Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Back to Reality


After the buccolic idyll at the Botanical Gardens


we return to real life which is full of people waiting for buses


tramping down 6th Avenue


and bagging groceries.


Fuel for these activities can be acquired on almost any street corner. My choice: top row, rightish, next to the muffins. Everything with too much butter. 


I'm not sure what the second-hand rabbit Queen of 23rd Street eats. 



Monday, March 26, 2012

Orchid Show at the Botanical Gardens



Outdoors it is March with spring beginning to clothe the trees.


The robin and his mate are busy about their important business.

We head for the conservatory



where ferns surround the pools


and luxuriate in the tropical misty air. 


This year's orchid show is stunning -- the very  best I've ever been to. You can read all about it here.


There were walls of flowers to pose in front of


all gasp-makingly lovely


each more lovely than the last (this one's a pansy orchid)


Chartreuse!


Ferns and orchids at once. Better and better!


Not sure what the pink thing is, but WOW anyway.


Such timid purple tips.....


Almost a relief to be back outside to admire the white blossoms.





Sunday, March 25, 2012

Saturday on Instagram



The Instagram ap proves to be totally addictive.  I'm following several friends who make visual diaries and have discovered someone in Moscow ( still snowy) whose photos are mesmerizing. 
My friend Liisa from Finland has recorded a year in the life of a tree here
It's such fun.


Herewith: bird houses on 23rd Street


Subway station at the same place.


People heading to Queens..... this pair quite seperate


This pair very happy, I think.


In Queens you tend to look back to Manhattan


eat rather well


then end up in quite the wrong place owing to weekend subway work. Oh well!



Thursday, March 22, 2012

Lunch in the Country....sort of


Chelsea Gardens on 23rd Street that I've walked past thousands of times


proves to have a wonderful interior courtyard with magnolias bursting to life


 and an art deco lounge right off an ocean liner.


It is warm enough to eat kegeree in the garden under the trees looking at cardinals. The tablecloth is vintage Marimeko and I'm not sure I'm ready for it. I think the plates are Finnish.


This is an upside-down blueberry muffin made by me. The purple looks rather poisonous.


Very traditional pansies on a window sill


and the young cardinal on a silver birch under the fire escape.


What looks at first as if it might be a squirrel turns out to be a large well-nourished RAT.



Misty and Construction....



Those familiar with this blog will find this picture odd....

the fog has stolen the Empire State Building away!


Such misty mornings with towers disappearing all the time.


This blog is really about stuff that I see, not always pretty things nor the most depressing. Here some bold construction on the corner of 8th Avenue and 26th Street. Lots of huge machines, lots of noise...


lots of men art work and several gazillion permits posted to the wall. Good to see people in work.

The wild red arm pumps and pours liquid concrete.  The sun has now come out....and I'll start work on the little gardens round the trees.



Monday, March 19, 2012

Chelsea Sunday



A rather overcast morning with the West Side Highway closed off for the half-marathon.


We dog-park people stood and looked over the fence as all the impressive keen types ran and ran. Someone remarked that the first runner in Ancient Greece keeled over and died when he arrived in Marathon. So we just continued to look and admire and not risk anything.


After that off to the bagel shop to refuel.


It's always absurdly busy on a weekend morning. I should have known. I did know.  


So nothing for it but to amuse myself with the phone camera


and ponder the almost infinite possibilities.


Saturday, March 17, 2012

22nd Street in Shades of Gray


Saturday morning, cool and bright


walk under the High Line where I could park the car if I had one.


On my way home, I'm pleased to see the waiter setting up the tables outside the Highliner Diner. The Highliner used to be The Empire Diner and it looks exactly the same except the food is a bit better.


Nice shiny windows with reflections


and white magnolia just bursting forth.





Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Tuesday in the Park with Frances


A beautiful, astounding sunny day



Go up to the seventies by subway to meet Frances, painter, knitter extrordinaire, Anglophile, all round interesting person. So we check out her neighborhood --here the Ansonia....


A bar with a  wonderful harp --it will be St. Patty's Day soon but we


go to the knitting shop opposite instead and start thinking green.


When we get to Central Park we discover that lots of people have got there before us...


but here's Frances looking elusive in her astounding (hand knit) sweater.


Daffs springing from fallen leaves


and the Lenten roses I'm addicted to.


The rose briars are a wonderful purply color


and the catkins dangle prettily before distant buildings.


They are out on the lake already



and having lunch beside it.


Imagine........



The temperature was about 70'F
Celebrity sightings for PBS types: Robert McNeill (McNeill-Lehrer Report)
walking by the lake.
Ken Burns sitting on a bench contemplating....