Skywatch Friday

This should probably be called "Smogwatch" Friday!

Took this from the Brooklyn Bridge early on an

overcast morning.  Made me want to hurry to my

airless office—or buy an oxygen mask.  We're

no doubt breathing this stuff in every day—scary!

[See more—and possibly healthier—Skywatch pix here.]

Face It

Want to play with your face?

Go to photofunia.com and insert a current

(or not so—in my case, this shot dates 
back to the dawn of photography) photo of your

mug into one of more than 150 effects.

Loads of fun for the whole family!

[If you want to see how others met the

"Thursday Challenge: Face," or play

along yourself, go here.]

abc wednesday - O is for "open"

Yes, the gate is open, but the good

people of Vernazza in Italy's Cinque Terre 

are probably in no hurry to get

in . . . even though their little cemetery

at the tippy-top of the town truly has

a view to die for!

[See how others interpreted "O" here.]

That's My World Tuesday

The brick buildings on either side are part

of the Governor Alfred E. Smith Houses—12 

buildings on about 22 acres, with 1,931 apartments 

and almost 6,000 residents.

This may be the projects (council houses),

but with the Brooklyn Bridge close by on one side 

and that tall-ish building on the other, 

they have some million-dollar views!

[Go here to see more of the world.]

Mellow Yellow Monday

I'm taking it quite literally this Monday—

just because I can!  Love this 

time of year, when it seems as though 

absolutely everything is in bloom.

[See more Mellow Yellow here.]

shadow shot sunday

This picture was actually taken many,

many years ago, in Antigua.   It didn't take as 

much nerve as you think (in fact it's 

taking more now to show those

un-pedicured toes).  Rather than risk finding 

him in the bed later, we emptied an entire

 can of bug killer on this poor arachnid—

this is his post mortem.

(And, yes, I'm sorry now to have done that.)

[See more Shadow Shots here.]

Photo Hunter — "addiction"

Could have posted chocolate, or ice cream,

or cigarettes (kicked that one, fortunately).

I don't have a garden—or a green thumb—so I wait 

all winter for the flower people to return

 to the greenmarket so I can feed my addiction 

for fresh flowers.  (If you think of them as 

food for the soul, it hardly even seems like an indulgence.)

Well, the flower folks ARE back—last week, daffodils; 

this week, tulips; next week, lilacs!

[See more "addictions" here.]

Skywatch Friday

They're out in all their glorious

"pinkitude"—I'm grateful every year

when the cherry blossoms are at

their peak and the weather is

gorgeous too!

[See more Skywatch here.]

Thursday Photo Challenge: "Food"

They were in a tank, in a food store in Chinatown.
But I always thought of these fish as
strictly ornamental.  I'm confused.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, go here.]

abc wednesday - N is for "narrow"

This VERY narrow street is in

Bordeaux. You can almost

stand in the middle and stretch

your arms out to touch the walls

on either side. (A slight exaggeration,

maybe, but I love this quaint old town.)

[See how others interpreted "N" here.]

framed

As you know if you've come by lately, now

that the weather is nicer I've been interrupting

my subway commute with a walk across the

Brooklyn Bridge on my way to work—and home.

• A monthly subway pass = $89.

• The iPod on which I upload free NPR

podcasts of "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me"

to listen to as I hike the mile+ over

the bridge = $150.

• This incredible view of the Empire

State Bldg. framed by a stanchion of the

Manhattan Bridge = priceless.

[This post is part of That's My World Tuesday.

See more of the world here.]

Mellow Yellow Monday

Probably the most famous NYC meeting spot was

"under the clock at the Biltmore." It's where J.D. Salinger 

used to meet New Yorker editor Wallace Shawn 

(and he took Holden Caulfield there too). But

since the Biltmore is no more—gutted in 1981 despite

its landmark status—we'll just have to meet here in the

Center Lobby of the Waldorf Astoria, under this beautiful clock,

 instead. It was created for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, 

stands 9 feet tall, and weighs two tons. Around the

base are likenesses of Washington, Cleveland, Harrison,

Lincoln, Grant, Franklin, Jackson, and Queen Victoria. Every

quarter hour, the clock sounds the Westminster Chimes.

[See more Mellow Yellow here.]

Photo Hunter — "covered"

Here's the Hotel Raphael, in Rome

(can't afford to stay here, so I drink

here before dinner instead). The entire

front of this place is covered

 in flowering vines—how beautiful!

[See how others interpreted "covered" here.]

Skywatch Friday

If you're in the right place at the right

time of day (early evening, looking

southwest from the Brooklyn side of

the East River), you may get this

view of light reflected in the water.

[See more Skywatch here.]

New York at Night (6)

This is one of Apple's three stores in

Manhattan—the one downtown in Chelsea. 

 Wonder how many iPads

they've sold since Apple came out

with their latest toy last weekend?

To find out, see here.

Can't afford it myself, but then again,

I don't have an iPhone or even a

Blackberry (and don't feel lost without

either—go figure).

abc wednesday - M is for "Murano"

Murano is the island just off Venice where

the glassblowers had to relocate (in 1291)

because of the very real risk of fire. They're still 

"doing their thing" here (love those

chandeliers) more than 700 years later!

[See how others interpret "M" at ABC

Wednesday, here.]

That's My World

Still walking across the bridge after work,

and still taking photos (for myself and also for

 the many, many visitors I encounter who are 

holding their camera at arm's 

length as they try to take a photo of

themselves)—and if I see these T-shirts again, 

I might have to buy one (and will

probably feel compelled to explain that,

no, I am NOT a tourist.

[Check out the rest of the world here.]

Mellow Yellow Monday

Unfortunately for Mellow Yellow purposes,

International Waffle Day (March 24) was on

a Wednesday this year. These waffles are Belgian, 

but IWD originated in Sweden.

("God dag, Sven—let's have some waffles and 

celebrate the end of that long, dark

winter!") So if you figured out where this

truck would be (that day, it was parked on 

46th Street between 5th and 6th Aves.) and you wore

 something yellow, they'd give you one

 free waffle.  Nice PR, eh?

[See more Mellow Yellow here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

Watched this tough-looking bulldog

cross Broadway at 23rd Street—and as the

 dog's owner stopped near me,

I heard him say, "Come on, Buttercup,

there's a good dog."

Excuse me—Buttercup??

[See more Shadow Shots here.]

photo Hunter — "vertical"

New York has some pretty nice ones

and Venice boasts one with bells.

But, seriously—for this, what else could 

I choose but my number-one

all-time-favorite vertical thing?

[Catch more "verticals" here.]

Skywatch Friday

Spring has sprung here at the Brooklyn

Museum, another great Bklyn institution

that's +/- five minutes from my house

(lucky me). This museum has an amazing

Egyptian collection and right now they've

added to it with this exhibit.

[See more Skywatch pix here.]

New York Then and Now

These houses on Gramercy Park have hardly

changed in 75 years (aside from some missing

shutters, new windows, and gates, they're pretty

much intact). This pleases me immensely, 

because in this town even buildings with 

Landmark status aren't necessarily safe.

abc wednesday - L is for "lagoon"

And here's my all-time and forever fave:

the beautiful Venetian lagoon. Are you one of the 

lucky ones who has seen this beautiful sight in person?

[Find more "L" pix here.]

another balloon boy

Caught this one (and he caught me catching

him!) recently along Gramercy Park North, on one 

of the first beautiful spring days we had

after more than our share of snow followed

by more than our share of rain.  He did remind

me a bit of this guy.

[See more My World Tuesday posts here.]

Mellow Yellow Monday

The forsythia shows up every year and lasts

for about 12 seconds—but it sure is pretty

(and oh so yellow!) while it's here.

[See more Mellow Yellow here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

Downtown Manhattan—seen from 

the (vehicle) approach to the 

Brooklyn Bridge, here's a shadow 

cast by one of my fave NYC landmarks: 

the Municipal Building.

[See more Shadow Shots here.]

photo Hunter — "sweet"

This is the coconut birthday cake that

my sister-in-law (hey, I helped!) made for

my mom's 90th birthday. Here's the

recipe for anyone who wants to ingest

4,000 (absolutely worth it!) calories in one

small slice. This was taken after she blew

out the 9 (no, not 90) candles.

[See more takes on the "sweet" theme here.]

skywatch Friday

Well, there's not a whole lot I can say

about this one, except that it was

taken at the end of a beautiful summer day in

 Virginia, part of why I keep going back—

that and the relatives who live

there (and since you can't choose your

relatives, I am so lucky to have the ones I do).

[You can see more Skywatch images here.]

more terrace envy

And these are in Rome. To the best of

my recollection, this place is on via

Gregoriana, near the corner of via le Case 

(just in case anyone else is as

addicted to Google Earth as I am).