Adventures in the Blizzard

The blizzard Jonas struck New York City at late evening of January 22, 2016 and continued to dump snow the whole day of the following day. Since it was a Saturday, I went to the city to do my usual weekend walk.

I got off at Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan. Prometheus, the most photographed piece of art in New York City, was still clutching the fire while battling the falling snow at the skating rink.

When I passed by the Channel Gardens, it was literally a Winter Wonderland! Very apt for its first showcase for 2016 which has an 8-foot tall disco ball snowman as the centerpiece.

Also at the Rockefeller Center complex is the statue of Atlas, the largest sculpture at the center. He was carrying the world on his shoulders amid the falling snow.

 
Across Atlas is St. Patrick's Cathedral, it's newly-restored facade gleams through the falling snow.

After walking a few blocks along Fifth Avenue, I arrived at the Grand Army Plaza across the Apple flagship store. I could see the crew with their shovels but they were no match for all the snow that the blizzard was dumping.

One of my favorite places in the park is the observation rock by the Pond. I decided to climb and check the view when I arrived in the park since the snow was freshly fallen and wasn't slick as nobody has trampled over it yet. My climb was rewarded with this view.

So where do the ducks go in the winter? They were right there by the Gapstow Bridge huddling on the unfrozen waters of the Pond.

Looking back at this little path by The Pond, in all its snowy glory.

  
The snowflakes sting so much so I took shelter at the Inscope Arch. It was like a snowglobe world, looking out from the arch.

The Central Park Dairy House looked like a fairy-tale house in the winter with all the snow from the blizzard.

Just a few yards from the Dairy House is Playmates Arch, its design echoes that of the Central Park carousel which was already closed for the winter season.

  
Carousel rides weren't in the minds of the people in the park that day, but winter sports like sledding and for the more adventurous, snowboarding. The snow-filled steps of the Bethesda Terrace was the perfect place for it!

Just as The Mall was a perfect place to take a walk in the winter in the middle of a blizzard!

  
At the end of The Mall and the Bethesda Terrace is the Bethesda Fountain and the Angel of the Waters. Whether in the blizzard or on a bright sunny day, the area is everyone's favorite.

I stopped by everyone's favorite bridge, the beautiful Bow Bridge. It looked so magical with all the swirling snow.

I exited the park after the visit to the bridge. Much as I wanted to walk some more, I was monitoring the news as the subway system might be suspended if the blizzard worsens and I wanted to be home by then. On my way out I saw two officers of the NYC Parks Enforcement Patrol Mounted Unit who patrols the city parks on horseback.

When I passed the Imagine mosaic in Strawberry Fields, the part with the word Imagine has been cleared of snow. Fans are really the best!

Outside the park, the snow was still blowing hard. This was the scene I came across as I wait to cross the street.

I dropped by 42nd Street before I headed for home. This was Times Square during the blizzard.

By mid-afternoon the snow was still falling relentlessly, this was my view at the corner of 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue.

My final destination before I went home was the Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain in Bryant Park. During extreme cold weather, the water in the fountain freezes, as it did during the blizzard Jonas.

26.8 inches of snow fell on Central Park during the blizzard, making it the second-highest all-time record in a 24 hour period.

Despite the cold and the stinging snowflakes, it was great to be out and walking in the city and the park. Snow really makes the city look like a winter wonderland, even if it would be back to reality the following day with all the shoveling to do.

For the rest of my Blizzard Jonas pics, here are the albums on Flickr:

Blizzard Jonas: NYC Streets

Central Park: January 2016

At the Top of the Rock

Last summer I submitted some pics I took of the Channel Gardens to the Facebook page of Rockefeller Center for their Ground Up contest, and I won! My prize was two tickets to its Observation Deck at the Top of the Rock. I immediately used one of the tickets and enjoyed the 360 degrees view of New York City.  I was thinking of using the other ticket last autumn but wasn't able to use it until last week, just a couple of days before the ticket expired.

At that time, the staff were saying visibility is not good because of the fog but I had no choice otherwise the ticket will expire. New York at night is beautiful with all the lights, and the fog, I think, added to the beauty.

That was my view that night looking at midtown and lower Manhattan. Last summer, standing at almost the same spot, I was enjoying this view.

There were times the fog was so dense, the lights of the Empire State Building could not be seen.

At the other side of this view is Central Park and upper Manhattan. As it was late afternoon and foggy when I was up at the Top of the Rock, I couldn't see much of Central Park except for the lights from the lamp posts around the park.

A very different view from the one I took last summer, Central Park looks gorgeous in daytime!

Looking east, you can see the views from the lower avenues of Manhattan and the borough of Queens. When I was at the Top of the Rock that foggy night, there was this dense fog rolling over the area.

I know the Citicorp Building, the tallest in Queens is there in the above pic, maybe just obscured by the fog cause on a clear day, it's the one thing that stands out when you gaze across the East River to Queens.

The west side view is that of the upper avenues of Manhattan, and New Jersey across the Hudson River,

During daytime you can see the river, just like the people up on Top of the Rock saw Captain Sully make that miracle landing on the Hudson River four years ago.

At the northwest side of Manhattan, you could see the Upper West Side and parts of New Jersey.

During daytime, you could see the George Washington Bridge which connects Washington Heights in northern Manhattan to Bergen County in New Jersey.

At night, the lights from these two tall buildings at the southwest part of Manhattan catches the eye, and, on a foggy night, the lights still shine through.

The tall building on the left is the Bank of America Tower, I don't know the other building, though. Here's how they look during daytime.

The tall building at the back is Goldman Sachs Tower, the tallest building in New Jersey. And if you just squint your eyes a little bit, you could almost see Lady Liberty at the far left of the above pic. Here she is, as seen from Top of the Rock on a summer day.

This is the view on the northeast side of the Top of the Rock. The lights in this pic belong to the buildings on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and the borough of Queens across the East River.

In the daytime, you can clearly see Queens stretched out across the East River. Big Allis is right there, its smoke stacks shining brightly in white and red.

 

On the southeast side, the Chrysler Building plays hide and seek behind the Metlife Tower.

In between the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building in the pic above is the Lower East Side of Manhattan and Brooklyn across the East River. During daytime, you could see the three bridges connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan - Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges, often referred to as BMW.

That covers the views seen from Top of the Rock. If you get a little disoriented, embedded on the floor of the Observation Deck is a directional map of sorts.

I like the night view since you can see the lights in the city that never sleeps. At the lower right corner of the pic below is a bright well-lit area. That's Times Square, the area is bright with all the neon lights.

I like the daytime view because you can see the individual buildings that make up New York City, the different designs and structures, as well as the rooftops, some with solar panels.

 

An added bonus in the daytime is you can see St. Patrick's Cathedral through the gap in the decorative designs adorning the top of the Observation Deck.

As you can see from the map, Rockefeller Center is right there near the center of Manhattan and being up in the Observation Deck gives you a 360 degree view of New York City and parts of New Jersey.

In summer or winter, in daytime or at night, in bright sunlight or fog .. New York, you're so captivating! Thank you Rockefeller Center for the free tickets, the views from your Observation Deck are awesome!

That was a great experience, seeing the city in different seasons, in daytime and at night with all its lights. I'm hoping to be up there again, maybe in the spring or autumn. Yes, way up there, at the Top of the Rock!

 

For my winter Top of the Rock pics, here's the album on Flickr - Fog in the City

For my summer Top of the Rock pics, here's the album on Flickr - Summer at the Top of the Rock

Easter at the Rockefeller Center

I went to St. Patrick's Cathedral on Good Friday to visit the church and do some reflection. On the way there, I passed by Rockefeller Center and decided to check if the Easter bunny topiary is already in place.  The bunny was right there, balancing an Easter egg on its head.  See how cute it is!

Some of my friends who saw the pic said it doesn't look like a bunny cause it looks like it has short ears.  Good thing I took pictures of its side view.

Do you see its cute tail? Here's a pic of the back view.

I still have a pic of last year's Rockefeller Center Easter bunny. Which of them do you think is cuter?

Hmmm, it kinda boils down to the color of the egg. You be the judge!

Lilies and hydrangeas surround the Channel Gardens at the Center. I especially like the hydrangeas arranged in a big easter basket.

The lilies are a sight to see, too.  I love these flowers!

There is also a trio of pastel-colored giant eggs.

They look so yummy I was wishing inside is a real chocolate egg.  After all, Easter is a season of hope, right?

I then crossed the street to go to St. Patrick's.  It is right across Rockefeller Center, it's twin spires looming high and majestic in the night sky.

I love the Cathedral's main door, too.

After the visit to St. Patrick's, I crossed back to Rockefeller Center again to watch the skaters at its Ice Skating Rink.  The ice skating season for this year will only be until April 22.

As usual, the Prometheus Fountain is always a sight to see.

Here's a shot of the skating rink I took behind the fountain.

All in all, Good Friday was a good day. I was able to visit the church, have some reflections, and gave thanks for all the blessings.  

Before going to Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral, I dropped by Central Park, to commune with nature, as I always feel peaceful just by walking along the Pond.  It may be man-made but the trees, flowers and animals inhabiting it are all God's glorious creation.

I wish you all a happy and meaningful Easter season!

For the rest of my Rockefeller Center pics, here's the album on Flickr - Rockefeller Center