Balloon art in the streets of New York City

Bighead Balloons installation in downtown New York City

I was walking north on Hudson Street approaching Leroy Street in downtown NYC when I noticed this balloon art attached to the stoplight and crosswalk sign pole. A closer look revealed a Santa-like face with blue eyes and a big white beard and a red heart balloon above it labeled “hug zone,” with a peace … Read more

Octopus sculpture in Peekskill made of beer kegs

octopus sculpture made of beer kegs in Peekskill, NY

I was on a day trip up around Bear Mountain and eventually over to Peekskill, NY, and I saw this large-scale octopus sculpture outside of the River Outpost Brewing Company near Charles Point Park. A closer look reveals that it’s made out of empty beer kegs, and I think it’s very impressive. There was no … Read more

Exploring Charles Point Park in Peekskill, New York

View of Hudson River from Charles Point Park in Peekskill, NY

I had been driving around Bear Mountain in New York and decided to cross the river and head down to Peekskill – you’re going to laugh when you read this – as I was in search of a Shamrock Shake on St. Patrick’s Day, and figured there had to be a McDonalds in Peekskill somewhere. … Read more

Jesus on Black Velvet Painting, a missed opportunity

Jesus on black velvet painting

I was checking out an antiques store in New Paltz, New York last fall, when I saw this painting of Jesus on black velvet. It instantly grabbed my attention, as something so bad that it was good. I was completely enamored of this painting, both for the total cheese factor, and the mystifying question of … Read more

Bicentennial Style, making a comeback?

Bicentennial Wallpaper as seen in 1976, featuring Revolutionary War soldiers

There was a story in the NY Times recently about Millennials who are embracing Bicentennial style, which I found kind of funny considering that the general birth date range for Millenials is usually considered between 1981 and 1996, so they didn’t even experience the Bicentennial firsthand. Coming from my perspective as a Gen X’er, this … Read more