Central Park: Benches III

I hope you guys are not tired of looking at park benches yet. I promise, this is the last one of the series for a long time. These benches are probably the newest batch in Central Park. Notice how they are ergonomically designed to support the backs of the sitters as they sit down to relax.

Older benches, like the ones I posted yesterday do not have any backings and are probably not as comfortable as these newer ones. I wasn't even thinking about comfort factor when I took these photos until Belinda of Perth, Australia and Angela of Nice (France) Daily Photo mentioned it. Thanks ladies, for alerting me to the issue.

The twin towers in the background are the new Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, which is located at the south west corner of Central Park.

Central Park Benches 4

Last month, I posted a three-photo series on Central Park's benches - on April 15, April 16 and April 17. Personally, I am fascinated by these benches because they are so different and yet so similar. A lot of the different designs and materials used are based on when they were installed in the park.

Here is another set of benches lining both sides of the Literary Walk in Central Park. These are pretty old they are made almost entirely of wood and brass (or iron). The walk stretches for 6 blocks from 66th Street to 72nd Street. It is one of the most photographed scenes of Central Park.

N.B.: Please vote for me for the Blogger Choice Award (or click on the icon on the right). You may have to sign up for an account to be eligible to vote. Thanks to Carol from Oh! For the Love of Food for nominating for the award.

Central Park: Benches II

Here is a photo of another type of benches found at Central Park. These are older and less aesthetically decorative, although just as beautiful. They are made of untreated (unpainted) wood planks secured together by steel bolts and simply decorated with wronght iron works.

Central Park: Benches

Central Park encompasses over 843 acres (3.41 sq km) of public space and stretches over 2.5 miles (4 km) long and 0.5 miles (0.8 km) wide. The park was created in 1853 based on the same concept of public space as the Bois de Boulogne in Paris and the Hyde Park in London. Today is it one of the most beloved and expensive piece of land in New York City.

This photo was taken at the lower east sector of the Central Park. There are probably miles of benches scattered all over the park for visitors to sit and enjoy the outdoors.

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?

Literary Walk at Central Park

On Wednesday, I posted a new photo of the Central Park benches that were located at the Literary Walk. Here is the follow-up photo to the Literary Walk, which stretches from 66th Street to 72nd Street. At the end of this path are The Mall (a public square, not a shopping mall), the Bethesda Fountain and the Boathouse Restaurant.

If you are visiting New York City and have only an hour or so to see Central Park, this is the place to go. It is probably the most beautiful and popular places to visit in the park. To get here, take a taxi or the bus to the 72nd Street and 5th Avenue entrance and walk west into the park. You will see The Mall and the Bethesda Fountain after a short 10 minutes' walk.

MoMA: Monet & Pollock

Reflections of Clouds on the Water Lily Pond by Claude Monet (1840-1926) is one of the most spectacular works of art at the MoMA, not just for its sheer size (6' 6 3/4" x 41' 10 3/8" or 200 x 1276 cm) but its beauty and colors. The painting from the Impressionist movement, occupies the entire length of a gallery has three leather benches in front of it for admirers to sit down, relax and enjoy the scenery.

This painting by Jackson Pollock entitled, One: Number 31, 1950 is a perfect example of his drip and pour technique, which he popularized during the Abstract Expressionist era. The painting is 8' 10" x 17' 5 5/8" (269.5 x 530.8 cm) and is one of many Pollocks exhibited in the permanent collection at the MoMA.

When taking these photos, I was torn between simply taking a perfectly aligned photo of the art work only OR do I want to include museum goers in the picture. What do you think? Do you usually include strangers in your photo or do you make every effort to exclude them?