NEW YORK NEW YORK – We stayed in town tonight (rare for us on a Friday) to take some Swedish friends to the Red Rooster, a restaurant owned by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson. “Celebrity chef” is used without irony here. Marcus is a sensation and his success is well-deserved. Think of the dinner as an “event” in very poor light. I shot the following with my Sony Nex-7 waring a 50mm Leica Summilux lens.
Owner of the Red Rooster`Dinner at the Red RoosterWine list at the Red RoosterDiscussion at the Red Rooster
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Alexander’s fiance had her wedding shower today, so he and his future father in law and I went to lunch together. We went to The Red Rooster, Marcus Samuelsson’s restaurant in Harlem. Here’s what The Red Rooster’s website says about itself:
We named our restaurant after the legendary Harlem speakeasy that was located at 138th Street and 7th Avenue, where neighborhood folk, jazz greats, authors, politicians and some of the most noteworthy figures of the 20th Century – such as Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Nat King Cole and James Baldwin – would converge . . .
After lunch we walked down Lenox Avenue to Central Park, me carrying my Alpa TC, Phase One IQ 180 back and a 47mm Schneider XL lens.
This is not 1975:
Black Muslims on Lenox AvenueGrandma's PlaceThe Blood of Jesus
The self-same Lenox Lounge referred to on the Red Rooster’s site. Note the patched bullet holes in the facade.
Lenox Lounge
And finally, a Mostly Mozart concert in Avery Fisher Hall. Take with my Blackberry.
Mostly Mozart
On this day one year ago: A boring out my window. The photo-a-day guy was under real pressure here.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – I had breakfast at Kitchenette in Harlem this morning with Francesca, our daughter. It’s a sure sign that the transformation of Harlem is complete when a restaurant from Tribeca opens a branch there. I had a Rodchenko moment on the elevated subway platform on the way back downtown. I’ve also included an image from Kitchenette. Both taken with my Leica M9 and a 35mm Summilux II lens. In daylight I’m shooting with a .9 neutral density filter (three f-stops) with this lens so I can shoot f/1.4 with narrow depth of field. I’m not certain that this works on the faux Rodchenko – I like it better at the Kitchenette.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Today is the run up for Thanksgiving – a major food shopping day. We spend the morning at Fairway in Harlem (it’s at 125th Street and the Hudson River). The weather cleared dramatically, providing an opportunity to photograph the underside of Riverside Drive from 125th Street.
