Mind the flash, please

EVG reader olympiasepiriot spotted this red-tailed hawk lounging around a fire escape this evening on East Ninth Street… the hawks usually reserve the photo opps for Tompkins Square Park…

Appreciating fire escapes

Also in the Times today, an appreciation of fire escapes with a shot of one on East Fifth Street.

Although many of the fire escapes built during New York’s second wave of immigration still exist, these well-worn structures have been lamentably overlooked. Even the venerable Encyclopedia of New York City neglects to give them a separate entry. Perhaps it’s time for New Yorkers to give these old cultural symbols a second look.