nyc straycat: December 2019

Hudson Park Library Exhibit, Greenwich Village, Sparks Search for Best Posts on My Facebook Page

My Picks for 2019...

Best Photo: David Van Biema, Gay Street, West Village, New York

I look forward to the “Best of Lists” published in many magazines, newspapers and digital news sites at the end of each year...

My favorites are the Top Ten Category listings for films, books, theater, television that appear in publications like Time Magazine, The New Yorker and The New York Times.

Ten is a good number. It is manageable and more importantly my attention span does not wander. Plus I can read a top ten list in one sitting and read it thoroughly. Many digital sites, even those of the publications listed above, also offer a top 100 list. I find this a bit overwhelming. I always ask myself “why is this book listed at 55 and not 17 or 3.”

There are also local publications and digital sites that offer a unique twist of a “Best of List” such as the the "best dive bar serving the biggest hot dogs (free)" or the "best taco stand with the tastiest salsa" or the "best male cowboy bar with the most dudes dancing

shirtless on the bar."

My list is simple and straight forward. And I present it on the last day of the year. Two weeks ago I received an invitation on Facebook to attend a New York Public Library photo exhibit at the Hudson Park Library on Leroy Street in the West Village. The exhibit titled
“All The Day’s Bounty: Photos From the Village and Elsewhere" featured the photos of photographer/writer and Village resident David Van Biema. See Photo Above. (This invitation triggered a search of my Facebook page - Rudi Papiri - for the best photos of 2019. I received many interesting photos and posts this year. I needed several hours to whittle my selections).

Hudson Park Library Exhibit: David Van Biema,
Union Square, New York

Van Biema has written for Life and Time Magazines. He served as the religion and a feature writer for Time for many year. He is currently writing a book about Psalms in the Bible. Influenced by the many celebrated photo journalists who worked at both publications Van Biema’s work captures “an appreciation of the forms, colors and narratives” in the West Village and along the Hudson River Park Bike Path.

Inspired by David’s excellent works, one I consider my favorite Facebook photo for 2019,
I would like to share my “Best of List” with you. I apologize. I am boring. I list only EIGHT categories. Note my selections below:

Best Photo of Painter and His Work: Bruno Grassi in his

Studio in Parma, Italy