There Are 8 Million Stories

In the golden era of black and white television there was a program called

THE NAKED CITY , based on a forties film noir of the same name. It open with a voice saying "There are 8 million stories in the naked city this has been one of them" this moral warning was repeated at the end. Maybe it was from watching this show , but when it came time for me to start to look at colleges to attend the first place that was forbidden for me to even consider was New York.

New York was never a destination for me but I guess it is maybe a little part of the dreams of being an artist especially in the sixties when New York replaced Paris, as the center of the Art world. Manhattan Island which is one of five boros is also the smallest measuring about 14 by 2.5 miles ,yet with it gleaming spires and cathedrals of commerce it represent to most the City of New York. There is this raw energy the constant changing . I think it was me who said New York stays the same because it is always changing. Lately this seems more true in 2008 more than 426 new building were being built.It stopped for a while but now many neighborhoods

and the skyline itself are changing.

I love the City because it is easy to get around in part of that raw energy is a many level public transportation system.This freedom of movement is only challegened when people plan events on the same evening and usually starting at the same time.This can cause delicate me to go into shock from having to chose between friendship and the best canapes.Most of the time I wind up in a ball afraid to leave the house. This scenario happened last Saturday when two events were being held at the same time but at a distance.

Amazingly,I decided to be a better person ,do the right thing and in the end I was rewarded with a most pleasant evening. My choice was to go to a senior exhibition on East 71st Street at Marymount Manhattan College to support the fabulous Janine Noelle .I must say fabulous is a word I do not like so it is stressful to use it but Janine does have her moments.

I got there an hour early so I was able to see the show and spend time with the artist and some of her family.The exhibition which was simply installed in a white room with some mirrored walls and a bold black and white marble floor which could have drained or distracted from the photographs presentation but didn't. Everything was in harmony

"New York New York"," big city of dreams'' taking your picture is a challenge, what does an artist do, is it a landscape or a portrait, is it sitting still or moving,do you rely on the human presence ? The city has a personality that wants to control its' own image it demands to give input into the making because there is always a need to reshape the iconic.Somewhere in my mind ring the words" I am ready for my close up". Remember the eight million stories. I was wowed by Janine take on this aggressive yet quiet city of many shadows.These picture celebrate the neighborhoods.There are 20 images in the show .The first one in this post is Gramercy, followed by Chelsea ,Midtown East, Midtown West , Chelsea, and Harlem.