therealtamara

THE Park

New Yorkers have mostly been protective of the little nature preserve in the midst of their city bustle.

I know I have always loved it, cherished it even. The chance to walk through it is a treasured moment. Over the years, it was a hangout for after school. Central Park was where the family went for a weekend outing, on one occasion having to fish our German shepherd out of the boat pond.

Wet dog is bad company on the car ride back to Queens

Since I became a Manhattanite over 50 years ago, I frolicked in this Park often. It was how I got from Eastside to West.

I introduced Burt to the Park. He ultimately got to know it well, perhaps better than I.

There are some destinations in the Park that are both familiar and hard to find. I usually just happen on them as I did on the Wollman Rink, now CityPickle.

Shapely

Gardening season

Note the lovely wooden boxes they’re using!

City gardening enthusiasts volunteer in the parks, Carl Schurz and Central, and the various community gardens in neighborhoods.

[Aside: note that the immigrant political leader was a Republican and voice for democracy. Yes, they can. They just choose not to.]

Gardening voyeurs, such as I, get to watch the trowls at work.

Repurposing

The mansions about here are repurposed as museums [Cooper Hewitt], schools (Spence), etc.

2 protests for 6/14 & 6/6: all important

Walk early & Walk often

May Day & Environs

Mansions

What I’m seeing

There once were magnificent estates lining Fifth Avenue. Today, we call it Museum Mile but originally, it was mostly Millionaires’ Mile. That’s back when millionaires were very rich; before we changed the “m” to a “b” to assure us of their grandeur.

Frick’s mansion is very splendid and the Carnegie property is now the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.

Lots of sandstone, not unlike the buildings across the street from the said C-HSDM. [Figure 1 top left.]

(#2, top r) is a view of rooftops, high and low, old and new. Did you know? Arthur Murray offers a free dance lesson. [3]. Spring is so flowery. (4&5). The wrought iron on doors [# 6] at adjacent addresses are identical. Is that odd?

There, on E82, are 2 wood framed buildings an avenue or so apart. Wooden homes are rather rare in NYC these days. [photos 7 & 8 is one; 9-11 is the other].