Lots of Lawyers 30/366

Ever wonder what happens when you put a whole bunch of lawyers in some conference rooms at the Marriott Marquis? I didn't really, either, but I found out this morning that mostly they talk about things like electronic discovery and the ethics of witness preparation. Such is the wonder that is the NY State Bar Association's Annual Meeting.

Sweet Citrus 29/366

Every winter, Cushman's of West Palm Beach, FL, advertises its honey bell oranges, available for only a short time. I decided to get a box this year and they have been delicious so far.

The state of our union is....drunk 28/366

President Bush delivered his final State of the Union Address and we were there to keep the drinks flowing with our 7th annual State of the Union Address Drinking Game. The hit counter keeps climbing and it definitely seems that people had a good time with it.

Nighttime Traffic 27/366

Sometimes I don't take the chance to take a picture until late, and I'm left with what I can see from my apartment. So I caught this scene of the traffic on Broadway whizzing by.

Regular Maintenance 26/366

No, these are not subway phantoms. Rather they are some of the scores of workers I saw fixing the tracks this weekend in what has become a weekly ritual. One day, I hope the trains may run as scheduled. Until then we just do the best we can.

Quaint in the Garden State 25/366

So a Starbucks and handful of other national chains might not be everyone's idea of a quaint street in a relatively small town in NJ. I spent Friday evening and Saturday in Summit, NJ, which was very nice. This scene, which I couldn't capture appropriately broadly, seemed like a nice example of modern suburbia.

Growing trend 24/366

These "Store for Rent" sides have been spreading throughout the west side over the past year or so. Now, I don't want to get off on a rant here (kudos to those who get the reference), but the proliferation of banks and Chipotles, etc. in place of long-loved local stores sucks. I'm all for progress, but as these signs show, a lot of these businesses were forced out by rising rents and the landlords demanding these rents have nothing to fill the space. Serves them right, I guess. Hopefully the maintenance of these fallow storefronts is teaching these folks a lesson.

Cookie Truck! 23/366

This truck full of wonderful looking fresh desserts (cookies, cakes, etc.) started appearing just outside my office building the day that I met with my doctor and committed myself to cutting sweets and a lot of extraneous calories. Now I know how Adam & Eve felt looking at that apple...

Urban Wildlife 22/366

This penguin may be a little far from his home habitat, but clearly he's in town for the great TV shows (writers' strike notwithstanding).

NY Matters 21/366

The NY primary is February 5, so for the first time in at least a while the NY primary matters. These were the first canvassers I've come across so far.

Somebody's getting married! 20/366

Mazal tov, Amy & Jon. Today I went to a wonderful wedding. It was a lot of fun and I think everyone had a good time. Really, that's just about all you can ask for.

It's Baaa-aack 19/366

The 2nd Ave Deli has returned, though no longer on 2nd Avenue (it's now on 33rd near 3rd). Though they serve mostly things that I shouldn't be eating these days, for any number of reasons, it's okay to cheat every so often. And it's SO tasty.

Roughly the Center of the Universe 18/366

I passed through Grand Central Station on Friday, heading to Riverdale for Shabbat. I've never spent much time in GCT, but it is incredibly impressive. The seeming calm that you can see in the main atrium belies the immense number of people that go through there on a daily basis.

In Vino Veritas 17/366

I went to a wine tasting on Thursday day, hosted by the Kosher Wine Society. It featured a good selection from Galil Mountain Winery, one of my favorites. It was nice to be able to taste a number of their wines at the same time.

Splish splash 16/366

I took a midday trip to the mikveh at the Temple Israel Center in White Plains with Jon for his pre-wedding dip. It's not every day you get to take a picture of a working ritual bath.

School Daze 15/366

I had to drop by a local public school this morning for Tikvat Yisrael. Even though my schools looked pretty different, there was something nostalgic about the miniaturized reality of elementary school.

Union Rat 14/366

These are definitely a common sight when you are walking around the city. In fact, this one, on 44th St. isn't one of those that I see most often, which are on 45th St, both between Broadway and 6th Ave. and between 5th Ave. and 6th Ave.

Lincoln Center 13/366

I'm not sure why, but this slightly unconventional shot of Lincoln Center appealed to me. You never know what will strike you when you're wandering around.

The Other Dunkin Donuts 12/366

This Dunkin Donuts, which I can see from my apartment, opened sometime in mid- to late-2007. It is less than a full block from a pre-existing DD, but many believe that in this case newer is better.

Rainy Day 11/366

The rain was coming down in sheets when I popped outside to get some lunch. Thought it would make an interesting picture.

A Slice of Princeton in NY 10/366

Unfortunately I couldn't get a shot of the flag unfurled, but if I had you would see a big black P on an orange field. In the shadow of the Chrysler Building, the Princeton Club provides a gathering place for tigers in the urban jungle (that would make a good brochure tag-line). For me, it's mostly where I get my haircuts.

A Little Piece of Florida in NY 9/366

I picked up this little palm tree on my last trip through the Ft. Lauderdale airport for work this summer. It hasn't yet gotten up to the ~4 ft that the box suggests, but who knows. It did just sprout two tall shoots out of nowhere this weekend.

Everyday People 8/366

This is not the oddest sight that I've seen on the streets of New York. It's probably not even the oddest sight in the 8 days so far in 2008, but I was fairly entertained by this guy carrying this enormous poster right by Bryant Park and people barely batted an eye.

A City in Motion 7/366

When everything is working properly, we do a pretty good job of moving lots of people around. This is just a view from my daily commute, the hectic Times Square subway station.

Remnants of the Season 6/366

New York does a good job of dressing up for the holidays and fortunately the city takes as long to take down its lights as do most households.