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galleryGalleryShowcasing new art.2NA=1154&NC=31263&DI=4098&PS=59635&PI=7315galleryfalsefalsespacernotembeddedgallery125th and LexCamilo Jose VergarafalseThe most complicated, disturbing, and lively intersection in New York City. A photo essay.no125th and LexA photo essay about the most complicated, disturbing, and lively intersection in New York City.noThe intersection of East 125th Street and Lexington Avenue is not picturesque Harlem. It is not the Harlem where tourists go to get their picture taken. It is not the Harlem where neighbors put out their chairs on the sidewalk and talk with each other. The intersection is where the old-style ghetto lingers on, where people who are not doing well come together. I document urban places across America where mostly poor strangers cross paths, but none is as complex as this intersection in New York.falsenotochyperlinkno2009123100250AMThursdayDecDecember1012/3/2009 3:02:50 PM6339543137000000002009123100250AMThursdayDecDecember1012/3/2009 3:02:50 PM633954313700000000galleryThe Last Picture ShowCamilo Jose VergarafalseThe surprising beauty of portraits on gravestones.noThe Last Picture ShowThe surprising beauty of portraits on gravestones.noWhen I visit urban cemeteries, I always document the photographs and relief portraits on gravestones.  Portraits of the deceased add more of a personal touch to headstones than traditional funerary symbols such as crosses, resurrection angels, or stars of David. Images of the deceased on gravestones show the passage of time and exposure to the elements.  Photographs fade, carvings are worn by the harsh weather, and some portraits are even vandalized.falsenotochyperlinkno2009103070817AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:08:17 AM6339248329700000002009103070817AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:08:17 AM633924832970000000galleryIron Bars and Razor WireCamilo Jose VergarafalseThe forbidding, prisonlike architecture of ghetto day care centers.noIron Bars and Razor WireWhy do ghetto day care centers look like prisons?noIn poor urban communities, day care centers present themselves as places where "miracles" occur, as places where minority children are given "tender loving care" and can experience "love in action" in an otherwise hard world.falsenotochyperlinkno200910865547AMThursdayOctOctober610/8/2009 10:55:47 AM633905817470000000200910865547AMThursdayOctOctober610/8/2009 10:55:47 AM633905817470000000galleryRamadan Around the WorldThe Muslim holy month in photographs.noRamadan Around the WorldPhotographs of Ramadan around the world.noThis year Ramadan continues until Sept. 19 and for some Muslims began on Aug. 21. (As Slate explained in 2001, the exact dates vary from country to country and even from mosque to mosque.) During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food and drink during daylight hours.falsenotochyperlinkno2009916123629PMWednesdaySepSeptember129/16/2009 4:36:29 PM6338870138900000002009916123629PMWednesdaySepSeptember129/16/2009 4:36:29 PM633887013890000000galleryTiny TowersCamilo Jose VergarafalseThe World Trade Center appeared in my photographs, but in the distance.noTiny TowersThe World Trade Center appeared in my photographs, but in the distance.noI used to catch sight of the towers of the World Trade Center when driving north along the New Jersey Turnpike, approaching Elizabeth, a clear sign that home was near. I spotted them from the wildlife refuge in Jamaica Bay, Queens, and from struggling neighborhoods in the Bronx. When I photographed New York City as it appeared from Jersey City, the rational geometry of the towers contrasted with the expressways, factories, railroads, and cemeteries in the foreground. From Crown Heights in Brooklyn, the Twin Towers played second fiddle to the Williamsburg Savings Bank and its gigantic clock.falsenotochyperlinkno200991070139AMThursdaySepSeptember79/10/2009 11:01:39 AM633881628990000000200991070139AMThursdaySepSeptember79/10/2009 11:01:39 AM633881628990000000200311445858PMTuesdayJanJanuary161/14/2003 9:58:58 PM631781603380000000200311445858PMTuesdayJanJanuary161/14/2003 9:58:58 PM631781603380000000falsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsetrue20025642450PMMondayMayMay165/6/2002 8:24:50 PM63156299090000000020025642450PMMondayMayMay165/6/2002 8:24:50 PM631562990900000000More photos from Lee SiegelMore photos from Lee Siegel. Click here to read his Diary. spacer155200Always keep a packed suitcase in your apartmentno79/030516_luggage.jpghttp://img.slate.msn.com/mediayesStandardImage79/030516_luggage.jpg15520017http://img.slate.com/mediafalseAlways keep a packed suitcase in your apartment200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473033574206200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473033574206200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473033574206P false200351643335PMFridayMayMay165/16/2003 8:33:35 PM631886996150000000200351643335PMFridayMayMay165/16/2003 8:33:35 PM631886996150000000  spacer205150Jackets from Barneysno68/030516_hangers.jpghttp://img.slate.msn.com/mediayesStandardImage68/030516_hangers.jpg20515017http://img.slate.com/mediafalseJackets from Barneys200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473033574206200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473033574206200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473033574206P false200351643414PMFridayMayMay165/16/2003 8:34:14 PM631886996540000000200351643414PMFridayMayMay165/16/2003 8:34:14 PM631886996540000000 spacer205149My yucca plant, which has been with me for about 10 yearsno40/030515_jadeplant.jpghttp://img.slate.msn.com/mediayesStandardImage40/030515_jadeplant.jpg20514917http://img.slate.com/mediafalseMy yucca plant, which has been with me for about 10 years200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473033730459200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473033730459200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473033730459P false200351530732PMThursdayMayMay155/15/2003 7:07:32 PM631886080520000000200351531637PMThursdayMayMay155/15/2003 7:16:37 PM631886085970000000 spacer205150My television, which has 1,000 cable channelsMy television, which has 1,000 cable channelsMay 14, 2003false1/123125/122985/2076569/2082506/2082764/2082902/030514_TV.jpghttp://img.slate.msn.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/122985/2076569/2082506/2082764/2082902/030514_TV.jpg20515011http://img.slate.com/mediafalseMy television, which has 1,000 cable channelsMy television, which has 1,000 cable channels200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473033730459200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473033730459200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473033730459P false200351421449PMWednesdayMayMay145/14/2003 6:14:49 PM631885184890000000200351421449PMWednesdayMayMay145/14/2003 6:14:49 PM631885184890000000 spacer205150My neighborhood sushi barMy neighborhood sushi barMay 14, 2003false1/123125/122985/2076569/2082506/2082764/2082902/030514_Sushi.jpghttp://img.slate.msn.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/122985/2076569/2082506/2082764/2082902/030514_Sushi.jpg20515011http://img.slate.com/mediafalseMy neighborhood sushi barMy neighborhood sushi bar200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473033886712200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473033886712200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473033886712P false200351421449PMWednesdayMayMay145/14/2003 6:14:49 PM631885184890000000200351421449PMWednesdayMayMay145/14/2003 6:14:49 PM631885184890000000 spacer205150My Upper West Side neighborhoodMy Upper West Side neighborhoodMay 13, 2003false1/123125/122985/2076569/2082506/2082764/030513_Street.jpghttp://img.slate.msn.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/122985/2076569/2082506/2082764/030513_Street.jpg20515011http://img.slate.com/mediafalseMy Upper West Side neighborhoodMy Upper West Side neighborhood200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473034042965200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473034042965200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473034042965P false200351315704PMTuesdayMayMay135/13/2003 5:57:04 PM631884310240000000200351315704PMTuesdayMayMay135/13/2003 5:57:04 PM631884310240000000 spacer205150My books, many of them acquired at PapyrusMy books, many of them acquired at Papyrus May 13, 2003false1/123125/122985/2076569/2082506/2082764/030513_Apt.jpghttp://img.slate.msn.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/122985/2076569/2082506/2082764/030513_Apt.jpg20515011http://img.slate.com/mediafalseMy books, many of them acquired at PapyrusMy books, many of them acquired at Papyrus200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473034042965200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473034042965200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473034042965P false200351315704PMTuesdayMayMay135/13/2003 5:57:04 PM631884310240000000200351315704PMTuesdayMayMay135/13/2003 5:57:04 PM631884310240000000 spacer205150The view from my window on 110th StreetThe view from my window on 110th StreetMay 12, 2003 false1/123125/122985/2076569/2082506/2082764/030512_AptView.jpghttp://img.slate.msn.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/122985/2076569/2082506/2082764/030512_AptView.jpg20515011http://img.slate.com/mediafalseThe view from my window on 110th StreetThe view from my window on 110th Street200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473034199218200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473034199218200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473034199218P false200351243337PMMondayMayMay165/12/2003 8:33:37 PM631883540170000000200351243337PMMondayMayMay165/12/2003 8:33:37 PM631883540170000000 spacer205150Maya, my invisible catMaya, my invisible cat May 12, 2003false1/123125/122985/2076569/2082506/2082764/030512_CatBowl.jpghttp://img.slate.msn.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/122985/2076569/2082506/2082764/030512_CatBowl.jpg20515011http://img.slate.com/mediafalseMaya, my invisible catMaya, my invisible cat200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473034355471200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473034355471200912461503PMFridayDecDecember1812/4/2009 11:15:03 PM633955473034355471P false200351243337PMMondayMayMay165/12/2003 8:33:37 PM631883540170000000200351243337PMMondayMayMay165/12/2003 8:33:37 PM631883540170000000Click hereClick hereCDiaryDiaryD00000false23101falsefalsefalse1falsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalse007200351350951PMTuesdayMayMay175/13/2003 9:09:51 PM631884425910000000200351561637PMThursdayMayMay185/15/2003 10:16:37 PM631886193970000000