As Joy, Jacob and I strolled along Union Street, we noticed that even in the middle of winter (Feb. 20, 2010) the Gowanus Canal stank. And when we neared it, this is what we saw.

Photos by Joy Romanski

View from Union St. Bridge over the Gowanus:

Closeup 1:

Closeup 2:

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Photos from my family's visit to the Watts Towers:

This took 33 years for one person, Simon Rodia, to build all by himself.

At a distance both my brother and I thought it was far less colorful than we had expected. But up close we realized it was made up of many pieces of shell, colored tiles, broken bottles, etc. Beautiful!

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Things are really bad when you have the artist who painted the famous Veselka mural (actually, it's all canvas), selling it to the highest bidder.

Damn.

I could try to kid you. "Go to an important art exhibit at the Morgan Library" I could say. But don't. Go to the Morgan right away because there is a wonderful, quirky, exhibit of paintings and drawings by (father & son) Jean & Laurent de Brunhoff.

Who you ask? They are the writers, artists, the visionaries of the Barbar books. Now a thousand politically conscious militants have probably told you (as they have me) that Babar books are imperialistic, ethnocentric, and just plain reactionary in a dozen ways. And well they may be but the Babar Books were, for me and for my children, an essential rite of passage which I continue to treasure. I ask you: French, cursive writing and elephants in clothing. Who could ask for anything more.

For Adam Gopnick's New Yorker review click here  read more »

Can you stand going to the Met Museum during the holidays? I happen to love the tree and creche they put on display each year. The figures are rich in kitsch, which (if that's not your thing) could be a pain. But let me tell you about another reasons to press the flesh at the Met.

Art & Love In Renaissance Italy is an interesting, complex and very smart exhibit at the Met until February 16, 2009. I saw it under what was, for me, ideal conditions: an unmobbed pre-view with curators' introducing many of the objects and paintings. The show has not received the raves I think it deserves. See the NY Times review here as an example The NY Times has also posted a slide show of a few of the 160 items in the exhibit. You can also check out these YouTubes of exhibit items. But trust me -- seeing them up front and personal is better.  read more »