82nd Street, Jackson Heights
The Ring Bearers
Today I happened to be walking past St. Mark’s in the Bowery, the famous old Episcopal church in the East Village, and saw the doors were open. Although I used to live a few blocks from there in my student days, I had never been inside, so I went in and found that I had crashed a wedding ceremony. A white groom in his 40’s was exchanging vows with a black groom of similar age, both dressed in morning coats, in the presence of a large and well-dressed company of family members and guests. The priest was a brown-skinned woman. These two dogs were the ring bearers and brought down the house with their entry at the appropriate time. How much has changed in society since I was a college student and how inconceivable every aspect of this wedding would have been then.
Laocoon in Queens
I love murals. This one showing Laocoon and his sons being punished by Poseidon adorns the parking lot of a Greek supermarket in Astoria, Queens. You can see the statue that inspired it in the Metropolitan Museum.
Windows: Jackson Heights, Queens
The First Amendment
They were certifiable, both of them. The beauty of our country is that you can espouse completely incoherent views, as shown on these signs, and offensive views (the back of her sign, not shown here) as you exercise your right to free speech.









