Friday’s finally here, and it’s time for another wrap-up of various odds and ends from a week in scouting.

First, I was checking out a rooftop in the East Village when I noticed this interesting ice formation from the drain…

…which, if you look at it from the right angle, looks like a very sinister Edward Gorey-like bird…

It’s a Dunkin’ Donuts now…

But the mosaic tile entrance way will remind you that it was once a Peppermint Park, an ice cream parlor that seems to have closed at least several years ago, if not longer.

Great fish market exterior in Astoria…

…with bulging palm trees and fish…

…though sadly, this guy is missing his head.

Comedy Central has some amusing ads posted around New York for their new series, Ugly Americans, especially the zombie one:

I like this postal truck, because when it turns left…

…It’s happy! And when it turns right…

…it’s sad. You could almost ask Magic 8 Ball-style questions while driving behind it and wait for the blinker to respond.

Some Young Guy appropriately has his own star in Chinatown on Canal Street:

If you’ve never come across him before, artist Paul Richard goes around New York putting up museum-style placards on random objects, such as this electrical box in Soho:

The placard:

Finally, I admit, this triangle bit of land in Queens is not much to speak of…

…So is it really worth having the Park’s Department issue a sign identifying it as Triangle 37? Wasn’t someone out there owed a dedication??

Have a good weekend!

-SCOUT

Without further ado, the winner of our Atlantic City contest is…

@TboneBK!

@TboneBK will be receiving an overnight room stay (valid Sun – Thurs through June 30, 2010) at the Tropicana, with a complimentary gourmet dinner for two, and show tickets for a revue or IMAX show (depending on the schedule). @TboneBK will also be receiving a pair of $50 vouchers for Greyhound to make use of their Lucky Streak bus service to Atlantic City.

The second prize winner is @phantomamigo, who will be receiving a pair of $50 Greyhound vouchers, which can be used for the Atlantic City Lucky Streak bus or any other service.

I’ve alerted the winners via Twitter – please e-mail me your addresses at nycscout@gmail.com. If I don’t hear from one of the winners in the next two weeks, I’ll choose a replacement.

Special thanks to both the Tropicana and Greyhound for providing the prizes! Hope to do it again sometime soon!

-SCOUT

It’s one of those archetypal New York scenes: a squat, three-story building dwarfed on all sides by towering skyscrapers, the little building that could.

Except, this little building happens to house a sex shop. Or at least, it did.

I shot pictures of this beautiful art nouveau building at 38th Street & 8th Ave with the intention of arguing its place as the most attractive building to house a sex shop in Manhattan. Except…

…Now, about a month later, when I finally get around to writing the post, it’s become a freakin’ 2 Bros. Pizza! Come on!

OK, the sex shop is not entirely gone – it still takes up half of the building, though its signage has been significantly reduced. Regardless, the building itself is still a gem, and is covered in beautiful detail-work for anyone who takes the time to look.

The building is lined with these fantastic busts – one on the east side, five on the north:

A close-up look:

The second-floor windows are all decorated in a vine motif:

I love that the building has angled windows with a northern view up 8th Ave. And that roof is pretty damn incredible – at this point, it seems to almost be melting onto the building.

A closer view – it’s hard to see, but there are small lion heads on each of the supports:

Beautiful bay windows on the northern side:

A full view of the northern side…

…Featuring an additional row of busts:

Close-up:

And finally, the entrance to the upper floors, with an ornate gated door and topped with a lion head:

The New York Press did an article on the building’s history, which you can read here. Still not landmarked, it’s sad to see how the bottom floor has been gutted to make way for varying establishments over the years. Here’s hoping the worst of the damage has been done.

-SCOUT

Quick update – I’m the featured Q&A guest on the NY Times’ City Blog this week! On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I’ll be answering questions submitted by readers on my work as a location scout in New York.

Wednesday’s answers are up here. More to follow soon!

-SCOUT

Just wanted to share a building with you that really made my day while out scouting recently. I was searching around the elevated JMZ train in Bushwick recently, and happened to turn down Belvidere Street. Mainly lined with ugly, aluminum siding-clad squat buildings, one structure in particular seemed completely out of place on the street…

This incredible building, which appears to now be a private residence:

According to Forgotten-NY, this is the former telegraph office for the adjacent factory, which was formerly the Continental Lagerbier Brewery. The building is in incredible shape, especially when compared to the degradation of the surrounding neighborhood, and I wanted to highlight some of its beauty.

Here, the front door, with iron gates and that awesome terra-cotta office sign:

The office sign up-close. Note the cute red flowers in the left window – whoever owns this place clearly cares about it.

I believe this “U” refers to William Ulmer, an owner of the former brewery:

Another terra-cotta “U” on the side of the building:

More red flowers in the windows:

A strip of terra-cotta design-work lines the building:

It looks like this former loading entrance is now being used as a garage:

The iron gate has an endless array of fantastic patterns:

I was looking up the building on Google’s street view, and it even looks like the owners have some ivy going in the warmer months – nice of them to include it on the telephone pole cable to boot!

This building is a diamond in the rough, and after seeing decaying structure after decaying structure in the surrounding environs, really brightened my day. And how cool is it to live in a former telegraph office?!

UPDATE – This NY Times article reveals the current owner and a peek at the driveway. Thanks, Bess!

-SCOUT