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

Reflections on the East River

Last Sunday I was at Roosevelt Island as I wanted to go to the Four Freedoms Park at sunset time. As I was walking towards the park, I realized that the East River was so calm, it perfectly reflected everything around it, even the Roosevelt Island tram high above.

I arrived at the park at nearly closing time which was 30 minutes before the day's sunset. I didn't take a lot of photos in the park as most of its snowed-in area was cordoned off. This was sundown at the park, taken just before closing time.

Sunset was beautifully reflected on the calm East River.

As was twilight. It was so peaceful to see the fiery colors, it warmed that cold winter day.

At blue hour, I was at the other side of the island facing Queens. Long Island City was shimmering across the East River.

And the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge was glittering like a jewel that night.

Here's a couple of photos I stitched so you could have a panoramic view of midtown Manhattan reflected on the East River. But don't think all is calm, this has been a long winter, freezing parts of the Hudson and East Rivers. When you look at the picture, you can see the ice floes floating near the edge of the river.

I haven't uploaded my photos on Flickr yet. I'll update this blog with the link to the rest of my photos once I upload them. 

So sorry to have been away for a couple of months. I've been going out and walking every weekend, I just didn't have the time to sit down and write a long blog. What I will do from now is post a few pictures of wherever I walked the past weekend, and when I get the chance, I'll write a longer blog with lots of pictures.

Hope you enjoyed seeing the reflections on the East River through my eyes. Thank you for all your patience and support! ❤

On The Set of New York Feature

I've been so busy lately as I recently transferred to a bigger place. I still walked on weekends but lagged on the upload of my pictures and writing this blog, as packing and other stuff occupied most of my free time. I will share instead a feature from the website onthesetofnewyork.com 

The editor of the site, Mark, emailed me last month. Part of his email read:

I came across your NYC blog this weekend, and must complement you on the fantastic images of New York’s Central Park. I’m assuming that you are a New York resident?

I was wondering if you would allow me to post some of your images on the website that I run – www.onthesetofnewyork.com – it is a dedicated site for New York based films and the locations around the city that they use. It has been running since November 2009 and brings in around 40,000 unique visitors a month. It also showcases photographs of NYC, some of which I’ve taken during my brief visits there.

Mark gave me some questions which I tried best to answer. As a result, he came up with this article. Thank you for featuring me and my blog, Mark! 

Enjoy everyone!

Gigi's Walking Pictures

11 March 2014

Taking a leisurely walk through New York’s Central Park in the height of winter is just one of the many visits to the city that Gigi Altarejos has made recently for her online blog. “My first blog post was on January 2012, when I lived and worked in Manhattan,” explained Gigi. “I work in Queens now, but always make a point to go and walk around the city at weekends.”

During her visits to the city, Gigi takes along her trusted Nikon camera and in the past couple of years has built up an online gallery consisting of thousands of images from the impressively powerful financial district skyline to the beautiful picturesque lakes of Central Park, Gigi has managed to seamlessly capture the real essence of the city. 

Gigi told otsoNY, “New York is best explored walking and I love the fact that you could do so any time of the day. I just love taking pictures and sharing them with friends who are not New York based. I walk every weekend and always take lots of photos. I think doing so makes your mind more open to the things around you. I usually walk in the park and this has made me appreciate nature.” Gigi added, “I count myself lucky that I live in a place where I can enjoy the seasons and so try to document its changes as much as I can.”

Asked about films set in New York, Gigi replied, “I have always enjoyed watching films based in New York. Home Alone 2, Coyote Ugly, Ghostbusters, The Day after Tomorrow and I really enjoy the Spiderman series. My favourite film would be Coming to America, as the hamburger joint the movie used for McDowell's was the Wendy's at the corner of the apartment where I used to live. It is so cool to see my apartment in the movie. What's sad though, is that the place was recently torn down to make way for another apartment complex.”

Gigi is one of the volunteer photographers at The High Line and recently crossed paths with fellow photographer, Annie Leibovitz. “Our meeting happened by complete chance. I joined the High Line Soup Experiment where all attendees gathered for a one-pot meal at a communal table and I didn't realise I was sitting opposite Annie Leibovitz until the person beside me mentioned it.”

If you want to see more of Gigi's photography, otsoNY has posted 2 new volumes in the Picture Gallery. Alternatively, you can read her blog or follow her on Twitter by clicking on the links.

B: mywalkingpictures.blogspot.com

T: www.twitter.com


Here are the links to the Picture Gallery

The PhotoGallery Vol. 7 

The PhotoGallery Vol. 8

Thank you again to Mark and onthesetofnewyork.com!

Weekend Walks in January

I started the year by ringing in 2014 in Times Square. It was great to be there with my family and welcome the new year in the middle of the city that I love.

As I've done in the past years, I walked on weekends, usually in Central Park. Here are my favorite pictures taken during my walks in January.

New York City had its first snow of the year on January 3 so when I walked in Central Park the first weekend of 2014, the park looked like a winter wonderland.

The kids and the young at heart had a great time sledding in the park.

Even Alice and friends were playing in the snow.

When I reached The Reservoir, it looked like a mirror with its frozen waters reflecting the sky above.

The following day, Sunday, I visited Brookfield Place. I was also in the area during the Canstruction Exhibit last year. The light fixtures of the place looked great, especially at night.

I also passed by the pedestrian pathway which opened just last October, the WTC West Concourse which leads to the WTC Transportation hub.

There was no snow the following weekend but it was a foggy day in Central Park. The mist definitely added to the park's charms that day.

At the Harlem Meer, the mist was easily seen rising out of the frozen waters.

Light mist was also swirling around the waterfall area inside The Loch. I love it here, it's so peaceful and beautiful.

The following day I had a short walk in Battery Park. It's always a pleasure to watch the day end and see Lady Liberty across the New York harbor illuminated by the sunset colors.

Battery Park is currently undergoing renovations but I was surprised to see that The Sphere has been moved to another location. This time, it was placed near the Korean War Memorial which is located at the west end of the park. The new location has allowed visitors to view the memorial and the Sphere with One World Trade Center, rising tall just several blocks away.

After Battery Park, I proceeded to Brooklyn Bridge Park to take some night time pictures of lower Manhattan. Ah, New York, you always look pretty at night with all the lights.

Brooklyn Bridge Park has also a great view of the Manhattan Bridge. It was shining brightly that night, the lights reflecting on the water looked like jewels.

Central Park celebrated its third Ice Festival on January 18. This time it was held at the Bethesda Terrace where the Okamoto Studio carved a scaled ice version of the Angel of the Waters.

Last year the festival was held at the Belvedere Castle and a scaled castle in ice was the main attraction.

On my way home from the Ice Festival, I passed by Bow Bridge, it looked so pretty with the colorful sky above.

The following day I dropped by Roosevelt Island for a short visit. The sun was starting to set when I neared the southern end of the island where the Four Freedoms Park is located. It was cool to see the sun "set" on the buildings of Manhattan across the East River.

At the other side of the East River facing Queens, the iconic Pepsi sign along Long Island City's waterfront stand among the new buildings in the area. When I was in the island last spring the building at the back of the sign was just several stories high, its lower eight floors were recessed 12 feet to keep them 45 feet distant from the back of the sign.

The linden trees at the Four Freedoms Park were all leafless but they still stand guard over FDR's huge bust at the center of the park. I can see One World Trade Center peeking at the right side of the picture.

It was already dusk by the time I left the island. Here's a shot I took as I walk towards the subway station, the Upper East Side shining across the river.

It snowed again on the last Saturday of January when I walked in Central Park. The park carousel was closed for the winter season but it looked so charming when viewed from the Playmates Arch.

The ice carvings from the previous week's Ice Festival were still at the Bethesda Terrace area. A lot of visitors were admiring the ice sculptures, even Charley the Lhasa Apso had his picture taken with the angel.

By the time I reached the Bow Bridge, snow has already covered its walkway. I love this bridge, it looks beautiful no matter what angle.

From the Bow Bridge and Lake area, I took the pathway up the Cherry Hill towards the fountain area which is usually full of horse carriages, as this is one of their viewing spots in the park. This looks magical!

Now shall I walk or shall I ride? 

"Ride," Pleasure said 

"Walk," Joy replied.

On the last Sunday of the month I walked along The High Line. There were only a few park goers as the cold that day was so numbing but the park was looking peaceful and beautiful.

It was even glowing from the reflection of the setting sun!

And to top it all, I saw a marriage proposal right by the park. How sweet! And she said yes!

What a great way to end my weekend walks for the first month of the year.

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

Central Park, January 2014

Night Views from Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2014 

Roosevelt Island, 01.19.14 

The High Line, 01.26.14