This gallery contains 12 photos.
It might as well be ancient Rome. The street is adorned with statues and reliefs depicting flora, fauna and human figurines in epic poses. Arches and columns proliferate, some with elaborate filigreed designs, others more humble. Words are carved into … Continue reading
This gallery contains 19 photos.
At the edge of the world sits a Tower. And this Tower is no structure of brick and mortar, but a kind of illusion; a trick of the light, flickering electric blue in and out of sight; a coalescing of … Continue reading
This gallery contains 3 photos.
(Even though I’m no longer in New York, the story of 12 of its streets must continue. Here’s Chapter IV. Words and Photography by Yours Truly.) “The sky is a landfill. I see you take another drag.” Jeff Buckley, The … Continue reading
This gallery contains 28 photos.
Across the Kali Mas (Mas River), East of the Jembatan Merah (or Red Bridge), sits a different world altogether from the one the Dutch lived and worked in. Here, there is a sort of dignified stillness and anonymity, associated with … Continue reading
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
Dream Of A City 