CB&W: Roads

Here is my entry for Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Roads.

A look at West Street from the 100th-floor observatory of NYC’s One World Trade Center, August 2018.

A snowy road in Central Park, January 2020.

Snowy Central Park

It hasn’t snowed much this winter. But a couple weeks ago I was lucky to be in NYC on a snowy afternoon.

Red petals

Our old spot on the High Line

It’s covered in red petals

Pieces of my heart

Observatory at Hudson Yards

This is edge, a not-yet-completed observation deck on one of the shiny new towers of Hudson Yards, a real-estate development in midtown Manhattan that officially opened to the public this past March.

The triangular observatory is the “highest public balcony in New York” as well as the “highest outdoor deck in the entire Western Hemisphere,” according to the Hudson Yards website. The smaller inset triangle (fans of Nintendo’s Zelda series will see the triforce) shows the glass-bottomed floor of the observation deck, which allows visitors to see the street 1,100 feet below.

The official website says visits to edge are “coming soon,” but a recent article from CNN says it’s scheduled to open next year.

Alliums in Hudson River Park

Let’s each pick one and use them as our fairy wands while we play

NYC on a cloudy day

A view of One World Trade Center and Battery Park City while taking the ferry to New Jersey. The skies were gray, and it had been raining on and off that afternoon.

X is for Death #AtoZChallenge

This gravestone can be found in the Trinity Churchyard at the Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City. (The site is also home to the remains of Alexander Hamilton.)

Under the bones crossed in an X reads the inscription:

Here lies the remains
of John Bates
who was Born March
ye 30th 1730 & Dep’td this
Life Decem’br 27th 1770

I wondered about the crossbones above the inscription and it seems that they are simply a reminder of death and mortality. People used symbols such as skulls, bones, scythes, as memento mori, or reminders that all living will also die someday.

For more about gravestone symbolism, visit:

thecemeteryclub.com
and
graveaddiction.com

M is for Mumbo Jumbo #AtoZChallenge

Here are some various wires and poles and things, some kind of mumbo jumbo needed for the electricity and whatnot.

Once again, I’m amazed that there are people who know what all this stuff is for. OK, of course people built this. I know that it didn’t spring up from the earth. But set along the water near the wild marsh grasses, with abandoned warehouses as neighbors, it’s hard to remember how necessary these things are. One World Trade Center can be seen in the background to the left in the photo. Just think of how much electricity is needed to power New York City. Or even your own city.

I often feel this way when confronted with the intricacies of modern life and the tedious infrastructure that keeps our cities running. Maybe part of my disbelief is based on my experiences with other areas of life that should be straightforward but somehow turn into insolvable problems—when nothing seems to work right, when you feel let down by the people who are supposed to help, and when you can’t understand how the anything in the world functions ever.

These important wires and things aren’t like that, right? Tell me there’s someone who can make sense of it all.

NYC Glows Red

I was lucky to be in New York City last night and saw the beautiful Empire State Building glowing red. According to the landmark’s website, it was in honor of Save the Children and International Day of the Girl.

The 9/11 Memorial and One World Trade Center

I visited the 9/11 Memorial recently. Here is One World Trade Center.

Visiting is a moving experience, to say the least. I stayed away for many years, but now enjoy going there. I do find peace and beauty among the sadness. I come away hopeful and uplifted.

This description of the memorial is taken from the website 911memorial.org.

The 9/11 Memorial is located at the site of the former World Trade Center complex and occupies approximately half of the 16-acre site. The Memorial features two enormous waterfalls and reflecting pools, each about an acre in size, set within the footprints of the original Twin Towers. The Memorial plaza is one of the most eco-friendly plazas ever constructed. More than 400 trees surround the reflecting pools. Its design conveys a spirit of hope and renewal, and creates a contemplative space separate from the usual sights and sounds of a bustling metropolis.

This is the North Pool.

And at night. In this shot you can see the illuminated names of those lost. They line the perimeter of the North and South reflecting pools.

The tower at night.

I wanted to share my photos, but it’s hard to find the right words to say. Instead, I’ll share this quote from President Obama, who said this today,“We stay true to the spirit of this day by defending not only our country, but also our ideals.”