New wayfinding signs at W 155th St in Washington Heights
New WalkNYC Wayfinding signs have made it to Washington Heights!
These signs must have popped up in the neighborhood rather recently. A quick check on Google Maps shows the latest imagery there from August 2024 without these signs so I am assuming they were placed some time after the end of year holidays in 2024.
This sign here on W 155th St and Broadway is part of NYC’s WalkNYC Wayfinding initiative, originally designed by Pentagram. Uptown doesn’t always get the love for this kind of design until much later (we might not have the visitor foot traffic for it), so it’s nice to see we’ve finally been graced by the beauty of Pentagram. :P
Snow days in Washington Heights
A few shots I took in Washington Heights.
It finally snowed a significant amount this past week in NYC and I went out to give you all the photo report: IT STUCK!
Here’s a few scenes from the neighborhood as the white fluff came down. DSNY snow plows were out and scraping the streets every few minutes.
A crane fell over in Madison Square Park
What is this toppled crane at Madison Square Park?
Well, not quite.
This giant toppled crane, titled Fixed Crane, at Madison Square Park is the artwork of Nicole Eisenman. It is currently on view until March 9, 2025 and features a vintage crane with a 90-foot arm leaned over on its side. The art piece takes over the entire Oval Lawn in the center of Madison Square Park and invites viewers to walk right up to it to get a closer look. While you can’t climb the crane, you are welcome to touch it and interact with it as this massive metal structure sits idle.
Check it out before it gets disassembled and move elsewhere!
Toyota Crown NYC yellow cab
A look at the rare (for now) Toyota Crown yellow cab.
I know you all care about this as much as I do, so here’s a look at the new-ish Toyota Crown NYC yellow cab. There are only a handful of these in the NYC yellow taxi fleet and this one in particular is even more special because the front face covers and bumpers are painted yellow (note: it looks weird).
This one here is marked #6E84 which I haven’t seen until I took these photos. Pretty cool, huh!
Silver Moon Bakery & Cafe in a fight to stay open on the UWS
Silver Moon Bakery & Cafe is in a legal dispute about their UWS location.
If you’ve been in the vicinity of 105th St and Broadway, you may have smelled the sweet and fresh aroma of the bakery lovingly known as Silver Moon Bakery & Cafe. The bakery is a destination for fresh bread and pastries and has been serving the community at that location since 2015.
Recent reporting at The New York Times however has mentioned a dispute with the landlord which accuses Silver Moon of not vacating the space after their lease was up and owing rent to the tune of over $194,000. The bakery’s monthly rent is reported to be over $33,000.
For now, Silver Moon Bakery & Cafe is still open and operating (I took these photos yesterday) but disputes like this could potentially shutter the business at any moment. One particularly interesting tidbit from the NYT article is that it seems like the business partner of Silver Moon Bakery & Cafe, Georgia Stamoulis, may actually be related to or part owner of the landlord company (Broadside) that is suing Silver Moon Bakery & Cafe! Very odd!
Honda Accord NYC yellow cab
A glimpse of the rare Honda Accord hybrid NYC yellow cab.
The NYC TLC has a list of approved vehicles for yellow cabs and added onto that list last year was the Honda Accord Hybrid. As of right now, the entire yellow cab fleet consists of just ONE Honda Accord hybrid vehicle, the one shown here, with medallion #7A92.
Always fun to spot this one in the wild. Stay tune for other unique yellow cab vehicles in future posts!
Hanksy’s Trump Turd
Donald Trump in his original form.
Putting this on the internet so it lasts forever.
The narrowest escalator in New York
This is the narrowest escalator in NYC!
Escalator at 10 Rockefeller Plaza
Have you ever wondered where the skinniest escalator is in NYC? An escalator that literally has no room to pass on either side? An escalator that is only able to accommodate a single-file line of passengers? Wouldn’t you love to see and ride one just like this?
10 Rockefeller Plaza
Well, you’re in luck because if you pass through Rockefeller Plaza between W 48th St and W 49th St (at 10 Rockefeller Plaza), through a set of glass doors lies the narrowest escalator in all of NYC. This escalator leads up to the street level from the Rockefeller Center Plaza dining and shopping center below ground. If you aren’t in the mood to eat or shop and just want to ride this escalator, you can enter the building at 10 Rockefeller Plaza and walk down the large spiral staircase and then take the escalator back up. There is a security person here at all hours but honestly, they don’t mind since the lobby here is adorned with a beautiful wrap-around mural by Lakela Brown.
A loook at one of the rarest NYC taxi cabs in the fleet.