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.

April in New York - This Might Just Be My Favorite Time of Year

A view of the Sheep's Meadow, with some very low clouds misting up the area.

So I've missed the blog a bit here...winter gets cold and dark and not very inspiring (at least after the holidays have passed), and the family history project has taken up much of my free writing time and photos taking time. But today, this afternoon, there seemed a new day. The sun was shining (mostly) and people were out walking around in the late afternoon warmth (up to 73 degrees today!). My walk through the park on my way home was one of those that reminds me again how much I love being in this city, and how much I love having that park there for me to enjoy.

So here's a couple of photos to show you spring as it blossoms in New York City.

Another view of the sheep's meadow.


A stranger enjoying a moment of sun near one of the blossoming cherry trees.


I know this picture is blurry, I just couldn't get the camera to focus right, but man - look at those colors!!! The lilacs are just starting to bloom, and will be in full bloom by next week I would guess. That's probably my favorite part of spring in the park...that moment where you get just close enough to smell the lilacs...

I'll be back to posting more regularly on the blog soon. I'm supposed to finish working on my family history book by the beginning of May in order to have it finished and printed in time.

Ah Spring!

Spring is definitely here! The cherry blossoms are amazing and the lilacs are blooming. Oh, if only I could share the scent of lilacs through the photos - but alas, that sort of technology hasn't been perfected yet...sorry. It was such a pleasant walk, the park wasn't too crowded, the temperature was perfect, and there was even a man playing french style accordion on a park bench.

I was walking home today, this time with a coworker of mine who also lives on the west side. We realized just a bit ago that we live quite close to each other, and it only occurred to me today that we might be able to share a commute home. It was nice to share the walk with her, not that I don't mind a good solitary walk with my thoughts, and we were talking about the park and I couldn't help but wonder aloud how amazing it was that the park is my commute! I guess that's why I take so many pictures in Central Park - I want everyone to share my commute with me.

p.s. - I know that the photos above are cherry blossom and magnolia, not lilac - but my lilac photo wasn't as nice as my magnolia photo ;)

A (Fun) New Way to Take Photos

Blooms, all over the place!

I took my usual walk home through the park today and it was just amazing. I can barely describe how nice it was and wish that my camera allowed you to smell the spring in the air - cherry blossoms, grass, wet dirt and a warm breeze. There is so much color all over and people too - it's really lively again.

I downloaded a new filter app for my iPhone last night called CameraBag, and I was really excited to use it today. I took a few photos in the colorcross filter, and maybe will feature other filters in the future. Anyway, it was a bit of fun to play around with it.

My Favorite Spot (along poets walk)


The Sheeps Meadow and City Skyline

In Bloom

The bud is on the bough again,
The leaf is on the tree.
Charles Jefferys (1807–1865)

I took some snapshots on my way home this evening, in the end only liking a few of the photos. One of the first things to bloom in spring are these white flowers on the trees. I don't know what kind of tree/flower they are, but I sure do enjoy seeing them :D

Blue Skies!

Oh we had a lot of beautiful weather all last week - which made my daily walks quite nice. The last couple of days have been a bit rainy, but man - the whole city has started to bloom overnight! Daffodils are already in full bloom, trees are regaining leaves, and flowers. Tomorrow it's supposed to clear up again for another couple of days. Really looking forward to passing through the park on my way home.

Wishing you all some nice weather as well...

I Go Out Walking...

I'm going to try a new experiment. I want to try and walk home from work as much as possible...so weather willing - I will be walking home each day. It's only about 2.2 miles from door to door, and would only take slightly longer than my bus commute. But the fresh air would be nice and the exercise is good too.

And of course there is my favorite part - walking through Central Park. I took a couple of shots today, but it's a bit dreary and gray and I am not quite great at capturing that yet. I did manage to get a quick shot of a sparrow sitting among some bushes. There is a set of bushes that is always filled with sparrows, and without the leaves you can see them jumping from branch to branch. It's nice to see the buds showing up, and I'll be looking forward to the green leaves. But in the meanwhile I will enjoy seeing the birds.

Good Fortune...

So I've been a little absent here...busy with work, not much to photograph and so on. But spring is coming, something I am really looking forward to! We had a bit of a preview just this last week, had some sunny days up in the mid 50s. Please Lord I hope we have a sunny spring/summer unlike last year!

Here's hoping you have a land of sunshine in your future...

Yay - New Things!

So I made a new banner for the blog, this one is a little more refined than the last...I hope you all enjoy it.

This afternoon I took a walk through Central Park after work on my way to meet Felipe. I love this time of year in Central Park when everything is beginning to blossom and turn green. It was a beautiful day, 57 degrees and partly cloudy, and there were tons of people strolling around (many due to the Passover holiday and spring break). I took a few photos of the springtime signs around the park. I hope you enjoy them as I do!

Spring Magnolias

"Spring, the sweet spring, is the year’s pleasant king;
Then blooms each thing, then maids dance in a ring,
Cold doth not sting, the pretty birds do sing...."
-Thomas Nashe (1567–1601)

No maids have I seen, but certainly there is a lot of blooming going on in the city. Now opens the season where I can walk though central park on my way home...and enjoy the budding trees, daffodils and tulips.

I hope you are all enjoying spring as much as I! These flowers were seen on my walk to the office a few days ago...so beautiful!

Spring is coming!

No delusions this time! The temperatures are steadily going up (we've been consistently in the 40s for several days now) and this morning on my way into work, as we passed through Central Park, there were buds on the trees giving a faint green and yellow coloring....oh I can't wait for the green to come back again!

Delusions of Spring

(Photo taken in Central Park, Spring 2008)

I was thinking about spring...and how much I wish it would come! It's not the end of February yet, but it sure seems like it's been winter for a long long time...and that spring is long overdue!

Yesterday I checked the forecast for today and saw that it was supposed to be a high of 48 degrees and sunny...not so bad for the end of February I thought! This morning I got ready for work, put my skirt on, decided to forgo the tights and walked outside wearing my lighter raincoat (instead of the knee length wool winter coat) and was promptly greeted by a bitter cold blast of wind.

The wind gusts on West End avenue can be quite "moving", especially when the wind is blowing quickly. It's not uncommon to see entire metal newspaper stands blown over (not a newspaper rack...no, a whole stand, the kind in which you put the change in and open the door). I don't believe those are so light as a feather, so I imagine it takes quite a wind to blow them down.

I was sorely disappointed that I hadn't re-checked the forecast this morning before I left (never again will I rely on information from the evening before!). When I looked what the temperature was on my iPhone, weather.com said that it felt like 8 degrees! needless to say my damp hair was no longer damp - it held more the consistency of straw, and my legs were getting numb with cold.

Well - what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and so far no signs of pneumonia! Daily lesson: Always check the forecast before you leave the house, and don't let your desire for spring weather trick you into thinking it's here...