This gallery contains 25 photos.
The colonial is everywhere in Surabaya, even as it lies buried underneath a layer of outwardly nationalistic symbols and slogans. Behind the banners in Bahasa, and past the hordes of chugging motorcycles and cars, the Dutch East Indies still lurks, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 11 photos.
Paradise on Earth If it weren’t for the Hotel Majapahit, I would have had trouble remembering that Surabaya even existed, so entirely overshadowed has the city been by the Indonesian capital Jakarta, and by other tourist hotspots like Bali, Lombok … Continue reading
This gallery contains 7 photos.
“ ‘What do you think of that?’ asked Rienkie’s mother, pointing at the painting. ‘A real Indies sky, don’t you think?’ And only a few people could reproduce an Indies sky, she went on to say. To do that you … Continue reading
This gallery contains 3 photos.
Finally, after an epic journey through Hell and four circles of Purgatory, the Pilgrim has arrived at the West Bank: a quiet sanctuary at the edge of the water, plied by Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike. Beyond the water, Paradise … Continue reading
This gallery contains 7 photos.
Past Hudson Street sits Far West Village, or Sodom and Gomorrah – the final circle of Purgatory. Along this short expanse of street reside homosexuals, Sufis, artists, Turks and Frenchmen, five races known for less than stalwart mores and blasphemous … Continue reading
This gallery contains 14 photos.
Past Greenwich Avenue, 11th Street makes a 45-degree turn and veers off into what looks like a completely different city altogether. This is West Village, where the Goddess – Jane Jacobs – holds sway. It is a fantasy garden-world with … Continue reading
This gallery contains 9 photos.
11th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues was described by Jane Jacobs as a “dignified and interesting street” to walk on, because of the diversity of uses and ages of the buildings here. Today, most of this block and its … Continue reading
This gallery contains 9 photos.
Between Broadway and 5th Avenue sits some of the grandest residential buildings on 11th Street, in a variety of opulent styles: cast-iron, mock Tudor, Beaux-Arts and somewhat more Contemporary. The intersections, in particular, stand out for the European cities they … Continue reading
This gallery contains 10 photos.
Don’t be fooled by the outwardly placid nature of these three blocks just past Alphabet City. This is a battleground for Mankind’s soul. The Cardinal Sins manifest themselves here, in a multitude of seductive forms designed to part the pilgrim … Continue reading
This gallery contains 10 photos.
The word “Paradise” comes from the Old Iranian word “pairidaeza,” which originally meant “walled enclosure,” though over the centuries, has come also to refer more generally to a “garden.” Between Avenues C and A lie a trio of quaint, verdant … Continue reading
Dream Of A City 