How could I have missed this all these years?

Just a couple of blocks from where I live, a building that used to be a police precinct. I never noticed. How is that possible?? That reminds me, I read that Frank Serpico lived on Perry Street. I wonder what block. Actually, which building? I know it can’t be mine because it said he had the garden apartment and the person who has the garden apartment in mine has been here since the early 60’s.

Buddy Update: He eats really well now. Here is the current (insane) system. He will eat the Friskies Prime Fillets, but only in the morning. And he’ll only finish if I sit on the floor with him while he eats. In the evening, suddenly he doesn’t like the Friskies anymore. At night he will only eat Science Diet i/d, dry food not wet. And again, he’ll eat more if I get down on the floor with him while he eats. When I think of all the trial and error that went into discovering this particular system, all the different combinations … good lord. He doesn’t seem to be gaining weight though and his diarrhea is as bad as ever.

I just ordered something called Gastriplex and L-Glutamine, because Gastriplex doesn’t have enough glutamine and that seems to be key.

police3

Sometimes I Miss the Old Days

While I was going through my boxes and boxes of stuff I came across some photographs from the NYPD’s photographic unit. Most were of crime scenes and pictures of people I was writing about, but I also got a copy of this one. I guess it must have been the scene of a crime, but I asked for it because it made me feel nostalgic. I mean, look at it. It’s classic in every last detail. The phone booths in the back!!

sodashop

Paring Down

I watched a few episodes of Hoarders and I’ve become obsessed with getting rid of possessions. I’ve always been like this, but now I MUST give my entire apartment a thorough going over. Every day I focus on one area, like a drawer or a cabinet. Today I’m going to do a big job though. I’m going to go through my boxes of papers. These are my records from my books and my business and memorabilia. The records from my books have to pretty much stay intact, but I can pare down the other two.

I learned that the Landmark Preservation Commission has been putting their reports online, so I looked up my building and my block. I learned that the garage across the street was a dancehall on the Perry Street side (my side) and a stable for horses on the other side.

garage

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I was going to take a picture of a bunch of lost cat signs, one of which was in the window of this coffee shop, but instead I took a picture of this girl taking a picture of a couple inside.

I’m pretty sure the couple inside were models and her picture of them is appearing somewhere today, maybe in an article about romantic places to go in the Village for a cup of coffee.

loop2

I wish I had been there!

I was just reading how a conductor led a large group of people through singing the Ode to Joy chorus from Beethoven’s 9th. God, I wish I had been there. I know the joy of singing music like this with a bunch of people, but I would have particularly loved to have been with this many people experiencing this kind of joy for the first time.

Sigh. Can I go to next year’s Ted Conference (where this took place)? I’m always hearing about some great thing that happens at these conferences.

I took this picture of two dog walkers crossing paths yesterday. The girl on the right was severely under-dogged, but she does have three.

walkers