Day 262

C-Mania

September 17th, 2012



All I know about this place is that they don't like cats and seahorses as much as they used to.

Day 262

Sweet little guy

September 17th, 2012


Day 262

Bodega ties!

September 17th, 2012



Three bucks apiece or five for ten dollars

Day 262

EcuaMex Mosque & Madrasa

September 17th, 2012



Because there's no prohibition in the Koran against delicious empanadas.

Day 262

Lamb’s quarters

September 17th, 2012



Much like purslane, lamb's quarters is a delicious, nutritious weed you can find growing in dog-pee zones all across the city.

Day 262

St. Sebastian’s

September 17th, 2012



This used to be the Loew's Woodside until they chopped off the old theater entrance and replaced it with a new churchy-looking one. Here's a shot of the crowd watching that 2008 classic, Christmas Midnight Mass.

Day 262

Don’t look too square to me

September 17th, 2012


Day 262

Barberz: Honorable mention

September 17th, 2012



This one was a tough call, but I ultimately decided that the z-in-lieu-of-an-s does not have a strong enough connection to the barbershop part of the business to count in the series.

Day 262

Half and half

September 17th, 2012


Day 262




There were more names and dates scrawled nearby.

Day 262

Who’s Papi? Tires by Papi

September 17th, 2012



I'd like to know a little more about the man before I buy my tires from him.

Day 262

1939 Ford Deluxe in action

September 17th, 2012



This guy was just cruising around the neighborhood today; I crossed paths with him more than once. He's lucky he wasn't on South Chicago Avenue.

Day 262

This portal looks a lot nicer

September 17th, 2012



than it did five years ago.

Day 262

Portal of the day

September 17th, 2012



Just beside the main entrance to Divya Dham...

Day 262

Divya Dham

September 17th, 2012



Located in a former electronics factory, this "vast temple complex and living-history museum" is lined with beautiful, ornate shrines to various Hindu deities. It was founded by Swami Jagdishwaranand, who also established the Geeta Temple, which we happened upon back in April. You can see more photos on the temple's website; here's a video of the Navaratri festivities in 2009.

Day 262

Entrance to the cave

September 17th, 2012



Contained within is a shrine to Vaishno Devi, where an eternal flame burns. From Swami Jagdishwaranand's obituary in the NY Times:

In 1996, the swami traveled to India to bring back an eternal flame, known as the Divya Jyoti, for the altar of Divya Dham. Visiting 52 sacred sites around the country, he gathered a holy flame from each one into a single light. As no airline would transport the flame, it was carried overland through Central Asia into Western Europe and across the channel to England, where it departed by ship for California.

From there, the Divya Jyoti made its way by car across the United States to Queens, where it was installed at Divya Dham amid great ceremony. Before his trip, the swami had consulted members of the International Olympic Committee on how to keep the flame safe during its arduous journey.

Day 262

Bhagiratha prays to Shiva

September 17th, 2012



to ease the roaring descent of the River Ganges on its journey from the heavens down to earth. This is one of the museum-like exhibits at Divya Dham; take a closer look at the creatures inhabiting this region of the Himalayas.

Day 262

WE ARE CHEAP &

September 17th, 2012



THAT IS GOOD FOR YOU

Day 262

Bagelman(ia)

September 17th, 2012