Strawberry Fields

In yesterday's photo, you can see some people taking photos of something on the ground on the left of the picture. This is the memorial to John Lennon, Strawberry Fields, a popular spot for people to visit in the park. Someone had decorated it with roses.

Dakota

Continuing on with my snowy walk through Central Park, this is coming out near 72nd Street and Central Park West. The building on the right through the trees is the Dakota, a historic building and one of the loveliest structures in this area. One of these days I'd love to see what the inside looks like.

Bethesda Terrace

This is a shot of the staircases at the Bethesda Terrace in Central Park. The terrace overlooks the lake and the Bethesda Fountain and is one of the favorite spots for people to visit in the park. This was taken after our snowstorm of last week when the snow was still fresh and white.

Bloomies

I guess there are Bloomingdales around the country now, but this is the flagship store at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue, covered in holiday lights. I read that Bloomingdales is about to open their first international store in Dubai next year. Wish I could afford to shop there more often!

Merry Christmas!

Seasons greetings from New York and very best holiday wishes to all. Merry Christmas!

More Windows

These are some of the windows from the Louis Vuitton store I showed yesterday. Happy Christmas Eve!

Louis Vuitton

I believe this is the building the houses Louis Vuitton the luxury goods store at 57th Street and Fifth Avenue in Midtown. Here is what I read about it on galinsky.com: "The transformation of the building's exterior from 1930 art deco into contemporary luxury was designed by Jun Aoki, the Japanese architect responsible for Louis Vuitton’s retail appearance in Japan. Aoki describes his glass façade as “a playfully sleek meditation on crystalline transparency and clouded translucency.”

Tiffany's

This is one of the holiday windows this year at the jewelry company Tiffany & Co. at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. Can you see the lovely baubles? I think they'd make a nice Christmas present!

Central Park Path

We had almost a foot of snow on Saturday night and Central Park was looking beautiful on Sunday morning. This is a path near West 72nd Street. We didn't get nearly as much snow as some places on the east coast, but it was enough to slow the pace of the city down for a while.

Holiday Stars

I know I showed these holiday stars from the Time Warner Center last year, but they are nice enough to show twice. They do a pretty show with music and lights there. If you are in the Columbus Circle area, it's worth checking out. Happy Friday!

Glowing Trees

There were lots of shoppers and passers by in front of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. I wish I could capture how pretty the trees were. They are very pretty in person!

Gingerbread Boys and Girls

This little chalet was selling delicious smelling hot cider and gingerbread people at the Columbus Circle Christmas market. They have lots of very nice wares for sale at the market this year. A good place for last minute shopping (and snacking!).

E.S.B.

Since I was on 34th Street by Macy's last weekend I had to take a photo of the Empire State Building with the Christmas tree in the foreground. I still have to get to the top of that building one of these days!

Macy's

This is the facade of the Macy's department store on 34th Street, which is all decked out for the holidays. Macy's has been in this spot in Herald Square since 1902. It's pretty busy there this time of year with all of the Christmas shoppers!

Window 2

Another of the Lord & Taylor windows, this one with a fancy dress. Enjoy your weekend and see you on Monday!

Gingerbread

This is one of the holiday windows at the department store Lord & Taylor on Fifth Avenue and 38th Street. I guess there's a gingerbread house theme going on in the window. It was a pretty one! I liked the little dog in the corner.

Greenflea

Took a stroll through the Greenflea Fleamarket at I.S. 44 on the upper west side this past weekend. It's a great place to browse, with all kinds of jewelry, furniture, vintage clothing, hats, food, etc. It's there every Sunday year-round. That's the El Dorado apartment building that you can see in the background (the two spired building.)

Columbus Avenue

These are some of the apartment buildings along Columbus Avenue on the upper west side of Manhattan. It's a great street for window shopping and eating out, though you can't see any of the shops in this photo. I always enjoy strolling along Columbus Avenue.

Trees

The Christmas tree sellers are back on the streets here in New York. What a wonderful scent the trees have when you pass by. These ones were even festively decorated with bows. It puts me in the holiday spirit!

Rockefeller Center

No, this isn't this year's tree. I took this photo last year. But I'm sure the one this year is just as nice! Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Building shot

I wish I knew some facts about this building to tell you. Unfortunately I can't identify it, other than I remember it was in midtown. It's been a while since I've taken any photos, but hopefully I'll be able to get some new ones this weekend.

New York window

Since I haven't gotten out to photograph any Christmas windows yet, I'll have to show this window I saw a while back. Nothing particularly noteworth, just liked the New York theme.

Gala

This was opening gala night at the New York City Ballet. No, I wasn't one of those party guests! It was fun to watch them though. There were some great outfits there.

Lincoln Center Fountain

Part of the redevelopment of the performing arts complex Lincoln Center was the installation of a new fountain, which I took this shot of recently. I read somewhere that the same company that did the fountains at the Bellagio hotel in Vegas did this one too. It's quite pretty in person.

Fifth Avenue

Wish I had a Macy's thanksgiving parade photo to show you, but since I've only ever seen it on TV, I'll have to wait for another year. This was Fifth Avenue a few days ago. As you can see it was a quiet day. Enjoy your weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy thanksgiving to all! Pumpkins are thanksgiving related, right?! Enjoy your holiday, for those celebrating it today.

Fall Leaves

Now that it's fall (almost winter) the leaves are almost gone in Central Park. It still looks pretty though. This was taken from the roof of the Metropolitan Museum, which they've kept open later in the season because of the rainy summer.

Van Gogh

This is a portion of a work I love at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Van Gogh's Wheat Field with Cypresses. I went to the Met for another exhibit last weekend, but somehow I always end up going back to my favorite works each time I visit.

Ansonia Hotel

This is a corner of a building I've often admired on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It was originally built as a residential hotel and is now apartments. Here is some information excerpted from Wikipedia: "The Ansonia residents lived in luxurious apartments with multiple bedrooms, parlors, libraries, and formal dining rooms that were often round or oval. Besides the usual array of tearooms, restaurants, and a grand ballroom, the Ansonia had Turkish baths and a lobby fountain with live seals. Another unusual feature of the building is its cattle elevator, which enabled dairy cows to be stabled on the roof.

The Ansonia has had many celebrated residents, including: the baseball player, Babe Ruth; the composer, Igor Stravinksy; and the Italian tenor, Enrico Caruso, who chose the hotel to live in because of its thick walls."

Coneheads

...and shifting gears dramatically today, this is a photo of one of the windows at the store Barney's on Madison Avenue. They are celebrating the 35th anniversary of the tv show Saturday Night Live with these fanciful windows. These are the coneheads, I believe. Have a good weekend everyone!

Grant's Tomb - photo 2

A few days ago I showed the outside of Grant's Tomb in Morningside Heights. Here are the tombs themselves, of Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President of the United States and Civil War Army General, and his wife Julia. According to Wikipedia New York City was chosen as the burial site for Ulysses Grant so that Mrs. Grant could visit frequently, and because Grant was grateful to New Yorkers for their outpouring of affection during his later years.

Central Park Tunnel

I took this photo coming out from under one of the overpasses in Central Park to a beautiful fall path. I took this shot a few weeks ago, so I'm sure there is a lot less green right now.

Grant's Tomb

This is a view from the entrance to Grant's Tomb, a national monument in Manhattan. Here is some information from the National Park's Service website: Overlooking the Hudson River from the Morningside Heights section of Manhattan, General Grant National Memorial is the largest tomb in North America. Grant's Tomb (as it is commonly called) is not only the final resting place of the General but a memorial to his life and accomplishments."

Parasols

One of the lovely window displays at Queen's Crossing in Flushing, Queens. Queens Crossing is a mall with many Asian stores. A cool place to shop. Sorry for the week's absence. Hopefully back to photos every day, if I can find some in the archives!

Farm Stand

The brownstones of the upper west side are often decorated nicely for Halloween and other holidays. This one had a ghoulish farm stand theme - very clever, and kind of spooky! (I'm traveling for work the early part of next week, so I'll be back here mid-week.) Have a great weekend!

Alice Tully Hall

This is the dramatic new entrance to Alice Tully Hall, one of the concert halls at Lincoln Center. In the last few years they added the glass facade, expanded the lobby and completely renovated the inside of the concert hall. I think the architects did an amazing job.

Met Costumes

In honor of Lincoln Center's 50th Anniversary this year, they are displaying various costumes from the Metropolitan Opera in the windows at Macy's on 34th Street. These particular costumes were designed for a 1961 production of Turandot. You can read about some of the other costumes on display at the Metropolitan Opera's website.

Riverside Church Tower

A few days ago I posted a photo of the interior of Riverside Church in Morningside Heights. The exterior has been undergoing a renovation for some time now and they've finally taken down much of the scaffolding. I'm told you can take a tour up to the top. I'll put that on my list of things to do, eventually!

Finisher's Medals

Some of the finisher's medals from the ING New York City Marathon 2009, which took place on Sunday. I think it was one of the largest marathons yet in NYC, if not the largest. I haven't read all of the stats yet! Have a great week.

Central Park Leaves

The leaves in Central Park are now starting to change. You can see them peeking out in the middle of this shot taken from the upper west side of Manhattan. Sorry for the quality of the photo, I took it through a window! Enjoy your weekend!

Riverside Church

This is the altar at Riverside Church, a beautiful church in Morningside Heights in Manhattan. It's a very large church with an active congregation and many programs. I've never been to a service there but I'd like to some day.

Street creatures

I've noticed these creatures painted on streets recently. I wonder if they have a purpose or mean something. I guess you'd call them spacemen perhaps or robots. Anyway, maybe someone knows what they are all about. This one was on 7th Avenue and 34th Street.

Park Avenue

Some nice fall color in the chyrsanthemums along Park Avenue. They always decorate it so nicely for the seasons. Enjoy your Tuesday!

Subway Art

I finally had a chance to see the newly installed artwork by the artist Sol LeWitt at the 59th Street Columbus Circle subway station. Called "Whirls and Twirls (MTA)" the art was conceived by the artist for this spot and was created before he died in 2007. You can read more about it in a New York times article here. It is quite vibrant in person. Have a good week.

Lipstick building

I've always liked the look of this building at 53rd Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan., called the Lipstick Building. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia: "The building receives its name from its shape and color, which resemble a tube of lipstick. At three levels, blocks of the building recede as part of Manhattan's zoning regulation in which the building is required to recede within its spatial envelope, to increase the availability of light to street level. The shape, which is unusual in comparison to surrounding buildings, uses less space at the base than a regular skyscraper would use. This provides more room for the high numbers of pedestrians who travel via Third Avenue."

Pomme de New York

This apple is part of a series of sculptures visible along Park Avenue by the French artists Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne. Here is some info about the exhibit from the Daily Plant: "This is the first-ever, large-scale outdoor exhibition in the U.S. of Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne’s sculptures. From September 13 – November 20, 2009 more than eight monumental works and a single work comprised of 12 individual sculptures will span multiple-sites on Park Avenue between 52nd and 57th streets."

Brooklyn Church

I wish I could tell you something about this church that I saw in Brooklyn this summer. Unfortunately I didn't write down the name and now I can't seem to identify it online. It's on a pretty street in Brooklyn Heights. I'm sure it must have some historial significance!

Met Lights

Here is a photo of one of the Austrian crystal chandeliers inside the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. Right before each performance the chandeliers slowly rise up to the top of the ceiling, and that's always one of my favorite moments. There's a New York Times article here about the refurbishment of the chandeliers in 2008.

Nello

To publicize the opening of the Big Apple Circus, Bello the clown did a rope walk from the David Koch Theater to Avery Fisher Hall a few weeks ago, going over the fountain at Lincoln Center. The spectators were all quite nervous!

Last Maine

Just a peaceful autumnal scene to end the week. I wish you all a great weekend and see you next week!