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Monday, May 31, 2021

Low Tide, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA



It was an unusually low tide on this day which created a very wide beach area.



Little pockets of sandbars gave people new places to lounge or stand around. The water temp is still only in the 50's F so not much swimming going on - even for the youngsters.



Notwithstanding recent national notoriety, White Horse Beach is a beautiful spot on the planet in any season. At a high tide, all the dark, wet rocks at right are well underwater.


Friday, May 28, 2021

Out and About, Boston, Massachusetts, USA



Many planters looked like this in downtown Boston today on my wander about.



I planned and dressed for about 70 degrees F but it turned out to be almost 90. Oh well, I still got in 10,000+ steps so all was good. This typical scene is in the Public Garden - an accordion-playing busker, many pedestrians ambling along, and the statue of George Washington on a horse.


Another view of George Washington on his horse. This variety, allium, has replaced the gazillion tulips that were blooming in early May. (At this link)


Al fresco dining on Boylston Street is back in full force. I, too, sat out and ate a sandwich at a vegan cafe, "by Chloe," and enjoyed some people watching.



Boston is a musical town, and being treated to this saxophone quartet in the Public Garden is a delight. Note in the background, someone is putting on his mortarboard for graduation pictures as a swan boat passes behind in the lagoon.


The iconic swan boats are pedal-powered and quietly cruise the lagoon - very popular for tourists.



The cart vendors at their favorite spot on the Boston Common.


A black and white rendering of access into the nether world of the Boston subway system for a trip......


......to Central Square in Cambridge to view this popular public graffiti art display.


The iconic South Station is a rail/subway/bus transportation center and has been around since 1898.



The previous mural has been replaced along the Rose Kennedy Greenway on the vent building. The main highway through Boston, I-93, passes underneath this 1.5 mile green right-of-way leaving the surface mostly quiet with art and nature. A couple previous murals.......


December 2020.


October 2018.


Wednesday, May 26, 2021

A Walk on a Spring Day, Cape Cod Canal, Sagamore, Massachusetts, USA



A perfect spring day for a walk (or ride) at the Cape Cod Canal - about 70 degrees F.



As is typical in spring, this cloud grew into a brief rain shower later on.



There are two automobile bridges that cross the canal from mainland Massachusetts onto Cape Cod, both almost 90 years old (lots of rivets). There is talk of a multi-billion dollar replacement project. We'll see........

Monday, May 24, 2021

Signs of Spring, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA



A spring thunderstorm and shower was passing over downtown Plymouth and the harbor area as I wandered. Above, is the replica of the original Mayflower vessel which brought the Pilgrims to this area in the fall of 1620. It was a 10-week sail with about 102 passengers and 30 crew packed on this 100' sailing vessel. Imagine that - hardy folk back in those days 400 years ago.



The Plymouth Rock lives under this portico commemorating where the Pilgrims supposedly landed in what later became Plymouth. The storm and rainfall has moved out over the harbor and stretch of Long Beach.



A foreboding sky dumped intermittent rain from the passing clouds amidst splashes of direct sunlight.



The clouds covered the old Post Office building in downtown Plymouth.



At the many Plymouth ponds, spring also heralded the return of Green Herons from their winters farther south.



Azaleas exploding in color mark the turn of the season, too. A nice place to be - Plymouth.




Friday, May 21, 2021

A Walk Down Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA



On my last day of this trip to the big city, I chose to walk the length of Broadway from Central Park down to Trinity Church in lower Manhattan. It's about a 5-mile hike and passes through much of iconic New York City and encounters numerous characters and sights along the way. It began here where I emerged from the subway after riding up from Penn Station/34th Street.



Simple wooden pushcarts of yesteryear have long since been replaced by these modern stores on wheels at Columbus Circle.

Over the years, there have been dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of songs written about Broadway. Granted, I did this walk during the daytime but, the one that was stuck on endless replay in my head was the classic Bee Gees tune, "Nights on Broadway." A tune now more than 45 years old since its 1975 release. Here's a snippet at this link if you need a reminder. And yes, I am now old enough to be able to proudly admit, I liked many of the Bee Gees tunes back in the day. It's hard to beat those tight chords of three brothers singing together in genetic harmony. (Fact: they are among the very best-selling musical acts in the history of the world - who would have guessed). 



Like all the live performance venues, this one is still closed during the pandemic.


Hugh Jackman - he's not just the Wolverine in the X-men movies, ya know. And Sutton Foster is no slouch either - if my eyesight is accurate, her name is in slightly bigger type face than his. Perhaps that is how to "split the baby" - he gets top billing but, she gets a bigger typeface.



This view is from atop the red stairs in Times Square. The gaggle of humans at the center of this image are politicians speechifying about recent events in the city - and angling to be the next mayor.



Candidate Andrew Yang at the podium.


The juxtaposition of quilted jacketed tourists walking by the underwear-only clad, "Naked Cowboy," was jarring to say the least. It wasn't really warm enough on this morning to be outside in just underwear but, I am more sensitive to the cold than some.........of course, I am not one to be outside in my underwear anyway.


Various cartoon and otherwise characters pose with tourists - for a cash donation I think.


It's not possible to drive uninterrupted along the length of Broadway since at many locations along the way it reverts to a pedestrian-only area with cafes, tables, chairs, art displays, whatever.


Dunkin' had a portable store here where they were passing out some new fruit-based drink to willing passersby - and of course someone dressed up like a very large cuppa'.


Al fresco dining at its best - location, location, location.


Art in the street - literally.


And art on the street.


The Kate Spade company dispatched an army of bicyclists to pass out live flower bouquets to people - what a New York thing to do!



I didn't understand the attraction of lining up to enter this hat store. When I peeked in the window it just looked like a basic hat store selling ball-caps. I guess it's a New York thing - line-up and wait for an in-demand item.


Now here's a place worth standing in line for - if they give out samples.


I don't know what the NYPD thinks of me taking a picture of them taking a picture of me but, I didn't get a knock on my door later on to find out so, I guess it was okay. Still, the irony of being surveilled at an intersection with "Liberty" Street was a bit much.



A peek-a-boo view of Trinity Church between the New York Stock Exchange and One Wall Street Condos. If you have to ask how much, you can't afford it.


This is a typical tourist gift shop selling all things New York - mini statue of liberty key chains, anyone?



All good walks must come to an end. And this one ended here, where I reentered the subway world at Fulton Street for my final trip back uptown to Penn Station.

Goodbye, New York, thanks for the memories. You're a great place to visit. I'll have to return since I still have some dollars worth of credit remaining on my subway fare card - good ploy.


Thursday, May 20, 2021

The High Line, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA



I don't seem to tire of visiting nor talking about the High Line - this is my fourth post about it on this trip to Manhattan - it's great for people-watching, city-watching and, getting walking exercise without getting run over at street-level or stopping at every corner to wait for the pedestrian light to cross somewhat safely. In this image, I note the design integration of track and greenery and walkway and humans and city all together.



A view eastward up a side street in residential Chelsea.



A view up 10th Avenue from the High Line. Note the red arrow - it points to a tourist attraction called "Edge" in Hudson Yards - it's a glass platform 100-stories up that protrudes out over the street so you can look straight down or straight out for commanding views.



One of the many artworks along the High Line - an outsized marble and stainless steel dental retainer.



The irony of this ad made me laugh out loud and shake my head in wonder. When the High Line development was being contemplated twenty+ years ago, many/most/all local developers wanted the elevated eyesore torn down. Of course now, it's an incredibly successful asset to the area and the adjacent properties reap great benefit by proximity so they are singing a different tune. (Note: I don't know what this particular property's opinion was back then, if they even existed or had an opinion - the sign is just to illustrate my point).

While many individuals and companies contributed time, money, and/or expertise to bring this park into existence, it is the two friends Joshua David and Robert Hammond who are credited as founders. They were two regular local guys who had no idea how to navigate the complexities of such a project but, they knew preserving the elevated pathway as a park was a good future for their community and doggedly pursued it with the passion of visionaries.  An acknowledgement is also appropriate for the CSX transportation corporation who donated the elevated trackway to the City of New York.



Photographers who read this blog will recognize the logo above and may get a kick out of this. B&H is a well-known mail order company for all photographic needs - I have ordered many times from them over the years. It just happened to be on the route between my hotel and the High Line so I walked by it everyday on the way. I went inside to visit once - it was buzzing with activity - retail and mail order.

Once again, if you'd like to learn more about the High Line, this link is to an outstanding documentary by the Great Museums folks that really tells the story well. And here's a link to the very comprehensive  High Line website if you want more info or to join as a member.

Here are my other recent amateurish posts about it (amateurish in comparison to the above two links):