Built in 1929 above Grand Central Terminal to serve as the headquarters of the New York Central railroad companies, the Helmsley Building was sold a few months ago to the royal family of Dubai.

Could you live without your cellphone?.

The Powerhouse, San Francisco, 1999 I’m at the Powerhouse for the Mr. Powerhouse Leather contest, whose winner will compete in Mr. San Francisco Leather during the Leather Week buildup to Folsom Street Fair. My buddies Doug and Leif are standing with me on our “perch”, the little raised platform on front of the second floor of the bar, from which …

Folsom StreetOn the way to Polk and CastroYou don’t find them finerFreedom, freedom is in the air, yeahSearching for what we all treasure : pleasureCycles, cycles in the night shining brightBright neon nights tell a glory storyLeather! Leather! Leather! Leather, baby!Levi’s and T’s are the best now all right Dress the way you please, and put your mind at easeIt’s …

One of the neat little features of my click-tracking program is that it tells me how many times a particular link is clicked or how many times a photo has been embiggened. This morning I’m a little amused to see that of the eight photos of yesterday’s Iran/Iraq/Pakistan protest at the UN that I posted, so far 611 of you …

Leaders of the world are sitting a few blocks away from me, as George Bush is just about to address the General Assembly of the United Nations. All of Midtown East is locked down. Roads are closed and traffic is gridlocked everywhere. There are thousands of cops in evidence, and I’ve noticed some “businessmen” wearing sunglasses and earpieces as they …

An interesting new study from the New York City Health Department revealed that almost 10% of the men who self-identified as straight, also reported having had sex with at least one man in the previous year. Most of those men also reported being married. They were also less likely to have been tested for HIV or to have practiced safe …

How’d you like this staring into your bedroom window all night?

Manhattan, September 18th, 2001 In 2001, I lived in Chelsea on 21st Street near 8th Avenue. My third floor apartment overlooked the playground of P.S. 11, the William T. Harris K-5 School. A few days after the attack, on the outside of the wall around the playground, the school began posting drawings that the children had made, presumably allowing them …

During the primary campaign for NY Attorney General, in which Andrew Cuomo earned the Democratic slot over Mark Green and Sean Patrick Maloney, I paid scant attention to the Republican side of the campaign. This morning I saw an interesting campaign ad during the Today Show, from the Republican AG nominee Jeanine Pirro, in which she pledged to “protect gays …

At least 15 tries and I didn’t get one in-focus shot. So much for the “Me & The ESB” series. And you’d think that a badly unfocused photo would hide somebody’s wrinkles. You’d think that, but that would be wrong thinking. Anyway, maybe if you cross your eyes, you can tell that that’s the Empire State Building on the far …

The Archive, the largest structure in the West Village, was built in the 1890’s as New York City’s Appraiser’s Warehouse, the place where customs agents inspected imported goods and imposed duties and tariffs upon them. Despite the “interesting” block that it’s on , The Archive is one of the hottest addresses in Lower Manhattan, as artists and celebs jostle for …

“We undressed and he kissed me. It was the first time in my life that a kiss meant what it was supposed to mean – it sent me through the roof. I was like a man emerging from 44 years in a cave to taste pure air for the first time, feel direct sunlight on pallid skin, warmth where there …

“Oh, that will never do.” – Final words of NYC-based DJ and notorious fashionista Adam Goldstone, 37, as friends frantically tried to put ugly pants on him before rushing him to medics after he fainted in the shower of his RV at Burning Man two weeks ago. He was pronounced dead on the scene. Family members say Goldstone had a …

This picture of 42nd Street, circa 1910-1920(ish) (I think) covers the back wall of the Commerce Bank on the corner of 42nd & Madison. Hey, I can see my office! Seriously!

Walgreens, Upper East Side, Wednesday 7pmI’m poking around the soft drinks section, looking for Diet Coke with Splenda, on the advice of my coworkers who swear by it. It doesn’t seem to be on sale in any of the midtown delis, so I haven’t had a chance to try it. I’m studying the stupid number of different Diet Cokes on …

Orlando, Labor Day 1979Just a month shy of my 20th birthday, I was already old news at the Parliament House. After all, I’d been a regular there for over three years. You only really can maintain “new meat” status for about three months, six months, tops…no matter how young or pretty you are. After six months, you’ve had those that …

As expected, openly gay NY Attorney General candidate Sean Patrick Maloney finished third in yesterday’s primary, as Andrew Cuomo easily steamrollered over Maloney and Mark Green. Cuomo is (not incidentally), the son of former NY Governor Mario Cuomo, as again, name recognition trumps all among the feeble-minded electorate. (By the way, Cuomo presently supports gay marriage, although he has not …