And When You Wake Up It's a New Morning

Tommy & Rory on subway platform going to Freedomland @ 1962

Rory loved adventures. He joined Freddy Muller and me on one in 1966. Not sure who first discovered it, but starting at 70th Street near the FDR drive down by the East River, you could enter the New York Hospital complex down a flight of stairs into a sub-basement that had a series of walking tunnels that led through many areas of the hospital. The hair on the back of our necks stood up when we passed through the pathology area where every conceivable human body part was floating in liquid in huge glass jars. At first we went down the eerie tunnels because we could, but eventually found they led to the sub-basement of Olin Hall at 69th Street and York Avenue where we found a regulation size wood floor basketball court. This made Freddy and I very happy and Rory indifferent. Rory liked getting spooked and had no interest in sports.

Next time Freddy and I brought a basketball and Rory wandered around until it was time to leave or we got chased by doctors playing a pick-up game. Eventually, the whole neighborhood found out the secret of the buried court. That blew it for everyone, security started keeping an eye out for us. Looking back, this was the best time of our lives together.

Rory Pryor @ 21 years old

Rory's Mom & Baby Ellie for Uncle Mommy's  Bday

Rory died at 42, fifteen years ago today. He was a fine artist but left little of his art behind because he gave it away to his friends. The three pieces shown here are Rory's.

Here's lyrics from one of Rory's favorite songs, "Baker Street," by Jerry Rafferty

And when you wake up, it's a new morning
The sun is shining, it's a new morning
You're going, You're going home.

Harold and Maude plant a tree for Rory

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD5fMMXwZs8&feature=related

My passion for New York City and it's neighborhoods developed a long time ago, when Dad and Mom dragged us all over town walking, biking, subways, boats and buses.

We had no car so we never got anywhere quickly. This left a lot of time to think about what we were seeing and where we were going, and view things more slowly than if you flew by in a Buick. As a kid you tend to pick something visual to focus on to avoid boredom and my brother, Rory, and I had lots of targets.

Add Dad's obsessive photo taking, and I ended up with a broad pictorial record of most of our trips around the city in the 1960s. In most of these photographs, Rory is front and center, the lead player in the scene.

Looking at these photos, Rory's engaged photogenic face always makes me think we had a better time than we really did. I never mind this delusion.

Rory Pryor at lake 1962

Rory at Central Park, nice hat!

Rory Full Moon Collage with birds

Rory's Chalk Orchestra

Rory with his girls at Queen of Angels 8th grade grad in Sunnyside @1970

Rory sipping milk in 1st grade St. Stephen's Nov 1962

A Few Words on Yorkville's Nuts

Squirrel enjoying a nut up a tree @ Carl Schurz Park

The New York Giants poor play today brought up a painful Yorkville memory.

When I was a boy getting punched in the nuts and handling it well was a badge of honor. You were expected to tell the attacker, "nice shot," if indeed, it was a good shot.

You could stay down on your knees or roll in the fetal position for as long as you needed to recover, but it was bad darts to immediately strike back.

Protocol called for a sneak attack sometimes days later, and if you did it in a classroom, or better, in Church, you got extra points from your friends. You got bonus extra points if you didn't tell on the attacker and sought your revenge with your own future attack. It was considered a Grand Slam if you hit a guy in the nuts good while he was flirting with a girl.

And you never answered this question unless it was asked in school by a teacher.

"What is the capital of Thailand?"

Rory sharing his nuts with a squirrel @ Central Park

Yorkville Creperie at 1586 York Avenue is currently hosting an exhibit of my photography. The work will be on display through the end of this year. All framed work is for sale and my photographic prints are available for purchase @ Thomas R. Pryor Photography. There is a price list on the wall at Yorkville Creperie. The manager has a flyer describing the exhibit with the price list and my background. Please ask your Creperie server or the manager for a copy.


Also on display are photographs of the Creperie storefront and The Saloon storefront from 1960 and 1962 when they were known as Joe's Candy Store and the Old Timer's Tavern. One is my first photo of Dad and his pals in the bar looking out, and the other is my Dad's shot of my cousin Bobby, Rory and I on Christmas Day with my first two wheeler. That bike and Dad's camera kicked off my interest in photography when we rode all over Manhattan every weekend we could.

There's an opening reception for the exhibit on Tuesday, October 1st @ 7pm to 9pm next door the Creperie in The Saloon. Everyone is welcome, refreshments will be served. Come visit Yorkville, we'll have a nice time.

Yorkville Creperie Exhibits My Photography ~ Opening Reception @ Tues, Oct 1st @ 7-9 pm

Two nights ago it was cloudy at dusk and I walked through the bushes on the east side of Carl Schurz Park's 87th Street bridge leading to Gracie Mansion. The cloudy sky looked pleasing over the statue of Pan. 

Here are shots from there, the Drive inside Carl Schurz and the path leading out of the park at 84th Street and East End Avenue.

Yorkville Creperie at 1586 York Avenue is currently hosting an exhibit of my photography. The work will be on display through the end of this year. All framed work is for sale and my photographic prints are available for purchase @ Thomas R. Pryor Photography. There is a price list on the wall at Yorkville Creperie. The manager has a flyer describing the exhibit with the price list and my background. Please ask your Creperie server or the manager for a copy.

Also on display are photographs of the Creperie storefront and The Saloon storefront from 1960 and 1962 when they were known as Joe's Candy Store and the Old Timer's Tavern. One is my first photo of Dad and his pals in the bar looking out, and the other is my Dad's shot of my cousin Bobby, Rory and I on Christmas Day with my first two wheeler. That bike and Dad's camera kicked off my interest in photography when we rode all over Manhattan every weekend we could.

There's an opening reception for the exhibit on Tuesday, October 1st @ 7pm to 9pm next door the Creperie in The Saloon. Everyone is welcome, refreshments will be served. Come visit Yorkville, we'll have a nice time.

Stoops to Nuts on a Late Summer Evening

Thank you, Supersmall, Colin Dempsey, Daniela Schiller, Nathalie Schmidt, Jimmy Wohl & Ahron Yeshaiek for a powerful "City Stories: Stoops to Nuts" show last night at Cornelia Street Cafe. Your talent humbles me and gives me inspiration. Thank you, Paul Jones & Lauren for keeping the customers satisfied and the artists tip top. Thank you, to a wonderful audience who never let us down. Robin Hirsch, Angelo Verga & Joshua Rebell, thank you, for opening your home to our antics. After the show I walked around the West Village and dug a warm late summer night.

Yorkville Creperie at 1586 York Avenue is currently hosting an exhibit of my photography. The work will be on display through the end of this year. All framed work is for sale and my photographic prints are available for purchase @ Thomas R. Pryor Photography. There is a price list on the wall at Yorkville Creperie. The manager has a flyer describing the exhibit with the price list and my background. Please ask your server or the manager for a copy of the flyer.

There's an opening reception on Tuesday, October 1st @ 7pm to 9pm. All are welcome, refreshments will be served.

Summer's Almost Gone tonight @ Stoops to Nuts

Rainy day, summer's almost gone... what to do? what to do?
Tell ghost stories! That's it, tonight @ "City Stories: Stoops to Nuts"...


Tonight, Sept 10th @ 6pm is our next "City Stories: Stoops to Nuts" @ Cornelia Street Cafe. Our artists: Colin Dempsey, Daniela Schiller, Nathalie Schmidt, Jimmy Wohl, Ahron Yeshaiek & Super Small. Admission is $8 including a free drink.

Thank you, Time Out Magazine for saying "Stoops to Nuts" is a cool thing to do tonight.

We Three's 20th, Stoops to Nuts show, Yorkville Creperie Hosts My Photo Exhibit

Tomorrow, Monday, Sept. 9th @ 8pm ~ "We Three Productions" a.k.a Harold Dean James, Tim O'Mara, Wayne Kral are celebrating the reading series 20th anniversary supporting the NYC writing community. Change your plans! Let these guys know how much we appreciate them. Their generosity has given countless writers opportunities to share their work.

We Three Productions Present Biweekly Readings of Poetry and Prose at 2A
25 Ave A @ 2nd Street. - Upstairs tomorrow @ 8pm ~ FREE

Tuesday night, Sept 10th @ 6pm is our next  "City Stories: Stoops to Nuts" @ Cornelia Street Cafe. Our artists: Colin Dempsey, Daniela Schiller, Nathalie Schmidt, Jimmy Wohl, Ahron Yeshaiek & Super Small. Admission is $8 including a free drink.

Thank you, Time Out Magazine for saying  "Stoops to Nuts" is a cool thing to do on Tuesday coming.

Yorkville Creperie at 1586 York Avenue is currently hosting an exhibit of my photography.  The work will be on display through the end of this year. All framed work is for sale and my photographic prints are available for purchase @  Thomas R. Pryor Photography.  There is a price list on the wall at Yorkville Creperie. The manager has a flyer describing the exhibit with the price list and my background. Please ask your server or the manager for a copy of the flyer.

There will be an opening reception on Tuesday, October 1st @ 7pm to 9pm. 

All are welcome, refreshments will be served.

"Going Out of My Head" @ Long Beach Island in 1981

In 1981, departing NYC for the Labor Weekend, I nearly lost my head during my first trip to Long Beach Island, N.J. Yesterday, the Nun asked us to write about what we did 32 summers ago, so I did, but most of the kids in the 4th grade class just looked at her funny.

Isn't that true, John Harvey, the teacher's pet?

Tonight @ 7:30pm, I'm talking out of school @ Phillip Giambri's Rimes of The Ancient Mariner Monthly Spoken Word and Open Mic :

Identity Bar & Lounge
511 East 6th Street, New York, New York 10009
View Map · Get Directions

Show starts @ 7:30pm, 

Doors open @ 7pm, so does

sign-up for the 5 minute open Mic slots.

Here are a few shots from Long Beach Island. A place I've returned to for 34 consecutive years.

Summer's Last Kiss ~ a facebook photo album from 2011.