13th & Ave A [SE Corner] (December 30, 2012)

Kim's Laundromat & Cleaners in Alphabet City, East Village, Manhattan.       CLICK TO ENLARGE

18th & 5th Ave [SE Corner] (December 23, 2012)

A Con Edison steam vent pumps in front of the Barnes & Noble flagship store at 105 Fifth Avenue, which has been operating since 1932.                   CLICK TO ENLARGE

Romolo Pl & Broadway St [SE Corner] (December 15, 2012)

Here's another look at the awesome old-timey strip clubs -- Hungry I Club, Roaring 20's, and Big Al's -- in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood. See Big Al's Cheez N Bologna.    CLICK TO ENLARGE

30th & 2nd Ave [NE Corner] (December 122, 2012)

The rumors were true. Fairway Market has opened in Kips Bay! The big, beautiful grocery store is just a few doors down from the AMC Loews Kips Bay movie theater. (Remember the Hurricane Sandy scene from this same corner).                      CLICK TO ENLARGE

Bayard St and Mott St [NW Corner] (November 18, 2012)

Yes. This guy is wearing garbage bags on his feet and looks like he's praying, as he crosses Mott Street in front of the Chinatown Gift Center.            CLICK TO ENLARGE

20th & Park Ave [SE Corner] (July 29, 2012)

Open 24/7, L'express Bouchon celebrates the meat and dairy products of the Lyon region of France. Yelpers say "a perfect place to come alone," "Good for Francophiles," "like a bustling cafe in Paris," "the lamb burger is awesome," and "BEST french onion soup."            CLICK TO ENLARGE

120th & 3rd Ave [SE Corner] (September 2, 2012)

East Harlem's Lore Decorators has been reupholstering furniture for more than 50 years. Apartment Therapy says, "If you are needing a slipcover, reupholstering, drapes or any renovation that requires fabric, let us recommend Frank Cangelosi's Lore Decorators."     CLICK TO ENLARGE

Grand St & Mott St [NW Corner] (November 18, 2012)

Italian immigrant Savino Di Palo opened a latteria (dairy store) in 1910. In 1925, his daughter Concetta opened her own latteria at 200 Grand Street in Little Italy. Over the years, Di Palo's has expanded its product line from exclusively cheeses to a wide variety of Italian specialties. Today, the store is run by Savino's great grandson Lou Di Palo. Yelpers gush over Di Palo's.    CLICK TO ENLARGE

Di Palo's, 1974 (from the NY Times)

Sycamore St & Mission St [NW Corner] (August 18, 2012)

"Weekend Wildcard:  San Francisco Mission Edition"
The work of San Francisco street artist Zio Zeigler is featured throughout the city. This mural, on the side of The Sycamore ("Your new favorite bar in the Mission"), depicts birds and skulls and trees and crowns. This Banksy mural once adorned The Sycamore's wall.        CLICK TO ENLARGE

46th & 12th Ave [NE Corner] (November 23, 2012)

H&H Bagels on the Westside Highway -- across from the Intrepid Sea Air, and Space Museum -- closed in 2011. The collapse of the venerable bagel institution prompted CBS New York's Nina Pajak to ponder, "Maybe they should have slackened on their 'no sandwiches' policy." At it's height, H&H produced about 80,000 bagels a day. (Is it even possible that, in the history of movies, there hasn't already been a movie called "Playing For Keeps!?")             CLICK TO ENLARGE

28th & Broadway [SE Corner] (November 13, 2012)

The next hot Manhattan neighborhood may be NoMad, which stands for "NOrth of MADison Square Park." During the past few decades, the neighborhood has been dominated by extremely un-sexy tee-shirt, luggage, perfume, and jewelry wholesalers. But, in recent years, developers have started building trendy hotels, restaurants, and shops, like The Ace Hotel, The Nomad Hotel, the John Dory Oyster Bar, and Maison Kitsune (shown below).            CLICK TO ENLARGE

4th & Ave A [SE Corner] (September 23, 2012)

A New York City institution, Key Food was founded in Brooklyn in 1937. This Key Food on East 4th Street and Avenue A is one of just a few supermarkets in the East Village. It's also the least expensive beer option in the neighborhood, according to @EVGRIEVE.        CLICK TO ENLARGE

5 Pointz NYC (July 8, 2012)

5 Pointz in Long Island City is known as "The Institute of Higher Burnin'" or the "5Pointz Aerosol Art Center." Either way, it's simply an amazing, vibrant graffiti / street art showcase. Artists from all over the world leave their mark at 5Points (We watched an artist from Japan start a piece on the green blank space shown below). Definitely go check this out. You could spend a day staring at these outrageous tags and murals. And they give tours. (Note: The owner of this complex, Jerry Wolkoff, recently announced plans to  redevelop the property to build high-rise residential towers.) So go see this while you can!              CLICK TO ENLARGE

14th & 6th Ave [NE Corner] (November 3, 2012)

The Chelsea branch of Sol Moscot Opticians, the New York City institution that originated as a pushcart on Orchard Street in 1915. Check out the Lower East Side location here.  CLICK TO ENLARGE

33rd & 7th Ave [NE Corner] (November 23, 2012)

A bearded man walks in front of the 1-2-3 subway station and Sbarro ("the Italian Eatery") across the street from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan.   CLICK TO ENLARGE

29th & 3rd Ave [SE Corner] (November 20, 2012)

Noodles 28, Bistango, and Tonic East in Murray Hill / Kips Bay, at night.          CLICK TO ENLARGE