Contributions of the group Metropolis

Pay-Off

nobody@ipernity.com (honeyj) — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 02:54:44 +0000

honeyj has posted:

“Look, buddy,” the wig salesman said, “I’ve got to close. Either choose now or take a hike.” I couldn’t really blame the guy for his impertinence. After all, I’d been examining his fluffy merchandise for the better part of an hour by then, although I hadn’t told him the real reason for my visit. “Just cool it, friend. You know the customer is always right.” What I didn’t say was that, directly across the street, in plain view through the store’s plate glass window, stuffed with more cheap, tawdry goods than I had ever before encountered, was the small, greasy diner that was the actual focus of my attention.

As I fondled one last item, I spotted my quarry exiting the establishment, surrounded by his usual entourage of thieves, pimps, punks and killers. Tossing the rug aside, I hurtled through the door to the street, the owner yelling to my back, “Thanks for nothing wise guy.” As I reached the curb, the surly mob was piling into a black Escalade that had been idling in the alley. It roared off as I dove into my ‘62 British racing green MGB. Touching the ignition, the exhaust emitted the characteristic throaty growl that no other sports car in the world had ever been able to match. I slammed the shift knob into 1st and spun after the big SUV, checking to see that there were no cops in sight. I certainly didn’t want any around for what I needed to do.

I left the wig shop in the dust, the image of the shop owner pulling down his security gates rapidly receding in my rear-view mirror as I raced through the next 4 gears. I knew where the mark was heading. Perhaps I could beat him there. However, as I careened onto Lower Wacker Drive, my steel-belted Pirellis screaming in protest, I saw too late that I had been set up. The first burst of gunfire took out half the right fender, slamming me into a hard spin toward the river. Something exploded behind me, eliminating the black canvas rag top, on which I had just expended considerable capital for repairs. The thought was fleeting, however, as I now realized that my tires were no longer in contact with pavement. Rather, I was looking at a long dive into the frigid blackness of the Chicago River, rapidly rising toward me. I struggled to free myself of my constraints, silently cursing my law-abiding nature. I couldn’t get the damn seat belt unhooked. I didn’t feel a thing as the octagon MG logo hit the icy water. After that, I wouldn’t have any more complaints.

Stake-Out

nobody@ipernity.com (honeyj) — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 15:37:51 +0000

honeyj has posted:

There he is. See him?
Where?
27th floor, 2nd window to the left.
Ok, gimme a sec. Hey, forget that guy. Check out the 28th floor.
Oh man, you're right! Forget the perp! Who is she?
I don't know, but I'm putting on a longer lens.

Roll Over

nobody@ipernity.com (honeyj) — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:58:23 +0000

honeyj has posted:

You awake?
Mmmph?
You are. You gonna make the coffee?
I donwanany
What? I didn't understand you. Roll over.
Hey. You get up and make the damn coffee for once.
Ok. That I understand.

Union Action

nobody@ipernity.com (honeyj) — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 17:22:28 +0000

honeyj has posted:

Hola, Diego. What's new?
Nada, mi amigo. Just finishing up this little project of mine.
It's looking good, man.
Tell that to Frida.
Whaddya mean?
She wants to be in it.
Wow. Are you gonna?
Do I look like an idiot? I hate sleeping on the damn couch!
I get it.
So. See that worker over there? That's her.
It is? It looks like a guy! Great eyebrows though.
My favorite part, actually.

Kompromat

nobody@ipernity.com (honeyj) — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:17:31 +0000

honeyj has posted:

Good morning, sir.
I hope it is, Yevgeny. Anything to report on our favorite asset?
It's better than we could have hoped: it's been years but he is still following our instructions to the letter.
Well, he knows what will happen if he doesn't. Nothing like the threat of a few 8 by 10 color glossies to get things done. In fact, if he continues we may have to award him a Hero of the Russian Federation medal.
Ha ha! It's pathetic how he'll do almost anything to get a medal, or any kind of trinket. No matter who gives it to him.
Especially if it's gold, eh, Yevgeny?
No mystery there, sir.

FDNY

nobody@ipernity.com (honeyj) — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 20:10:09 +0000

honeyj has posted:

This ain't the place, Louie.
How do you know, boss?
It's a firehouse, that's how.
So? Can't he be in there?
Nah. He ain't no fireman.
What is he?
A rat. A dirty, stinkin' no-good lousy rat, is what he is.
Right. He probably ain't in there, then.
Keep looking. There's a rat's nest around here somewhere.
Right boss.
And wherever it is, you can bet he'll be in it.

Peking Duck

nobody@ipernity.com (honeyj) — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 19:34:57 +0000

honeyj has posted:

My Lord!
Yes, what is it?
It's the rebels! They've breached Beijing's walls and are massacring their way to the Forbidden City! Our defenders have less than an hour! General Tso! What are your orders, sir?
C'mere for a second. I want you to taste this. Not bad, eh?
but. . . . say! that is good!

Dunst

nobody@ipernity.com (Ulrich John) — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 06:57:49 +0000

Ulrich John has posted:

Buenos Aires - sea of houses

nobody@ipernity.com (Berny) — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 09:44:05 +0000

Berny has posted:

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata. "Buenos Aires" can be translated as "fair winds" or "good airs". Buenos Aires is a multicultural city that is home to multiple ethnic and religious groups, contributing to its culture as well as to the dialect spoken in the city and in some other parts of the country. This is because since the 19th century, the city, and the country in general, has been a major recipient of millions of immigrants from all over the world, making it a melting pot where several ethnic groups live together. Thus, Buenos Aires is considered one of the most diverse cities of the Americas. The Greater Buenos Aires conurbation, which also includes several Buenos Aires Province districts, constitutes the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas, with a population of around 15.6 million. - scanned slides, Minolta X700

Buenos Aires - Av. 9 de Julio

nobody@ipernity.com (Berny) — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 18:46:48 +0000

Berny has posted:

View from Hotel Bristol to Av. 9 de Julio. I've freshly scanned around 1000 slides from the Argentina trip in January/February 2000. All scans have been postprocessed with photoshop and addons and geotagged as accurate as possible (a lot of work).

Market Economy

nobody@ipernity.com (honeyj) — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 21:03:56 +0000

honeyj has posted:

like it? you can own it!
really? wait a minute! not so fast! you once tried to sell me the brooklyn bridge!
that? a slight misunderstanding. however, this one is priced unbelievably low.
no way! you're a fraud! anyway, it's the wrong color.
but a trifle! it was meant for you!
you really think so?
just sign here. you'll be very happy.
well, if you're sure.
I've never been more sure in my life.
I'm thinking. . . red. or maybe cornflower blue. to match my eyes. what do you think?
exquisite taste. do you have any larger bills? these 20s just weigh me down.

Lower Manhattan - 1986

nobody@ipernity.com (Berny) — Mon, 10 May 2021 08:27:12 +0000

Berny has posted:

View from Empire State Building along the 5th Avenue to Lower Manhattan with WTC.
scanned slide, Minolta X700

View from Empire State Building - 1986

nobody@ipernity.com (Berny) — Sun, 09 May 2021 09:32:30 +0000

Berny has posted:

View from 86th floor observation deck to the east (East River), PANAM-building, Chrysler building, Queensboro Bridge and UN building as landmarks. - scanned slide, Minolta X700

View from WTC - 1986

nobody@ipernity.com (Berny) — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 07:23:48 +0000

Berny has posted:

view from World Trade Center (South Tower) to Empire State Building (NW), 5th Avenue down to the right - scanned slide, Minolta X700, 210 mm, Fujichrome 100

View from WTC - 1986

nobody@ipernity.com (Berny) — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 08:50:32 +0000

Berny has posted:

View from World Trade Center (South Tower) southeast to East River - see notes, but leave your mouse out of the photo if you don't want to see it ;-) - scanned slide, Minolta X700

1) 70 Pine Street, 1930-1932, 67 floors, 290.2 m
2) 40 Wall Street - The Trump Building, 1929-1930, 71 floors, 282.5 m
3) 20 Exchange Place, 1929-1931, 57 floors, 257.9 m
4) 55 Water Street, 1972, 53 floors, 229.5 m
5) One Chase Manhattan Plaza, 1957-1961, 60 floors, 247.8 m
6) HSBC Bank Building, 1967, 52 floors, 209.7 m
7) Equitable Building, 1915 (!), 40 floors, 163.9 m
8) Bankers Trust Company Building, 1912 (!), 29 floors, 164 m
9) Downtown by Philippe Starck, 1927, 42 floors, 167.9 m
10) Bank of New York Building, 1928-1932, 50 floors, 199.3 m
11) One Liberty Plaza, 1968-1973, 54 floors, 226.5 m

New York City - 42nd - 1986

nobody@ipernity.com (Berny) — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 11:53:07 +0000

Berny has posted:

► 42nd street - Broadway Musical

► Google Street View 2021 (yes, it's the same view)

scanned slide, Minolta X700, Fujichrome 100

Toronto by night - 1986

nobody@ipernity.com (Berny) — Sun, 18 Apr 2021 12:19:25 +0000

Berny has posted:

end of the Toronto stream - next stop Niagara
scanned slide, Minolta X700

Chicago houses - 1986

nobody@ipernity.com (Berny) — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 17:58:40 +0000

Berny has posted:

a few last photos from Chicago, before we got to Toronto....scanned slide, Minolta X700

Chicago - Water Tower Place - 1986

nobody@ipernity.com (Berny) — Sun, 04 Apr 2021 07:56:00 +0000

Berny has posted:

The skyscraper "Watertower Place", seen from top of John Hancock Center, built in 1972-1976, 74 floors, 262m. Here's another view from John Hancock Center, which I posted in the past, to the famous beacon on top of the former ► Playboy Building

scanned slide, Minolta X700

Chicago from Sears Tower - 1986

nobody@ipernity.com (Berny) — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 14:34:16 +0000

Berny has posted:

This view goes to North-East. The two circular towers are Marina City I and II, built 1960-1962. Each has 61 floors and is 179 m high. More informations here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_City

scanned slide, Minolta X-700, Minolta 70-210mm