Disrupting the grid...

Back to sketching after a week postponed by hurricane Sandy. It was good to know that power was restored to areas in NJ and things are almost back to normal for most. Our thoughts are still with those in dire straits.

This weekend's theme was "Disrupting the Grid". The streets in New York City are, for the most part, arranged in a grid with avenues running north-south, perpendicular to the streets running east-west. This land developer's dream plan is disrupted by Broadway, a street that cuts the grid on a diagonal leaving triangular remnants. These triangles appear all along Broadway and have become some of the city's most prominent public landmarks: Herald Square, Times Square, Worth Square. What we found during our sketching was that the disruption is spatial and public.

We did not realize that Sunday, November 11th was Armistice Day (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918) and there was a gathering of veterans and a parade. Where better to stage than in the "triangles"?

We ended the day at a local flea market, where for the first time ever, we were approached by a security officer.  He asked us what we were doing, because people were complaining that we made them "nervous".  One guy walked by and said:"You drawin' our pictures and sending it to the CIA right?" Paranoia at the Flea Market. Who knew?




Madison Square Park was a "veteran's only" area
 

Hundreds of people gathered.  A group of photographers stopped, snapped and moved on.
 

A photography instructor tried to persuade the garbage men to move their trucks so they could get a clear shot (no luck).