"Film Forum," New York, November 2008

Film Forum, W. Houston

New York City has no shortage of fabulous neon signs, so a walk around the city at night can take longer than you expected if you're carrying a camera.

Day 356 of 365

6 o'clock in the market

All of the Christmas decorations at Chelsea Market this year were made from recycled plastic (except for the lights, of course), including CDs cut and arranged into wreaths.

"High Line photographer," New York City, November 2009

307: Photographer

Choosing my Best shot of 2009 is a daunting task. I've uploaded 1,658 photos so far this year and taken dozens more than that.

I settled on this one because it is one of my best, for one thing. But it was also taken up on the High Line, which opened this year and has given me a pleasant alternative route to work each afternoon. I was hoping to choose one that I hadn't used as a photo of the day, but the reality is that the best pictures throughout the year were part of that project, so it was unavoidable.

The other finalists, in reverse chronological order:

• The new alignment at Washington Square Park
• Autumn at High Point
• Another amazing Springsteen show
• Sunset at Shake Shack in Queens
• A trip to West Quoddy Head, finally
• Fenway in May
• The new Citi Field

Day 351 of 365

Buy trees here!

Eight days until Christmas and trees are still lining the sidewalks around New York City. I love it.

Day 348 of 365

A little color in a black-and-white night

No adjustments made; that's the way it looked atop a West Village apartment building.

Day 345 of 365

Into a West Village window

This is my favorite window this month on my Greenwich St. walk to work from the Christopher St. PATH station. Just a great New York City Christmas scene.

Day 340 of 365

Peace at Christmas

The hope that has slumbered for 2,000 years,
the promise that silenced 1,000 fears.
A faith that can hobble an ocean of tears, the peace of Christmas Day.

-- Bob Beers, "The Peace Carol"

Day 338 of 365

Maritime projection

A collection of gift ideas? The contents of a very large purse? Temporary advertising. Not holiday-related at all.

Day 336 of 365

Window shopping

I've often looked across the street into Adelaide as I've walked up Greenwich St. to work. I've never stopped to look as closely as these two did, but their silhouettes, the white Christmas lights around the windows and the red bows and holiday cheer inside made me pause to capture it all tonight.

Day 335 of 365

Christmas in NYC

This is what I love about New York. From Thanksgiving until just before Christmas, as you walk the streets during your daily meanderings, you may turn a corner and find yourself strolling through a makeshift pine forest. I've been through some with trees on both sides of the sidewalk, the pine scent in stereo in effect. It always makes me smile, particularly the setups that have the small twig-trees nailed to the crossed two-by-fours a la Charlie Brown's tree so that people in their tiny studio apartments can enjoy a little bit of Christmas on an end table.

Day 313 of 365

Indoor autumn

A corner window of a restaurant in the West Village has a full-on autumn theme going on.

Day 311 of 365

8th Ave. on a Saturday

This hefty bulldog was awaiting his owner outside a takeout restaurant.

Day 291 of 365

Skeletor's future

Chelsea Market is decked out for the Halloween season, and the last two days -- the weekend -- have required patience to walk through the concourse, because the primary displays cause people to stop and huddle and clog the thoroughfare. It can be frustrating when you're trying to navigate your way through the hordes when they stop in the middle of the walking lanes to look at the photos on their cameras' LCD screens or compose a text message.

Day 286 of 365

'Nurse Jackie' on location

I regularly see the signs posted along sidestreets throughout Manhattan -- no parking on a certain day because of a film shoot. But I don't see the actual production taking place nearly as often -- maybe once every 10 times I see the signs. That tends to happen because I'm either off on the day of filming and therefore not in New York, or I only see the trailers lining the streets, with the actual filming taking place somewhere else, around a corner on a different street.

But a day after seeing the "Nurse Jackie" signs posted, I came walking along that same route the next day and spotted the bright lights beneath the High Line on Washington St. I stood across the street for a few minutes watching the action -- such as it was; they were filming inside the ambulance, and all I saw was someone shifting from the back to the front repeatedly over several takes.

I didn't recognize either of the actors after filming of the scene was complete, but because of the nature of the scene, I'm sure I'll be able to spot it when the episode airs.

Day 254 of 365

More how it felt than how it looked

I actually kinda love this shot for what it isn't: accurate. It wasn't this foggy (though it sure felt like it), but the effect comes from the fact that my little Canon Powershot was in my bag next to a cold bottle of water. So when I brought it out and exposed it to the warmer, humid air, it fogged up the lens. I didn't realize it at first -- I thought it was just on the LCD screen -- and took the shot. Then I looked at the lens and saw the condensation, so this was the only shot I took.

Day 246 of 365

Where Nighthawks once roosted

This corner is believed to be where the diner that inspired Nighthawks was located.

Day 236 of 365

Empire from Hudson

Day 229 of 365

Greenwich Village corner

Not to make light of it, but if I lived across from the Spotted Pig, I might have financial trouble, too.

Day 201 of 365

Left alone

Parked outside Chelsea Market at 4 a.m.

Day 194 of 365

Not as lonely as it appears

I felt sorry for the big guy, until I passed him and noticed that his leash is tied to his owner's chair at the restaurant. He's just looking for sympathy.