another eye opens

As Hurricane Irene bears down on New York City, mass transit has shut down, and all 14,000 Starbucks outlets are deserted. It's spooky -- like The Blair Witch Project has come to midtown Manhattan.

Most local storefronts have battened down the hatches, preparing for a pazza notte indeed.

Broadway has gone dark.

Nothing is available at TKTS.

Even the halal guys at 53rd and Sixth have packed up and shipped out. This is serious! These guys usually have a line down the block all night.

The one store open in Times Square, American Eagle, does literally have a line down the block of people waiting to buy mediocre T-shirts. Does this signify Blair Witch possession? "Must shop! Must shop!"

Movie theaters, nightclubs, restaurants, strip joints: all closed. A few pubs nestled amidst midtown hotels remain open. There are going to be hordes of drunken tourists on the loose tonight. Look out, world!

The day off: Andy at the pier

in the golden hour

at the dermatologist's office

take one look at this scary object and guess what comes next...

alchemists come in unusual shapes and forms

farmer's market booty, or Still Life with Callaloo

on the U-bahn

Badeschiff is a hilarious faux-beach that has become a kind of hipster hangout

Lutz

Pietro, pretty in pink

underground or underwater?

Harald and Robert

the twins

I love observing what goes on behind the facade of New York architecture -- check out this elegant (!) solution to rooftop drainage

headed to Sandy Hook on a perfect beach day

Andy's job these days includes writing photo captions, headlines, and subheds for the Sports section of the NY Times -- here's some that he was especially proud of (o, the many ways of playing one's trade as a scribe!)

screen cap of Joseph Mawle, who gives a compelling performance in a grim, poisonous made-for-British-TV gay movie called "Clapham Junction"