14 Water Towers

This is kind of a strange post, but I thought I would share the piece of NY skyline I see everyday. As I was taking a mental break and eating my lunch, I thought the view was pretty cool. The cloud cover was just the right shade of grey to make the buildings look straight out of a movie, so I snapped some quick pics.

If I count, I can see 14 water towers from my chair. I love NY water towers. There is something about them that shouts NY, a hundred years ago. Supposedly you don't have any water pressure at all if you don't have one, so if you're looking for an apartment in NY, make sure there is a water tower!

About a month ago, they took this one down and we all watched it be re-built from scratch. I don't know why this was so fascinating to those of us in my building, but there you have it.

I also hadn't realized that the Freedom Tower had finally reached a height for me to see it over the buildings. The Tower will stand 1,776 feet tall and open in 2013. It has been amazing to watch it get taller and taller every day.

Spring in the Flower District

It may still be a bit chilly here, but the Flower District is in full Spring Swing . I walk through on my way to work in the mornings. If you walk down 28th Street between 7th and Broadway, you'll catch a glimpse of some of these fabulous vendors. They place the flowers outside on the sidewalk so the fragrance of Hyacinths and Paperwhites waft over you as you walk along. I love the topiaries that are out now. They also have huge bundles of pussywillows and forced forsythia branches out.

Pretend you have a latte in hand, cabs are honking, people are in your way and walk with me down 28th to work as you scroll through the below....

A peek into one of the shops.

Can't wait for my own tulips and daffies to bloom. Have a good day, I'm off to work!

On President's Day

I used to work in Midtown and exited the N-R-Q subway right into Central Park every morning. I work farther down in the Flatiron District now. I miss how quiet Midtown is in the morning. Flatiron is a zoo since it's more residential. But, you can't beat the architecture down here. This is my home away from home 5 days a week.

 


Flatiron Building

 



My Building

  I'm telling you, the coffee carts in Midtown are a 100 times better. I have to go to Starbucks now for coffee versus the $1.25 I used to pay at the carts. Sigh....

But, the good news is that I work right across from Madison Square Park which is one of the many beautiful parks in NYC. The park opened on May 10, 1847 and was named after James Madison (4th president of the United States).



The Lawn

  


The famous Shake Shack that's in the middle of the park. At 7:30AM it looks harmless. Wait till lunchtime and the lines are around the park. It's one of those secret NY places...

 


The city always keeps the planters in the square maintained. In Spring and Summer they are spectacular.

 

Daffodils coming up in Madison Square Park too!

I love this statue at one of the entrances to the park. This is statesman William Seward and was dedicated in 1876. Seward brokered the Alaska deal from Russia which you might remember was called "Seward's Folly". He was Lincoln's Secretary of State.

Do you like that little piece of history?...yep, I googled it.

Central Park in February

Here's what's happening in the park currently. Still beautiful even during the winter. These pics were taken from entering at 5th Avenue and 59th Street by Grand Army Plaza this morning.




Grand Army Plaza

The Pond (half frozen)

Ice Skating in Central Park

Dairy Visitor Center

Inscope Arch (my favorite bridge)

Looking back to the Plaza

Central Park's daffodils are coming up too!

 Neat sculpture up in the Freedman Plaza in front of the park. It's called "Tornado". Made of tires, it's huge and stands 25ft tall, created by artist Michael Sailstorfer. Very impressive!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from NYC!

These are the "boudoir" windows for Valentine's Day. Silk tufted background in soft colors with iron work bent into hearts in front. Note the mirrored frame around the windows. Makes it tough to photograph...but you get the point.