This is a stairway just outside Belvedere Castle, a lovely little park building originally built as an observatory.
We wandered over to the Ramble this weekend, where we found lots of woods and birds and streams and some peace.
I love that we can find places that feel like we are high up in the mountains, but just look to the left and you are back in the city.
Streams and lakes and rivers...and an ocean just a few blocks away. Thank you, Frederick Law Olmsted!
The park next to the harbor has some wonderful stairways that we missed our first time over there.
More stairs at the harbor.
We found a place with some of the best stones for hopping down a stream ever. This whole place is like a playground for grown-ups.
Me and New Jersey and the Ocean.
Bob in front of the sweetest Swedish Marionette Theater at the Shakespeare Gardens.
Our walk to Times Square takes us from the Upper West Side through Columbus Circle and into Midtown. The change in architecture is so cool. This bit feel especially city-ish.
Well, if the New Year's Eve ball was around, it was well hidden. It was pretty fun to see all the chaos as they prepare for the ball drop tomorrow night. Lots of movie cameras around.
On our way back north we crossed from 8th Street back to Broadway and I realized we were walking right by the platform Ryan Seacrest does his New Year's Eve show from.
The Winter Garden Theater, one of those NY institutions I pass by and then realize I've heard about it a million times and am finally seeing it in real life!
This is the view from the top floor of our grocery store. Kidding:) It's the Columbus Circle mall, but the Whole Foods is directly beneath us, so it's kind of true.
This is our home at Christmas. The fireplace dresses up nice.
Approaching the Rockefeller Tree. They changed the flags to Silver and Gold, Silver and Gold.
The tree! There is some great Christmas music playing as we walk around the Plaza. NBC studios is just to our left. We peeked in the windows.
Walking to the tree we saw all the store Christmas windows. On the way home we went to the Nintendo Store NYC and bought a Nintendo. We are living the dream life of our 10-year-old selves.
The light in a snowy New York is soft and gentle. The sound is nice until the ice chunks start falling off the buildings twenty stories up. It's actually dangerous. Makes walking...interesting.
The brownstones look like they belong in the snow all year round.
This was a hilarious moment. The garbage smelled horrible.
This is some of the funnier and cooler graffiti I've seen around.
This is part of a really cool old building that looks a little like a castle.
The colors aren't quite gone!
Hello New Jersey!
You can see the different sections of the city in the types of architecture along the river. We live in the brick part, not pictured here.
This is the underside of the street going into Riverside Drive.
And another golden view of Central Park. A lovely place to get your head back together again.
There are three great bookstores near us...this one has tons of used books and a very feisty black cat.
The variety of architecture in this city is endlessly fascinating.
This is Fairway market, where we get about half our food. It is more a maze than a grocery store, which I guess is fun?
Everything will come back, someday. For now...this.
Awnings and scaffolding cover around a third of the sidewalks, which is great on rainy days.
Autumn is drawing to a close...I feel snow approaching!
The Bryant Park Skating Rink is already up and celebrating the holidays!
The light in Central Park is taking on the most beautiful golden hues as the leaves change.
We went on some lovely walks this weekend and came just within view of the Empire State Building.
The birds have found their perch.
This is where the tree goes!
Wonderful.
This is the view of Central Park just outside of our apartment. Lovely.
I think this store in Times Square is always ready for Christmas, but I'll take it!
We took a morning walk toward Lincoln Center last week.
It seems like New York is always scraping the sky.
This is Columbus Circle Shopping Center, where I found Whole Foods and a CVS. How's that for a quick trip to the market!?
We passed this interesting building next to Central Park...I have no idea what they do here, but I'm sure we need it:)
Sunny days, everything's A-OK, on my way to where the air is clean. Now I know how to get there...just head toward Lincoln Center.
They either think they are funny or they are so hilarious (Personally, I vote hilarious:).
Such a lovely morning walk in the rain. We went to find the Natural History museum.
This is a lovely double-arched bridge in Central Park near the Natural History Museum.
We found the Natural History Museum. The building behind it is where the lyricist for Fiddler on the Roof lives. The NYTimes has a great story on him and his wife and their apartment.
This is from our Sunday morning walk. This is Rockefeller Plaza and I think...I think!...it's where the Christmas Tree will be! Saks Fifth Avenue is getting ready for Christmas
This is St. Patrick's. I'm working on a collection of images showing the amazing churches here to share one week.
Hey, we know this guy. We saw this when we were heading to Rockefeller Plaza.
Sunday morning in Central park in Autumn is a bustling place. Music everywhere, people everywhere, adorable kids and dogs. Fantastic.
As we've traveled the city, we've been relieved to see that masks are very popular here. We weren't sure on our first night driving in, but during the day everyone is really careful.
My thought when I took this picture was "Wow". Not really eloquent, but honest.
This is Bow Bridge. We haven't walked over it yet because a young couple were having photos taken.
This archway has beautiful, intricate mosaics. A couple were having wedding photos taken in the entry - it was photo day, I guess!
The fountain area around the archway.
This little gazebo tucked into the trees makes the park feel like a monastery.
The city has officially scraped the sky.
There are so many types of birds in Central Park, which is one of my favorite parts.
This is Strawberry Fields, a lovely, quiet space in tribute to John Lennon. There is an "Imagine" mosaic in the center.
You can almost see people going by if you lean out the window...but not too far!
We even have a few glimpses of the sky:)
Our fireplace can only burn candles, but it's still warm and comforting.
A sixteen-story tall fire escape...almost too New York.
Our view seems to expand at night, with the lights shining. I can only imagine what the view is like from the top floor of these apartments.
Our tiny glimpse of Columbus Street fades away once night falls.
It even seems like we are up higher at night. Thomas Edison should be proud of his work lighting up our cities.
The radiator in our bedroom is behind this screen. It needed a fair amount of dusting when we moved in, but is ready to go now.
The radiator in our main room. It's a much bigger beast than the other, and I'm guessing has been here longer than most people have been alive.