Tag Archives: shop

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Toy Apple Beauty Barber Saloon

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Toy Apple Beauty Barber Saloon
The “Toy Apple Beauty Barber Saloon” in Manhattan’s Chinatown district

Toy Apple Beauty Barber Saloon. New York City. August 10, 2014. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The “Toy Apple Beauty Barber Saloon” in Manhattan’s Chinatown district

The photograph comes from Manhattan’s Chinatown district, which we visited on a warm summer evening a few years back. (Actually, we’ve visited the area many times.) We went there to try to eat a place we know, but decided to first wander a bit and, of course, for me this meant I could make some photographs. The area is different from other parts of Manhattan in a number of ways, but to me perhaps the most striking is the narrowness of the twisting streets, which are not laid out in the expected orderly form.

The streets are filled with small shops of all sorts. I think this is a beauty shop and/or barber shop, but the store name is a bit perplexing. Places like this intrigue me in the ways that they are not like modern chain businesses. Almost everything about the place is idiosyncratic — from the name to the cup on the object over the door leading to the lower room at the right.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Seated People, Dog

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Seated People, Dog
Seated people with a white dog in front of Florence shops on the Ponte Vecchio.

Seated People, Dog. Florenze/Firenze, Italy. August 27, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Seated people with a white dog in front of Florence shops on the Ponte Vecchio.

The Ponte Vecchio is a bridge across the Arno River in Florence, and it is covered with buildings, giving it a very different appearance than the typical cross-river bridge. Shops line the bridge and are open during the day, with some staying open into the evening.

It is, of course, a popular tourist spot — and we were tourists! When we walked across the first time it was close to sunset and the place was packed to the point that it was difficult to walk. There was the typical assortment of street artists, musicians, and men hawking cheap souvenirs. The lights were just coming on when I saw this small group of people and their dog sitting on the curb, somehow finding a way to look almost isolated in the midst of the crowd.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Gelateria, Night

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Gelateria, Night
A gelateria worker checks his phone while waiting for customers in the evening, Florence

Gelateria, Night. Florence/Firenze, Italy, August 27, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A gelateria worker checks his phone while waiting for customers in the evening, Florence

These little places are everywhere in central Florence — and it other European cities we visited this summer. Compared to most US streets, the overall impression in most such places is that there is far less overt advertising and fewer big, bright shops with garish lighting. Against that background, the small shops, open to the sidewalk and narrow street, can look quite inviting.

The fact that they sell gelato doesn’t hurt either! Several times we got the gelato “itch” and went out looking. It might have been easier if there had been fewer choices! Often the shops are crowded with people queueing up in front, but the worker in this shop seems to be having a quiet moment to check his phone.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Urban/Street

Kodak Moment

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Kodak Moment
A Florence, Italy souvenir store still retains the venerable name of Kodak.

Kodak Moment. Florence, Italy. August 29, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A Florence, Italy souvenir store still retains the venerable name of Kodak.

Mostly there is nothing particularly noteworthy or unusual about this little souvenir store in Florence, along the edge of the square where the Duomo is found. It appears to be much like the many other similar shops, there to cater to the many tourists who pass through. I passed by on the last morning of our long overseas trip — we were out for a few final hours of wandering around before beginning the ordeal of the flight back home.

The attraction of the shop is, of course, the anachronistic (or nostalgic, depending on your age) name of the shop: “Kodak Film,” declared twice on the two signs. There was a day when Kodak film was a mainstay in places like this, but those days are long gone. I didn’t go inside to check, but I doubt that there is much or even any Kodak film for sale inside these days. But as I type this I recall the sensations of purchasing those boxes and even of tearing the wrapper off of an old spool of 120 or perhaps opening a film can. I also note that the people taking a picture in front of the store are using… smart phones!

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.