12 Must See New York City Buildings
As you can imagine, many New York City buildings have their own rich histories. Even though I'm partial to the old classic styles, I still love some of the new buildings. And I'm thrilled when I notice the way the sun highlights a color that makes a building I’m used to seeing look new and exciting. If I have my camera and I’m not in a hurry, I usually stop and take a photo. [caption id="attachment_6998" align="aligncenter" width="396" caption="Central Synagogue, New…
Read more »
Travel Photo Thursday – Durban Rickshaw
A year ago, my friends and I traveled to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. When I was researching the Durban leg of the trip, I saw a photo of a rickshaw on Golden Mile Beach and decided I had to find one when I got there and go for a ride. [caption id="attachment_6926" align="aligncenter" width="486" caption="Rickshaw, Golden Mile Beach, Durban"][/caption] On our way to the airport, I spotted this one near the beach and asked our driver to stop. We had…
Read more »
15 Interesting Facts About New York City
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, a few weeks ago, I offered to help my blog buddy, Tony, plan his latest trip to New York City. Since then, I’ve been doing a bit of research on the city that’s been my home for the past 11 years. Here’s what I discovered: New York City was the capital of the United States from 1785-90. The first president of the United States, George Washington, was inaugurated at Federal Hall, 26 Wall Street,…
Read more »
Questions to Answer As You Plan Your Trip
My blog buddy, Tony Newboult, who blogs at A Wobbly Rotten Neutron, is planning to visit New York City this fall with his two teenage children. It’s not their first trip to the Big Apple but the first one that I’ve promised to help him plan. I asked him a few preliminary questions when he told me but once I started making a list of things they should do when they’re here, I realized I needed a bit more information.…
Read more »
Innocence Lost – 9/11 Remembered
My office, a block south of Grand Central, is empty except for one person when I arrive at a few minutes past nine on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. I greet him as I go towards my desk and ask where everyone is. Without taking his eyes from his monitor, he says casually, “Oh, they’re in the lunch room. Somebody flew a plane into the World Trade Center. If you look out the window, you can see the smoke.” Walking the few…
Read more »
Saturday, 9/10/11
In the aftermath of September 11 (9/11), many people commented on the significance of the date 9/11. 911 is the number we call when we need help. The first flight that crashed into the Twin Towers was American Flight 11. Including the hijackers, that flight carried 92 passengers (9 + 2 = 11). Emails that floated around at the time, gave more details on the numbers, some were just too farfetched to believe. But as I looked at today's date,…
Read more »
Friday, 9/9/11
It's the weekend of the 10th anniversary of September 11th and I really didn't want to be in New York. I want to be someplace far away where there’s no television blasting wall-to-wall coverage, no extra police presence, no threats of terror threats. All this is probably why my brain feels like it's shut down. Why I feel like I’m under siege. September used to be a pleasant month for me. I looked forward to the Labor Day weekend, the…
Read more »
Travel Photo Thursday – Nobel Square
[caption id="attachment_6875" align="aligncenter" width="574" caption="Nobel Square, Cape Town"][/caption] These sculptures which honor South Africa's four Nobel Prize winners, Nkosi Albert Luthuli, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, former State President F.W. de Klerk and former President Nelson Mandela, are located on the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. Created by two of South Africa's most accomplished female sculptors - Noria Mabasa and Claudette Schreuders - they were unveiled on December 16, 2005, South Africa's Day of Reconciliation. [caption id="attachment_6876" align="aligncenter" width="576" caption="Nobel Square…
Read more »
An Art Walk in Harlem’s Historic Strivers Row
The Strivers Art Circuit (SAC) is a free, self-guided walking tour that will take place on October 8th and 9th, in the Historic Strivers Row area of Harlem (130th street to 145th street, 5th Ave to St Nicholas Ave). The Circuit allows participants to view some of Harlem's visual and craft artists at work in their galleries and studios. The Strivers Art Circuit was created to develop a hub of arts activity and thereby gain increased visibility and exposure for…
Read more »
