Brooklyn Bridge

Okay, I know that everyone who has been to New York has taken this exact same photo, but I think the Brooklyn Bridge is so beautiful. Whenever anyone visits I always take them on a walk across the bridge and I can't help taking pictures every time. It's such a nice walk and there is lots to see on the other side. Enjoy your weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish you a happy thanksgiving today! I hope you have some delicious treats like these great looking pies I saw in a window in Brooklyn. Enjoy the holiday (if you are in the U.S. and are celebrating it!)

Subway Sculpture

At the subway station at 14th Street and 8th Avenue there are some great sculptures by Tom Otterness, an American artist who is known for displaying his works in public spaces like plazas, parks, etc. The ones in the subway are actually quite small and you might miss them if you aren't paying attention! I'll show you more of them some time. The exhibit is called Life Underground.

Chrysler Building

Here's a misty nighttime shot of the Chrysler building on East 42nd Street. I've never managed to get a very good shot of that building. Here's a little info from Wikipedia:

Standing at 319 metres (1,047 ft), it was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. However, the Chrysler Building remains the world's tallest brick building. After the destruction of the World Trade Center, it was again the second-tallest building in New York City until December 2007, when the spire was raised on the 365.8-metre (1,200 ft) Bank of America building, pushing the Chrysler Building into third position. In addition, the New York Times Building, which opened in 2007, is exactly level with the Chrysler Building in height. The Chrysler Building is a classic example of Art Deco architecture and considered by many contemporary architects to be one of the finest buildings in New York City

Super Heroes

I saw this lineup of super heroes outside the Midtown Comics Grand Central store. Not knowing much about the super heroes myself, I don't really recognize any of them (except Super man and Wonder Woman!) but I thought it made for a colorful photo. Happy Monday!

Young Frankenstein

I haven't seen a Broadway show in years, but I guess Young Frankenstein is one of the shows playing now. I came across the theater walking down 42nd Street. If the show is as good as the movie I'm sure it must be fun. I'll have to look for a review. Enjoy the weekend!!

Midtown Skyline

I had dinner at the apartment of some friends last weekend and took this photo from their window. Don't they have a nice view! I wanted to move in with them!!

Spoon Sculpture

I mentioned a while back that I had visited the newly opened Museum of Arts and Design at Columbus Circle in New York. Well, this is one example of a work they had on display. This is "Pyramid" by the artist Jill Townsley. I had to sneak this photo, so I didn't really capture the angles of the work very well, but you get the idea. This is completely made up of plastic spoons and rubber bands. I thought it was really cool, but you can tell me what you think of it!

Brides Galore

These brides and grooms were posing for their wedding photos at the Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn. It wasn't a bad setting, given the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline in the background. I took this photo on a Monday morning, so I'm not sure why that was such a popular time for wedding pictures. There were at least five couples there. It was a nice day for it though, even though the brides were freezing!

Another Green-Wood photo

Here's one last photo from Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. As I mentioned before, the leaves are so beautiful there in the fall and, oddly enough, it's a very nice place to take a walk. Here is some history from Wikipedia:

"Located in Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn, it lies several blocks southwest of Prospect Park. In The New York Times, it was said that "it is the ambition of the New Yorker to live upon the Fifth Avenue, to take his airings in the Park, and to sleep with his fathers in Green-Wood". Inspired by Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where a cemetery in a naturalistic park-like landscape in the English manner was first established, Green-Wood was able to take advantage of the varied topography provided by glacial moraines. Battle Hill, the highest point in Brooklyn, is on cemetery grounds, rising approximately 200 feet above sea level."

Green-Wood

This is the entrance to Green-Wood Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark in Brooklyn and the final resting place to some famous New Yorkers. It's a beautiful place to visit, especially in the fall when the leaves are changing. More than a century ago it was a big tourist attraction and people used to drive through the wandering paths in their horse-drawn carriages. The entrance is also the roosting place for some exotic birds which escaped from a shipment at Kennedy airport many years ago.

Here you can see some of them. They make quite a noise with their chirping.

Minerva Statue

This statue of the goddess Minerva stands at the highest point in Brooklyn, overlooking New York Harbor. She is supposedly saluting the Statue of Liberty which you can see to the right in the photo. There was quite a lot of controversy in recent years over the construction of the building you can see in front of the statue. Afraid that the new building would obstruct Minervaʼs famous view, there was an outcry from neighborhood residents. Eventually there was an agreement that the building would be constructed in such as way as to not block the view from this famous statue. She really does have a nice view.

Heading South

I guess these geese were taking a break from their trip down south for the winter. The geese are often seen as a nuisance in the parks here nowadays since there are so many of them, but I still like to see them floating in the water. They make for a pretty fall picture.

Thank You

Today on Veteran's Day we recognize all of the sacrifices of our veterans and their families. To honor the day, this is a photo from the Civil War section of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. You can see more about it here. http://video.nytimes.com/video/2007/05/25/nyregion/1194817114247/green-wood-remembers-civil-war-dead.html

Gloomy Times Square

It was so gloomy and rainy on Saturday in Times Square that it made the lights look all the more bright. This picture was taken in the middle of the afternoon. Luckily it was just one day of heavy rain and then Sunday was beautiful. Times Square got its name when the New York Times Building was built in this area around the turn of the 20th century. Times Square is also the start of the Lincoln Highway, which begins here and goes across the country.

Have a good week ahead!

Booksellers

Whenever I see these book stalls along Fifth Avenue they remind me of the bouquinistes in Paris. (Maybe they are modelled after them?) I wish we had more here because it's always fun to browse. I think they are only there in the warmer months. Enjoy your weekend and see you Monday!

Soaring Building

I took this photo at the beginning of the summer when this building on 42nd Street was still being finished. You can see some of the windows were still boarded up. I tried to find more information about it, with no luck. It's probably another office building, but I like the architecture and the way it looks in the full sun.

Hail to the Chief!

Stike up the band, we have a new President!!! Soon they will be playing hail to the chief for President Barack Obama! It was an exciting night watching the election returns. President Obama has a lot to tackle when he takes over, but here's hoping for good things ahead!! Congratulations Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States!

Election Day

It's a big day here on election day and I was trying to find an appropriate photo for it, that would show both sides. I saw this McCain supporter making his case recently in front of an Obama sign. So I figured that would work for my picture today. Everybody make sure to go out and vote!

Marathon 2008

I didn't get very many good photos from the marathon this year. I forgot to take out my camera after the beginning! But here are a few....this is arriving at the start in Staten Island super early in the morning.

Crossing the Verrazano Narrows bridge from Staten Island to Brooklyn....

... and one of the fireboats celebrating the start as the runners crossed over the bridge. It was a lovley sight. I hope you have a great week ahead!