Weegee’s lurid photographs of New York City crime scenes would be considered tabloid journalism today. Yet, between 1935 and 1946, the photojournalist carved out a niche for himself — a bloody, grizzly niche. Freelancing for several papers and agencies, Weegee stalked night courts and appeared “on the spot” of New York’s many murders. From violent hold-ups to tragic accidents on 5th Avenue to violence-hungry crowds of gawkers — Weegee shot them all and organized his own photo exhibits. Not even his temporary displacement in Los Angeles as a paparazzi could keep him away from his New York, his business.
Culled from the International Center of Photography‘s extensive archives, the exhibition Weegee: Murder is My Business (organized by ICP Chief Curator Brian Wallis) opens tomorrow and runs through September 2nd. Click through to preview a selection of the fascinating photographs on display courtesy of ICP, but you’ve got to head there in person for the environmental recreations of Weegee’s apartment and exhibitions.
While Hollywood still sits on top of a celluloid empire, TV production is rapidly moving east. New York may not have the temperate filming climate that Los Angeles boasts, but it does offer producers a 30 percent tax credit, instated in 2008, and of course the authentic New York City backdrop against which many shows are set. This season, 23 prime-time series are being filmed in New York, up from a measly nine in 2006.
But flying a film crew out east and renting out a Brooklyn loft doesn’t ensure that a show will get the aura — or the facts — right. New York shows have tried and failed to accurately portray New York City on screen, often apparently because they were too busy collecting a library of picturesque Central Park shots to pick up on the kinds of food New Yorkers eat, how much rent they pay, the way they talk to their neighbors, and the fact that most of us actually don’t spend all that much time in Central Park. We’ve rounded up our favorite Big Apple shows and ranked them from realistic to laughable. Which city show do you think is most representative of the real New York?
The United States of America. Land of the free, home of the Bray Road Beast. Most areas have one — a cryptid, that is. A legendary, unlikely creature that has yet to be proven nonexistent. Some US towns have lake-dwelling monsters, while others have big-eyed demons and lizard men. These under-the-radar characters are often only famous in their respective regions, and it’s about time we give them some well-deserved Halloween loving. Thanks for Harry and the Hendersons, Bigfoot, but let’s check out what else is lurking in our North American forests, shall we? Read on to find a cryptid near you.
If you’re anything like us, then you’ve imagined what it would be like to inhabit New York in the 1960s, amid the thriving Greenwich Village music and art scene, the fantastic fashion, and the era’s inspiring political movements. Lucky for us, a gorgeous collection of photos by James Jowers have surfaced to further indulge our nostalgia for a decade we never knew. The black-and-white series cuts across several neighborhoods, highlighting New Yorkers of all sorts — fancily dressed girls moping around, casual city dwellers dancing through the crowded streets, players engaged in what looks to be an epic game of chess, and couples kissing on benches. Travel back in time with the lovely images after the jump.
Where does one live if one is interested in the life of the mind? Do you hole up in a rural area or head to the city, where you can hope to meet like-minded aesthetes at gin-filled parties? If you prefer the latter, then we have a list of cities for your wandering, writerly craft to thrive. We’ve included a few writers famous for living in the cities below, as well as recommended reading for each place. As always, let us know what places or which authors we’ve missed in the comments section below.
Since we’re fairly well known to love all things typographic, most things minimalist, and many things relating to the cities we adore, perhaps it’s not surprising that we’re totally into these classy minimal typographic transit maps, which we spotted over at Colossal. Simple and sleek (and effective as functional art, if you already have a basic understanding of where things are in your city), we think they would fit nicely in any modern home, whether you prefer the Boston, Chicago, London, New York, San Francisco or Washington D.C. varieties. Click through to see a few of the designs, and head over to TRNSPRTNATION to buy one for yourself.
Today is the first day that same-sex marriage is officially legal in New York state. Accordingly, we can now celebrate our first legally married same-sex couple, Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd, who were married in Niagra Falls just after the 12th toll of their town bell. It was, impossibly, 12 years to the day since their first date. “I may be the first person standing here in history,” Ms. Lambert told the New York Times, “but I’m just an ordinary grandma.” She added, “This is one of the most incredible moments of my personal life, but it’s also an incredible moment for New York.” We’ll drink to that. [via NYT]
Graffiti may have been around for decades, but thanks to artists like Banksy and Swoon, street art has achieved new cultural significance — which means that, for many of us, some of the most stunning works of modern art are just around the corner. Of course, the city is a big place, so unless you spend your days wandering the back-roads and alleys, it’s easy to miss some of your local street-art masterpieces. That’s why we’ve teamed with Havaianas to create an extremely handy guide to a selection of the amazing artwork in NYC, LA, and Miami that doesn’t need a museum to shine — inspired by the brand’s new limited-edition Graffiti sandals. Check out a gallery of images from the guide here, then click through for the whole thing, including printable maps.
Ross Ching’s newly refurbished ‘Running on Empty’ video, a time-lapse fabrication of an LA with no cars, has gotten a lot of hype in the past few days in conjunction with the whole ’Carmageddon’ fiasco in LA. Even though Carmageddon turned out to be a dud, Ching’s video is a beautiful ode to Los Angeles, worth watching no matter where you live. To our minds, the time-lapse video is something akin to watching a city fly by in a cab — it can feel removed and relaxing, touching and surprising, and is a pretty, easy way to experience something huge. To that end, ‘Running on Empty’ inspired us to gather a collection of other lovely time-lapse-based odes to the world’s most fascinating cities, from Berlin to Seoul to Abu Dhabi to New York. Sit back, relax and immerse yourself in somewhere else.
Hooray! As most of you probably already know, last night New York State senators voted 33-29 to legalize gay marriage, and Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law. New York is the sixth state to pass marriage equality legislation, and by far the most populous one to do so. ”This vote today will send a message across the country,” Governor Cuomo said. “This is the way to go, the time to do it is now, and it is achievable; it’s no longer a dream or an aspiration. I think you’re going to see a rapid evolution… We reached a new level of social justice.” Needless to say, many New Yorkers agree. [Photo via BoingBoing]
