W81st St subway station
NYC subways often get a bad rap. Yeah, they can be crowded. And filthy. And when trains pull into the station I wish the MTA would keep the screeching noise to a decibel level lower than ‘make me deaf’. But they’re also an amazingly efficient way to get around town. It’s relatively cheap. And, occasionally, you get treated to some really fantastic performance art.
I think the thing I like the best about the subway though is seeing the incredible tile work found at many stations—especially the ones that are popular stops—like this one at W81st Street for the American Museum of Natural History. I captured only a few of the colorful mosaics at the northwestern end of the station—that’s all I had time for. But if you are headed to the museum yourself and decide to take the train (C line heading north) you’ll be treated to these amazing images, plus, some incredible reliefs of dinosaurs that are located toward the southwestern end of the platform where the underground entrance to the museum is located.
You can find out more about art in the subways on the MTA’s website, including more about the W81st Street station, in the section Arts for Transit and Urban Design.
Mary Maru
The Sheep Meadow, Central Park. iPhone pic
If you’ve spent any time in NYC over the past couple of weeks, I don’t have to tell you how incredibly gorgeous it’s been. And I’m happy to say I’ve been taking full advantage…strolling around town with friends to visit favorite places and discovering new ones along the way.
The Cube, Astor Place. iPhone pic
Meeting Anthony at the ‘Alamo’. I’ve been calling this The Black Cube since the first time I took it for a spin with friends in the 1970s. But the name of this rotating 15′ painted steel cube is ‘Alamo’ and has the distinction of being the first permanent contemporary outdoor sculpture installed in New York City. Tony Rosenthal created it in 1967.
New York by Gehry, 8 Spruce St. iPhone pic
The tallest residential building in the US is this 76-story, rippled stainless steel skyscraper designed by Frank Gehry at 8 Spruce Street in downtown Manhattan. Magnificent!
New York Stock Exchange. iPhone pic
I don’t care if you’re left, right, center or somewhere in between. The Wall Street area is still an awesome place to take a stroll. You can feel electricity in the air.
Me and my new red friend. iPhone pic by Joan
Just before crossing the street to Battery Park was this rather handsome fellow masquerading as a gas mask faced standpipe. It looked so lifelike I had to go over and introduce myself. Thanks to Joan for capturing the moment.
Mary Maru
Yesterday I went to the 6th Annual NYXPO for Business at the Javits Center. As someone who works out of a SOHO (small office home office) it’s important that I remember to step away from my computer and get into an environment where I can meet other small business people and solopreneurs. And there were plenty of them at the convention.
After checking out the vendor booths I was ready to dig into some of the sponsored seminars. I admit the speakers are almost always using the seminars as a platform to peddle their services or sell a recently published book. And that’s fine. Because with few exceptions, I almost always walk away with some shiny new nuggets of information on how I can approach my work more effectively.
The highlight for me was a session with Joe Abraham, the CEO of BOSI and author of Entrepreneurial DNA. Besides being a phenomenal speaker, his presentation on how to be a successful entrepreneur offered a new and eye-opening spin on how to use your entrepreneurial tendencies to your business advantage. I walked away with a better understanding of why certain aspects of my business are fun and easy for me while others can be a huge pain. There’s a free assessment you can take on his website above. Personally, I can’t wait to learn more from his book.
A special shout out to style coach extraordinaire Susan Sommers who I was very happy to run into and spend time with. I was sorry to miss Kristin White of Exacting English. She is a phenomenal writer and editor if you need help with copy on your marketing materials or presentation…especially geared to non-native English speaking business people marketing to an American audience.
Mary Maru
Anthony and I spent a week in Ft. Lauderdale at the end of October. It’s been several years since we were down there. And I have to say, I’d forgotten how beautiful the beaches are. From that point of view, it’s really not so different than being in the Bahamas…except much easier to get to.
We almost rented bikes…not sure what happened to those plans.
One afternoon we took a drive down to South Beach. Neither of us had been. And I was curious about the art deco scene there. I have to say, Ocean Drive…the strip along the beach…did not disappoint! Here’s Anthony in front of the gift shop.
And waiting just inside were these outrageously fun miniature furniture pieces from a variety of design styles. I think the furniture looks super cool in dollhouse size. The store was filled with kitsch and I’d love to share more. But the ‘no photos’ sign caught my eye just after I’d snapped these shots. Boo.
Fantastic beachy deco architecture along the strip. And I just loved all the art deco type on the restaurants and hotels.
Sometimes you’ve got to have a destination when you walk so you don’t end up going way too far. This was ours on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale…tap the pier and then head back.
Mary Maru
Another fun discovery made after hitting some of my favorite stores in the Flatiron District was this display of carefully hand-decorated upcycled coffee cups.
Sprint sponsors Prow Art Space in the ground floor gallery of the Flatiron Building. Until the end of this year this showcase of intricately detailed coffee cup drawings will be on display. And the artist herself,
Gwyneth Leech, makes appearances working her art within the display space so you can see her in action if you happen by while she’s there.
Mary Maru
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