Monday, October 7, 2013

Jury Duty Lunch Hour

When you're serving on jury duty in lower Manhattan, nearby Chinatown contrasts colorfully with the government buildings where people's fates are decided.

 
Cheap and plentiful seafood looks as if it has just been pulled from the ocean by vendors who serve a mostly local clientele. 







The trinkets on sale every where you turn must appeal to a sensibility different than mine but they're fun to photograph, especially the buddhas. Ya gotta love a religion that doesn't take its gods too seriously.




It's odd to see Thriller-era, pre-plastic surgery Michael Jackson in this context.
 
 Scarves and fans are patterned with intense hues.
  


Some establishments advertise their sketchy services in English.
 
 

Others don't need to.
 
 
 These past times won't be around much longer.
 




 


























Who knew Chinatown had a business improvement district?

Hey--it's time to get back to the criminal court building and find out whether I will be picked to serve as a juror for a criminal trial.  The defendant is charged with 2nd degree robbery, the kind that involves "substantial pain" or "impairment of condition."