Photo by myself on the High Line, somewhere around 24th Street and 10th Avenue, in Chelsea.
The second section is open on the High Line, the elevated pedestrian park in Chelsea.
The park now runs from Gansevoort Street in the West Village, all the way up to West 30th Street. It makes use of an abandoned elevated railroad trestle.
The elevated views are pretty incredible. At times, you are winding around the back sides of old tenement buildings or along billboards.
The plantings have filled out quite a bit since this park opened. Above, the Standard Hotel.
A new water feature allows visitors to cool their tired feet. Water skims the surface of several rows of stone. The row where people have left their shoes are open grates for drainage.
At times, the walkway juts out as platforms overlooking the street.
The view north. There is a final undeveloped portion ahead between 30th and 34th Street that includes the rail yards.
The view west toward the Hudson River.
The view east toward Chelsea.
I definitely recommend visiting on a day that is not too sunny. The light colored concrete becomes a reflective surface in the summer, radiating all the heat up at you. It is really, really hot.
For the official High Line site, including its history and a calendar of events, click here.
For an interactive map, click here.
For a look at my first tour of the High Line, click here.
City Portraits is an ongoing, once-in-a-while installment featuring parts of New York.
Related posts: City Portraits - Shelter Island, City Portraits - Central Park and City Portraits - Coney Island, Brooklyn.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
City Portraits - The High Line, Part Two
Monday, May 9, 2011
City Portraits - Sunset Park, Brooklyn
Photo by myself in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
It was brightly sunny this weekend, in Sunset Park. The canopies were up in the background, to keep pedestrians cool.
This area is the equivalent of Chinatown. Amazingly, just a couple blocks away is a very Hispanic neighborhood. Just take the 'R' train to 53rd Street and Fourth Avenue. Sunset Park is tucked in between Windsor Terrace and Bay Ridge.
You can find Malaysian, Vietnamese and Chinese cuisines here.
Open markets make for a lively experience during the day.
English is a second language in this neighborhood.
Fish markets were loaded with fresh seafood.
A shoemaker set up his temporary space on the sidewalk.
For more information from the Village, Voice, click here.
City Portraits is an ongoing, once-in-a-while installment featuring parts of New York.
Related posts: City Portraits - Coney Island, City Portraits - The High Line and City Portraits - The New York Public Library.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
City Portraits - Coney Island, Brooklyn
Photo by myself at Luna Park, in Coney Island.
Coney Island in Brooklyn, has been New York City's playground since the late 1800's. Folks were enjoying the last dregs of summer there this holiday weekend. Mark, Rupert and I took a quick tour around. It was very sunny and wonderfully breezy.
Luna Park is the main amusement park there, next to a stretch of boardwalk and the beach. The boardwalk is known for hosting the Mermaid Parade, a public costumed event each summer. All sorts of characters and families frequent the area.
A glimpse of the boardwalk, where you can always find interesting people.
Nathan's hotdogs are required eating at Coney Island. Lines are typical.
Old fashioned, hand lettered signs decorate booths that have been there for years.
Loads of people strolled along the boardwalk.
Benches along one side of the boardwalk afford nice views out to the beach.
Ah, the last gasp of summer!
Coney Island is easily accessible from the subway. Just take the N, Q, D or F trains to the very last stop.
City Portraits is an ongoing, once-in-a-while installment featuring parts of New York.
Related posts: City Portraits - The New York Public Library, City Portraits - Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn and City Portraits - Shelter Island.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
City Portraits - Central Park
Photo by myself, from a footbridge in Central Park. Beyond lies the Upper West Side.
My fiance Mark and I recently toured around Central Park with our dog Rupert. Bringing a picnic lunch and plenty of water, we walked about and explored the lower half of the 770-acre park.
It was a weekday afternoon and the park was filled with people - visitors, dancers, rollerbladers, jugglers, lovers, boaters and a cellist. Rupert, our Boston Terrier, had a grand time exploring the paths that weave through all sorts of terrain.
At the Mall, a cathedral of stately old oaks frame a seemingly endless view.
A young cellist played for passersby. Rupert can be seen walking ahead.
What looks like a quaint chalet is actually a park store.
At the Lake, looking toward Central Park South.
What I love about Central Park is that generally you are unaware of the city around you. Only at certain carefully planned times does the vista open up to reveal that you're in the middle of Manhattan.
If you're ever visiting, I recommend taking a leisurely afternoon to explore the park. Don't bother with a map. Get lost, discover, and enjoy.
City Portraits is an ongoing, once-in-a-while installment featuring parts of New York.
Related posts: City Portraits - The East Village, City Portraits - The New York City Library and City Portraits - Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn.
Friday, April 16, 2010
City Portraits - The Williamburgh Bank, Brooklyn
Photo by myself at the Brooklyn Flea Market, at One Hanson Place.
This past weekend Mark and I visited the Brooklyn Flea Market at the Williamsburgh Bank Building.
The Williamsburgh Bank is the tallest building in Brooklyn. You can see the building from just about everywhere. The exterior was recently restored, and the upper floors converted into fancy condo apartments. The interiors on the first floor are just incredible.
Light streams through one of the large windows on the mezzanine level.
A starry mosaic covers the arched ceiling of the lobby. Note the delicate iron work in the background.
Many of the original elements are still in the lobby, including tellers windows, light fixtures and the vault door.
Vendors were selling quality vintage clothing, art and furniture. Outside in the parking lot, you can get a host of different foods. There was a roaring pizza oven (!), handmade chocolate and ice cream.
Mark oogled at some of the vintage lamps offered, while I was just astounded by the building. Fortunately for us all, the Brooklyn Flea Market is open every weekend.
For the Brooklyn Flea website, click here.
The Williamsburgh Bank building is located just steps away from the Atlantic/Pacific subway stop in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
City Portraits is an ongoing, once-in-a-while installment featuring parts of New York.
Related posts: City Portraits - The High Line, Chelsea, City Portraits - Washington Square Park and City Portraits - Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
City Portraits - The New York Public Library
Photo by myself, inside the New York Public Library, at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue.
The Main Branch of the New York Public Library is gigantic. You can come in without a library card, tour around or use the reading rooms.
Interesting exhibits are always on display. Currently showing are maps of New York from 1600 to the present, an exhibit honoring the 250th anniversary of the play 'Candide', and a display of three New York women photographers from the early 20th century.
Admission is absolutely free. For the website of the main branch building, click here.
Most New Yorkers don't realize the history of the New York Public Library site. It is located exactly where the city reservoir used to be in the 1800s. The reservoir was a gigantic enclosure that was built up and raised from the street. No telling how sanitary it was.
Click here for an 1879 photo of the reservoir from the Library archives.
From one of the upper stair halls in the Library.
Reference tables within one of the reading rooms. Decorative carvings cover all the oak furnishings.
Free wifi and natural light make the main reading rooms a popular hang out. The clerestory windows on either side face Fifth Avenue and Bryant Park.
If you visit, do explore the upper floors of the building. There are wonderful mezzanine views of the main entrance hall and upper stairs. Two giant reading rooms are on the third floor, connected by a low wooden reference area. The entire space is probably the size of a football field.
Reference books line the reading rooms, with a walkway above with more books. The result is a very human space, despite the enormous overall size.
There are computers for public use, and free wifi if you bring your own laptop. Not long ago, people avoided using the public libraries because a lot of homeless would lounge there. I think the wifi has changed peoples' attitudes about this place.
Each neighborhood has at least one library; this location is the main branch and is the most recognizable. As long as you have proof of New York City residence, you can obtain a library card, and borrow one of their millions of books for free.
City Portraits is an ongoing, once-in-a-while installment featuring parts of New York.
City Portraits - Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, City Portraits - The East Village and City Portraits - The High Line, in Chelsea.
Read more...
Sunday, September 6, 2009
City Portraits - Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn
Photo by myself in Green-Wood Cemetery, in Brooklyn.
This enormous cemetery is located next to Park Slope and Sunset Park, in Brooklyn, just a train ride from Manhattan.
Many notable people are buried here, as well as Civil War dead. In fact, a Civil War battle was fought here called the Battle of Brooklyn, on August 27, 1776. The American side lost to the British, so the battle was lost from memory for many years.
Recently the battle has been re-enacted yearly. In fact, the anniversary was just last week. You can see a clip here.
Saturday afternoon, Mark, Rupert and I toured quickly through Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. It was our first time visiting, though we've wanted to go for some time now.
Unfortunately, our little dog Rupert had to pee, and dogs are not allowed on the grass. So our time was limited!
The cemetery is 478 acres huge, with rolling hills, scenic roads and even some ponds. Sculptures and mausoleums were scattered everywhere.
Our map told us that Leonard Bernstein, the late conductor and composer, was buried near the area where the Civil War battle took place. I jumped out of the car to look for his headstone.
Thinking he'd have some kind of grand mausoleum or crypt, I wandered around for several minutes, only to find a modest marker near the Bernstein family plot. Visitors had left mementos on the maestro's headstone.
Other notable people at Green-Wood include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Samuel Morse, Theodore Roosevelt, and Louis Comfort Tiffany.
Green-Wood Cemetery happens to be located at the highest point in Brooklyn. There's a clear view down to the water and Manhattan, beyond. The views were quite astonishing, and, I suppose, poetic.
City Portraits is an ongoing, once-in-a-while installment featuring parts of New York.
Related posts: City Portraits - East Village, City Portraits - Washington Square Park and Every Street is Beautiful.
Read more...
Sunday, July 26, 2009
City Portraits - The East Village
Photo by myself somewhere deep in the East Village.
A facade covered in graffiti, chipped concrete steps, an uncovered garbage can.
The East Village is known for being slightly grungy with a touch of Goth. There's a high percentage of Japanese restaurants, cute boutiques and tiny bars.
The result is an eclectic neighborhood that is as ruggedly charming as it is authentic.
Friday Mark and I spent some time in the East Village, one of our favorite areas, partially because of the availability of parking (!).
We brought Rupert in to romp around Tompkins Square Park, which has an enormous new dog run. He befriended a whole pack of dogs, which within minutes of meeting were chasing him around the perimeter.
Here he is with his buddies at the watering hole.
Tompkins Square Park was known for being dangerous not long ago. Today you can still find odd characters sleeping on benches or wandering around. It's not dangerous, but do keep your wits about you.
Just across the street from the park, The Upper Rust, an antiques store with lovely country charm.
Otherwise, the East Village is known for tiny clothing boutiques featuring vintage pieces or individual designers.
The unique interior of Sakaya, a specialty store on East Ninth Street. Here, you can find all the sake you'd like, each in its beautifully designed bottle.
Above, good old St. Mark's Place, a street always crowded with tourists and young kids. Here, you can find all sorts of memorabilia. Take home a t-shirt, piercing or tattoo.
City Portraits is an ongoing, once-in-a-while installment featuring parts of New York.
Related posts: City Portraits - Shelter Island, City Portraits - The High Line, Chelsea and Signs of the Times.
Read more...
Monday, July 20, 2009
City Portraits - Shelter Island
Photo by myself on Shelter Island, an island off of Long Island, New York.
Lawns, water views and pretty houses typify this popular summer spot a couple hours outside New York City.
Just a few photos from our weekend in Shelter Island, where Mark and I were this weekend for a friend's wedding. The weather turned out to be perfect after an initial overcast spell.
There isn't much of a beach on this island. Instead, the water's edge is irregular and often appears at the back or front yards of peoples' homes. You'll find boats pulled up next to houses large and small, and private docks.
The wedding took place at an large, old hotel near the water. The view was very pretty, and dinner was served against a sunset backdrop. The decoration was casual yet elegant, perfect for an outdoor summer wedding.
When the sun finally went down, the whole sky was filled with bright stars. New Yorkers don't see stars often, so this was an unsettling treat!
Shelter Island is comparable to The Hamptons, a well-known summer spot for New Yorkers. For whatever reason, Shelter Island is much less of a social scene, and it's much less congested. There are not nearly as many stores, though the ones there are tasteful.
Above: The interiors of Coastal Cottage, a home furnishings store on Grand Avenue.
City Portraits is an ongoing, once-in-a-while installment featuring parts of New York.
Related posts: City Portraits - The High Line, Chelsea, City Portraits - Washington Square Park and City Portraits - BBQ Block Party, Madison Square Park.
Read more...
