Rachel's RosesI spotted these beautiful roses last week outside of Madison Square Garden, and had to find out more about them.I introduced myself to Rachel with my standard opening line, "Can I ask you about your tattoo?" Rachel admitted to me that the first impression she had was that I was going to try to sell …
The Virgin Mary Will Be SavedI ran into Michael last week outside of Madison Square Garden. He had numerous tattoos up and down his arms, but he told me that he regretted most of them. He had been in the military, based in the San Diego area, and he said he hoped, someday, to have all of his ink removed."All of it?" I asked. He…
Vaj Shares His Interpretation of the Creative ProcessThe triptych above (ok, it's not technically a triptych, but I am calling it that as I divided it into three sections) belongs to Vaj (rhymes with Dodge), a filmmaker who I met across the street from Macy*s on 34th Street and 7th Avenue early last week.This piece was inked about 16 years ago in Cali…
Josh Slices Up a Sturgeon on His Culinary SleeveAt the beginning of the week, I ran into Josh, a chef at an upscale restaurant in Tribeca. He was actually showing his tattoos to a couple of people standing with him, so I felt in apropos to join in the conversation.Josh is hard at work on a culinary sleeve on his left arm, which includes a langou…
Dylan's Tattoo Dances on Her AnkleEarlier this week, I met Dylan as she was crossing 34th Street by Macy*s Herald Square. She had the tattoo above her right ankle.She had been a competitive dancer as a teenager, and had this inked when she was eighteen in Santa Cruz, California.It was merely an expression of her love for the art of …
News Link: Tattoos Gain Even More VisibilityTattoos Gain Even More VisibilityBy GUY TREBAY Published: September 24, 2008 WHO in the world gets a neck tattoo? A couple of years back you could have narrowed the answer to gang members, prison inmates, members of the Russian mob and the rapper Lil Wayne. Then something occurr…
Christopher's Ink Bridges GenerationsLast Friday I met Christopher on Penn Plaza. He estimated that he had tattoos numbering in the mid-fifties.Again, I am sometimes intimidated by folks with a lot of ink, and will usually not trouble them, but not this time.And, of all those tattoos, Christopher lifted up his shirt to reveal one of hi…
Buddy's Advice about Neck TattoosLast Friday was a banner day for inkspotting. By day's end, I had four great Tattoosday stories to tell. This is the third of the four, although it was the first encounter of the day. It certainly set the tone.I was walking east on 34th Street when I spotted a well-inked guy walking in my direction.…
First Day of Autumn Tattoo BluesTo celebrate the end of summer (farewell, tattoos aplenty!) and welcome the beginning of fall (come out, come out, wherever you are!), I am posting this appropriate tattoo celebrating the new season.I was fortunate enough to meet Brian on Friday, right in front of Borders on Penn Plaza.As the last w…
A Series of Nautical Stars Guide Me to an Amazing TattooI've said it before and I'll say it again: sometimes asking about a common tattoo reaps great visual rewards.Carrie is a prime example. I spotted her nautical stars gracing her right arm near 39th Street and Broadway and I asked her about them. Had she only had one, I may have passed her by, but she…
Sal Shares His Illusion-ary TattooOn Tuesday I was in Brooklyn Heights, walking toward Cadman Plaza on Clark Street. As I passed a local video store, Mr. Video III, I spotted some ink on one of the employees and decided to head in and introduce myself.Sal has seven tattoos, but he chose to share the one above, from his left bicep.Th…
Melissa's Biblical FootnoteStrange as it may seem to have back-to-back foot posts, this may be a trend as the weather cools and sleeves grow longer.I interrupted a conversation Melissa was having with someone else in front of Borders on Penn Plaza to ask her about her inked right foot.The words are based on a passage from the…
Jackie Wears Words of WisdomLast week I had just left the house when a woman passed me on the street. She had the words "live & learn" tattooed on her left right foot. I caught up to her and introduced myself. Jackie had just moved into the building on the corner two days earlier, and I wished her a Tattoosday welcome to the n…
A Portrait of MarilynTom Doherty gave me the best answer I have heard to the question "How many tattoos do you have?"He looked me in the eye and said, matter-of-factly, "Not enough."Tom has a ton of ink, and is one of the artists in residence at Another Tattoo Shop in Bound Brook, New Jersey.It's always like winning th…
A Grandmother's Vision, Inked in ChinaLast winter, the cold weather drove me inside, into the nearby Manhattan Mall food court, when I had time at lunch to go inkspotting. The food court has since closed and the mall is undergoing a massive J.C.Pennification, rendering it near useless for people-watching. I bring this up in thewaning d…
A Spider from Across the SeaLast week outside of Penn Station, I spotted this not-so-itsy-bitsy spider crawling across the left side of Alexandra's back.Turns out the spider, along with Alexandra, were visiting New York from Switzerland. Alexandra had limited English, but did impart to me that she "had always wanted something …
Introducing Nina's Ink, Part 1based on:Last Saturday I posted an amazing tattoo the day after I spotted it and alluded to some posts that take longer than others. This is one of those examples.I met Nina about a minute after meeting Mike and spotted the tattoo above. It's a tiny piece based on the graffiti art of one of my favor…
Rob's Rite of PassageI braved a trip to Staples on Sunday, contrary to my notion of self-preservation. September in Staples is one of the outer circles of Hell, at least in my neighborhood, where it seems everyone with children goes for their school supplies. Everyone.But I digress. On a mission for a printer cartridge,…
Paul's 9/11 MemorialEarlier this month, I mentioned meeting Paul here, on the bike path that runs along the southern tip of Brooklyn.I saved the other tattoo photo I took of Paul's work for today, the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.What I didn't mention in the previous post is that Paul is a federal agent who …
A Patriotic Tattoo for Patriot DayI ran into Rob in my neighborhood in late August and he gladly shared his patriotic tattoo.Rob is a Revolutionary War buff and has a distinct interest in American history.He wanted an "old school" tattoo back in 2000, and wanted something patriotic back "before it was fashionable". He's referring o…
