Train tracks

A few of the subway stops in Manhattan are on elevated platforms like this one at 125th and Broadway in Harlem. The subway comes above ground for one stop here at 125th and goes underground again until Dyckman Street. There's a reason why they had to build this particular stop above ground, which unfortunately I can't remember now. (I'm traveling this week, so I've scheduled this post ahead of time. I'll catch up with you all soon.)

Bleeding Hearts

Not much to say about this one, other than I think these flowers are called bleeding hearts. What an unusual shape they had! These were from the garden at the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum. (Still traveling this week, so I'll look forward to catching up on your photos soon.)

Anonymous statue

This is one of the many statues on Audubon Terrace, the courtyard outside of the Hispanic Society building. The Hispanic Society is a great museum which celebrates the culture of Spain, Portugal and Latin America and is located at 152nd Street and Broadway. Some of the sculptures there are of El Cid and Don Quixote, though I'm not sure who this is. He does have an intese stare though, doesn't he. (I'm traveling this week, so I'm scheduling these posts ahead of time.)

Father and Son

This father and son were enjoying the shower of petals coming from these spring trees. I took this photo at Isham Park in the Inwood section of Manhattan. Lots of petals were flying in the breeze, though you can't really see them in the picture. I'm traveling most of this week, but I've scheduled some posts ahead of time. A good week to all!

Mushrooms

They had an assortment of mushrooms at the farmer's market last weekend on Isham Street in Inwood in the very northern part of Manhattan. I've never seen some of these varieties before. The shapes were interesting to see up close and I'm sure they are delicious, even though at $7.99 for a 1/2 pound, they seem rather expensive. Enjoy your weekend!

West Harlem Pier Park

I took this shot last weekend at the newly completed West Harlem Pier Park. It's a section of park along the Hudson River (roughly around 125th Street ) and is a welcome place stroll or enjoy the river. That's New Jersey that you can see across the way. I'm not sure who did the sculpture on the left.

Dyckman Farmhouse

On the northern end of Manhattan in the neighborhood of Inwood is the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum, one of the oldest structures in the city. They give guided tours there and teach people about what farm life used to be in northern Manhattan. Here is some information from their website: http://www.dyckmanfarmhouse.org/, "The Dutch Colonial style farmhouse was built on this site by William Dyckman c. 1784 and was originally part of several hundred acres of farmland owned by the family. Today, nestled in a small park, the farmhouse is an extraordinary reminder of early Manhattan and an important part of its diverse Inwood neighborhood."

Mirror buildings

The pattern of the fire escapes on the front of these buildings caught my eye recently. These buildings are on Broadway just south of 125th Street. I took the photo from the platform of the 125th Street subway station, which comes above ground for just one stop. The subway platform is pretty close to some of their windows. It was no wonder they all had their blinds closed!

Spring has sprung

After a weekend of nice weather, things are finally starting to bloom and the trees are looking lovely. I saw these flowering trees on a street on the upper east side of Manhattan. I have no idea what type of tree they are but their white blossoms gave the street a beautiful springtime look. It's too bad they flower for such a brief time!

Happy Easter

This Easter bunny was on display in front of the Tavern on the Green restaurant in Central Park. They have fanciful topiary figures there in the summer time. I hope you have a great Easter (if you celebrate it). I'm going to take a brief spring hiatus next week, so I'll be back here the week after. Happy Spring!

Token Booth

This was one festive token booth that I saw at the 60th Street and Fifth Avenue subway station yesterday. I guess the people who work there are in the spring (or Easter!) spirit. Anyway, it was making people smile. Also I wonder if they are still called token booths if they don't sell tokens anymore.

How much is that dog in the window

Isn't he sweet! I couldn't tear myself away from this window. I hope someone bought this little guy and gave him a good home. I don't have space for a dog, but I'd love to have one some day!

Ping pong

We had another taste of spring weather on Sunday. It was warm enough to bring out these two to play ping pong at a park near Ft. Tryon in northern Manhattan. It's been years since I've tried table tennis but it looked like it required quicker reflexes than I've got!

Chandeliers

Some of the chandeliers at the Broadway Theater at Broadway and 53rd Street. Here's some history about this particular theater from the Shubert Organization website: The Broadway Theatre is one of only five playhouses that front on the street named Broadway. It opened in 1924 as B. S. Moss’s Colony, a premiere film house. The most notable film that played there in the early years was Walt Disney’s Steamboat Willie which opened in 1928, and introduced American audiences to an adorable rodent named Mickey Mouse. Cole Porter and Herbert Fields’s The New Yorkers (1930) starring Jimmy Durante was the inaugural theatrical production at the Broadway. It was followed by Vanities (1932) with Milton Berle.

Spring

Running low on photos so here's a spring-y shot from last year at the New York Botanic Garden in the Bronx. I hope you see lots of colorful things this weekend. See you Monday!

Gracie Mansion

This is Gracie Mansion the official residence of the Mayor of New York, although our current mayor chooses to live in his own townhouse. It is located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan within Carl Schurz Park, along the East River. We passed by it on a circle line boat tour I was on so I only got a passing glimpse as we went by. Maybe I'll go back in the spring time and have a look at it close up. You can read more about it at http://www.nyc.gov/.

Obama discount

This was a unique sign I saw last weekend. I guess anyone can get the discount, Republican or Democrat! I don't suppose they care about your politics as long as you come in and eat there. I think Obama is abroad right now, so maybe the restaurants in Europe will be offering the same thing!