ABC Wednesday—Y is for Happy New "YEAR"

However you're ringing in the New Year
tonight, I hope your celebration is
exactly what you want it to be—whether
that means raucous revelry or quiet and classy.
(I'm going for classy revelry myself.)
Wishing you all the best in 2015!

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Southern comfort

In a million years I wouldn't order a
drink that look like this at home in NYC.
But head 1,000 miles south and it 
seems like just the thing.

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

Place Vendôme

My first thought when I stepped into this
square one night last year was, "where is everyone?"
Then I realized I should enjoy the solitude while it lasts.
Once the Ritz Hotel completes its 10-year,
$250 million renovation in spring of next year, this
will no longer look like a pedestrian mall.

[Linking back to Monday Mellow Yellows
and NF/Catching the Light.]

inSPIREd Sunday

Here's another view of St.-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet,
in Paris, which I've shown you once before.  
On this plaque are engraved the names of priests 
who have led this church since it
was originally built in the 13th century.

[To see more churches from around the world, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

I'm headed south today to ring in
the new year far away from the crowds
and cold of Times Square.  There will be friends
and family and sunshine and—who knows?—
maybe even drinks with little umbrellas.

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Weekend Reflections

Last night, the aftermath of Christmas Day—presents
have been opened and a yummy dinner enjoyed.
Time to put my feet up, have a moment of
solitude—and reflect on a  great holiday.
Wishing a Happy Boxing Day to all my friends
who are celebrating it today!

[To see more Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge

This Thursday Challenge is meant to be
another of my favorite photos, but instead
here's one of my favorite moments of
this day—the anticipation when the presents
are all wrapped and just waiting for the
family who will arrive any moment to spend
the day here at my house.
A very merry holiday to all of you!

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, visit Dale's meme.] 

ABC Wednesday—X is for "Xmas"

"At Christmas, all roads lead home."
—Marjorie Holmes

Here's one of my hometown's most iconic
symbols (still), all lit up for the holidays.  If 
you're celebrating Christmas tomorrow,
I hope you're already just where you want 
to be, with the people you love.

[To see more ABC posts—and I bet a lot
of them are "Xmas"—go here.]

Colors of the Season

They've washed the whole place in red light 
here at the New York Palace Hotel.
(I love it when New York goes a little bit 
overboard with holiday decorations.)

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

How the Parisians deck the halls

Or, more exactly, how they decorate one
small section of the Champs-Elysées.

[To see more Blue Monday posts, visit Smiling Sally's meme.]

Cyclamen

Given my choice of Christmas flowers
(well, the ones I associate with the holidays—
poinsettias, paperwhites, Christmas cactus),
I'll take these bright pink cyclamen, please.

[To see more of Today's Flowers, go here.] 

The Weekend in Black and White

iPhones and iPads and laptops—oh my!
The Apple store in Grand Central Terminal
has been doing a brisk business lately.
(Although, honestly, it can look pretty much this
crowded on any given weekday of the year.)

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.
Also linking back to the B&W Photography Project at PODcast.]

Seasonal Sentiments

Things are looking very festive right now at
Grand Central Terminal.  This shop has
photo-worthy displays year-round, with lighting
that produces excellent shadows—this
time, though, it's colorful reflections.

[To see more Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"my favorite photo"

I'd like to thank Dale at the Thursday Photo
Challenge for permission to repeat myself.
I have lots of "favorite" photos, but this one
of a foggy Brooklyn Bridge sunrise
from last January probably tops the list.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—W is for "wing"

This is one of a pair of weeping
angels on the Stuart monument, in
St. Peter's in Rome.  It commemorates
the last three members of the
royal house of Stuart: James III, Cardinal 
Henry Stuart, and Bonnie Prince Charlie; this 
is not a tomb (though all three are buried
in the crypt below the basilica).
Stendhal said that visitors to Rome should
see this first to gauge whether or not they have
a heart capable of appreciating sculpture.
(Just watch out you don't end up with
a case of Stendhal syndrome.)

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Once upon a time in New York

This year, Saks Fifth Avenue has chosen
an "urban fairy tale" theme for their
holiday windows—very well executed too!

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

Rockefeller Center

We're still hanging around Rockefeller Center,
because even though I showed you that
tree last Thursday, there's plenty more to see—
seriously, how do they manage to wrap
every branch of those trees in blue lights?

[Linking back to Monday Mellow Yellows and Blue Monday.]

inSPIREd Sunday

There's still some scaffolding around St. Patrick's Cathedral
here in NYC, as they continue to renovate—and
Atlas is still shouldering his burden across Fifth Avenue.

[To see more churches from around the world, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

Here is Parasolerie Heurtault,
where this fellow makes beautiful
umbrellas (and canes too).

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.] 

Weekend Reflections

If you plan to visit Venice in winter, better
pack your Wellies.  Last time I was there it was
November and I was not prepared for the
daily aqua alta.  This bird managed to find the only
 (semi) dry spot in all of Piazza San Marco.

[To see more Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge: "my favorite photo"

I stood under the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree
(an 85-foot-tall Norway spruce from Pennsylvania)
to take this shot of the angels in the Channel Gardens
and the well-lit façade of Saks Fifth Avenue.

That's the glow of 45,000 (!) LED lights.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo
Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—V is for "vole"

This one up in Alaska had to watch out for
all kinds of predators—including raccoons, owls,
 hawks, coyotes, snakes, foxes, dogs, and cats.
But apparently it knew it had nothing to
fear from my daughter Katie's friend Amelia.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

New York City . . .

. . . is getting pretty—we definitely know
how to decorate for the holidays!
(And I hope to show you even more.)

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

les ponts de Paris

Well, three of them anyway (in all, there
are 37, including 3 for pedestrians and 2 for trains).
Visible through the ornate railing of the Pont
Notre Dame (1853) is the Pont au Change (1860), 
and behind that is Paris's oldest bridge, the Pont Neuf,
which dates all the way back to 1606.

[Linking back to Mandarin Orange Monday
and to Travel Photo Mondays.]

inSPIREd Sunday

Yes, it's Notre Dame again—this time
from the vantage point of the little garden
behind it.  To be honest, I probably
have enough photos of this classic cathedral
to fill up a month of (inSPIREd) Sundays!

[To see more churches from around the world, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

"The birds fly south for the winter not
because it is cold, but because they have wings."
—Jarod Kintz

(Of course, this is the guy who also said, "She called 
it a slap, but I called it a high-five to my face.")

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Weekend Reflections

Leaves—and reflections—everywhere!

[To see more weekend reflections, visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"minimal"

About 21 years ago, I moved from a 2,000-sq.-ft.
(186 sq. meters) loft to a place that's maybe
half that.  Next step: pare down even more.
Could I fit everything I need/want in a home the
size of this place, for example? I'm actually thinking
apartment in Paris, not shotgun house in Virginia—
but sizewise, this is probably what I could afford.
Cozy is good, right?

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—U is for "(sea) urchin"

These were on display at the rue Mouffetard
market, in Paris.  I don't think I've ever
eaten sea urchin (have you?).  All I can say
is that at that price, it had better be at
 least as good as . . . chocolate!

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

A bright spot

The "flower farmers" who sell their pretty crops 
at my local greenmarket weren't there this
weekend. For a couple of weeks lately, they only had
cabbage roses and great big fragrant bunches of eucalyptus.
And this is Gomphrena globosa, aka globe amaranth, 
one of the last flowers they brought before
they disappeared for the season.
(I'll miss them until they return next spring—most
likely with tulips and daffodils for starters.)

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday,
 Our World Tuesday, and
Nature Footstep: NF Blo-Ma.]

Christmas is coming

Here's a little reminder (though you probably
didn't need one) that the holidays will
be here before you know it.  This huge tree
was the centerpiece of the Christmas décor at the
Galeries Lafayette, in Paris, last year.
The dome is gorgeous year-round, but especially
when it's washed with color for the season.

[It's Blue Monday. To see more, go here.] 

inSPIREd Sunday

No spire here—this is the Art Nouveau
Kazinczy Street synagogue, situated in the heart
of the Jewish ghetto in Pest.  Nearby are
kosher shops and restaurants and the only 
mikve (ritual bath) in Budapest.

[To see more places of worship from
around the world, go here.] 

The Weekend in Black and White

A window in Budapest

[To see more monochromes, visit Dragonstar's meme.
Also linking up to the B+W Photography Project at PODcast.]

rush hour

This is  typical Friday afternoon traffic on
the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway—once again
I am not at all sorry to be a pedestrian.
And I'm also glad I don't have to limit my view of
 that glorious sunset to a rear-view mirror!

[Linking back to Skywatch Friday and Orange You Glad It's Friday?.]

Thursday Challenge—"leaves"

This time last year, I had just returned home
from Paris, where I took this shot of a carpet of fallen
leaves in a pretty little pocket park in the Marais.
As happy as I am to travel to Paris, today I'm grateful to 
be right here where I'll enjoy a turkey dinner with 
family and friends.  If you're celebrating Thanksgiving, 
I hope you're with the ones you love too.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—T is for "tracks"

This photo was taken by my daughter Katie,
when she was up in Alaska.  If I had
been hiking in the wilds and come upon
fresh evidence of a bear in the vicinity, I might
stop to take a picture.  Oh, who am I kidding?
Of course I'd take a picture.  But then I'd
be beating a very hasty retreat—which she did not! 

[To see more ABC Wednesday posts
for the letter T, go here.]

cute commute

Most of the time, I hate having to ride
the subway—especially at rush hour, when
I feel like the bottom fish in a can of
cranky sardines.  But there are those times
when I catch a nice, roomy ride and 
a fellow commuter just makes me smile.

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

two redheads

Last Wednesday, I showed you Szimpla Kért,
the original "ruin pub" in Budapest
(where they also have a great Sunday market).
I found both of these Hungarian beauties
there—though one of them wasn't too sure about
us.  Unlike some other places in Europe
(i.e., France, where it is strictly verboten), parents
in Budapest didn't seem the least bit bothered
if I wanted to take a photo of their child.

[Linking back to Mandarin Orange Monday.] 

Shadow Shot Sunday

This bridge traverses the lake/ice-skating pond 
(depending on the season) in Városliget (City Park), in 
Budapest—one of the first public parks in the world. 
It's a lovely spot for a stroll and a picnic on a 
sunny day, but we were there late at night.
(Thanks to the floodlights around the lake, there
were still some excellent shadows!)

[To see more Sunday shadows, go here.]

early morning

I loved this view of the Manhattan Bridge 
(looking past Dumbo from the Brooklyn Bridge),
before the East River fog had lifted.

[To see more of The Weekend in Black and White,
visit Dragonstar's meme.  Also linking
back to the B and W Photography Project at PODcast.]

égeszségünkre!

. . . which means "to our health!" in Hungarian.
This glass of rosé was enjoyed at the Ari Kupsus
Gallery, in Budapest, where I bought a (very) small 
painting by my favorite Hungarian artist, 
Maté Orr, a lovely and very talented young man.
(I was introduced to Maté by my wonderful
new friends, Jane and Lance Hattatt, who
featured him on their own blog.)

[To see more Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge: "architecture"

I dug deep into the archives for this shot of the Parthenon
(I took it 26 years ago, with Kodachrome—remember that?).
As I recall, we weren't allowed to get much closer than this.
Even so, I was lucky to capture it without any people in the frame.
  Or maybe everyone else was smart enough not to be out 
in the blazing sun, on a treeless Greek hill, in July, at noon.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, visit Dale's meme.] 

ABC Wednesday—S is for "Szimpla Kért"

That's Hungarian for "simple garden"—though there's 
really nothing simple about this funky place, 
which was the first of Budapest's ruin pubs.
In 2012, Szimpla Kért was voted the 3rd-best bar 
in the world on the Lonely Planet website (1st place went
 to A38, a floating bar that's also in Budapest).

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

la porte rouge

Day before yesterday, I showed you a building on
boulevard Saint-Germain.  Well, this place is right
next door—but they've injected a bit of color.

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

downtown autumn color

Haven't been able to get out of town lately,
so I've been doing my "leaf-peeping" on the way
to work, within sight of some spectacular buildings.

[Linking back to Monday Mellow Yellows
and to Mandarin Orange Monday.]

along the boulevard

The trees cast dappled shadows across
the façade of this elegant building
on boulevard Saint-Germain.

[Linking back to Shadow Shot Sunday
and to Today's Flowers.]

arriving in Budapest

I've shown the Nyugati Railway Terminal before,
but I think it deserves another shot—this
time of Eiffel's lacy iron framework seen through
the 19th-century wavy-glass windows.

[To see more of the Weekend in Black and White,
visit Dragonstar's meme.  I'm also linking back
to the B and W Photography Project, at PODcast.]

St.-Pierre-de-Montmartre

I've shown you this church once before.
You probably have to be here at just the right
time—and on a sunny day, of course.
If you are that lucky, then you're treated not only 
to the beautiful stained-glass windows
 but to their equally beautiful reflections.

[Linking back to Weekend Reflections
and to inSPIRED Sunday.]

Share the Joy

I can usually skip dessert—especially after
a meal of several courses like the one my friends and
I enjoyed at Circonstances.  However, we couldn't
resist (sharing, of course) the chef's special concoction of bits
of meringue, crème Chantilly, and salted caramel.
I'm glad I didn't say no—it was memorable
 and for sure I'll be going back for more
the next time I'm in Paris!

[If you have joy to share too, visit Meri's meme.]