Autumn in Central Park

The leaves have turned yellow and brown, the weather has gotten chilly and cold -- autumn is finally here. This young family was was seen enjoying the beautiful scenery at Central Park last weekend.

So what is the weather like where you're at?

Race To Deliver 2008

I spent Sunday morning walking at Race to Deliver, a walkathon/jogathon/race/fundraiser to benefit God's Love, We Deliver, a non-profit organization that provides free daily meals to people who are home bound due to diseases like HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

This was my fourth year participating in the race and I have to admit, it was my fastest time too. I finished the 4-mile (6.4 kilometers) race in about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Bicycle, Taxi & Bus

My original intent was to take a photo of this interesting "structure" that was being used as a bicycle stand, whether it was installed there for that express purpose or not. When I got home, I saw that the photo was even more interesting because of the taxi and bus lining up next to it -- all three mode of transportation in one photo. If only I could PhotoShop a subway train into the photo, it would be perfect. :-)

So do you think the red iron structure here is meant as a bicycle stand?

Update: This "structure" is by David Byrne and yes, it is indeed meant to be a bike rack/stand.

Mid-Month Subway Theme

It's mid-month subway theme day again and this week's subway photo was taken at the 5th Avenue Station on 59th Street, on the southeast corner of Central Park. As you exit the subway station and walk up to the street level, Central Park will be right there.

This mid-month subway theme is shared by the following bloggers:

Budapest - New York City - Paris - Stockholm

Meet My New Camera

Say HI to my new camera -- you can see it (in the reflection) in the middle of the photo above. It is a (used) Canon G9 with lots of supped up capabilities that I'm still trying to figure out how to use. Also, my old camera is going to a good home so don't worry about the little guy. First, my parents are taking it to Hawaii next week for a nice vacation and then my 10-year old niece in LA is going to adopt it as her own. She is a budding photographer so I am looking forward to seeing what she does with the camera.

Where is your old camera? Please don't tell me it's sitting in a drawer somewhere, neglected and unappreciated.

No Bikes Allowed

The little sign on the railing clearly stated,"No Bikes Allowed" and yet there are two bikes leaning on it with a third parked in front of the other two. So is happening here? This is actually an impromptu site for a bicycle rental service at Columbus Circle by the exit of the subway station. Ever since the city added bike lanes onto most major avenues up and down Manhattan, bike rental businesses (for tourists) have been popping up everywhere.

So when was the last time you rode a bike? I think I rode a bike about 4 years ago when I rented one to ride around Central Park. Going down the hill was definitely easier than going up one.

Fire Escape 11

Here's a new addition to my fire escape photo series. If you can overlook the graffitis on the wall, you will find a beautiful and intricately designed fire escape on the side of this building located on 17th Street and Union Square West. Even the window at the bottom of the photo has a character to it.

So character trait do you love most about a person?

TKTS Booths

These are the new TKTS booths in Times Square where one can get same day tickets to various Broadway and Off-Broadway shows at a steep discount. The lines can be long but it may be worth the money because you can save as much as $50 off the regular priced ticket per person.

Notice the red colored glass roof above the ticket booths? Click here to see what the roof looks like from the other side of the building.

So have you ever climbed on top of a roof?

14th & Broadway Avenue

Here is another photo of a building with amazing architectural details. This building on the northwest corner of 14th Street and Union Square West housed a Diesel clothing store on the first floor and some offices on the upper floors.

So how was your weekend?

Italian Sausages, Peppers & Onions

Italian sausage with peppers and onions on a roll is one of New York's best street cuisines. Everytime I go to a street fair, this is what I order. It may not be the healthiest choice but it's oh, so delicious.

So what is bad for you but tastes so good?

Flatiron Building

And here is the Flatiron Building -- originally known as the Fuller Building when it was completed in 1902. It sits on a triangle plot of land bordered by 5th Avenue, Broadway and 23nd Street, and is probably one of the most famous pie-shaped buildings in the world.

Speaking of pie, I'm craving peach cobbler pie. Do you have a favorite pie?

I am REALLY tall today

I was standing on the edge of a dry fountain on the north end of Madison Square Park when I took this photo. I look positively tall here but alas, it was only my shadow.

So if you could choose, would you rather be taller or slimmer?

Benches at Madison Square Park

Here is another photo for my Park Bench series but unlike the other photos that were taken at Central Park, these were from Madison Square Park in midtown. I noticed the benches at both parks have the same design and most of them have metal plates on the back rests describing the financial contributions from and/or dedication to people who have passed on.

So do you have a favorite place or bench to sit on when you have some time to relax?

Bull Dog Eyeing Someone Else

This bulldog had other things on his mind when I photographed him on Broadway and 19th Street near Union Square last weekend. He was eyeing a couple of kids on my left who were eating hot dogs from the street fair.

So have you ever been distracted by food?

Election Day

It's election day today so I'm posting a photo of one of the candidates, Barack Obama. To be fair, I wanted to post a photo of John McCain too but finding a favorable drawing/mural/image of John McCain (or Sarah Palin, for that matter) in NYC is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

That said, I did post a flattering photo of John McCain and Sarah Palin lookalikes three days ago on here. In fact, those two looked positively presidential in the photo.

Because of the election, I have the day off from work. I plan to sleep in till 9 AM and then go out for a nice brunch.

Tree Huts

This is one of 10 tree houses (I think there are 10) built on tree tops at Madison Square Park. The project entitled, Tree Huts by Tadashi Kawamata is one of the many sponsored by Mad. Sq. Art, a free gallery without walls sponsored by the Madison Square Park Conservatory.

So have you ever lived inside a tree house?

Sheriden Square in the Village

This is the street scene on West 4th Street near Sheriden Square in the Village last night during the Halloween Parade. The weather was super beautiful and the crowd was unbelievable. This is only one of the streets that were crawling with revelers.

So how is your weekend so far?

McCain & Palin Campaigning in NYC

I went to the New York's (Greenwich) Village Halloween Parade last night and guess who I saw campaigning furiously downtown? Yes, it was John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin. Surprising, I didn't see Barack Obama at the parade. Maybe he was campaigning in Florida.

N.B.: I'm cheating this week. I signed up for the Theme Day photo but I totally forgot about it and couldn't find any good photos of books in my photo archives to post tonight. So I'm going to skip it this month.

A Study in White

This is the ceiling by the entrance to a building on Mercer Street in SoHo. I was about to walk through the door when I noticed the decorative panels on the wall. Then I looked up and saw this old lamp and leave patterned crown molding on one of the pillars. How beautiful is that?

So what is beautiful to you?

Pulse Park at Madison Square Park

This is a new art installation called, Pulse Park located at Madison Square Park north of 23rd Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue South. The lighting project by Mexican-Canadian artist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer includes 200 spotlights that pulsate to the heart beat of 200 people programmed into the computer system.

My photo does not do it justice as it shows only a fraction of what the whole project looks like. For a better photo of the light-filled park, click here.

So what is your plan for Halloween tomorrow?