Tour de Grove

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Big time bicycle racing comes to St. Louis each May. It's time for the Tour de Grove, which is, um, nothing like the Tour de France and similar races. There is a 1.7 mile / 2.7 km course laid out in the streets of The Grove neighborhood. Lots of good snaps. Should keep me occupied for days.  

By Invitation

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Last night saw the opening of the spring invitational photography show at Soulard Art Market, a gallery in the eponymous neighborhood. Below, a visitor gazes longingly at the entries of your humble blogger. Buy it, damn you, buy it!

Link Between Downtown STL And Hades

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We saw a few House of Hades tiles in Philadelphia and several in New York. These appear to be the contemporary successor to Toynbee Tiles. Well, the sharp eyes and research skills of Mrs. C. found a reference to one in downtown St. Louis. It's at 7th and Olive Streets in front of Macy's, a block from my office. I walk through that intersection frequently and I am embarrassed that I have not noticed it. It is a bit out of the crosswalk, though.

There may be more. Now I want to walk through every downtown intersection and search. They could be in any other part of the city. The mystery continues.

Buddha at Barney's

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New Yorkers all know Barney's, a men's fine clothing store. They moved to swanky quarters in Midtown a number of years ago but those of my generation remember the original store at 7th Avenue and 17th Street in Chelsea. That building stood vacant for a number of years but in time was transformed.

The space is now the Rubin Museum of Art, concentrating on the Himalayas and surrounding regions. It's breathtaking if you are interested in that sort of thing. Being old Nepal and Tibet hands (to give ourselves generous credit), we were sucked right in.

As best I understand, these images are not of the Buddha, although he is the foundation of the exhibits. The top photo is the protective goddess Tara. The second is of a Bodhisattva, a person who has achieved Enlightenment but chooses to be reborn, helping the rest of mankind along the path. The bottom one is probably a senior monk. It does not have the Buddha's characteristic hair-do and the big guy's ear lobes are much longer. The hand gestures are telling. The right hand is in the earth touching pose, calling on the earth itself to witness the truth of Buddha's teachings. The left hand makes a gesture of peaceful relaxation.

In any event, we think it's a don't miss. We plan to return when we are back in the NY area in July.

Overbite

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Still in New York. This was found in the window of a ground floor dentist's office on 86th Street near Fifth Avenue, a very expensive neighborhood.

By the way, I just finished watching Resurrect Dead.  Simply fascinating, at least to people like me. If you enjoy exceptional documentaries or outsider art, buy it and support Toynbee Tile research.

NYC

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More New York material for a few days until I get some more local stuff. (But - big news! - there is a newly discovered Toynbee Tile at 7th and Market in front of Macy's. It will be here soon.) This image makes me think of the work of James Rosenquist, one of my favorite contemporary visual artists.

But what is it? Turns out to be an enormous Hummer stretch limo found on Third Avenue. We saw several like this around Manhattan.

Sorry for the lack of comments again yesterday. After a week away, I got whacked back at work. Then there was a sort-of retirement dinner for my partner's paralegal of 28 years, who also happens to be her sister. Joan's husband got a job in another city and she's off to a new life. She was, in a way, our soul, the most cherished person on the team (I could tell you stories.) Our office will never be the same.

Toynbee Tiles In New York City

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Park Avenue and 51st Street

The mystery and adventure of Toynbee Tiles continues. I photographed several in Philadelphia, seen on the blog last week. The creator of the original style of tiles (for example, this one in St. Louis) is thought to be one James Morasco of Philadelphia, who died in 2003.

There was a new kind in Philly. The top line of all of them is "House Of Hades." They criticize journalists and the rich. Some of them have a new feature. clever images on the side. I particularly like the martini glass above. There doesn't seem to be anything on the web yet about this new artist.

Interest in the subject has been so great that a documentary film was released last year, Resurrect Dead - The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles. You can get it on Amazon, at least in the U.S. My copy should arrive tomorrow.

It wouldn't surprise me if the new artist or artists scans the web for references to the work. If he or she does, please come to St. Louis. I will help you lay tile. I will keep your secrets.

Fifth Avenue and 83rd Street

Fifth Avenue and 86th Street

Park Avenue and 82nd Street