Night Moves

Here's a photo of the view from my apartment at night. That purple glow is from a nearby hotel and it changes color, somewhat like the horse in The Wizard of Oz-- slowly and beautifully, nothing abrupt or jarring. So, it's no 40-story Manhattan view, but it's nice none the less. You can't really see it in the photo, but the rooftop on the left (you'll notice that in front of the lit buildings there are several rooftops before them, allowing me to have an actual view) has a rooftop garden where there I've seen several garden parties. Not sure if it's a private residence or not, but I suspect not. I love that I don't face the street. It makes for a much more quiet, peaceful existence here. If I look downward, I can see into a couple of rehearsal/recording studios, too. I most often see a drummer's and pianist's feet, at the very least. They're attached to this bad-ass sax place (other instruments, as well, but saxophones are their specialty) Dexter Gordon used to frequent when here. Woody Allen is a fan, as well (I'm sure many of you know he's a kick-ass jazz clarinetist in addition to being a creepy guy and sometimes-decent director). There are actually several world-renound music stores in the neighborhood, in addition to famous and not-so-famous performance hot spots.

I like nighttime here. It's great to live in a place where if I want to just take a nice, long walk at midnight, I can do so, and encounter others doing the same. Perfect for when it's been a hot day (it's been in the 90s already!) and the city has cooled off and brought with it a nice breeze. If I want to, I can stop for a drink or coffee somewhere along the way. It's an alive place 'round the clock, although there are less crowded places to be found. There's a place uptown that has jam sessions every night from 2-4am. Crazy, yet not an unusual thing here. And it's a very nice walk (or, alternatively, quick subway ride) there.