Bluejake

Hannukah Party
This was our third annual blowout Hannukah themed party. It was actually held the day after Hannukah ended, but we revived the spirit with wine, latkes, and high stakes dreidel games. Dan was about 3k in the hole to me on account of a bad series of shin rolls when he skipped out on the party- if you see him tell him I want my money.

December 2002

Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse
It was Dan's birthday, so the four of us decided to go out to Sammy's on Chrystie Street in the Lower East Side. The atmosphere was the most insane mix of LES hipsters, old Russian guys, and big Long Island families in for a bit of the old neighborhood. I liked the chopped liver, but the steak had too much garlic for my taste. The egg creams, however, were excellent.

November 2002

26th Birthday at Von
After going to Peter Lugers, Blue Water Grill, and to Ricky Jay's show all in one week, I was in the mood for a nice low-ley joint birthday party with my twin sister Molly. We all met up at Von in the East Village, and drank a few bottles of wine. Some surprise guests showed up, and we all ate cake before heading over to Astor Bar for a nightcap. Top rated gift? Billy, a firefighter doll complete with his own hose.

October 2002

Peter Luger's Steakhouse
Dan got the idea to take me out to Peter Luger's for my birthday, and Josh and Ez were also in the mood for a massive steak dinner. The four of us met up outside the restaurant in Williamsburg and got right down to work. Menu: tomatos and onions, 2 steak for two (medium-rare and medium), German potato hash and creamed spinach. Easily the best steak in America.

October 2002

The 26th Birthday of Jennifer Chung
Jen rented out Ino on Bedford Street for her birthday. When I got there at 4pm, my sister and Graham had already arrived. Soon, twenty-five prominent members of the city's marketing, graphic design, teaching, and medical trades had arrived, and we were partying like it was 1998. It was 7pm when I stumbled down 6th Avenue back to the apartment- way too much vino.

September 2002

Ground Zero
I had been down to Ground Zero a couple of times during the past year, but until today, September 9th, I never thought of bringing my camera. I just didn't think there would be anything to shoot- just a giant featureless void. I was afraid I would capture nothing more than the banality of a giant construction site, and that would demean everything that happened. Instead, I found some shots that really surprised me. Take a look.

September 2002

The High Line
The High Line is an abandoned elevated freight track that runs along the West Side of Manhattan from 34th Street down to the Meat Packing District below 14th Street. The track is largely intact, but some spurs have been cut off. The High Line has a number of platforms that allowed the trains to unload directly into the warehouses below. Me and Ez had a good time walking along the tracks and imagining what it must have been like when it was in full service.

August 2002

Remote Lounge
I had been meaning to try out the Remote Lounge for a few months, but it wasn't until Labor Day weekend that the opportunity finally rolled around. Anyone who remembers my various 1998 performances should realize that the sort of voyeuristic pleasures of the Remote Lounge would be right up my alley. Indeed, I enjoyed it very much, until I drank my fifth Cosmopolitan and accidently locked myself in the bathroom. The bouncer was not pleased when he had to come and talk me out.

August 2002

Summer in Los Angeles
I was out in California for a week doing a site and visiting with K and her family. The marine layer was once again in full effect- cloudy most mornings and clearing around four or five in the afternoon. We drove around a lot- down Sunset, over Mulholland, and up into the Hollywood Hills. Highlights of the trip included a visit to the bar at the new Downtown Standard, and seeing Toby Maguire at the Coffee Bean in Sunset Plaza.

August 2002

Massive Blackout
I was sitting at the table in the kitchen around noon, and I noticed that the building had suddenly gone quiet- like every appliance went out at once. Five minutes later the sirens started, and I knew I needed to get outside and make sure it was nothing serious. I shot these pictures around six, a few hours before the power came back on. There was just something about the blackout signs that spoke to me.

July 2002

Karen's Birthday
We all met for drinks around 7pm at Sala, this Spanish restaurant on Bowery near Great Jones Street. The tapas were very good- lots of chorizo and dates wrapped in bacon and seafood. A whole bunch of people showed up and after we ended up in the backyard at Sweet and Vicious on Spring Street. Birthday events continue with a BBBQ in Brooklyn and a dinner at Balthazar.

July 2002

Las Vegas
I joined a whole bunch of New York friends for a July 4th trip to Sin City. This was the first time I actually started using the full capabilities of the Canon G2 digital camera- it was interesting to see how it reacted to the low light in the casinos. The flash tended to produce red-eye, which I removed in Photoshop. Highlight of the trip? Toss up between my victory at the EZ Cheez slot machine and three lazy days at the pool complex at the MGM Grand.

July 2002

Prague
Everyone was always telling me to go to Prague, but this was the first time I actually went. I was amazed by the geography of the city- the ancient Little Quarter and Castle on one side, the modern Parisian-style Jewish Quarter and Old Town on the other. Everywhere you looked there was a beautiful old building, and even the swarms of American college students couldn't ruin it for me.

June 2002

Berlin
This was hands down the most interesting city I've ever visited. All the strange vibes of World War II and Cold War history are swirling around these insane voids left by the bombing and the wall, and around the beautiful modern buildings springing up everywhere. I loved everything about Berlin- the museums at the Kulturforum, Checkpoint Charlie, walking on the Kurfurstendam, the Jewish Museum.

June 2002

The Hague
The whole reason for this European trip was to go to the wedding of our friends, Sven and Madelon. She looked beautiful and the whole day was very elegant and fun. They drove up to the ceremony in a Smart car, and gave us translated copies of all the speeches because everyone was speaking Dutch. After the ceremony there was a reception, and a black-tie dinner and party at night. The next morning we visited Madelon's family for a fresh herring lunch in their very tranquil house outside Rotterdam.

June 2002

Amsterdam
I'd been to Amsterdam once before, in 1997, and had a lovely experience with the hostels and the hallucinations and the backpackers. However, this time we were staying at the very chic Hotel Arena by the Oosterpark, far from the insanity and the crowds. I love the quiet side of the city- in the sheltered parts of the old canals and in the empty streets. The highlights: giant Malaysian meal, the Rijksmuseum, a classy canal boat cruise. To answer an obvious question- no we did not, because drugs are bad for you.

June 2002

Edinburgh
This was my first time in Scotland. Everything was beautiful and old and built on a hill. The whole city had this amazing feeling of age and strength- it was like Salamanca crossed with San Francisco. We stayed in the New Town, but saw the whole city. Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace were both very interesting, but for my money the best part of the visit was the Camera Obscura at the top of the Royal Mile.

June 2002

London
We were actually in London three times this summer- for a day before and after Edinburgh, and for five days on the way back from Prague. We were staying in Bloomsbury, and the weather was sunny and hot. The highlight for me was the new Tate Modern in the old Bankside power plant on the south side of the Thames. Also good: the Indian food in Covent Gardens and Lucian Freud at the Tate Britain.

June 2002

Memorial Day BBQ
After the concert in Greenwood, we came back to my parents house in Park Slope and had ourselves a little Bar-B-Q. We do this a couple of times each summer, and this one was particularly successful. I enjoyed the steak and the spicy Italian sausages I picked up at Dag on 7th Avenue. I learned a valuable lesson taking these pictures- everyone hates to be photographed while they eat.

May 2002

Greenwood Cemetery
I grew up in a part of Brooklyn called Park Slope, about a mile from the Brooklyn Bridge. About a third of a mile south is Greenwood Cemetery, one of the largest burial sites in New York City. Today they were having their Memorial Day concert, and we took the opportunity to explore this unique and very beautiful place. I didn't see the sign forbidding photography until I was on my way out, so these will be the only pictures I ever take there.

May 2002

California in May
I had some business that took me to back to Los Angeles for the second time this year. The marine layer was in full effect- so there were only one or two days of blues skies while I was there. Karen was out visiting her parents, and we hit the usual spots around the West Side of town. Obligatory star sightings: Bob Saget, Will from Will and Grace, Selma Blair, and the star of That 70's Show.

May 2002

Israel Day Parade
I've been thinking a lot about Israel these days- I suppose everyone is. I've always been a strong supporter of Israel and with that in mind, I went up to take a look at this year's Israel Day Parade on 5th Avenue by the park. I loved seeing all these people from all over the world smiling and marching and waving their flags. Later, I had a kosher hotdog and felt a little ill, so I decided to come home.

May 2002

Gardens in Spring
On Saturday night I got invited to Brett Webb's 30th Birthday party at Turner Towers on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. The party was in the penthouse, so we were out on the roof, taking in the view of Brooklyn. Across the street we could see the Botanic Gardens, and I got the idea of coming back the next day with my camera. I thought that I'd just take closeups- mostly for the texture and color. I love the way that some of the plants came out.

April 2002

Passover in Los Angeles
I really enjoyed my trip to Los Angeles. It was a welcome break from some of the stuff going on in the wake of OVEN's demise. We spent most of the week hanging around the West Side and only shot this one roll of film. The Oscars were being filmed this week, so most of Hollywood was closed off to cars. Obligatory star sightings: Matt Dillon, Larry David, and Bania from Seinfeld.

March 2002

March 11th Polaroids
It's hard to believe that it has been six months since September 11th. Everyone is saying that- I'm not sure why. They turned on the Towers of Light at 6:55 pm tonight, and I went up on the roof to shoot these pictures. I was tempted to enhance the brightness and contrast by about 25 percent, but I decided to leave them as they are- there is something appropriate about the faintness.

March 2002

New Year's Eve
First, Karen and I went out to a party at her friend's apartment in the NYU towers off Houston Street. Then we went to Le Gigot on Cornelia Street for dinner. After midnight, we met up with everyone at a bar on 7th Avenue South.

January 2002