New York is in Love With a 16-Foot Pigeon!
Plus: Bad jokes! Bad tattoos!! Items of Interest!!!
Hello everyone,
Welcome to Issue #144 of CAFÉ ANNE!
I am not a fan of bathroom humor. Nor do I much like puns. So last week was a bit of a trial. Commenting on my feature ranking Midtown’s privately-owned public restrooms, reader Ralph G. in Westchester wrote, “Since it’s the holiday season, you might want to add department store bathrooms to your portfolio. Then again, you’ve already gone above and beyond the call of doody.”
Then there was Chris S. in New Jersey: “Clearly you are flush with the success of Cafe Anne when you are able to involve bi-coastal participants in such a pisser of a survey.”
Michael E. in LA, meanwhile, re-stacked the issue with the comment, “Anne knows her shit.”
If these jokes are so terrible, why do I feel compelled to share them? Sorry/not sorry, that’s all I can say!
Meanwhile, a reminder: CAFÉ ANNE swag is now a thing. For a limited time, when you spring for a paid subscription, you get a double-sided CAFÉ ANNE mug for free!
Look how happy I am with this mug. You could be this happy too!
Finally, huge Mug-Promotion shoutouts to our newest paid subscribers Michael G., Megan A. and Sue C. That’s enough $$$ to purchase three paid subscriptions for myself and receive three free mugs! Somehow, I will come out ahead on this deal, I just know it.
I am very excited for this week’s newsletter, of course. It’s a bit of a mini-issue as I took half the week off for purposes of holiday-ing. But we’ve still got some bad tattoo art, a look at the city’s new 16-foot pigeon and some very intriguing Items of Interest. Please enjoy.
Regards!
Anne
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DEPT. OF INTERNET FUN
“No Fixing This”
I never got a tattoo because I’m not a goddamn sailor, but I do enjoy the tattoos of others. Especially when they are weird and/or bad. So of course I was delighted recently to discover the subreddit r/shittytattoos.
My favorites are from people sharing tattoos they regret. Below, a few of the finest, along with the post title provided by the tattoo’s not-so-proud owner.
CITY SCENE
New York Is in Love With a 16-Foot Pigeon
When word got out this fall about the newest sculpture to be installed on The High Line, everyone sounded so pleased. Public art, after all, is often ugly, alienating, or both. But here was a piece every New Yorker could understand and appreciate: a hyper-realistic 16-foot pigeon.
And when it was finally installed in Mid-October on the elevated former train trestle overlooking 10th Avenue at West 30th Street, people went bananas. The 2000-pound aluminum bird has garnered an average 4.9 stars on Google, beating Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Katz's Delicatessen in the ratings. "Never in my life have I witnessed a more glorious thing," was a typical comment.
Last week I had a chance to see it myself.
If you're headed towards the Hudson River on West 30th Street, you can spot the pigeon nearly two blocks away, looming over the busy street scene. It's a ridiculous sight!
Up close, the sculpture is beautiful. While made of cast aluminum, the bird’s pleasingly plump body has a cushy appeal. Its orange eyes are piercing. And the artist, Iván Argote, has perfectly captured the NYC pigeon's perennial countenance: Resolute and utterly vacant.
It's also just the right size. If you've ever been to the Statue of Liberty or the Grand Canyon, you know what it's like when things get too big. These sights inspire awe, but they exist on such a large scale, they really have nothing to do with you at all. The pigeon, roughly ten times the size of your average human, is big enough to wow, but still relatable.
And finally, what a perch! It's surrounded by the glittering glass skyscrapers of Hudson Yards—a ridiculously glitzy backdrop for a humble street bird.
"You gotta admit this is pretty dope," said Christina Mavronas, an Instagram creator who was on the scene when I came by.
"It's something everyone can relate to," agreed her videographer pal Alan Shindelman. “I think there's not many universal things, at least in the city, and this is definitely top five for everyone. Everyone's had a run-in with pigeons.”
We talked about how a lot of public art is just weird and confusing.
"One block away is the Vessel," Alan noted, citing an example. "And it's one of the most hated sculptures in the city."
He's right. Right around the corner, next to the mall, is the 16-story, $200 million “experience” that was supposed to be NYC's answer to the Eiffel Tower (and which Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman called a "waste-basket-shaped stairway to nowhere.")
Most New Yorkers steer clear of the Vessel. But there were plenty of locals gathered around the pigeon including Brian and Alan, lawyers taking a break from the office. They are friends, are both from Mexico, and live in Washington Heights.
"I think it looks amazing," said Brian, admiring the bird. “It really captures one of the main New York things. The official animal of New York is either the rat or the pigeon."
"They'd have to duke it out," I said. "Who would win?”
They both agreed on pigeon.
"One time we were in Central Park and we were like, ‘Oh let's feed crumbles to pigeons,’" said Brian. “And I was covered in crumbles and pecked to death. If a pigeon can do that much to an average man, the rat has no chance!"
I told the two how in his artist’s statement, sculptor Iván Argote said he felt his pigeon sculpture could “generate an uncanny feeling of attraction, seduction, and fear among the inhabitants of New York.”
Brian nodded. "I can feel the power of a giant pigeon,” he said. "We should worship the pigeon, maybe. It maybe has magical powers. Pigeons are an important animal for the long history of mankind. They were messengers. And maybe this is a big pigeon with a message for us.”
"What's the message?" I asked.
"Maybe it’s a personal message for each one of us,” said Brian. “For me, it’s that I should be at peace. Because there is a giant pigeon watching over me. And no matter how big the city is, and how a small a pigeon may appear to the world, it’s attractive, it’s important, and it may be fearful to someone. We feel like a speck of dust, but maybe we are all as important as this pigeon."
"You're getting a lot out of this statue," I said.
"Maybe too much!" said Brian.
Ann, who lives in Midtown, stopped by to see the pigeon on her way home from a Chelsea gallery visit.
"I work with artists. I'm not an artist. but I look at a lot of art," she said.
She gave the bird two thumbs up. "I love it,” she said. “I like the honoring of the pigeon. It’s a beautiful sculpture.”
"It is gimmicky," she added. "But there's nothing wrong with pop art."
I told her how the artist actually had a bit of social commentary in mind. The pigeon, Argote suggested, is likely more deserving of being celebrated for its contributions to society than some of the other folks appearing on civic statues these days.
Ann shook her head: "There's not a need to be political about everything. Right now, I'm into accepting everybody. Let's calm down. I don't want to go there."
I'm with Ann! If it were up to me, everyone in New York City—regardless of their virtues or vices—would be celebrated with their own monument. Or is that just what we refer to as a cemetery?
Out of nowhere, a small boy came running across the plaza and gave the statue a vicious kick. His father, Harry III, said his son, Harry IV, is four years old. "He's a New York City kid, a little aggressive, you know?"
Harry III grew up in the South Bronx and now lives in Midtown. Harry IV attends a nearby preschool. They've stopped on the way home from school to see the bird nearly every day since its debut, and they’re both admirers. "It's just so New York," Harry III said of the bird. And he appreciates the ironic commentary.
What New Yorker does he think deserves a statue?
"Jay-Z!"
Nadia, a Bensonhurst vet tech, was visiting with her dad, who was up from Florida for Thanksgiving. It was her idea to see the bird.
"I'm obsessed with pigeons!" she said. "They're just so funny to watch."
"There's nothing more New York than a pigeon on an old train line," added her father, Bryan. "I made her stay away from it until I came up, because I wanted to take her to it.”
They were both impressed.
"A great piece. It fits perfect. I hope it stays for a long time," said Bryan.
But of course all good things come to an end. While the Vessel is forever, the pigeon will perch on The High Line only through Spring 2026. Visit the pigeon before it visits you!
What New Yorker—past or present—do you think deserves a statue? (My pick is Philip Glass). Also, what do you suppose is the pigeon’s message for us? Leave your thoughts in the comments or send me an email: annekadet@yahoo.com.
ITEMS OF INTEREST
“The Most NYC video I’ve Rver Seen”
A Device for Making Square Hard-Boiled Eggs
When You Order a Salad From a Long Island Pizzeria
Take a Selfie With the Nearest NYC Traffic Cam!
Which David Mack Are You Looking For?
CAFÉ ANNE is a free weekly newsletter created by Brooklyn journalist Anne Kadet. Subscribe to get the latest issue every Monday.
The Snoopy crucifixion is next level.
You're already flush with crappy bathroom puns so I won't dump any more on you, but I do find it interesting that this week you chose to feature a monument to New York's most notorious public defecator. Great story, as always!