New York City 1

I am back after a week in New York.I loved the big apple.I thought I would show some of my favourite photos.I took over three hundred.These yellow Taxi cabs were everywhere.This pic shows outside Grand Central Station,one of the grandest railway stations I have ever seen.The Chandelier lights and star covered ceiling are worth going into there even if you do not want to catch a train.There are also shops and restaurants in Grand Central.(I wanted to eat Oysters there,maybe next time!)This shows the Empire state building from the Hudson River side.I love how patriotic the New Yorkers are.There are the stars and stripes proudly hung up on buildings public and private.On the circle line Ferry that was a good introduction into New York.Most immigrants arrived from the sea,and were amazed by the city that never sleeps.The Freedom Tower is being constructed in the centre of the photo.The most famous Lady of America.The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France after one hundred years of Independence from the British.The salty sea air has turned her the famous green colour.We could not go up to the crown as it was shut for repairs.This statue was the first sight of America for the many millions who came from afar.New York is a big city,and can be admired best from the air.You can get helicopter flights to fly you over Manhattan.We settled on going to the top of the Rock.The Rockefeller centre has an amazing observation deck on the 67Th floor.I love the view of Central Park.We had perfect blue sky and sunshine for our observation day.Cold but clear.The wide streets and busy Sidewalks remind me of New York.The light illuminates the buildings and the flags that fly up above.My favourite building on our week away was the Chrysler building.I kept photographing it from all angles.It is not the tallest but it is the most decorative.There is such a wealth of amazing buildings,and the closer you look at them the more detail you can see.

One of the many highlights was visiting Central Park.I wanted to see the Carousel but it was closed for restoration work.I got this sneaky photo of one of the cars and some horses behind it.I think Carousels are like modern works of Art.They need to be preserved and looked after so future generations can ride on them,and admire their colourful sculpture and vibrant paint works.This one was originally on Coney Island.These birds were the first ones that I managed to photograph.The one of the left is the humble Starling.I wrote a blog post before about the man who released every bird species mentioned by Shakespeare into central park.This bird was one of those descendants.There was a murmaration of about thirty Starlings having a bath in the puddles.They love splashing in the water until they look bedraggled but happy.The bird on the right was like a crow but had beautiful blue iridescent feathers.I found it good to see birds that I had no idea what they were called.Like my garden birds but wander fully exotic and mysterious.Most of New York had few birds.They flocked to the public spaces.When you sat with a coffee or a cake they were singing around you,and flying between bushes.It is huge Central Park.We walked around about half of it and needed to get a bus back!This pond was near the main entrance at the south of the park.I love the way the skyscrapers stopped around the parks open spaces.Like giants afraid to step across an imaginary line.Most people in New York had no garden.I saw a few window boxes,and a lot of houseplants growing on windowsills both in office buildings,and peoples apartments.

Central Park had been rescued by a conservancy group,and had teams of volunteers to keep it pristine,and to raise funds for it.It is beloved by tourists and native New Yorkers.The difference between the busy streets and the quiet leafy paths was amazing.Masses of birds were singing,hopping around,eating,and flying.All of nature came to recharge their batteries.

Sculptures,fountains,lakes,boats,bridges,ornate buildings like a Swedish house and a Castle,baseball diamonds,a Zoo, and concert venues are all contained within Central Park.I'm glad that the two men (Olmstead and Vaux) won the design competition to create a public park.They would be proud of their legacy now,as it is the most visited park in America.The Stars and Stripes was visible everywhere.When the sun shone down they were illuminated like stained glass windows.I love this balcony which had ivy growing down.Some kind of vine plant was growing around the iron wrought balcony.It looked quite woody so it must have been quite old.I would miss my garden terribly if I lived in New York.These people must have hankered for some green plants outside their balcony door.There were window boxes,and public buildings had formal planters with shrubs,small trees,and ornamental Cabbages.Some were planted with Daffodil,and Tulip bulbs.These will give flowers during the Spring and Summer.

This was the first dozen photos that remind me of New York.