Odds n Ends

Lagoon, Central Park. Lots of dogs in Central Park.

The Armory. Its a castle turned into a school.

A nice chair going out in the trash. Even trash is classy in Manhattan.

Birds, Buildings, and Museums

I caught a bird and squirrel frolicking together.

I like NYC architecture. There are lots of old, decorative buildings.

I walked by the Metropolitan Museum, and often there are musicians or entertainers distracting the crowd that sits on the stairs.

Some More Colours

Colourful blossoms, New York City.

Galyn Remington

"Who would be interested in a crazy, crazy lady who paints the same trees over and over?"

But I feel she is a special person.

I saw a lady painting one of the trees in blossom, and she saw me standing watching her and we started a conversation. I asked her what she thought made a picture beautiful, and she went on the most amazing description I ever heard of what makes landscapes appealing to people. Among other things she said the painting had to have authenticity, and had to be lyrical. She described the flowing shape of the trees as lyrical. She like landscapes because they make spectacles. Nature has spectacles of beauty without people making them. Those spectacles last. Beautiful buildings can last, and be beautiful even in ruins.

She has painted the same trees for years when they are in blossom. If you want to meet Galyn Remington, go to Central Park when the trees are in blossom. She'll be happy to talk with you.

Battery Park Part II

This is part of the financial district as seen from the southern end of Broadway. I saw this going to school on Wall Street every morning.

The U.S. Custom's house has lots of nice windows.

The Statue of Liberty as seen from Battery Park.

One of the piers.

Battery Park Part I

Battery Park and Bowling Green are both parks on the very southern tip of Manhattan. I don't get down there much since I finished school because it is out of my way, but I passed through this time and took some pics. I wanted to see what it looked like with the trees blossoming.

See, blossoming trees!

It looks like a pretty building sunday, doesn't it?

This is a 9/11 memorial, including the commemorative flame in front. This ball sculpture was originally located between the World Trade Center towers before they collapsed on it. It was recovered as moved unrepaired to Battery Park.

This is the Bowling Green park in front of the U.S. Customs house.

Manhattan Bridge Part II

It would not be an album of Brooklyn without pics of Graffiti!

That netting over the rail has holes strategically punched in it to allow for a better view. That is how the community in Brooklyn participates in landmark design.

Looking back at Brooklyn. The trains go on the lower level, and cars take the upper level. The trains make the bridge shake, which is lots of fun.

Sun In Bloom

I went to a dinner at a new vegan restaurant that opened in Brooklyn called Sun In Bloom. It is run by a former yoga instructor looking to make her own formulas for food available to the public. I was so blown away by the food that I volunteered to help out if I could see how they made their food. I've done the raw diet thing, and eating almonds out of a bag, or a carrot, can only go so far. But their raw food was like gourmet cuisine. Even someone unsympathetic to raw diets would want to eat this food. And everyone felt clean and light after eating it.

I spent a couple days there helping out, and got to see some of their tricks. They use alkaline water in almost everything, and almost nothing is cooked. Some of their baked goods are baked in an oven, but actually a lot of them are dehydrated rather than baked with heat. This makes their baked goods "live", and it tastes fresh, quite unlike any other baked good. Vegan/raw diets use a lot of nuts, while these dishes use less nuts and more seeds. That makes them much "lighter" than other vegan menus.

For the record, I'm not vegan. I have to eat constantly on a vegan diet, and it is still not enough calories for me. I'm all for healthy foods, but I need to run on stronger fuel. I just need to make sure the fuel I am using is clean, and I'm good to go. I basically avoid dairy permanently. I feel much better without it.

Manhattan Bridge Part I

Walkway on the Manhattan Bridge

That is the Brooklyn Bridge with downtown Manhattan behind it.

One of the towers of the Manhattan Bridge.

I finally got on a bridge for some pictures! I go over the Manhattan Bridge twice a day because I commute between Brooklyn and Manhattan. I got off at a nearby stop and walked up on the bridge to take some pictures for you of what I see every day from the subway. For anyone visiting New York City, one great way to see the city without paying for it is to go for a walk on a bridge. It is a very nice walk.

Natural Landscaping

Waterfall in Central Park.

Yours truly at the end of the tunnel.

I'm really enjoying NYC in spring. Winter is to windy, and summer is too muggy. Right now the days are sunny, warm, but with a cool breeze, which is perfect for me. I've made a whole bunch of interesting friends, more about that later. Until then, enjoy the pics.

Running For Water

I went out for a run after sunset around Central Park. I did about 9 k before I got too dehydrated. I could carry water with me, but it is never enough. It was a warm evening, so I stopped at the fountains to splash myself and rehydrate. The run turned into a fast-paced and urgent water safari. Out of the 11 fountains I checked, only three worked. I got so dehydrated towards the end that I stopped sweating (now THAT is dangerous). Thank goodness the last I found a working fountain in the end! Central Park, fix your fountains before another viking runner almost passes out.

During my search for water, I went off the big road around the Park which I usually run along onto the unlit paths further in. Now, up to this point nighttime runs in Central Park were very normal and pleasant. But go off the beaten path and that is where all the weirdos are. Like the two big bald black guys making out on a park bench, or the totally drunk guy relieving himself right in the middle of the path. If your out for a romantic stroll through the Park, stay on the well-lit main paths so you don't get any surprises.

The People of NYC

A little girl watches as two classical musicians entertain the tourists.
You can find jazz musicians all over the park. This one got more amplification by playing under a bridge.
What looked like a beatnik playing the flute on a knoll in Central Park.

Colours Are Coming Out!

Cleopatra's Needle, an obelisk taken from Egypt and set up in Central Park because stuff like that is just awesome! Originates from Heliopolis around 1450 B.C.
Nice yellow colours.
Trees blossoming with the southern skyline in the background.

When a city that never sleeps needs to go to sleep

I was awaken last night at 2am by a drunken riot outside my window. About 20 drunken youth were screaming at each other about something. After about 40 minutes the police showed up and dispersed the crowd. This was probably the umpteenth group they broke up that night because they were not taking any drunken antics and used everything short of pepper spray to move the crowd. It took them like only five minutes and it was quiet again.

So, that was the first time I couldn't sleep because of a riot in New York City.