Arthur Avenue, Bronx

Arthur Avenue has been on my "to visit" list for a long time. I finally was able to stop by this past weekend (after the NYBG extravaganza) and regretted not visiting earlier. Luckily, I went the day before easter so there were plenty of people milling around and buying dead lambs to commemorate the death and coming-back-to-life of their dead lamb, the little baby Jesus.

Lambs were sawn in half from head to tail. Half a brain, half a tongue...


Close up. It's really quite amazing that they can do this.


A Korean Madonna!! Now that's a religion I can believe in.

NYBG, weird plant edition

One of the things I love the most about the NYBG is that they have so many weird plant beasties.

This plant had flower bud things that looked (and felt) like those wax candies you bit to get to the sweet gross syrup inside.

I've no idea what this thing is but it looks like something from another planet.

And perhaps not weird but out of context, this fern reminds me of octopus tentacles...though probably not as tasty.

Orchids at the NYBG

Last weekend I visited the NYBG to see their great orchid show. Orchids are easily my favorite type of flower...

Bronx winter

These pictures were taken about a month ago when I had to go to Fordham for some ridiculous recruiting event.

Hello Washington Heights!

I find myself in yet another temporary living situation...except this one feels like I'm running backwards into the past. It's strange to be back in the Heights after almost 3 years away and even stranger to feel like almost nothing has changed.

However, I do love Washington Heights...especially Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters.


The esplanade is the best place to be on a hot summer day since it's always 10 degrees cooler here. During winter, it's quiet, stark and lovely.


My favorite little hidden bit of Fort Tyron Park. This used to be the supporting structure of a long curving driveway to the Billings mansion (that later burned down). If you keep on going, it ends right on the highway.

So long Brooklyn Heights!

I've left Brooklyn Heights and will definitely miss the short commute to work. However, I will not miss the neighborhood with it's fussy entitled residents. Nor will I miss the building I lived in with its generous share of loner middle-aged men who could only look at me out of the corner of their eye.

I leave with just one last parting thought...

Look down

I haven't updated this in a while and my only excuse is that I've dropped off the face of the earth. Off the face of the earth is quite lovely once you get used to it. And now that I'm back, I long for the void again.

So to quell the mighty few who come here and have been neglected. Here are some pictures...that are not as satisfying as I would like them to be.

When I moved to Brooklyn Heights (seemingly eons ago), I started noticing the ornate manhole covers or the little metal plaques of companies that poured the concrete sidewalks.





Hopefully, I will post again...soonish.

Terrific Tasty Treats

I haven't posted in a while but thought I would at least try to end the year on tasty note.

A belated picture of the pies I made for Thanksgiving cooling off by the window. Apple and pumpkin, thankyouverymuch.


My mother made some beef tongue when I was down in Atlanta over xmas. It's boiled, skinned, sliced thinly and eaten dipped in a little salt and red pepper. So delicious.


My father got these Japanese snacks made of small shrimp (each about a half inch long) that's typically eaten when drinking. They were sweet, salty and very addicting.


crunch crunch

Will someone drown?

Last weekend, I went back south to visit the family again. Early in the morning before the frost was melted by the sun coming over the mountains, I headed out with a camera in one hand and an excitable dog on the other.







The sweet potato harvest! This is a korean variety with red skin and white flesh. According to my mother, this varietal tastes much better than the standard supermarket fare.

The following pictures are from the Fontana dam in North Carolina. They give a good idea of how much the water levels have dropped because of the drought. Islands are connected again and sinuous curves below the surface are revealed...in a way, it's lovely.

NY Botanical Garden

Skipped on over to the NY Botanical Garden this weekend to see their Kiku exhibit. Kiku are "meticulously cultivated chrysanthemums." Or as I like to call them, exhibit "A" proving that the Japanese really are a little more than batty, obsessive and perfectionist.

However, it can be beautiful, especially these huge flowers...but the whole thing felt cold and slightly rediculous.

But trust the NYBG to still have lots of beautiful things to look at...

Bird of Paradise

A begonia

Orchids, lovely lovely orchids. One day I'm going to have lots of orchids in my dream house...while I'm dreaming, I'll also have a hot man-toy who's filthy rich.

Forgetting

The street I grew up on is being taken over by eminent domain. Almost all the houses on it have been emptied and some are already reduced to piles of rubble. My parents are still living in the house but in a year it’ll probably be demolished.

The following pictures are taken from our next door neighbor’s house. They lived in this house for over 40 years and took such careful care of it. Mr Burns died about 10 years ago from Alzheimer’s and horribly, no one knows where Mrs Burns is. What's left of them is open to the elements, people have come in to strip the house of whatever might be valuable and from the mattress, it looks like someone is squatting here.

I guess this is just the natural process of living, dying and the march of incessant progress. But I can't help remembering the story of how they won a coveted bag of onions in a dancing contest in England during WWII, her Shepard’s Pie and how they gave our rabbit carrots and ice cubes on hot summer days.

Banana bread recipe

Christmas ornaments found and discarded.

Years and years of carefully kept checks now scattered.

Southern exposure

Went to visit the family again...

Butterfly wing

The south is going through a record breaking drought right now. From the airplane, you could even see the dwindling water levels in the lake. Yet people in Atlanta still insist on watering their damn lawns even though they've been warned that drinking water will run out by december. Sigh. I never understand the selfishness of people when it comes to things like this.

Open House New York

It's been a while since my last post...life has been busy.

Anyway, I only made it to one OHNY spot this year (so sad) and St Ann's Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn Heights was it.

Interior.

Such a fantastic gothic church...I was lucky enough to show up when there was an organ concert and the organist invited us up on the balcony for the last piece.

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Headed to the park to watch West Side Story and as an extra bonus had a fantastic view...I love brooklyn.

Brooklyn Bridge

House Hunting

As I wander around brooklyn looking for my new apartment, I'll start posting some random pictures taken while hunting. Starting first by looking back...

I found myself in BedStuy and headed to 96 Lefferts Place where I used to live exactly 10 years ago when I first came to NYC. I lived on the top floor (aka attic, my window was the top left one) and shared the apartment with a hostile christian and a potted-meat eating creepy woman. Ah, repress the memories...


Jay Street subway station


Windsor Terrace. The view from one of the apartments at 11 Terrace Place...to tell you the truth, I'd much rather look out on the graveyard. No offense.