dogs

Today would have been Jay Shapiro’s 65th birthday, a day in 1947 that also fell on Father’s Day. Jay was a remarkable man and our veterinarian for many years. He was irreplaceable, and all over New York there are animals and humans who continue to grieve his passing. In tribute, Jay’s sister Sarabeth Levine posted this great photo (above) of Jay and his son Jordan on her website. Between two is their cat, A-Rod.

You can read my tribute to Jay, first published in Bark magazine, here on Livin’ The High Line.  Jay was a man apart: an extraordinary father, doctor, brother, son, friend. Not a day goes by that we don’t think of him.

Paw to heart, eyes to heaven. We miss you so.

Sarah Sze’s “Still Life with Landscape” is one my favorite exhibitions on the High Line. As readers of this blog know, I tend to get sentimental about certain exhibits, notably Stephen Vitiello’s “A Bell For Every Minute,” which I still miss. But the point of the public art program is that new works continually appear, and in order for that to happen, old favorites have to come down.

Sze’s work has been attracting birds, butterflies, bees, and humans in huge numbers since it debuted on opening day of section two last year. Even the occasional dog stops by to have a sniff (see photo gallery). Barbie selected Sze’s piece from all of New York City’s landmarks as the location for her latest fashion shoot.

I’ve been photographing “Still Life” all year, jostling amongst the many tourists who stop, in surprise and delight, as soon as they reach it. I love the architectural quality of this piece; it makes the perfect bird feeder, but it also frames several standout buildings with its boxy pattern of steel girders:  London Towers, General Theological Seminary, the Empire State Building, the Guardian Angel Church.  Most wonderful of all, it brings the birds up close. Even New York’s pigeon population — normally happy to perch on a prosaic lamppost — has discovered Sze’s work, along with the sparrows, mourning doves, and other feathered friends.

The piece comes down at the end of June, so be sure to pay a visit between now and then. To learn more about Sarah Sze and her work visit SarahSze.com. Check out the gallery to see more photos.

I took this photo a couple of weeks ago, but the weather was similar to today’s: rainy, raw, bone-chilling. There weren’t too many creatures in the park.

A great many people come to this blog looking for dogs on the High Line, and I’m always happy to oblige. Dogs are not, of course, allowed on the High Line, but this is a service dog who lives in the neighborhood. I often see this couple at the Chelsea Piers gym and the dog is a very sweet and well-behaved creature who sits quietly and attentively by the pool as its owner swims. (I’m sure the owner is very sweet too, but that’s beside the point; no one comes here searching for “humans on the High Line.”)

This is one of Manhattan’s Lucky Dogs; being in service means it  has the great privilege of being allowed on the High Line. So if you see this dog, you too will be lucky. That’s what dogs do: they spread the luck around.

And look at the tail. The photo below the slideshow is in focus — everything but the dog’s tail, which is wagging up a storm. This is happiness on the High Line, brought to us by that rarest of rare things: a dog trotting down the Flyover.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. For more dogs, check out the slideshow below, and be sure to click both pages to see all the dogs. There are 27, and counting….

 

Unlike the other dogs I’ve met in the park this one, whom I’ve seen around the neighborhood many times, is legit: she’s a service dog and is very sweet and well-behaved. Sorry she’s out of focus. I was so startled to see a dog actually walking the High Line on a leash that I was all in a swivet. Next time…

Another dog, this one a large hound, was gazing down at the High Line when I passed by this afternoon. Once I raised my camera to my eye it turned its head as if to show complete disinterest in me. I think it is quite a happy dog who gets to sit on a bed and watch the passersby.

It’s every dog’s dream to visit the High Line. Some people — and I love this about New York — are just undeterred. My dog Bucky weighs 55 pounds so there’s no way I’m going to stuff him underneath my suit jacket for an afternoon of flâneur. But these bold High Line visitors were not going to deny their best friend a view of Manhattan from thirty feet up. (For more dogs, see here.)

I say bravo. If a jazz band can storm the plantings for a photo opp and Barbie can pose in a piece of sculpture (by a MacArthur Genius Award winner, no less) then a couple of small dogs is hardly worth mentioning. But I couldn’t resist.