Before I get to the post, I want to share that I quit smoking one year ago today. I still want one, but I am glad I quit.

I was recently poring over images I have shot in the past few months, and came across images of Chinatown which I shot in New York City this past April. Looking at the bright colors, I was reminded of the post I did on our own Chinatown a few weeks ago. The images I posted after my most recent visit to NYC (here, and here) didn’t include any of my walk through Chinatown. So, here it is…

My best friend lives in Brooklyn Heights and usually at least once per visit, I walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Well, this time I decided to walk the Manhattan Bridge instead. As you cross the bridge into the city, you get a bird’s eye view of Chinatown, and all its colors.

Where else would lemon yellow befit a nineteenth century facade?

MMMM… Chinese herb and dried tofu…

… And a lot of things I have no clue about.

I was taking this picture as an example of designer betrayal. Designer betrayal is when a designer is hired to create a space, in this case a retail space, and the business owner to save a dime or two, decides that the lamps in the ceiling fixtures (for which the designer originally specified halogen down lights) would cost less to replace and operate if you stuck those spiral fluorescent bulbs in the fixtures instead. Never mind that they make the place look cheap and low class. I am often bowled over by designer betrayal. And, I am sure the designer would slash his/her wrists upon this sight.

Oh, and its worth the mention that while taking this shot, the storekeeper was running towards me to try to stop me from taking the photo. He of course had no idea why I wanted the picture. If you click on the pic and follow it into flickr, you can see him more clearly (as well as those offensive lights).