postcards from new york

 

I had my first NYC meal at the Jackson Diner, an Indian buffet in Queens. This area is home to a plethora of ethnic groups.

 

Marianna "Telemarketer" Kadlecova is a mad court jester. She likes wearing cowboy hats when she isn't a jester.

 

Joshua and Feiona are always playing games on their cellphones – even when they are at home watching a movie. Feiona is addicted to the game, Plants vs. Zombies.

 

Getting down with Kallarje, my old band, on a Sunday afternoon at the New Amsterdam Music Association in Harlem. The association was founded in 1904 as a union for black musicians that weren't allowed to join the white union.

 

Andrea watches me eat curry through a 50mm lens. She was visiting from Slovakia to attend our friend Sam's wedding. She bought a pack of party horns for the wedding but forgot to open the package. So we took them to the park and made obnoxious music.

 

I used to visit Bleecker Street Records every now and then. In January of this year, reports surfaced that the store would be closing its doors in April as the landlord was planning to jack up the rent to $27,000 a month. I am glad it is still open.

 

Andrea and I were plundering the streets of Greenwich Village when we saw this priceless display. 

 

This guy was hawking newspapers in Washington Square Park. He is from Barbados and has been in New York for 37 years. "It's hard to leave the city," he said. He cut the conversation short and said he had to keep working.

 

Good ol' Chinatown never changes. 

 

Jason. I've known this guy since 2001. We were waiting in line for Shake Shack after hitting up the Chelsea galleries. After taking this picture I half-drunkenly said, "This is the best shot I've taken all trip. It's a masterpiece. I'm putting it my portfolio." Jason thinks I have an awesome portfolio.