This is my second time visiting the NY Transit Museum but this time it was after hours for a craft event that I was invited to. I will almost not likely ever pass up an opportunity to look at trains so I went. I went with a friend who has never been so it was nice to show her around and explore without kids running around. They had refreshments (beer, woo hoo), some chips and an option to kind of sip & paint (we got there too late so we couldn’t do that).

We had some time to check out a collection of ads that MTA and other places have run before, things that were commissioned by MTA and really just get a small glimpse of how NYC used to be.

I love trains, I love the history behind them in NYC but like any New Yorker, I wish they were maintained and repaired to run better.

This is my 3rd year attending Curlfest. This year the event was moved to Randall’s Island and I have to say I prefer this space. MTA made the M35 a free shuttle bus for guests and there was also a free shuttle bus (that was really nice compared to my express bus that I take everyday). This made getting there a lot easier than walking forever in Prospect Park after securing parking.

Prospect Park is nice as well but it was getting harder to control who can enter the space with and without a ticket. We got in with no issue as the lines were labeled for whichever ticket you purchased, there were bag checks and hand held wands for security. There is always an issue with picking up your bag of hair goodies but we made the most of it on our line.

The space seemed larger, there was more space to lay under some shade, more food vendors (vendors y’all got to do something about folks standing on line for an hour for icees), beverage options (hard cider, spiked seltzer, ice creams, etc), more bathrooms (port o-nasty potties that were hotter inside there than outside) and less creeps with cameras.

As a photographer this always chaffed me the wrong way in BK, Curlfest thank you for having photographers there to take pics. It was also nice to see more women walking around with their own cameras celebrating who they are with their friends and families.

There was a section where artists were painting their works of art that I was seated near and it was nice to watch from beginning to end (I was there for close to 6 hours). Also there was a section for kids to get their paint on too.

Events like this are important to us. I can’t tell you how much this would have helped me as a kid & teen to see other women celebrate their hair, skin, body types, art, music. Representation matters and it was nice to be surrounded by it.

To the woman who helped us finish folding my blanket, thank you! You’re a gem for that, I was reaching a moment of this blanket is going to be zipped back in incorrectly.

See you next year!

If anyone knows the names of the artist please let me know so that I can tag them. I only got the ig of one of them.

I grew up next door to Hell’s Kitchen and have been meaning to walk through to take pics of the older store front signs that are still standing. NYC is becoming a City that is losing its character with these new glass sky scrappers that are blocking the sky. So, with that in mind, I grabbed my camera and asked my sister to join me to walk down these streets to reminisce about the days(years really) when we were younger enjoying the 9th Avenue festival. Did you know that the festival used to have rides below 42nd St (that’s where the festival ends now)? We also used to run errands with our mom to the fish and meat market almost every weekend. No wonder we like to walk everywhere, we were walking 2 or more miles with her or our dad all of the time. Thanks guys! 

These pics are of the older establishments that have been in this neighborhood for decades (including the school) and no walk down this area wouldn’t be complete without a pic of Port Authority. I wanted to make sure that I have some photo evidence before (hopefully not for a while) they disappear to the ever high rents in Manhattan.