Notre Dame reflected in . . .

. . . the window of Shakespeare and Company, where I've spent 
many happy hours (when I was young and poor) reading 
the books without actually buying the books!

[I'm linking back to Thursday Photo Challenge, where the 
challenge for today is "reflections." To see more, go here.] 

abc wednesday —K is for "kir"

My fave thing to drink in Paris—to whoever thought of
adding white wine to creme de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur),
thank you.  This one was enjoyed here:

Chez Prune, just one of the popular places on the Canal St. Martin.
Forty years ago, no one came to this area, since it was the
known hangout of some very shady characters (literally, "les gangsters").
Now, it's been totally taken over by hip young people.
[To see more of the letter K, go here.]

ET!

I'm back in NYC and the daily grind
but still dreaming of this—and, sorry, but
I don't seem to have the right camera (or the skills)
to be able to capture just how gorgeous it is.
[This is part of my world—when I'm very lucky.
To see more of the world, go here.]

Mellow Yellow Monday

Enjoying a plate of oysters in Paris is pretty special, but these oysters also came 
with a view—they were part of a lunch at one of the restaurants up on the Eiffel Tower.  
Heading back to reality (i.e., NYC, work, and Lean Cuisine) today. Big sigh.

Shadow Shot Sunday

Though I'm in Paris with a digital camera now, I took this
shot a long time ago with what I used to think of as a "real"
camera.  Many people go to Pere Lachaise for the sole purpose
of visiting Jim Morrison's gravesite (the ancient Greek
on his tombstone translates as "true to himself"). 

But we should probably remember that this cemetery is also
visited by those who have no interest in the many "celebrities"
buried here and come for their own deeply personal reasons. 

photo Hunt — "caged"

Up on the towers of Notre Dame, the chimera are free to fly off (if they could),
but the humans are caged for their own protection—and that of the people below!

Skywatch Friday

A bright blue Venetian sky behind the over-the-top
façade of Basilica San Marco.  I chose this image
because today La Serenissima is 1, 590 years old—
Buon Compleanno, cara Venezia!

Thursday Challenge — "green"

Had to be green, for the challenge.  And had to be Paris,
since that's where I've landed this morning.  Wish I had
more info about this sculpture.  Here's what I know:  It's
one of four bronze slaves (or prisoners) who now live in
the Cour Puget, in the Louvre.  Anyone know more?

abc wednesday — J is for "journey"

Guess where I'm headed tonight.  Ah, oui!
Going with my girls, my camera, and whatever fits in 
a carry-on—for a long weekend in our favorite city.  

May be more off-than-online while we're there, 
but hope my blogpals will stop by anyway.
[And you can see more abc wednesday here.]

Bryant Park

At lunchtime, the joint is jumpin' and you can't find an empty chair.
At 6 pm . . . it's a different story.  (I've shown you this park before.)
[I'm linking back to "That's My World Tuesday".  See more of the world here.]

Mellow Yellow Monday

If you're going to open a McD's at Broadway and 42nd Street,
you should probably make it fit in.  This is the biggest metropolitan
McDonald's in the country.  The marquee has 7,500 light bulbs.
Inside there are 18 42-inch plasma screens and 27 15-inch monitors.
(They're ostensibly to keep the customers entertained, but I
think it's really to keep your mind off what you're eating—dress
it up all you want, it's still junk food.)
[You can see more Mellow Yellow here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

Back to Burano—and one of the more subdued
houses on the island.  I kind of wish I could put
my laundry out the window like this, because it
always smells so fresh when you dry it outdoors.
(And my co-op board would have a cow!)
[You can see more shadow shots here.]

Photo Hunt — "license plate "

Was strolling past this biker bar in Red Hook, 
Brooklyn on a lazy Sunday when I spotted this 
bench. Don't know how comfy it is, 
but that's probably not the point anyway.
[See more license plates here, at tnchick's meme.]

Skywatch Friday

You can see Michelangelo's "David" all over
Florence.  This copy (in bronze) is up on the
Piazzale Michelangelo, overlooking the whole city.
There's another one in the Piazza della Signoria
but the original now lives in the Accademia,
well-protected from the elements.

Here's (original) David's close-up.
(And yes, I was scolded by the guards
for sneaking this shot.  But I apologized
and was quickly and graciously forgiven.)
I could stare at this guy for hours
—and have!  Couldn't you?
[See more Skywatch here.]

Thursday Challenge — "metal"

In the Correr Museum, in Venice, I found (and snuck
a picture of) this amazing pure sterling book cover.
Not terribly practical (imagine whipping this out on
the subway), but I love whoever made it!

And displayed beneath, check out
these solid gold bookmarks!
[Find more "metal" here, at 
Thursday Photo Challenge.]

abc wednesday — I is for "I'm how old?"

My Dad took this picture a loooong time ago.  I'm having
kind of a big birthday today.  I won't give away the number,
but suffice it to say that I mostly feel closer to this than
the number I've actually arrived at.  I'm sure a lot
of you know exactly what I'm talking about!
(And somehow I still have those cheeks—go figure!)
[To see more interpretations of the letter I, go here.]

Ay, Caramba!

A corner of Maracas Mexican restaurant, where they know 
how to have a good time—the crowd is lively, the waitresses 
(waiters?) are in drag, and the food is way more than typical.
[This is part of My World Tuesday. To see more of the world, go here.]

Back on the Bridge

Finally!  It's warming up enough for me to walk across the
Brooklyn Bridge on my way to and from work again—
though one day last week the weather was just a bit marginal.
Today is Mellow Yellow Monday (see more here), and
I admit you have to search for it in this shot!

Shadow Shot Sunday

Red door!  This house on Burano is uncharacteristically
plain. But the door kind of makes up for it—or tries, anyway.
[See more Shadow Shots here.]

photo Hunt — "machine"

A gorgeous day in Trastevere, in Rome.  I'm
focusing on the sun shining on the ochre
buildings and the cobblestones, worn down
by many centuries of Romans and visitors to
this beautiful city.  And what is my friend
(the guy) focusing on?  That's right—machines!
[See more machines here, at tnchick's meme.]

Skywatch Friday

Here's a clear blue sky in—you guessed it—
Virginia.  That's where my mom is from, and today is
her 91st birthday.  I have an indelible memory of
crossing the Shenandoah River in the family station
wagon, and my mother singing that song in
her beautiful clear soprano voice.
Happy B-day, Mother!
[You can see more Skywatch here.]

Thursday Challenge — "many"

On the North Shore of Long Island, these many, many pebbles were
once part of the boulders deposited here many, many millenia
ago by glaciers.  (The lone butterfly is a relative newcomer.)
[See more examples of "many" here, at the Thursday Photo Challenge.]

abc wednesday —H is for "honey"

This is Virginia honey—fitting, because the first time I ever tasted the honeycomb 
was in Virginia.  I was about 8, and it was a revelation!  (Have you ever?)
[See more posts for the letter H here.]

Singing for Their Supper in Soho

It finally warmed up around here a bit, and the crowd
was loving these street-corner singers, who were
really good and looked like they were having a lot of fun.
[This is part of my world.  See more here, at That's My World.]

Mellow Yellow Monday: NoLiTa

We New Yorkers just love our cutesy neighborhood names:
SoHo, TriBeCa, DUMBO—and NoLiTa.  I can't really say that I understand
the meaning of these panels, but will guess that the red-on-yellow one 
(and maybe the yellow-on-red one too) is meant to be Jean-Michel Basquiat.

[See more Mellow Yellow here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

We just went through a big, long-overdue but expensive renovation
in my building.  My favorite part of the new design? Definitely
the old b&w photos of the neighborhood that are here in the
lobby and on every floor (and the shadows, of course).

Photo Hunt — "self-portrait"

This mirror had been put out in the filthy
NYC snow—I couldn't resist.  My friends and
family will tell you that this is a very 
accurate portrait of someone who will take a 
picture of pretty much anything!

[See more self-portraits here, at tnchick's meme.]

Skywatch Friday

Not a whole lot to say about this.  I was taking
a walk in the country,  just thought to
look up—and liked the way this evergreen looked
silhouetted against the blue-and-white sky.  Hope you do too.
[See more Skywatch here.]

Thursday Challenge — "cars"

What in the world do you do with a car in Venice?  In
this case, park it in your yard (another relative rarity in this town)
and turn it into a planter.  This is (or was) actually an official
Venetian vehicle:  On the doors it says "Commune di Venezia."
I'd be grateful to anyone who can explain this car's existence.
[You can see more cars here.]

abc wednesday - G is for "Grand Canyon"

I've never been here—this photo was taken by my daughter Lila,
who drove from Vegas with her sister Kate to be here at dawn
and capture the indescribable beauty of this place.
{BTW, Lila has her own daily photo (and only a photo) blog.}
[See others' interpretations here, at the ABC Wednesday meme.]

And here's how it looked when the
sun first peeked over the horizon.
All together now—ooooh!

That's My World

My blogpal Virginia recently featured a "cadenas d'amour," locked onto
one of the bridges over the Seine.  And I've shown "lucchetti d'amore" in Italy.
These locks of love are starting to accumulate on the
Brooklyn Bridge too.  This is the first one I've seen with rings
attached (and this is the first picture I took with my new phone).
[See more of the world here.]