Chess Benches at Central Park

It's Good to Live it Again

Not much needs to be said here, the landscape speaks for itself.  It's that wonderful time of year, where the colors start to peek through, the air cools down, and the moon at night seems to shine brighter.  We've arrived, to autumn in New York...

Aaron Curry Sculptures - Melt to Earth

A kind of "self-portrait" silhouette in one of the sculptures.

Last weekend I noticed some sculptures had been placed in the Lincoln Center plaza, around the fountain and I snapped a few photos.  I happened to be walking by again this evening and took a closer look.  The sculptures are by a Californian artist by the name of Aaron Curry.  The New York Times wrote an interesting article about the exhibition (here).







I took a few photos last saturday as well, although they are a bit busier, as I didn't have my 50mm lens with me that day.  I like how colorful they are and how they really stand out against the lines of the architecture for the Lincoln Center buildings.

Enjoying Time with Friends

We're lucky to be having another visit with our good friend Laurence while she is in town for business. We had dinner at Ardesia on Sunday night, surprisingly the first time we have been there with her.  We're very fortunate that despite her and Sylvain moving back to Paris from NYC (we miss them tons!) that we get to still see her as often as we do, thanks to her business trips.

Her and I decided to be adventurous and try a special wine cocktail they had on the menu - a Prosecco, Creme de Violette, Yuzu and Lemon drink.  Very nice!  And isn't it just a good looking cocktail?  I'll definitely try to replicate at home...although with a little less ice maybe.

A Cool Night for a Cool View

Gracie in front of Rockefeller Center.

Yesterday was Grace's last day in the city before heading back to El Paso, and the awesomeness that is Fort Bliss.  So we went out for dinner (Chinese) and then headed over to Rockefeller Center to go to the Top of the Rock.  The view of the skyline was crisp, and we enjoyed looking out on the city's buildings all lit up.


NYC Skyline looking south from the Top of the Rock.

Gosh I had a fun time with Grace, and I was sad to see her go this morning (at 4:30am!).  Later this year, just around Christmas, she's going to deploy to Afghanistan and serve there as a member of a Female Engagement Team.  I'm very proud of her, and what she's going to do to serve our country, but at the same time scared because she is after all "going to war".  I know she's a strong woman, and has a good team, other good service members working alongside her.  I'm sure she will be fine, and will come back 10 months from now and visit us again in NYC - and we'll be celebrating her sucessfull tour of duty....

Thanks Gracieface for coming to visit! and thanks for all you are going to be doing on your epic journey to come!

Election Night Electricity

Rockefeller Plaza decked out for Election Night




Prometheus statue at Rockefeller Center Plaza


Brian Williams reporting live.

Yesterday Felipe, Grace and I went to Rockefeller Center for a visit to the Top of the Rock on Grace's last night, and got to see the whole plaza decked out for the election tonight.  It's neat to see the pomp and circumstance surrounding election night!

My earliest election memory is seeing lawn signs for the presidential race in 1988 - of course really I think I remember it because I remember thinking how funny the name Dukakis was (I was seven year old, okay? ;) ).  And the memory of joining my dad while he placed his vote in the small theater at my elementary school.  How cool was it to see the booth, with the big levered handles to mark the ballot.  It made me excited to vote in my first election in 2000, and although there are moments where I sometimes feel disillusioned with the whole political process, I try not to let that get to me - God willing I have another 50-60 years of voting in political elections....

But before I get ahead of myself, I voted this evening after work, stopping in at Fiorello LaGuardia High School to cast my vote, and did not have to wait more than 15 minutes.  I've heard a lot of stories about people waiting one or two hours in line to vote, and I don't doubt it.  I haven't voted many times in my life, this is only my fourth presidential election, but I do recall waiting well over two hours to vote in the Kerry/Bush election of 2004, at the student center on my college campus.  And I remember then being able to feel the excitement, the electricity in the air - people were engaged, people were motivated to participate in their civic duty.  I imagine, and hope, that the people who had to wait in long lines today could feel that same electricity and excitement.

It's exciting to see the results coming in, and nerve wracking!  I am sure that everyone out there wants what they believe to be the best for this country, and I hope that all the officials elected this evening remember that they are serving the public...and that it's important to serve the whole country in all it's best interests, including working together with the opposing party.  We all want America to be a great country...let's work together the next four years and beyond to make sure it is that way.

The Most Enjoyable Commute in the World

Strolling through the park in the early evening.

What can I say, I just cannot stay away from Central Park at this time of year.  So many subtle, yet colorful changes. And the way the dusk sets in, the atmosphere is indescribable...maybe if I were a more eloquent person, a poet perhaps I could write something that would do it justice.  The best I can do is offer you snapshots of the beauty I get to see on my "commute" home.

Felipe and I had an opera to go to last night (Il Trovatore - an excellent MET production), and walked to the opera house through the park.  This is one of the best advantages of working on the East Side.




I love this particular path, in the early evening when the lights just come on.  it's just below 59th street, but seems like such a quiet, peaceful and inviting place to sit on a bench.


And then there was this little guy.  Of course we did not pause too long to say hello to him, given the history of rabid racoons in the park...but just a little peak of his face gave us a bit of a smile.

It's autumn in New York - It's good to live it again

Sunny blue skies, and a crisp 55 degrees - it was a beautiful afternoon, a proper autumn afternoon in NYC.  Felipe and I took a wonderful stroll through Central Park.  The tourists and locals were all out in full, stollers and dogs, saxophonists, bucket drummers, bubble makers and runners.  The whole gamut was out today, and I can't blame them!  The weather is the kind of perfect fall afternoon that everyone hopes for.

Summer Evening in Riverside Park South

Riverside Park, New York City

Felipe and I had a lovely sunset walk in the park tonight.  The weather was perfect and the sunset everything you could want to look at over the river.  It was nice to sit and listen to the crickets while watching the light breeze rustle the branches of the weeping willow.  I wanted to share it with you, so I made this gif...the only thing it's missing is the sound of the crickets...

Riverside Park, New York City

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Tonight's sunset over the Hudson River...a little something pretty for mom on her last night here.


The storm approaching yesterday by Coney Island - we had to leave the Brooklyn Cyclones game at the middle of the 7th inning to avoid the menacing looking clouds.

I love summer weather.  I wish it were summer all year round!

Welcome to Summer - Central Park

The late afternoon sunlight painted a beautiful green landscape yesterday in Central Park.  It has to be one of my favorite settings/scenes in the park.  I love the shadows in this photo, and how the leaves on the Gingko tree look like painted brush strokes.


A slight angle on my favorite spot.




I love the way the light makes the leaves glow.  Beautiful!

Central Park - A Scent of Spring

Felipe among the lilacs.

The past few days of spring here in New York City have been rainy and cool. Today was particularly blustery in the morning, but it had cleared a bit by the end of the workday. I decided to walk home, and Felipe joined me, meeting me at Lexington Avenue and 66th Street - our rendezvous spot when we decide to walk home together. One of my main motivators for walking home is the lilacs. I love lilacs, the smell - the look, it's among my favorite flowers. Just by the Sheep's Meadow there is a grouping of lilac trees and bushes, that when in bloom, perfume the entire surrounding area. I wish I could put a sample of the beautiful smell onto my blog...but we haven't perfected that technology yet! Right now the lilacs are in their early blooms, and so it's a perfect time.








A few people enjoying the cool evening.

I love springtime in Central Park. I mean, I suppose I love all season in Central Park - but it happens to be spring now and so it's right at the forefront. We've had a very mild, sometimes summer-like spring so far (even as far back as February!) so I've had a lot of time to enjoy evening walks home through the park. Here are a couple of photos I took back in mid-March of the cherry blossoms.

November's Painted Sky

I don't know what it is about October and November that makes the sunsets so beautiful - maybe it's the change in time of the sunset, or the climate and the atmosphere? well, either way, it makes for a beautiful scene outside of our window. How lucky are we that our entire south facing window gives us view like this every once in awhile....

A Beautiful Morning Walk in the Park (11.11.11)

The colors, the shadows, the trees and the people in this scene reminded me of A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Seurat (not saying my photo is as good as his painting - just trying to describe how picturesque the park was at that time in the morning!).

Yesterday I got up a bit early and left for work with enough time to allow myself a walk through Central Park. Because I pass through the park every day, I see the colors changing through out the season, and this week we've had amazingly clear weather and I just knew I had to see the leaves as they seem to be at their peak. Fortunately we've not had a lot of rain, and so the leaves haven't been beaten off the trees like they were last year. It was a beautiful morning, full of joggers and people out walking their dogs....much more serene than on a weekend day when the park is crowded. I hope you enjoy the shots as much as I enjoyed the live scene!






I can't tell you how amazing this spot was - with this blanket of red leaves covering the path, and the ducks in the pond...

NYC Marathon 2011

Winner Geoffrey Mutai

Today was the New York City 2011 Marathon, and as usual I went to cheer on the thousands of people pushing themselves to the limit in a show of physical stamina that could impress just about anyone passing by. I know a few people, casually, who are running today, but didn't get to see them - it's hard to pick them out of such a crowd and I didn't know their start times. But I had an enormously fun time cheering on everyone from the pros to the amateurs. Felipe and I got to Mile 26 around 11:45am, just in time to see the Men's winner passing by. After two and a half straight hours of clapping and cheering, I had to call it quits, maybe next year I will train for a cheering marathon and then my voice won't give out!

Here are some of the photos I grabbed while there. Enjoy!


Runner 332 and 127


Runner 213


Runners 1-880, 6-431, 2-334, 742, 2-853


Runners 8-555, 1-286, 4-125, 3-491, 4-020


Runners 5-292, 3-737, 13-028, 3-407, 6-383


Runners 12-388, 12-344, 7-706, 827


Runners 6-063, 7-166, 9-266, 5-064, 10-802


Runners 12-693, 6-331, 8-612


Runner 3-592


Runners 14-261, 7-871 and Apolo Ohno


Runners 19-484, 5-822, 9-725, 9-089, 11-181


Runners 11-249 and 7-703