Fading Sign

As I've mentioned before, I love to happen upon these old advertisements from the past. Unfortunately I couldn't get very close to this one, but I can see that it was an ad for "nippers" and other types of grooming devices. It makes me wonder what the buildings around it looked like back in the day when it was put up there. I'm glad they haven't covered it up yet.

Penny for your thoughts

I once read the amount of money they retrieve each year from the fountains in the Metropolitan Museum and of course I now I've completely forgotten. I wish I could remember because that would make this post more interesting! Anyway, I think there is someone who works there who's specialty is to take the money out of the fountains each week. I hope all your wishes come true today! :)

More flowers

Another flower shot today...this time it is some flowers that I pass often in Riverside Park. We are so lucky to have so many green places in New York. We'd go crazy otherwise! I think these flowers are echinacea, though feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I love to see the flowers in summertime, as I'm sure most people do!

Balloon Ride

I spotted this balloon over Central Park over the weekend. I have no idea why it was up there (an advertisement for something I suppose) or who they were taking for rides. I wouldn't mind going for a ride in a hot air balloon someday. Happy Monday!

Update: Both Wayne and Olivier tell me that the balloon is there to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Central Park. I think it will be taking people on rides for the next month. Thanks to them for finding this fact!

Flower power

Just a photo of a local flower stand today - nothing very descriptive to say about this one. I do love to pass by all of the flowers for sale in the markets. Maybe I'll buy some today! I wish you all a terrific weekend!

Stock Exchange

I hadn't walked by the New York Stock Exchange in quite some time until recently. It seems they've got it all decked out in flags. I'm not sure if that was for the 4th of July, which was around when I took the photo, or if it is a permanent fixture. Hopefully the patriotic theme will bring the stock market some luck these days!

Castle Williams

This is another photo that I took on Governor's Island. This is Castle Williams, constructed in 1807 and named after its designer Jonathan Williams. It was the first fort of its kind in the U.S. and its circular shape helped to deflect cannon balls. To test his design, Williams had Navy ships fire cannons into the fort, as he stood inside. Apparently it was very sturdy. During the civil war it was used as a holding facility for confederate prisoners. In 2001, the fort and its surroundings on Governor's Island became a national monument.

Random Street Scene #2

I'm always happy when I still see small buildings with character interspersed among the skyscrapers in New York. I came across this street downtown and these buildings seemed like a reminder of a different era and were nice to see. They had a very European look to them, I thought. Anyway, that's all I've got to say about this one.

Random Street Scene

This scene on the street caught my eye and I thought it would translate well in a photo. Unfortunately the whole thing turned out a little fuzzy. (I need to keep practicing!) I still liked the colors and the motion though. Hope you have a good start to the week.

David Byrne exhibit

I have a few more Governor's Island photos to show, but I think I'll show those next week. Today I felt like showing a picture I took at an exhibit called "Playing the Building" by the artist and musician David Byrne, which is at the Battery Maritime Terminal this summer. It was very cool and I can't describe it very well so here is a description excerpted from his website http://www.davidbyrne.com/.

Playing the Building is a sound installation in which the infrastructure, the physical plant of the building, is converted into a giant musical instrument. Devices are attached to the building structure — to the metal beams and pillars, the heating pipes, the water pipes — and are used to produce sound.

So if you visit the installation, you can even take a turn playing the building yourself. (It's operated by that console you see. Very cool!) Have a nice weekend everyone.

Waterfalls

Governor's Island was a nice place to get a close-up look at one of Olafur Eliasson's "Waterfalls." You've probably heard about this public art presentation which is situated at four spots in the East River. Here is a description from the New York Times. "The New York City Waterfalls" is a public art project of four man-made waterfalls rising from New York Harbor, some as high as the Statue of Liberty. Organized by the nonprofit Public Art Fund and the city of New York, it is being billed as the city's biggest such project since "The Gates," the $20 million effort by the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude in 2005."

They make a really beautiful and soothing sound up close and I enjoyed sitting for a while near this one.

Governor's Island

As I mentioned before, I visited Governor's Island last weekend and it was lots of fun. It's only a 7 minute free ferry ride from lower Manhattan and offers some gorgeous views of the City. There's lots to do, including renting bikes and taking a ride around the island. You can even rent a bike for a group!

I read this description in an exhibit in one of the buildings on the Island: "Governor's Island, situated at the intersection of the East River and the Hudson River between Brooklyn's Red Hook and the tip of Manhattan's Battery, is an unexpected twilight zone, 172 acres of public land on which only a few have ever set foot. For the most photographed city in the world, one that we locate through its images and films, it is remarkable how unfamiliar Governor's Island remains to the inhabitants of New York. That will change soon as the Island, once the exclusive domain of the U.S. Coast Guard personnel and their families will open to the public for the first time in over a century."

Statues on Parade

I'll get back to my jaunt to Governor's Island tomorrow...but in celebration of tonight's Baseball All-Star game, I'm showing some of the "Statues on Parade" that have popped up around the city. There are 42 replicas of the statue of liberty all around New York and the statues have the names of major league teams on them. (I guess it's the same idea as the cows on parade from several years ago.) I've only seen three of them, so I've made a collage. This is the last all-star game that will take place in the old Yankee stadium before they move to a new stadium next season. Play Ball!

Battery Maritime Terminal

I took a trip this past weekend to Governor's Island (photos to come!) which was really interesting, and the trip started out from the ferry at the Battery Maritime Terminal. The terminal had been in disrepair and not used for many years, but with a recent renovation it is now the terminal for the Governor's Island Ferry. Here is what I read about it on batterymaritimebuilding.com

"The Battery Maritime Building was completed in 1909 when ferries were still a vital means of transportation in New York City. It is the last surviving East River ferry building from an era when 17 ferry lines traveled between Manhattan and Brooklyn. Commuters waited for the ferry to 39th Street in south Brooklyn, in a lobby lined with cast-iron columns and stained glass windows." More photos to follow of the adventure soon!

Hawaii sunset

Since I'm totally lacking in New York photos right now I thought I'd share one last Hawaii shot. This was a gorgeous sunset, on my last night there. Don't they have beautiful sunsets in Hawaii!

Wish I was there right now! Have a good weekend everyone.

St. Paul's - the other side

A while back I posted a photo of the eastern facade of St. Paul's Chapel, a historic church in lower Manhattan. Last month I took a picture of the western facing side, so I thought I'd show you that too. Last year the church removed all of the pews in an effort to make a more flexible worship and community space. It was controversial at the time, but now they do their services with seating in the round, and it makes for a more intimate space. If you'd like to read more, they have a video on their site at http://www.saintpaulschapel.org/in_depth/videos.shtml.

Soho Street

I took this photo on a stroll through Soho a while back. It's a neighborhood where I like browsing in the shops and galleries and it has lots of nice restaurants. It looks like it was quiet on the street that day. I added the black and white for an "artistic" effect. I'm not sure if I like it better in color though. Still must take some more pictures to post....

Ferrara

I'm running low on NYC shots right now, but I did find this (not so good) picture of the awesome bakery Ferrara in Little Italy. They have amazing cannoli's and I recommend you stop by if you are in the neighborhood. You can see a picture of their cannolis at ferrara.com They are delicious! It's on Grand Street, between Mott and Mulberry.

Rockefeller Wing

This week I'm back to showing some New York photos. (Since I don't have any recent ones I've had to search through some older ones!) This photo was taken in the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing of African and Oceanic Art at the Metropolitan Museum. It is a photo of an Asmat spirit canoe made by the Asmat people in New Guinea. Michael Rockefeller, who collected many of the items on display in this wing, disappeared on a collecting trip in Papua New Guinea in 1961. This was my first visit to this wing and it houses many beautiful and interesting objects.

Last vacation photo

Here is the last of the sampling of the photos of Hawaii. This is Big Beach on Maui and the light there was just spectacular. I can't wait to go back. I hope you enjoy your fourth of July holiday (to those who celebrate it!) See you next week with more New York photos!

Seven Sacred Pools

Located in the Haleakala National Park on Maui, the Seven Sacred Pools (otherwise known as the O'heo Gulch) are located in an area filled with beautiful waterfalls and amazing hiking trails. The pools are near the end of the famous Road to Hana with its twisty and narrow roads and spectacular views. They are fed by the Pipiwai stream which starts two miles inland and ends at the ocean. As you can see, there were many people enjoying the pools that day. It's very refreshing to take a dip after a nice hike!

Vacation photo number two

Here is photo number two from my vacation. This is the sunrise over the Haleakala volcanic crater on Maui. I really had trouble capturing the beauty of it in a photo. It was such a site! After the sun rises you can ride bikes down a windy road to the bottom. I would really recommend it if you visit the island.

Some vacation photos

I'm back from vacation and had a great time. I'd thought I'd show you a couple of the shots I took. (Just a few though, then it's back to New York photos.) Here is a photo of a surfer heading out at Ho'okipa Beach on Maui in the state of Hawaii. What a gorgeous place! This beach is one of the best places in the world for windsurfing and is the host to some major competitions. It's near the town of Paia, a very cool place. No, I didn't give the surfing a try, maybe next time! I will enjoy catching up on your recent photos!