It's . . .

Monty Python's Flying Circus? At least I think it's a python. This person was walking around the central area of the Pagan Picnic last weekend. These creatures are pretty tame, at least when they are not hungry. The owner let kids pet it and adults put it around their necks. Even my granddaughter Ellie likes to play with them. Personally, I'd pass. However, I love the snake's burnished golden color and beautiful patterns. How do genes accomplish that?  

My Pal

Never let it be said that this town is a boring speck in flyover country. We have plenty of eccentrics. There is an annual event called the Pagan Picnic in Tower Grove Park. It's been going of for 20-odd years and has been seen on these pages before. It's where our local druids, earth-worshipers, tarot readers, soul travelers and crystal gazers show up to play together.

Lots of people bring the whole family. Many dogs and, to the best of my knowledge, one iguana.     

There are more pictures from New York but I'll post them on Flickr and move on. We'll be back the first week of July, anyway.   

STL DPB In New York - Attitudes Toward Women

The first photo is underneath the southern end of the Highline, next to the Whitney. Click here for the reference.  The pair of billboards was next  to our hotel in Long Island City. The last is a building overlooking the Highline.

I will leave it to you, reader, to interpret these. 

STL DPB In New York - Protect Your Heart

Graffiti or street art, as you prefer, under the southern end of the Highline. The first one could break your heart. The second might be advice for lovers and the third a response to it. 
        

New York Restaurants - Soleluna

Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, 
Who never to himself hath said,
   This is my own, my native land!

         - claptrap poetry by Sir Walter Scott

Back in my old neighborhood, Sunnyside, Queens. It still has a hold on me. Quiet when you get off Queens Boulevard; safe, unpretentious, plenty of services and very close to Manhattan. When I grew up it was a mix of Irish, Jewish and Italian. Now it's Irish, Jewish, Italian, Vietnamese, Colombian, Korean and I don't know what.  It's still just as pleasant. 

Wouldn't it be nice to have a small apartment there, a pied-a-terre so we could visit New York more often? So I looked online for one bedroom apartments. A fully rehabbed one-bedroom costs well into the 300's. That's thousands of US dollars. Sigh.

So to console ourselves, we went to our favorite neighborhood restaurant, Soleluna. Very tight storefront Italian place with just delicious food, wonderful people and good prices for NY. They have a gumball machine out front, which I think is charming. We got acquainted with the people at the next table, whose story is too long to repeat here. It was the third time I've been there in the last year, once with the family and once with Olivier. We may return when we are back in town in July.                 

New York Restaurants - Santina

When Mrs. C and I left the Whitney last Monday we had an hour to kill before our dinner reservation. Right around the corner from the museum, sort of jammed under the end of the Highline, is a restaurant called Santina. We went in and sat at the bar.

The place seemed to have some fizz. They gave us the drinks list and the first was a negroni. I love negronis. The price was absurd by STL standards but, what the hell, I love negronis. Down the hatch. (See last photo.) It was the best I've ever had, light on the Campari.

The staff whipped up all kinds of exotic cocktails. The one above looked like - what? - an avocado volcano.  The place was fun and had an eclectic staff. The hostess on the right was taller than me. The wall art below is made of broken painted plates. We would go back to try the food.      

City Daily Photo Theme Day - Me

There is plenty more to come from New York but it's the first of the month and City Daily Photo theme day. There aren't a lot of photos with me in front of the lens. Most of them are for an online class or some exercise I set for myself. These pix are a few years old. The top one is full lawyer battle dress. The second is quiet and shows what RA has done to my hands. Then there is the double arch joke picture on my Facebook page. 

The theme makes me think of one of my favorite photographers, Cindy Sherman, who photographs herself over and over in a myriad of different personas. You can be whoever you want in an image.

To see other City Daily Photo bloggers portray themselves, click here.