The BAT Challenge: Where Was I?

As usual, it's someplace in NYC. Anyone can play—just leave your guesses in the comments section, using a distinct moniker so you aren't confused with the other players, such as Debbie and Deborah. And remember: The more you guess, the more clues you get.





















Photo: David Marc Fischer

The BAT Challenge: Where Was I?

As usual, it's somewhere in The Big Apple. This one could be tough, so remember that active guessing yields more hints. Anyone can play by leaving guesses in the comments section, being sure to use a moniker distinct from those of the other players.





















Photo: David Marc Fischer

The BAT Challenge: Where Was I?

As usual, it's somewhere in the Big Apple. Anyone can play—just make sure you use a distinct moniker so we can tell you apart from the rest of the players. Leave your guesses in the comments section. And be specific.





















Photo: David Marc Fischer

The BAT Challenge: Where Was I?

As usual, it's somewhere in the Big Apple. Anyone can play; just leave your guesses in the comments using a distinct moniker so you're not confused with any of the other players. Enjoy!





















VISUAL CLUE ADDED OCTOBER 4





















VISUAL CLUE ADDED OCTOBER 12





















Photos: David Marc Fischer

The BAT Challenge: Where Was I?

Where Was I? is back! As usual, it's someplace in The Big Apple, and anyone can play. Just leave your guesses in the comments section, using a distinct moniker so that you won't be confused with the other players. Have fun!





















VISUAL CLUE ADDED SEPTEMBER 13





















VISUAL CLUE ADDED SEPTEMBER 14





















Photos: David Marc Fischer

"Flight" Fright?

One of my favorite sculptures in Manhattan is "Flight" (right) by Richard Lippold. Located in the lobby of the MetLife building, this cat's cradle of a work was called "a complex construction of shimmering gilded wires" by Ken Johnson in The New York Times. Photos of the work are rare, due in part to the "no photo" policy in the building, but you can see it here and here. You might also recall that it was the subject of a Where Was I? on this very blog.

Anyway, "Flight" was recently under wraps due to some sort of constructiony work, so on Monday night I was glad to see that it's again visible—until I saw its damaged condition. At least one of the shimmering gilded wires seems to have snapped and curled (I believe this might've caused a kind of domino effect, throwing another part of the sculpture out of whack), and the work also seems to be in need of some basic maintenance, such as a good dusting.

I've already sent emails about this to the Municipal Art Society and Tishman Speyer. To date, I haven't heard back from either.

Photo: Special thanks to Carter B. Horsley of The City Review

Where Was I?

As usual, it's somewhere in New York City. Anyone can play; just leave your guesses in the comments using a distinct moniker so we can tell you apart from the other players. And specificity counts. Enjoy!





















VISUAL CLUE ADDED AUGUST 5




















VISUAL CLUE ADDED AUGUST 6




















Photo: David Marc Fischer

WHERE WAS I? As usual, it's somewhere in New York City. Anyone can play; just leave your guesses in the comments using a distinct moniker so we can tell you apart from the other players. And specificity counts. Enjoy!




















Photo: David Marc Fischer

WHERE WAS I? As usual, it's somewhere in New York City. Anyone can play; just leave your guesses in the comments using a distinct moniker so we can tell you apart from the other players. And specificity counts. Enjoy!
























VISUAL CLUE ADDED JULY 19
























VISUAL CLUE ADDED JULY 20
























Photo: David Marc Fischer

WHERE WAS I? As usual, it's somewhere in New York City. Anyone can play; just leave your guesses in the comments using a distinct moniker so we can tell you apart from the other players. And specificity counts. Enjoy!
























Photo: David Marc Fischer

WHERE WAS I? As usual, it's somewhere in New York City. Anyone can play; just leave your guesses in the comments using a distinct moniker so we can tell you apart from the other players. Enjoy!
























VISUAL CLUE ADDED JULY 4
























BONUS PHOTOS ADDED JULY 8








































































Photos: David Marc Fischer

WHERE WAS I? As usual, it's somewhere in New York City. Anyone can play; just leave your guesses in the comments using a distinct moniker so we can tell you apart from the other players. Enjoy!
























VISUAL CLUE ADDED JUNE 27
























VISUAL CLUE ADDED JUNE 28
























Photo: David Marc Fischer

WHERE WAS MYRA? For the first time, Myra has provided a WWI? photo challenge. So let's see who can find her!

As usual, anyone can play by leaving guesses in the comments section. Have fun—and be sure to use a distinct moniker so we can tell you apart from the other players.

























VISUAL CLUE ADDED JUNE 20

























VISUAL CLUE ADDED JUNE 21

























Photos: Myra

WHERE WAS I? TONY 2008 SPECIAL EDITION

Once again, there's no need to locate me. Just take a shot at predicting the 2008 Tony winners!

As usual, anyone can play, leaving their guesses in the comments section, using a distinct moniker so nobody can be confused with the other players. Please post your final guesses by 6 pm EST on Sunday evening, June 15, 2008, and help me out by self-scoring.

A point goes to the best overall guesser(s); and a point goes to anyone who outscores me. I thought I was at a disadvantage because I hadn't seen a lot of the nominees, but it seems that many of the official voters have not done much better. Outrageous!

BEST PLAY
August: Osage County
Rock 'n' Roll
The Seafarer
The 39 Steps

BEST MUSICAL
Cry-Baby
In The Heights
Passing Strange
Xanadu

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Cry-Baby
In The Heights
Passing Strange
Xanadu

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Cry-Baby
In The Heights
The Little Mermaid
Passing Strange

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Boeing-Boeing
The Homecoming
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Macbeth

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Grease
Gypsy
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Sunday in the Park with George

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Ben Daniels, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing
Rufus Sewell, Rock 'n' Roll
Patrick Stewart, Macbeth

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Eve Best, The Homecoming
Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County
Kate Fleetwood, Macbeth
S. Epatha Merkerson, Come Back, Little Sheba
Amy Morton, August: Osage County

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park with George
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In The Heights
Stew, Passing Strange
Paulo Szot, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Tom Wopat, A Catered Affair

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Kerry Butler, Xanadu
Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Kelli O'Hara, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Faith Prince, A Catered Affair
Jenna Russell, Sunday in the Park with George

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Bobby Cannavale, Mauritius
Raúl Esparza, The Homecoming
Conleth Hill, The Seafarer
Jim Norton, The Seafarer
David Pittu, Is He Dead?

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Sinead Cusack, Rock 'n' Roll
Mary McCormack, Boeing-Boeing
Laurie Metcalf, November
Martha Plimpton, Top Girls
Rondi Reed, August: Osage County

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange
Danny Burstein, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Robin De Jesús, In The Heights
Christopher Fitzgerald, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Boyd Gaines, Gypsy

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
de'Adre Aziza, Passing Strange
Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Andrea Martin, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Olga Merediz, In The Heights
Loretta Ables Sayre, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
The 39 Steps
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
August: Osage County
Macbeth

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Sunday in the Park with George
In The Heights
The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Cyrano de Bergerac
Boeing-Boeing
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
The 39 Steps

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Sunday in the Park with George
Gypsy
In The Heights
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
The 39 Steps
Macbeth
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
August: Osage County

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Sunday in the Park with George
In The Heights
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
The Little Mermaid

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY
Boeing-Boeing
Macbeth
Rock 'n' Roll
The 39 Steps

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
In The Heights
Sunday in the Park with George
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Gypsy

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Maria Aitken, The 39 Steps
Conor McPherson, The Seafarer
Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County
Matthew Warchus, Boeing-Boeing

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Sam Buntrock, Sunday in the Park with George
Thomas Kail, In The Heights
Arthur Laurents, Gypsy
Bartlett Sher, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Rob Ashford, Cry-Baby
Andy Blankenbuehler, In The Heights
Christopher Gattelli, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Dan Knechtges, Xanadu

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Jason Carr, Sunday in the Park with George
Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman, In The Heights
Stew & Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange
Jonathan Tunick, A Catered Affair

WHERE WAS I? TRIPLE CROWN 2008 SPECIAL EDITION

This time around, the competition revolves around guessing the top finishers of Saturday's Belmont Stakes. As you may know, Big Brown (a horse associated with Long Island) has a chance of being the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years. And the horse has dominated so far. But it has a hoof injury that might give it trouble.

As of yesterday, the field of horses consists of these ten, listed by post position.

1. Big Brown Kent Desormeaux 2-5
2. Guadalcanal Javier Castellano 50-1
3. Macho Again Garrett Gomez 20-1
4. Denis of Cork Robby Albarado 12-1
5. Casino Drive Edgar Prado 7-2
6. Da'Tara Alan Garcia 30-1
7. Tale of Ekati Eibar Coa 20-1
8. Anak Nakal Julien Leparoux 30-1
9. Ready's Echo John Velazquez 30-1
10. Icabad Crane Jeremy Rose 20-1

For this week's competition, pick the first three finishers in order by 5pm EST on Saturday, June 7. You can change your guess right up to that moment—and it's possible there will be scratches by that point. I haven't figured out exactly how I'll dish out points, but I do recommend you play this round. I will definitely consider special points to anyone who does better than I do—and in this case I will tend to follow the morning line. So at the moment, my selection is

Big Brown
Casino Drive
Denis of Cork

Looking for tips? Don't look at me, kid! Here's something from Steven Crist and here's something else from Timothy Peach.

And root for the horses to come out of this healthy as a...well, a horse—because if any of them seem to be seriously hurt, all bets may be off. (I am actually extremely ambivalent when it comes to this sport—and this year's Triple Crown contests have already resulted in the death of the filly Eight Belles.)

So leave your guesses in the comments section using a distinct moniker so you're not confused with the other players.

And, after the race, your self-scoring will be appreciated.

WHERE WAS I? BATLIBS SPECIAL EDITION! Anyone can play, but this time there's a twist: You've got to fill in the blank with the correct guess. It probably won't be easy, but I hope it'll be fun. Just leave your guesses (and questions) in the comments using a distinct moniker so we can tell you apart from the other players. Enjoy!

A BIG DAY IN THE BIG APPLE

My ol' college pal Buddy was recently in town. We managed to keep ourselves entertained by doing some "cultural activities." Many of them involved the very trendy practice of looking for fusilli and rotini shapes in modern art. Only now do I realize that I had confused fusilli with...fusilli lunghi?

Anyway, one morning I stopped by a copy shop before meeting up with Buddy. That's where I spotted _________________________—not a super-celebrity by any measure, but still fun to recognize.


SECOND CHALLENGE ADDED MAY 26

That evening, Buddy and I went to see the play Betrayed, which I recommend. This fact-based Culture Project production portrays what happens to some Iraqis who go to work for the American foreign service after the invasion. In a way, it can be viewed as a companion to the documentary No End in Sight. I've seen a bunch of movies about the Iraqi situation, but I think this was the first play I've seen on the subject; it's interesting to see the characters realized "live" instead of projected on a screen.

Before the play began, Buddy and I recognized the celebrity _________________________ , who sat several rows in front of us.


THIRD CHALLENGE ADDED MAY 31

Those two spottings were interesting (to me, at least), but that same day I had yet another encounter—and it really blew my mind!

This time, Buddy and I were standing in line at MOMA, waiting to see one of the works in the Olafur Eliasson show. Not having anything better to do, I was talking to Buddy about wanting to (finally) see guitar legend Les Paul on a Monday night. That's when the guy behind us piped in.

"I can't believe you're talking about Les Paul," says he. "I just saw him the other night!"

"What a coincidence!" says I. "How'd you like him?"

"Oh, he was just great," says he.

"What made you decide to go?" asks I.

"Oh, my relative received an award at the White House recently, and Les Paul was there. Nice guy," says he. "So I thought we'd go and see him."

"Who's your relative?" asks I.

"Oh, _________________________ ," says he.

"_________________________?" asks I.

"Yes, _________________________ ," says he.

"You know, my buddy Buddy and I just saw him yesterday," says I. "We were at the Grey Art Gallery, where we saw a portrait of him. What a coincidence!"

So now I ask you: Who is Relative X?

NOTE The dialogue is paraphrased.

WHERE WAS I? As usual, it's somewhere in New York City. Anyone can play; just leave your guesses in the comments using a distinct moniker so we can tell you apart from the other players. Enjoy!
























VISUAL CLUE ADDED MAY 17
























VISUAL CLUE ADDED MAY 18
























VISUAL CLUE ADDED MAY 20
























VISUAL CLUE ADDED MAY 20
























VISUAL CLUE ADDED MAY 21
























Photos: David Marc Fischer

WHERE WAS I? As usual, it's somewhere in New York City. Anyone can play; just leave your guesses in the comments using a distinct moniker so we can tell you apart from the other players. Enjoy!
























Photo: David Marc Fischer

WHERE WAS I? As usual, it's somewhere in New York City. Anyone can play; just leave your guesses in the comments using a distinct moniker so we can tell you apart from the other players. Enjoy!
























BONUS PHOTOS ADDED APRIL 29
























































































































Photos: David Marc Fischer

WHERE WAS I? As usual, it's somewhere in New York City. Anyone can play; just leave your guesses in the comments using a distinct moniker so we can tell you apart from the other players. (Sorry, but Luke N. Atmaguchi has already been claimed.) Enjoy!
























VISUAL CLUE ADDED APRIL 19
























Photo: David Marc Fischer