End of Summer

I won't be able to blog next week as I'll be away from my computer, so I'll leave you with this summery scene from the Wave Hill garden in the Bronx. I hope you enjoy the long weekend and see you on September 8!

F train

I didn't walk around all that much in Red Hook, so I have just this last photo from my visit there. I definitely want to go back, especially since someone at work told me that Red Hook has the best place to buy key lime pies! This is a view of lower Manhattan seen from the Smith and 9th Street Station on the F line in Brooklyn. I think the black and white gives the buildings a very lego-like look.

Community Farm

I'm not sure how a community farm works, but it sounds like a good idea. I passed this farm in Red Hook, Brooklyn this weekend. It makes me wish I lived there and could start growing something! They had a nice farmer's market there as well.

Here's a look at the farm. Amazing that they can have something like this in the middle of Brooklyn! (These photos aren't so great, but you get the idea!)

Firehouse

Over the weekend I was in Red Hook, Brooklyn and I came across this colorful door to the local firehouse. I've never seen a firehouse door decorated like this before and it drew my eye. Red Hook is a cool neighborhood with a very industrial past, but which is now home to many artists and a new pier for the cruise ships. It is also home to a new Ikea store, which was controversial at first but now seems to be very popular. It was my first visit to Red Hook and I really liked it.

Olympic Outfit

I'm so sad the Olympics are over! I've enjoyed watching them immensely! I was walking past the Ralph Lauren store over the weekend and they were showing the "official" U.S. Olympic team parade outfit, which the U.S. athletes wore in the opening ceremonies and which was designed by Ralph Lauren. I'd love to see the Olmpics in person some day. The people in London are so lucky!!

Green Tomatoes

Aren't these tomatoes beauties? I saw them yesterday at the green market during my lunch hour. I've never seen green ones like this with these interesting markings. They are featuring all kinds of special heirloom tomatoes now. There's nothing better than a summer tomato! But I ended up buying peaches instead. I hope you enjoy your weekend and do something summery!

Another shiny building

Nothing much to say about this one, I just liked the lines and curves in the picture. The building on the left is the Cooper Union, the famous architecture and engineering school. I believe it is quite competitive to be admitted to the school and all of the students get free tuition. I like the contrast between the old and the new architectre here (at least what you can see of it!)

White Horse Tavern

I'm running low on photos again, so I went back into the older pictures and found this photo of the White Horse Tavern, one of New York's more well-known taverns, which in the 50s and 60s was a popular hangout for writers like Dylan Thomas and Jack Kerouac. I think those decades were the heyday of the place as it seems to be more of a place for tourists to visit now. It never occured to me to go inside and take a look when I was there. Judging from the sign in the front it seems like they have lots of rules!

Heliport

I've never taken a helicopter ride...but maybe someday!! This is a photo of the the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, a landing platform in the East River. They operate charter service to local airports from the Heliport, as well as sightseeing tours and VIP pickups. According to Wikipedia, much of the heliport's traffic is generated by Wall Street and the lower Manhattan financial district; top business executives and time-sensitive document deliveries often use the heliport as well. It must be nice to take off whenever you like!

Flower District

I had to buy flowers for a party over the weekend so I went down to New York's flower district to get some fresh ones. The flower district is essentially just two blocks on west 28th Street now, and is lined with shops selling plants and cut flowers (and some silk flowers too), both wholesale and retail. The busiest time in the flower district is the early morning when people in the business are making their purchases. But later in the day it makes for a colorful stroll amongst all of the beautiful greenery. It smells good there too!

You are beautiful

This colorful wall of art caught my eye recently. It's not in NYC actually, but in the town of Beacon in Dutchess county New York, about an hour and a half north of the city. I'm afraid I don't know anything about the artists who created these works, but Beacon is a very artsy type of place, so I wasn't surprised to see it there. Enjoy your weekend and see you Monday.

Mannequins

Well, I have nothing much to say about this one (as usual!) I just liked the reflections and the colors and the cars in the background. I believe this was a store in the fashion district selling mannequins. There are so many interesting windows in New York!

Trinity Root

I had always wondered about the significance of the tree sculpture in front of Trinity Church in lower Manhattan so I decided to look into it. Here is some information I found on lowermanhattan.info.

Trinity Root is a bronze casting inspired by the remaining stump and root of a 70-year-old sycamore tree that shielded St. Paul's Chapel against falling debris during the collapse of the twin towers in 2001. In 2005, the finished three-ton sculpture was hoisted by a crane into the courtyard of Trinity Church. Visitors are able to walk through the sprawling root branches, which are 20 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 12.5 feet tall.

Brownstone Details

I love the details that you can find in architecture, especially when you aren't looking for them. This face was on a brownstone on the upper west side of Manhattan. It makes me wonder who was the inspiration for the face. Anyway, I wish more buildings had cool details like this one.

New York Harbor

Here is a photo of the ships in New York Harbor to start off the week. I'm always surprised at how many boats you can see, and the harbor still remains a busy place with barges, ferries, and tour boats. The view from the harbor can be spectacular too!

Planeterium

Another shot today from the American Museum of Natural History. This is the outside of the Hayden Planeterium (I hope I spelled that right) where they show the stars and various space shows. We saw a show on Cosmic Collisions, which was fantastic (narrated by Robert Redford). Best to all for a lovely weekend and see you Monday!

Candy!

Though I don't have a big sweet tooth, I always enjoy browsing in the candy store Aji Ichiban in Chinatown. In addition to candy they sell all kinds of dried fruits and dried things you can't imagine would taste good (like dried olives, for instance). They let you sample the goods, which is always fun to do. After I took this shot, I noticed the big sign saying no photos. Oops! Oh well, at least I got one picture.

Lighthouse

I took this picture on a recent trip on the Staten Island Ferry. I'm not sure what it is, but I thought it made for a nice summer photo. There are lots of lighthouses on and around Staten Island, though I'm not sure if this one is on an island or if it's actually on New Jersey. Anyhow, maybe someone knows better than me. I love taking a ride on the Ferry in the summer time and enjoying being on the water.

Sticker Window

Okay, the posting problems seem to be solved this morning. I was walking past this door recently and it caught my eye. It seems to be the door to a saloon called Hog and Heifers (interesting name) and it looked pretty quiet when I went by. Not sure if it's in operation any more. But they do have an interesting decorating theme.

Giant Whale

I went along with some out of town visitors to the American Museum of Natural History this weekend. One of the galleries there has a model of a giant blue whale where I took this photo. I believe it is called the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. It makes quite an impression in person. Someone told me that they have a program where people can sleep over in the museum and this is where they spend the night. Sounds like it would be fun for kids.

Flea Market Finds

Isn't it cool the things you can find sometimes at flea markets? I saw these little statues at a recent flea market visit. I'm not sure of their significance (I think one is a buddha) but they were very pretty. Hopefully I'll find some new things to photograph this weekend. I wish you a good one and see you Monday!