Darko.  I've never seen it and EC really likes it, so we made an evening of it.  They opened the event with this brass jazz band (they were good, but I never caught their name...)

The green was really crowded and we had trouble finding a spot that wasn't behind a tree or next to pot-heads, etc.  We set up camp behind a couple of girls who spent the entire time not watching the film on their iphones.

Chicago 1: Marina and Not Being in NYC

So, I went to Chicago to visit a friend.  It happened while all my roommates had gone on family business for the next few days.  Being unemployed and hunting, I spend all my time inside the apartment.  All day, everyday.  Waiting for the heat to go away.  For four weeks.  Needless to say, I had a bad case of Stir Crazy.

So Thursday, all alone, drinking my roommate's beer, checking Facebook (because what else are you going to do in NYC?).  Oh HEY! A message: "Why aren't you here to see Marina and the Diamonds with me? -- <3 Marz"

Long message short, I bought a plane ticket to Chicago.

MSMR who opened for Marina:

Travel doodles (honestly, we didn't give ourselves enough time to just sit around: concerts, plays, renaissance fairs, art museums, beach, dinners, meeting people, walking-outdoors-and-getting-sunburned...):

July 21-25th, 2012

Another trip to the Cloisters

Went back sometime in July.  It's really a beautiful place, especially along the when it's not sweltering.

Hudson (from memory, truthfully):

One of my college roommates (SG) was visiting, so a bunch of us decided to meet up to go (EC, MB, and myself).  It was frustratingly hectic: she came in at 34th and we were going to meet underground on the A Line at a certain time (to prevent us from waiting forever for someone forever only to find out they were on the other end of the platform, we would just meet at the Cloisters after that particular time).  EC and I left MB behind at the L Line (my fault), and then she didn't think we were meeting below ground at 34th, so we had to go up and fetch her.  Then we waited for SG, hoping she would find us before the departure time: she was wandering up and down the opposite side of the track and we called across to get her attention.  The last bit of misadventure was forty minutes down the drain spent waiting for the right train to arrive.  We got there eventually.

The Last of NYC

Grand Central:

Central Park:

Hurricane Day! -- part 3

Birds.

TOMBOW dual tipped pens are not waterproof:

Pigeons from Union Square:

Hurricane Day! -- part 2

So, more stuff from about 2-3 weeks ago.

Columbus Circle:

Subway:

River-side park off 1st Ave:

Same park, view of Brooklyn and up the waterway:

Hurricane Day!

So, as Irene approaches, (and as I have nothing to do and finished all my packing for move-out-day, Aug 31st) I finally got around to organizing the rest of my sketchbook scans.

I don't remember the dates for these, just that they were done about three weeks ago

August sometime

Since my internship is technically a web-based one, I get to help rebuild a website.  They're having me create the background image, and, as of late, shift all the information to fit.

Monday and Tuesday, July 25-26

WWII Memorial in Brooklyn at High St.

Sunday, July 24

Went back to the Cloisters.  I spent a lovely two and a half hours wandering around and I want to go back before the summer's over.

On the way back to the apartment, I went to Borders for a last foray into book bliss (and discounts!).  I got Mistborn (Brian Sanderson) and The Monster of Florence (Daniel Preston).  Goodbye, Borders, I'll miss you.

Tuesday-Thursday, July 19-21

So... I've been really uninterested in what I've been sketching: doing a lot of the same stuff and can't really think of anything new yet.

Grammercy:

Union Square Lincoln with his powder-blue headphones:

Union Square down 4th (?) Ave:

Saturday, July 16

Myken, Emma, and I went to Coney Island.  We sat on Brighton Beach for a while (we couldn't really go in because it was after seven and there was a guy in a green shirt walking up and down the water front yelling into a megaphone "Get out of the water; there are no lifeguards on duty.  Get out of the water").  We also wandered into the amusement park and got some good old fair food.  We plan on going back for a day-long excursion soon.

7/30/11 -- We went back today (with Sam, who was available for a little over a day).  It was a perfect day except we all got horribly sunburned (horribly)

Friday, July 15

Emma and I went to a free concert (part of the River to River Festival) on the Seaport (South end of Manhattan right by the Brooklyn Bridge).  I don't remember who the musicians were, but they were good.