Photo Essay: Back on the Trail at Runyon Canyon

Boy am I out of practice.

I haven't done a hike since August, when John and I climbed up to a tower and got only slightly lost on the way back down, but enough to necessitate rescue from our fellow hikers who'd left us behind in their dust.

And now that I'm back in LA and decided to squeeze an afternoon hike in between meetings and events, I realized I'd become a total amateur again.

I brought the wrong sneakers.

I forgot to apply sunscreen.

I really needed insect repellent.

I didn't research how to get to Runyon Canyon and my GPS sent me on the craziest, most circuitous route through private roads and driveways in the hills to get there, depositing me into the parking lot and northernmost entrance on Mulholland Drive.

My legs felt weak.

And the sun was setting soon.



But, I managed to bring a big bottle of water, my camera, a backpack and my hiking clothes (into which I changed in the Greystone Park parking lot, true to form), certainly enough to put me back on the trail. I've seen LA locals hike in merely a bikini and flip flops carrying only an iPod.

Runyon Canyon is definitely an urban canyon hike, situated right in the middle of Los Angeles, basically right off of Hollywood Blvd. It's a popular place for locals to hike routinely, many with dogs in tow.



There are power lines everywhere.







It's also one of the worst places to try to hike improperly shod, because it's so popular that many of the paths have been tightly packed to the point of being slippery, and other paths are so eroded - from footsteps and water - that it felt like walking on a dry creek bed.



And this summer I established how unsuccessful I am at that.



In Runyon Canyon, hikers have to tiptoe through gravel, on rocks, down steps, and around gullies formed by running water, now so big and so deep they're practically ravines, only exacerbated by all of the foot traffic on them.

I was trepidatious with my own unsure footing, but I only turned back once, choosing to not climb a steep, narrow path to a lookout point. I've seen the city from above - practically that same view - plenty of times.

Because I entered from the north, I only did a loop around about half of the canyon park, leaving the more popular southernmost half for a future trip. After only about an hour or so on today's hike - not wanting to do more before having to change back into my nice clothes and go out to an event - the sun was at a very low angle in the sky and I was ready to go.

But I was glad to be back on the trail. I haven't hiked at all in New York City since returning from my last LA trip, partially out of not wanting to be alone, partially out of being otherwise occupied with life, work, lack of work, living, general crisis.

But my legs need to move, and now that they've started moving again, I hope they won't stop...

To become a fan on Facebook, click here.

Photo Essay: NYCWFF Tacos & Tequila with Bobby Flay

Sometimes, even when you don't have the money, you have to splurge for a once in a lifetime experience.

For me, that was the opportunity to rub elbows with Bobby Flay at a New York Wine & Food Festival event he curated, Tacos & Tequila, which took place this weekend at a private space in SoHo.

Both Mexican and non-Mexican restaurants from throughout New York City converged on the space to offer their own interpretations of tacos and other Mexican dishes.

There was a lot of corn.



And pork, thanks to a sponsorship by Pork.

Highlights included seared chicken liver tacos from Cabrito, raw tuna tacos from Abe & Arthur's, Bobby Flay's blue corn shortrib taco, and a spicy smoked swordfish taco from Ed's Lobster Bar. We were also appreciative of NYC's Mexican mainstay restos like Dos Caminos, Rosa Mexicano, and Toloache.







Bobby Flay's Persephone cocktail, with Patron tequila and pomegranate, was a hit, despite how long it took to order and receive it.



And despite the (literally) dozens of tacos consumed in only a couple of hours, we managed to make some room for dessert, too.





Claire Robinson's tequila chocolates topped with salt were A REVELATION.



And despite how full we were, we danced and even took a moment for a photo opp.





To become a fan on Facebook, click here.

Photo Essay: Abandoned Royal Motel, Mattydale, NY

In my jaunts back to my hometown of Syracuse, NY, I'd often noticed the delapidated, hopeless neon sign of the Royal Motel, which looked transplanted on the front lawn of a typical vinyl-sided suburban Central New York home.

I didn't realize it actually still pointed travelers towards a still-standing motel, abandoned down a long driveway off Route 11 in Mattydale.



Most of the doors are boarded up, some with foreclosure notices.



But you can still get into some of the rooms...



...which are surprisingly bi-level, with stairs leading up to a mezzanine level.





The motel bears the marks of typical abandonment, including strewn mattresses about the property...



...but in the rear, surrounding the building that appears to have functioned as a front office, or management office, there are surprising bits of beauty...







The motel - which appears to have functioned most recently as an extended stay rental property, with motor lodge-style apartment housing - is abandoned, but not entirely empty.



Squatters were eying me as I skulked about. And an overweight woman in a pink shirt emerged from the front house property (upon whose lawn the neon sign rests) and smoked a cigarette while waiting for me to put away my camera and get back in Maria's car.



Delicious.

To become a fan on Facebook, click here.

Photo Essay: Central Park Arsenal

The arsenal in Central Park is one of the sites featured in Open House New York's annual weekend that's normally open to the public during the week.

At Fifth Avenue and E. 64th Street, you can see the musket railing of the front door stairs...



...and snare drum lights...



You can even view the WPA murals in the lobby which have aged to such a dark pallor that they're nearly impossible to photograph.

But on this weekend, there is one area that we got to see that's normally only accessible to Parks employees: the rooftop garden.







Up there, you're amongst the turrets of the arsenal that was built as a castle, first in white stucco, then restored to red brick. You're overlooking the Central Park Zoo and legions of tourists.

But it's quiet, except for the bees.



To become a fan on Facebook, click here.

Photo Essay: FDR Four Freedoms Park, Under Construction

In years past, Open House New York has taken me to Roosevelt Island a few times: to visit The Octagon (before and after it was turned into luxury condos), Lighthouse Park, the Renwick Ruin (smallpox hospital).

This year, I revisited the south point of the island which houses the ruin to see the construction-in-progress of the future FDR Four Freedoms Memorial Park, a tribute to the namesake of the island itself.

The upper part of the southern end of the island - designated as South Point Open Space - has been relandscaped with a new granite retaining wall (sourced from the island's own natural resources) and completely cleared of the rubble, weeds, and trees that nearly blocked the view of the Strecker Memorial Laboratory.

Before (Circa 2008):

Photo Essay: James Farley Post Office / Future Moynihan Station (Updated for 2021)

Update 1/2/21 7:58 PM PT: The new Moynihan Train Hall for the Amtrak Station opened on January 1, 2021. Until I can go see it for myself, scroll to the bottom of this post for a video of Amtrak's renderings. 

And in the meantime, here are my photos from 2010. 

I've participated in so many annual Open House New York events now that when I start planning my schedule, I usually go straight for the newest or most exclusive site tours.



This year at the top of my list was a tour of the future site of Moynihan Station, the extension of the current Penn Station underground across 8th Avenue and up into the big Farley Post Office, whose main building and annex are currently 90% abandoned, save for the front lobby.



This year's event marked the first time that those areas of the Farley building had been open to the public in 80 years...



...the federal postal goings-on having been highly protected under tight security...

...until they ceased operations recently. 

Although much of the debris and relics from postal work (including a police station) have been cleared out...

...there were still plenty of throwback signs from seemingly every decade of the 20th century...

...scattered throughout the sorting room, future concourse, and offices.

Everything seemed unplugged...









...but there were still small signs of human activity...



...maybe the security staff, maybe maintenance/janitorial, maybe the planners for the new site...

...and whoever cleaned, managed to not clean everything.



The development project doesn't have nearly enough funding yet, so even Phase One—extending the Amtrak train tracks under Eighth Avenue—seems like it's a long way off. 

But this weekend's tour definitely felt like my last (and probably only) chance to ever see this great landmarked building in its current, vacant iteration, without a fresh coat of paint.

Added 1/2/21 8:04 PM PT: