The Old (Upper) West (Side), Manhattan Valley

I'm not sure of the provenance of this cowboy. Street art? A long hidden Marlboro Man (or figure from another even more ancient ad campaign) newly revealed after the demolition of a neighboring building? In any event, I'm glad he's getting some air while there's still air and bit of blue sky to enjoy.

R is Not for Red Hook (Red Hook, Brooklyn)

While working on a video in Red Hook, Brooklyn, today we walked by this iconic sign. One might think at first glance that the "R" stands for Red Hook, but the floating period suggests otherwise. The actual story, according to the blog Lost City is this: "This used to belong to paper goods manufacturer named E.J. Trum. When John Turano & Sons Furniture took over the address in 1978, they tried to tear down the Trum letters. All but the stubborn "R," and a period, were removed. There they remain."