The Flowers of Manhattan

I'm reading the book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, by Eckhart Tolle. It's such a profound book that I am actually reading it for a third time. I so often read wonderful books that give me insight for living and rather than remembering those insights and applying them to my daily life, I end up forgetting most of it. This book, though, I want to be different. I'm posting about it today because the first chapter is about the flowering of the human consciousness, and I have some lovely pictures of flowers and plants to post from my time in New York. Enjoy!

A stunning mix of soft and pointy plants
at the rock garden at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

Roses my husband bought at a corner
flower stand to celebrate our recent anniversay.

These flowers are blooming on my apartment's rooftop.

This sunflower was waving at me the
day we visited the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

Hurricane

I was in Chicago during the NY hurricane. Darn! I am missing all the excitement!

Earthquake

No, I was not in NY when the earthquake shook things up there. Darn. Hubby was, but he was in a stairwell and missed it entirely. However, my son, who works in Columbus, Ohio, felt it in the office where he was working that day. He said it sounded like a boulder had fallen close by, but the rumbling just kept going.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir

 

I'm posting this picture of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in Central Park in extra large format. It's probably the most photographed space in Manhattan. But I think my photo is probably the best one. Don't you?

Economist on a Sidewalk

This guy was creating a chalk portrait in front of a restaurant on 86th Street. As you can read from the bottom picture, it is a portrait of Friedrich Van Hayek.

Maybe I'm displaying my ignorance, and maybe most people know who Hayek is. Of course I couldn't post these images without saying something about the man, so I had to look him up. But first, I emailed a friend of mine who edits  economic textbooks. Everyone should have a friend who edits economic textbooks. He wrote back saying, "Hayek is a controversial figure in economic history. He is a favorite of people who have one set of beliefs: small government, low taxes, more conservative economic positions." (I have smart friends.)

Don't you think, though, that's a strange subject to be drawing on a New York sidewalk? Or any sidewalk, for that matter. I wish I would have talked to the artist about his motive. I did put two bucks in his basket.

The last picture was taken the next day, and he was gone

Human Turn Signals

I wish there was a rule in New York CIty that required people to walk on the right-hand side of the sidewalk. It would prevent a lot of full-body collisions. I've only had a couple minor ones but lots of close calls. Maybe I could invent a signal system where our brain waves would activate a flashing light on our shoulders. . .

What's frustrating is you'd expect most people to yield to their right as you approached, like you do in traffic, right? But many insist at the last moment on doing the opposite.

Then I got to wondering what percentage of New York pedestrians come from a country where the left-hand rule applies. I couldn't find any statistics on this, but from WikipediA I learned that 66 percent of countries drive on the right-hand side and the rest use the left-hand rule. Maybe that explains a little. I still like my brain-wave-signal idea.

Football Players Can Write

I'm reading a book written by a professional football player about his adventures traveling all over the world playing their local sports. Dhani Jones, former linebacker for the NY Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and most recently the Cincinnati Bengals, hosted a show called Dhani Tackles the Globe. It ran on The Travel Channel for two seasons. He did some crazy stuff to train for and compete against some of the top players in their fields. . . lifted a 300 pound rock, for example.

It's my second time through the book.

I'm not sure why I'm reading it a second time.

It's a very interesting read. I have been trying to write a paragraph about why I like reading it so much, but heck, let's be honest, I think I just like Dhani Jones. Remember, I met him this year at a St. Vincent de Paul charity where he hosted a fun fashion show by some UC students. Then we won the bid for having drinks with him in his Mt. Adams bar. I took this photo that night.

The Purpose of a Restaurant

Lately I have been taking a book with me when I go out just in case I want to sit and read. However, it was clear at The Gray Dog Cafe that table loitering is frowned upon. This poster reads: "Good Dining Habits for Everyone! During Peak Hours No Holding Tables, No Studying, No Laptop Use. Peak equals Busy. Remember, only YOU can prevent table hibernation." It was a fun place to eat--I did not feel rushed. And it was really busy, so the poster was a cute way to get their point across.

Tomato Festival 2011

 

Six French restaurants have teamed up to present a full menu from drinks to desserts using fresh tomatoes from local farmers. These pics are of a bountiful 3-color-tomato salad and a cupcake (with tomatoes in the ingredients of the cake batter) from Le Monde on Broadway between 112 and 113 Streets. The cupcake had a sweet and acidic flavor and was topped with a raspberry and vanilla frosting.

Resistance is Futile at "dishes to go"

One reason you see a fan on the table along side my lunch is that, for one thing, I carry my fan everywhere, and for another I chose to eat hot soup on a very hot day. I am hooked on soup from this little place in Grand Central's dining concourse called dishes (with a small "d").

I had asked to sample the soup while I was trying to make up my mind if I was even hungry one day. The server was intent that I sample as many as I wanted, but after the first one (I think it was pumpkin), I didn't want to disrupt the taste in my mouth.

The picture at the bottom is of the chef who creates the soup recipes. He was actually sitting next to me on a bench outside of the kiosk. It was the server who pointed him out to me. He let me take his picture. I'm sure he was just a little flattered, even though it's hard to tell here. Or maybe he thought I was an idiot.

The next day I timed my walk to land at their other restaurant in Midtown right at 4 p.m, which is when I like to reward myself for all that walking, and guess what -- it was closed from 4-5 p.m.  So I had to walk out of my way to hit up their Grand Central kiosk again. And because I had walked so far, I got a larger size serving this time, of course.

Okay, that was creepy.

Yesterday, after hubby called to say he was on his way home, I decided to unlock the door to the apartment and leave it ajar so he wouldn't have to fumble with his keys to get in.

Then I sat at my computer and did some work, and about ten minutes later I hear hubby open and close the door. At the same time, my phone rang, so I answered it and didn't pay attention to the door. When I got off the phone and called out, he didn't answer. Thinking he may have gone into another room, I looked there, then another room, and he was not in the apartment at all. Then who was at the door?

When he did actually arrive home, he brought in a pizza coupon that had been left on the door knob. Apparently a delivery man was up here on the 26th floor delivering someone's dinner and handing out coupons. He could have just walked right on in.

Hubby will be using his keys to get in from now on.

The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

Here are some pictures of the beautiful Japanese gardens at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. We took the subway there from the city and were prepared to pay $10 each to get in, but Saturdays (and Tuesdays) are free. That was a nice surprise. We actually entered from the back entrance, and the gardens just got better as we strolled toward the front.

This is a very nice place to visit. We had our books with us and lingered a while just to read on one of the many benches overlooking the cherry grove. The day was pleasant with a slight breeze. I came home with a small purchase from the gift shop of seven packets of herb seeds. (The herb garden is really nice, too.)

Yay, Reds!

Hubby and I watched the Cincinnati Reds beat the Colorado Rockies tonight at our favorite bar in Murray Hill, The Black Sheep. We've finally found a place we can eat regularly that doesn't break the bank, offers really fresh and well-prepared food, plus isn't too loud to hear each other talk. The best thing is that they never hesitate to find the Reds for us on one of their big screen tvs. Nice. I would have written about this yesterday or the day before, but let's just say it's better when the Reds actually win.

After a rain here

After a rain, especially if the wind was strong, people dump their umbrellas in the trash! I have noticed this on two other rainy days. Maybe they are are broken, but it sure seems like there are a lot of defective umbrellas in New York if that's the case. One doesn't really know, at least I don't, since I resist the urge to pull them out of the trash to see if they still work.

 If you look closely, you'll see two umbrellas in this can.

Yoga in the Park

Hundreds head to Bryant Park every week where they are guided through a half hour of Yoga poses. It is quite a sight!

You've Got Hate Mail

We saw this play at The Triad Theatre Friday, a cozy place above a restaurant in the upper West Side. This hilarious and fast-paced play was about five people reading their emails on stage and what happens when they are sent to the wrong people.

New York Sightings

Friday night, hubby and I saw Richard Belzer, of Law and Order fame, walking a tiny dog on the Upper West Side. I looked him up online and his website is very fun. It's set up as a smart phone. Very original and clever. Check it out if you like at www.ibelz.com. I didn't know he was a comedian and author, too.

New York Displays

One of the fun things to see in New York are the store window displays. Loved this one of neckties radiating as sunshine.

New York Cupcakes

Cupcakes. They are a big deal here and have been for the last ten or so years. I took this video at Grand Central Station in the dining concourse at The Magnolia Bakery. I love sugar and fat, so I'm pretty happy with just any ol' cupcake. These, however, will bring you to your knees. Try the red devils.

Second Wind

Second Wind is the name of a great band in Cincinnati. For those of you who know my friend Willa, it's her husband's band. The group describes itself as a horn-charged rock and soul band. I like that. The brass section is truly their strength with precision timing and never a reason to squirm at any flat notes. Unfortunately, at this gig, the St. Margaret of York festival, they were all dressed casually. One of the lead singers was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt and cowboy hat. I wish performers would realize they have to look good as well as sound good when they're on stage. I don't care how hot it is. But I noticed that they dress up when they need to according to the pics on their website. When I googled "Second Wind Cincinnati" I was taken to a site that listed them as one of many Cincinnati bands, but they do have their own: secondwind-band.com. Here's a video I took of them singing 25 or 6 to 4. You'll see what I mean about the horn section.

Pompeii at the Discovery Museum

One is not allowed to take pictures at this exhibit, but I found this picture on the USA Today Travel website and can attribute the article, though not necessarily the photo, to reporter Laura Bly.

This exhibit is definitely worth seeing and worth the admission price. I picked up a $5 off coupon somewhere and remembered to take it with me, but these same coupons are right out front as you enter the museum. You'd be pretty unobservant to pay full price, but then again who would expect a $5 off coupon to be at the entrance of an exhibit?

If you go, you will get to see amazing fresco paintings, delicate decorative carvings, and pottery like Jesus may have encountered, but the most amazing part is the molds of the bodies left behind on the second day of the eruption. Liquid plaster injection moldings were used to reproduce the space the decaying bodies left behind encased in a layer of ash. This particular dog was apparently a guard dog chained up and left behind as the owners evacuated.

Also, I was thoroughly entertained by a simulated time-elapse video as if a web cam had been in place in 79 AD in Pompeii.

Fire in the trash!

There was a cloud outside my window this morning. Turns out it wasn't a cloud, it was smoke from a fire below. A trash receptacle was spitting flames everywhere. Eventually three fire trucks made their way to the scene and focused their water hoses on it for about 45 minutes before it died down. In that time, at least three double-decker tour buses had driven by on their regular route. I wonder if the tourists had to pay extra for that excitement.

Dog Walking in New York

 

Today I got behind these two dog walkers. When they were stopped at a light I asked a couple questions. These dogs were out for a 2-hour walk, and every now and then the walkers would spray them with water to cool them down. You can have your dog walked for about $1 a minute I learned.