The inside of the apartment is plenty nice, but there's something about the fire escape and the 10-floor view of the city that I can't stop looking at.
It's just as spectacular at breakfast.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Village sublet
I'm living in a loft for the next three months. An authentic, old New York loft. (Maybe I'll take up Abstract-Expressionism while I'm here.)
The inside of the apartment is plenty nice, but there's something about the fire escape and the 10-floor view of the city that I can't stop looking at.
It's just as spectacular at breakfast.
The inside of the apartment is plenty nice, but there's something about the fire escape and the 10-floor view of the city that I can't stop looking at.
It's just as spectacular at breakfast.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The Hurt Locker
Saw this last night at the Sunshine. Excellent movie. Director Kathryn Bigelow? She knows what she's doing. Movie has taut action and canny restraint. And a great cast. Each actor delivered what felt like real-people performances. See it.
Also, this guy, Jeremy Renner...
…is a star.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Two months in Red Hook
Today is my last full day in my Red Hook sublet. I came here May 2, after having spent seven weeks staying with a friend in Long Beach, CA, and 10 days visiting my family in Orlando. Red Hook is dilapidated, friendly, geographically remote, and sky-filled. I always meant to take lots of photos while I was here because I saw so much that I found visually exciting, so many textures and colors. But I wound up just snapping things with my cellphone camera and, on a few occasions, with a cut-rate digital point-and-shoot. Here's a glimpse of what this place is like.
From left: The view from Liberty Sunset Park; a nice big R not far from my apartment.
Inside my sunny sublet, plus the view from the kitchen-sink window.
Living-room view of the street. I've heard that dealers hang shoes from power lines like this to signal that this is a place where drugs can be bought. And, in fact, there was supposedly a place next door that specialized in outfitting cars with hiding places for drugs. After a fight early one morning that ended in someone being shot and killed, the shop closed up. My neighbor in the house next door said one of the bullets sailed right into his house. This was about two or three years ago.
My apartment building is across from a school. I really love the red facade.
From left: first moments in the apartment, May 2, and first walk in the neighborhood, thoroughly disoriented. That nice graffiti-poster has since been painted over, even though the house it was plastered on is abandoned and crumbling.
From left: Nice trees I noticed one of my first days here; 99¢ Dreams, as viewed from the B77 bus stop. I talked with a lot of interesting people there, including a home health-care worker who was on her way to see a private patient in Bay Ridge. He's 25 and has been in a wheelchair and on a ventilator since he was a kid, when he was hit by a car. But, the woman explained to me, his hormones are still fully operational, and he has longings. The nurse tried to explain to his mother, whom she described as "very Catholic," that she should maybe get a girl in there to dance for him. The mom, naturally, did not think this was a good idea. "It's not fair," the nurse told me. "She had her life—she got married, had kids. I mean, give him a little leeway. Even God would not forsake someone a little coochie."
Street smarts.
The basketball court at the local recreation center,
where membership is $25 for six months.
On my walk home from the gym one day, I passed
these neatly filed stone slabs. They look like sheaves of
handmade paper, like something you'd see at New York Central.
From left: The Statue of Liberty, a view I spent a lot of time enjoying at Liberty Sunset Park; me at the park, photographed by my friend Kristen using her iPhone.
When you live in the part of Red Hook that I do, which is roughly 25 blocks from the F/G train (the nearest subway stop), you really get to commune with public transportation.
The guy whose place this is puts the stickers he peels off his fruits on the wall near the sink. Over time, I added a few of my own.
There are a number of homemade memorials to people in the neighborhood. From what I gathered, this young guy died from an incurable illness. The photo they chose for his tribute is of him in a funny straw hat.
Summer night outside my apartment.
Dog that likes to give passersby a piece of its mind.
From left: One night, I went over to Brooklyn Heights, which is so posh and staid compared with Red Hook, to see the Valentino documentary. I'd never been to this little cinema and loved it almost as much as I did the movie. On another night, I tried Botanica, a beautiful but low-key bar on Conover Street that has an octopus-like chandelier and delicious drinks made with fresh fruit.
The living room two months into my stay.
My last weekend here.
From left: The view from Liberty Sunset Park; a nice big R not far from my apartment.
Inside my sunny sublet, plus the view from the kitchen-sink window.
Living-room view of the street. I've heard that dealers hang shoes from power lines like this to signal that this is a place where drugs can be bought. And, in fact, there was supposedly a place next door that specialized in outfitting cars with hiding places for drugs. After a fight early one morning that ended in someone being shot and killed, the shop closed up. My neighbor in the house next door said one of the bullets sailed right into his house. This was about two or three years ago.
My apartment building is across from a school. I really love the red facade.
From left: first moments in the apartment, May 2, and first walk in the neighborhood, thoroughly disoriented. That nice graffiti-poster has since been painted over, even though the house it was plastered on is abandoned and crumbling.
From left: Nice trees I noticed one of my first days here; 99¢ Dreams, as viewed from the B77 bus stop. I talked with a lot of interesting people there, including a home health-care worker who was on her way to see a private patient in Bay Ridge. He's 25 and has been in a wheelchair and on a ventilator since he was a kid, when he was hit by a car. But, the woman explained to me, his hormones are still fully operational, and he has longings. The nurse tried to explain to his mother, whom she described as "very Catholic," that she should maybe get a girl in there to dance for him. The mom, naturally, did not think this was a good idea. "It's not fair," the nurse told me. "She had her life—she got married, had kids. I mean, give him a little leeway. Even God would not forsake someone a little coochie."
Street smarts.
The basketball court at the local recreation center,
where membership is $25 for six months.
On my walk home from the gym one day, I passed
these neatly filed stone slabs. They look like sheaves of
handmade paper, like something you'd see at New York Central.
From left: The Statue of Liberty, a view I spent a lot of time enjoying at Liberty Sunset Park; me at the park, photographed by my friend Kristen using her iPhone.
When you live in the part of Red Hook that I do, which is roughly 25 blocks from the F/G train (the nearest subway stop), you really get to commune with public transportation.
The guy whose place this is puts the stickers he peels off his fruits on the wall near the sink. Over time, I added a few of my own.
There are a number of homemade memorials to people in the neighborhood. From what I gathered, this young guy died from an incurable illness. The photo they chose for his tribute is of him in a funny straw hat.
Summer night outside my apartment.
Dog that likes to give passersby a piece of its mind.
From left: One night, I went over to Brooklyn Heights, which is so posh and staid compared with Red Hook, to see the Valentino documentary. I'd never been to this little cinema and loved it almost as much as I did the movie. On another night, I tried Botanica, a beautiful but low-key bar on Conover Street that has an octopus-like chandelier and delicious drinks made with fresh fruit.
The living room two months into my stay.
My last weekend here.
Friday, June 26, 2009
"Everyone My Brother Knows in Girdwood, Alaska"
Shannon H., housewife, kept woman.From the series "Everyone My Brother Knows in Girdwood, Alaska."
Photograph by Laura Domela.
At lensculture.com today, I came across a totally endearing project, "Everyone My Brother Knows in Girdwood, Alaska," by photographer Laura Domela. Domela explains that her gregarious brother has always easily made friends, even with people who are seemingly quite different from him.
Her account of her brother's experience in this small Alaska town reminded me of my own here in Red Hook, Brooklyn, where I've been subletting a place for the past two months. Red Hook has no subway stop and really does feel cut off from the rest of Brooklyn, let alone Manhattan. Even though there's a hugely popular Fairway market and an Ikea here. Even though MTV did a Real World season here.
There are numerous housing projects in Red Hook, many decrepit low-rise three-family apartment houses, and cracked and buckling sidewalks. There are very few delis, restaurants, and bars. A brand-new pharmacy where the clerk, and all of the merchandise, is protected by bulletproof glass. A childcare/preschool that has a big sign with the word "it's" misspelled.
It's not everyone's cuppa, but Red Hook has a rugged integrity that I have fallen in love with. It's right on the Hudson, and there's a little park right near my place where you can go sit on a bench and look out at the Statue of Liberty. There are all kinds of people here, and they'll say hello to you on the street. I've never, ever lived anywhere more friendly. If I had the skill, I'd do a portrait series like Domela's. Since I don't, though, I'm more than happy to admire her fine work.
New favorite video: "I'm Not a Robot"
New video by Marina and the Diamonds. An unlikely mix of Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2U," football-fan facepaint, photographer Marilyn Minter, and Kelly Clarkson. Totally works, somehow.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
More than a woman
Dr. Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald died this week, having lost her final battle with breast cancer. I remember when I learned of Dr. FitzGerald. It was 10 years ago, and she was very much in the press because she'd taken a job at the National Science Foundation's Amundsen-Scott research station at the South Pole—and only months later discovered a lump in her breast that turned out to be cancerous. Medical resources were limited at her research station, but Dr. FitzGerald (or Dr. Nielsen, as she was known at the time) remained on the job as she underwent what was often rather unconventional treatment, which The New York Times describes in its obituary of her.
Naturally, Dr. FitzGerald's dramatic story appealed to all kinds of media outlets at the time, including People, which put her on the cover. I had been assigned to write a piece for Mediaweek on the best- and worst-selling covers of the year, and in my interview with People editor Martha Nelson, she explained that Dr. Fitzgerald's cover was among the worst sellers. Nelson said that the magazine got letters from readers who disapproved of Dr. FitzGerald's having left her family temporarily for a job, regardless of how stellar the opportunity. (If you're not familiar, the Amundsen-Scott research station explores little questions like, "What is the origin of the universe, and how did it develop?") I'll go ahead and state the obvious: No one would have looked askance if the circumstances were the same but the good doctor had been male. A male doctor who ventured to an extreme climate to do important work and who persisted despite a serious illness would have been a hero.
Well, Dr. FitzGerald was a hero to me. I am grateful for her bravery and tenacity. She will be missed.
Dr. FitzGerald at the South Pole in 1999. Photo: National Science Foundation.
Naturally, Dr. FitzGerald's dramatic story appealed to all kinds of media outlets at the time, including People, which put her on the cover. I had been assigned to write a piece for Mediaweek on the best- and worst-selling covers of the year, and in my interview with People editor Martha Nelson, she explained that Dr. Fitzgerald's cover was among the worst sellers. Nelson said that the magazine got letters from readers who disapproved of Dr. FitzGerald's having left her family temporarily for a job, regardless of how stellar the opportunity. (If you're not familiar, the Amundsen-Scott research station explores little questions like, "What is the origin of the universe, and how did it develop?") I'll go ahead and state the obvious: No one would have looked askance if the circumstances were the same but the good doctor had been male. A male doctor who ventured to an extreme climate to do important work and who persisted despite a serious illness would have been a hero.
Well, Dr. FitzGerald was a hero to me. I am grateful for her bravery and tenacity. She will be missed.
Dr. FitzGerald at the South Pole in 1999. Photo: National Science Foundation.Friday, June 19, 2009
St. Vincent unplugged
St. Vincent, the performing name of one Annie Clark, is a favorite of mine. Her lyrics are off-kilter and imagistic. Her music is rich and layered—sometimes orchestral, sometimes cabaret-ish. Her self-titled debut album a couple of years ago was a total winner, and now she has a new one, Actor. Her publicist sent me a link to videos of her doing acoustic versions of a few of the tracks, and you can see how effortlessly talented Clark is. Her voice, which in her recordings is both strong and angelic, is for real, and she's refreshingly unpretentious. Totally worth a look/listen:
St. Vincent "Actor Out Of Work" from Lake Fever Sessions on Vimeo.
Friday, June 05, 2009
A music video like they used to make 'em
Director Nima Norizadeh's video for Bat for Lash's single "Pearl's Dream" takes me back to high school and watching MTV, which at the time played only music videos and interviews. The music video was a new form then, and a lot of musicians had no idea what to do with it. A lot of them just videotaped themselves performing (kind of boring). They were kinda like the first filmmakers, who were so dazzled by the ability to record movement on film that they produced footage of activities as basic as walking. (The big storyline behind the Roundhay Garden, made in 1888? A group of people strolling among the flora.)
But then there were those who made concept videos that tried to tell a story or advance an aesthetic. These were often low-budget efforts, with homemade wardrobes and fishing-wire special effects, but they were fascinating for their creativity and for their camp value. Khan's futuristic-fantasy-on-a-shoestring take on "Pearl's Dream" would have fit right into an MTV video rotation circa 1983. The gaudy costuming, the smoke machine (the smoke machine!), the prowling wolf (remember the roaring lion that inexplicably costarred with Madonna in the "Like a Virgin" video—which was set in Venice?). It's a big slice of Velveeta, and its humble excessiveness is wholly endearing.
Bat For Lashes - "Pearl's Dream"
But then there were those who made concept videos that tried to tell a story or advance an aesthetic. These were often low-budget efforts, with homemade wardrobes and fishing-wire special effects, but they were fascinating for their creativity and for their camp value. Khan's futuristic-fantasy-on-a-shoestring take on "Pearl's Dream" would have fit right into an MTV video rotation circa 1983. The gaudy costuming, the smoke machine (the smoke machine!), the prowling wolf (remember the roaring lion that inexplicably costarred with Madonna in the "Like a Virgin" video—which was set in Venice?). It's a big slice of Velveeta, and its humble excessiveness is wholly endearing.
Bat For Lashes - "Pearl's Dream"
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about me
- Kristina Feliciano
- United States
- I'm an editor, writer, and sometime collage artist based in New York. My writing has appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Photo District News, the New York Post, and eMusic.com, among other places.
