“I would give the greatest sunset in the world for one sight of New York’s skyline. Particularly when one can’t see the details. Just the shapes…and the thought that made them. The sky over New York and the will of man made visible. What other religion do we need? And when people tell me about pilgrimages to some dank pesthole in a jungle where they go to do homage to a crumbling temple, to a leering stone monster with a pot belly, created by some leprous savage. Is it beauty and genius they come to see? Do they seek a sense of the sublime?
Let them come to New York, stand on the shore of the Hudson, look and kneel. When I see the city from my window – no, I don’t feel how small I am – but I feel that if a war came to threaten this, I would throw myself into space, over the city, and protect these buildings with my body.”
…Quote from The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
When searching for the perfect quote with which to open this blog, I thought it’d be easy. But when you rub the magic Google lamp and ask for “quotes about New York”, your wish will be granted, with over 1.4 billion results.
You’ll find musings, statements, and heartfelt declarations from authors, celebrities, philosophers and people from all walks of life waxing lyrical about the Big Apple. Truth be told, I don’t really need someone else to tell me how I feel about the greatest city on earth, but it’s nice to know that a) I’m not alone in my love for the place – or b) purely batshit crazy. My 2019 visit was the 11th time I’d been back to my beloved New York, and as always I felt as though I’d come home.
I’ve taken probably 500,000 photographs, and every single one allows me to savour the moment of being there over and over. Apart from the thousands of stunning skyline shots I’ve already taken, and the iconic (mandatory) ‘touristy’ pics, I’m always searching for the quirky, defining, only in New York shots, and even after 11 years of visiting, the subject matter is endless.
There are countless art galleries and museums in New York. But the city itself is the best gallery of all – an ever-changing exhibition, displaying works of art by renowned practitioners, unknown talent and even the general public. From the mesmerising subway mosaics, found in almost every subway station, to the street installations, to the buildings themselves, there’s always something to catch your eye. This post features some of the mosaics and art installations I’ve discovered in the subways.
BELOW: Mosaics by Vik Muiz at 2nd Ave, 72nd Street subway
BELOW: 116th St. and Lenox Subway station
BELOW: 86th St., (can’t remember which line)
