Of all the protest photos I took that day (this was a 15-minute break in the work day, since it took place a block away from my office), this was the least interesting to me. The pilots were arranged for a photo-op, so this is a photo of a photo-op. But I submitted it to Reddit because it was the most straightforward; yes, it’s a protest on Wall Street, but one with specific grievances against a specific corporation and not one that necessarily endorses the ongoing #occupywallst protest.

Still, the appetite for protest is big and these meticulously dressed pilots holding a picket make for a striking image. And a good number of them probably sympathize with the anti-Wall Street sentiment of the Zuccotti Park campers.

My personal favorite image from the bunch is this one, even with its weak composition, just because it was such a funny coincidence for someone who had a particular resemblance to a certain Golden Age actress to be walking down Broadway at the same time as a stream of pilots dressed in the same elegance as that period:

I also like this one, because of the rhythm of the pilots’ uniforms and hats, contrasted with some guy just trying to get down Broad street:

The Daily Dot wrote about the photo’s popularity here.

It was surprisingly empty but at around 630ish, people with serious camera gear were staking their claim. So I went to the top deck and picked a spot to lay my camera on and listened to a few episodes of “This American Life” (waiting a few hours for ANYTHING is nothing compared to waiting 6 hours in the cold during my once-and-never-again New Years Eve in Times Square experience).

As the pics and video below should show, the sunset was far more beautiful than the fireworks, which were diminished by the Hudson River’s distance from the Rock, vertically and westwardly. You couldn’t hear any of the music. But one cool benefit to being above the city is that you get to see what seem to be the dozens of fireworks shows across New Jersey and Brooklyn, puny as they are in comparison.

My sloppy video:

I wouldn’t go again, the fireworks just seem too distant and beneath you, literally, to be as enjoyable at ground level. Still, I didn’t regret finally getting to see a sunset over New York from a skyscraper.

Walked by the midtown Apple Store last night (July 1, 2011) and it was undergoing renovations. Even the stores get the white box treatment, apparently.

During last night’s blizzard, there was an attempt at a mass snowball fight like last year’s. People spent more time pelting vehicles than each other, since they had to fight across a street, and It petered out after a few minutes.

I think the main difference between this year and last was that last year, the TKTS plaza area was open, providing a much bigger common space to goof around in. That area has been closed to prepare for New Year Eve’s festivities.

Also, the weather was much blustier this year…there was lightning and thunder, not that you could really notice the former in Times Square. See my pics of last year’s snowball fight here.

The Father Duffy Square, where the TKTS stand is, was closed off:

Last year was more of a big snow flurry. Last night was definitely a blizzard.

Snowpocalypse all over again. See my set of snowed-in New York City here.

New York, population by ethnic count, Census 2000. By Eric Fischer

Pretty fascinating maps of the racial (and ultimately, socio-economic divide) of America’s biggest cities. Cartographer Eric Fischer color/geocoded the population according to ethnic categories in the 2000 Census data. Not surprisingly, someone (David Gardner) at the UKs Daily Mail has to be mentally tardy about it:

With one dot equalling 25 people, digital cartographer Eric Fischer then colour-coded them based on race, with whites represented by pink, blacks by blue, Hispanic by orange and Asians by green.

The resulting maps may not represent what many might expect Barack Obama’s integrated rainbow nation to look like, as many cities have clear racial dividing lines.

Um…an “integrated rainbow nation” isn’t something from Pres. Obama, fuckwit (nor would he claim that he’s made it so in his first years for his presidency). I can accept people disagreeing with Obama’s policies and visions. But racially harmonious and integrated America isn’t some radical utopia limited to Obama’s presidential agenda. It’s only been an ideal since 18th-century America. And some guy named Ronald as recently as a few decades ago bragged about growing up in a melting pot.

Nevermind that the data was from ten years ago. It makes as much sense to associate the racial stratification with Obama’s controversies as it would to label them the result of Pres. G.W. Bush’s terms (which hadn’t started until 2000).

From the “Business and Pleasure” mixer for the news geeks group, Hacks/Hackers on the Gawker Media rooftop in Nolita. There was an open bar, but yet the dance floor was empty, which I’m sure was entirely unrelated to the infrequency of Lady GaGa selections by the DJ.

The Tribute in Light, as seen from the Gawker roof:

From the Onion WSJ’s New York edition, “Changes in Flushing Set Off Food Fight”, a group of people feel disenfranchised by a lack of Lean Cuisine:

The recent closure of a Key Food in Flushing was the last straw for many longtime residents, who say they feel ignored and isolated. Now, they are asking the new Asian market in the area to cater to them, too.
…
Some non-Asian residents mourn the neighborhood’s transformation, saying it feels like a foreign country. They say the Key Food, which closed in late May, was among the last grocery stores where they could buy Lean Cuisine and deli meats.

“Most of the supermarkets in the area are Asian markets and all they have is just one single aisle of food for us,” said Rosa Febles, 50 years old, who has lived in Flushing for four decades. “We feel a little left out.”

h/t @mariancw

Goddammit this was my early retirement plan. And the guy obviously made bank with it if he doesn’t need the sign anymore. Or he’s brain damaged. Either way, he doesn’t have to worry about work anymore.

Found on St. Marks place, between 2nd and 3rd avenues.