Taking a Walk with Sandy

Oh Sandy.

Waterfront areas got it the worst with disastrous flooding. A family friend completely lost their house near Far Rockaway - the water just swept it away into the ocean. 

I live in a very elevated area, far removed from any bodies of water. The biggest problem we faced was the wind - boy was it fierce! At times, it sounded like a low flying airplane or massive truck rumbling down Broadway. 

We did not lose power (unless something happened while I was asleep), but our lights flickered occasionally throughout the evening. There are major power outages all around the tri-state area; I hope everyone is okay.

I had to walk downtown to an appointment earlier today as the MTA still has all service suspended. 

The brunt of the storm has now passed, but it left behind some nasty souvenirs. 

Sandy ruthlessly snapped off limbs of many trees along the streets of my neighborhood:

And whipped up fall leaves into wet piles making a mess in the streets:

After a scary incident with a partial crane collapse on 57th street, I've been wary of the tall cranes situated around my neighborhood.

Looks secure, though. I notice they hung an American flag on it. How cool! I'm sure it waved ferociously during the storm. 

Most stores have been closed and boarded up since yesterday:

Many have reinforced their windows with tape, hoping to hold back strong winds from blowing them in:

However, major grocery stores and some restaurants are still open, catering to the home-bound neighborhood. 

Seems like today is the day to go grocery shopping! Well, I guess if there's nothing else to do...

The checkout line was insanely long. (They are notoriously long at Fairway, but today was way worse).

The only positive thing I will say about Sandy (other than having 3 days off) is that she made everything smell quite nice. Fall leaves mixed with lots of fresh air from the wind, along with the rain which cleans the grime from the streets - the neighborhood smells like a fresh fall mist :-).

I hope everyone is doing okay and staying safe. 

Please email me your pictures! I will post them below.

Beautiful Fall Foliage

Fall has finally arrived! The leaves are changing colors and falling off the trees, getting ready for the cold winter months ahead.

I absolutely love experiencing the changing seasons here in New York - there is a certain charm about the first leaves off the trees, the first snow storm, the first daffodils peeking out of the ground, and the first day of pure, warm sunshine and a bright blue sky.

I took a walk through Central Park this past Friday, and I got to experience the majestic colors that are out in full force. Allow me to share some of my experiences with you:

I absolutely love the contrast of a huge tree against a pale blue sky with a beautiful building peeking through the branches.

 I saw this on my walk over to Central Park. I just love how the purple leaves hang off the iron bars and cast beautiful shadows on the grey building.

I see this tree every year and always find it so charming sitting there all alone, so skinny and seemingly forlorn, yet covered in leaves of such a fantastic pale yellow color.

As I walked towards the Bridal Path where I took my walk, I noticed some beautiful colors by the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir...

The water was such an enchanting bright blue that day. And across the reservoir was a cluster of trees in various majestic hues.

Another view of the reservoir...

Along the Bridal Path - These carefully manicured lawns with trees seem to be spray painted just the right color to bring out even the smallest detail.

 Sadly, because of the early snow storm last weekend, Central Park lost over 1000 trees.

 Another tree contrasted against the sky and a building peeking through its branches (now can you see that I love this type of image?)

This is my favorite picture by far! It's the "other side of the reservoir" that I displayed above. Look at the colors! The beautiful, striking, amazing colors!

How unbelievably amazing it is that we have trees that change colors! It makes life so interesting and exciting. What an incredible world we live in.

And finally...

Credit: www.centralparknyc.org

If you can get out to see this in real life, please do! If you have any pictures to share, please send them in and I'll be glad to post them.

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Here are some stunning images sent in by a friend of her backyard. Thanks!!!!