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New York Minutes

23 Dec

Two days were hardly enough time to soak in the sights and sounds of a huge city like New York, but then again two weeks would not have been enough time either. Hopefully, I had captured a few good frames of the City and the holiday spirits around Midtown Manhattan ……

People-watching while sitting at sidewalk cafes on Champs-Elysées is a wonderful experience. At the Fluffy’s Cafe on 7th Avenue, an available window seat offered a good spot to observe the daily hustle and bustle of New York City, especially in the winter time.

Fluffy’s Cafe on 7th Avenue in between W54th and W55th Street

New York was badly hit by Hurricane Sandy, but life seemed to be returning to normal. The collapsed crane atop of the luxurious condo at One W57th Street, had finally been secured.

Collapsed Crane at One W57th Street

A walk through Central Park was a good way to relax and escape from the busy life of the City. There were no lack of interesting architectural elements to photograph, such as Naumburg Bandshell, located south of Bethesda Terrace between 66th and 72nd streets. The site was known as the place where a speech by Martin Luther King Jr., and a eulogy read for John Lennon, were delivered.

Bandshell at Central Park

The Trefoil Arch was unique in Central Park because the East and West sides of the arch were of different designs. If I had known of the above fact, I would have taken another picture from the opposite side of the arch also. Since I did not, it would be good enough a reason for me to return there again.

Trefoil Arch at Central Park

The original plan for Central Park called for a formal garden and conservatory on the East Side from 72nd to 75th Street. An ornamental pond was constructed as a reflecting pool for the conservatory. After the plan for the conservatory was abandoned, the water pool became a popular spot for model boat enthusiasts to launch and navigate their radio and wind-powered vessels during the warmer months.

Kerbs Boathouse at Conservatory Water

The Pershing Square Cafe was located on 42nd Street across from New York’s famous Grand Central Terminal’s main entrance. The full service restaurant was strangely hidden underneath the Park Avenue Viaduct, demonstrating the scarcity of real estate in the City.

Pershing Square Cafe

Once inside the Grand Central Terminal, familiar scenes kept popping up like a Hollywood movie set. I did notice something new …. one of the second level terraces had been converted into an Apple store, where shoppers could check out the latest i-gadgets. However, this particular version of the Apple store was missing the signature glass staircase designed by Steve Jobs.

Grand Central Terminal Lobby

Ticket Counters at Grand Central Terminal

Grand Central Terminal Clock

Speaking of Apple, the futuristic glass-box design of the Fifth Avenue store was a strong contrast to the surrounding architectures of The Plaza Hotel and Bergdorf Goodman department store.

Apple store on Fifth Avenue

The weather in New York was unusually warm, and it had been raining a little bit earlier. The wet pavement along Avenue of the Americas reflected the neon lights beautifully near the Radio City Hall. I stood at the street corner patiently and waited for the right moments to click the shutter.

After the Rain on Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue)

I happened to walk by the red carpet premiere of the movie “Les Miserables”. Yes, Anne Hathaway was there, but all I got was this photo of her on the movie poster …..

Premiere of “Les Miserables”

The world is going mobile ….. These mobile food stalls in Midtown Manhattan provided warmth and satisfaction to the patron’s stomach on a cold evening.

America loves fast food

Holiday Spirit at Food Stall

The Christmas Tree at Bryant Park was not as tall and grand as the Rockefeller Center one, but the park was a popular gathering place for the locals. The outdoor skating rink, winter market, and restaurants were the main attractions.

Bryant Park Christmas Tree and Winter Market

Bryant Park Fountain

As the sky got darker, more and more Christmas lights came on. The cool color of the holiday lights was really popping against the background filled with tungsten street lamps.

Christmas Lights on Sixth Avenue

The giant Swarovski Crystal Star sitting atop the 80-foot-high, 50-foot wide, 10-ton Norway Spruce in New York’s Rockefeller Center, was comprised of 25,000 crystals, with 1,000,000 facets, and it measured 9 ½ feet in diameter and 1 ½ feet deep. The Star weighed 550 pounds, including 300 pounds of crystal panels, and was composed of six outer rays and six smaller inner rays. A replica of the Swarovski Star was on display at the street level to allow visitors to admire its fine details.