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.

Costello's Planters

Some readers ask me if I will ever run out of things to write.

Honestly, I don't think I will. Every day is filled with brand new exciting discoveries (I have a whole list of things waiting to be written about!!).

Like today, when I saw this video on the Eyewitness News website:




about a man named Costello who beautifies his neighborhood on West 102nd Street by planting exquisite flowers boxes around the trees, as well as elaborately decorating the front doorways of his building and others.

(if you can't see the video, go to the original article).

And I absolutely had to check it out.

So I trekked all the way uptown to 102nd street...

Wow!!! The planters were even more beautiful than the video!

(Maybe because it was sunny when I went, and the video was taken on a cloudy, rainy day).

I so wish I could live on this block!!

Whoever you are, Costello, I think your work is wonderful.

I love how you add beauty to the normally mundane city streets.

I'm all for that, you know.

Adding beauty where you least expect it, that is.

And can it get any better than this?!

I mean, you even put fountains outside your building's front entrance!

Lucky neighbors.

Keep up the awesome work, Costello!

Maybe you'll make your way down to my block someday.
That would be amazing.

P.S. Check out this great album filled with pictures from 102nd street. But I strongly suggest checking it out in person... it's so much better in real life.

Street Vendors

All around the city, vendors set up their wares on the city streets. Some sell very cheap looking goods, but every once in a while I will come across some vendors selling items that I absolutely love (and look quite expensive).

I'll tell you a secret - a lot of my beautiful costume jewelry has been bought at street vendors.

I love hand-made unique items, and usually the artists themselves sell the items. I like to talk to them about their products, how they come up with designs, how they make them, etc.

I picked up these stunning earrings last year, handmade by a local UWS artist:

But some jewelry sold by street vendors are handpicked at trade shows.

These earrings are my absolute favorite:

Sometimes I'll see a very unique table, like this one with adorable handmade sock puppets:

Keep your eyes peeled! You might find some great treasures. Let me know if you come across any cool finds.

Note: make sure that you buy from a licensed street vendor - they have a name-tag, so make sure the photo matches the face.

My View on Views

As you know very well by now, I absolutely love how the city looks at night with all its twinkling lights... so imagine how much more so I love seeing it from above.

I'm talking about all those incredible views that the numerous New York City skyscrapers provide.

The problem is that I'm afraid of heights. Yes, I admit it. But that doesn't stop me from checking out the magical views from staggering heights. But only if I know I'm protected by a strong window or fence, and only if I stay far enough away from the edge.

A few weeks ago, I was babysitting a family that lives on the 18th floor of an apartment building in Lincoln Center.

It's a little blurry, but their view is unbelievable!

The two streets that are branching off are Broadway on the left side and Columbus Avenue on the right side. It's amazing how you can see dozens of blocks uptown from their dining room window.

The building on the bottom left is Lincoln Center. And guess what you can see from their window.
Revson Fountain!

(I wish I had a better picture of it, but it's really hard to take a picture from so high up while being afraid of falling at the same time):

Where is the fountain exactly?
In the center of the photograph, on the ground in the courtyard between the buildings, there are concentric circles. In the center of the circles is the Revson fountain.

Imagine having a fountain as part of your view... so awesome.

A family friend who lives around the corner from me has an amazing view from her roof. I took this picture last year right after a huge snowstorm (remember snow? Yeah, I miss it too).

That's the Hudson River over there.

I also think that the rooftops of other buildings are interesting to look at, especially because you generally see the buildings bottom-up. My favorite rooftops are the ones that have secret rooftop gardens on them.

Of course, how can I talk about views in New York City without mentioning the views from famous skyscrapers.

I was lucky to visit the top of the World Trade Center when I was a young child. My only memory of it is getting gum stuck to the bottom of my shoe while walking around the observation deck.

I went to the top of the Empire State Building in June 2010 with a few friends.

And I visited the Top of the Rock last year. Of them all, I think the Top of the Rock has the best view. Yes, I did stand five feet away from the edge until I forced myself to move closer.

Credit: www.wikipedia.com (view from the Top of the Rock)

As any New York City tourist will tell you, the charm of viewing NYC from above is how everything below looks like part of a doll's house. Miniature cars, ant size people, and toy buildings.

So until I manage to win the lottery and sightsee around the world, I'm happy to continue touring New York City and finding incredible views from above instead.

Coffee... and more Coffee (and Tea)

Guess what opened up today in my neighborhood!

credit couponcraving.com

Yeah, I know. There goes my money... I mean, what a great new studying spot!!!!


Apparently, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is a big hit out on the West Coast, so I was psyched to check it out when it finally opened in my neighborhood.

credit: www.myupperwest.com (Susie)

I found the interior to be really beautiful, with a great atmosphere and good music. It also smelled really nice (you know that new store smell?).



I bought a White Chocolate Ice Blended.

Too bad it was 30 degrees out tonight. I was freeeeeezing by the time I finished, but it was worth it! (I'm not so into hot drinks, for those of you wondering why I didn't get one).



They also have great looking wraps, salads and sandwiches from Pomegranate in Brooklyn, and delicious looking baked goods from Butterflake bakery in Teaneck.

I guess the Upper West Side has a new hot-spot!
See you there!


Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is located at the corner of 86th and Amsterdam.

Surprise in a Planter

A few days ago, as I was walking home from work, I passed by a small building in my neighborhood that I pass at least once a week. 

But as I passed by the building that day, I noticed two people standing over a planter right outside their front door, i.e. a mini garden for people in the city who can't plant an actual garden, often used for decorative purposes. As I got closer, I started to smell something amazing. It took me a few seconds to figure it out.

Fresh herbs!!!

It's not everyday that you find wonderful fresh herbs in a planter on a New York City street! 

To make a short story even shorter, being the curious young lady I am, I asked them all about their planter, why they plant it, how often they pick it, what they grow, who they are, what they do...

And as a lovely treat at the end of our conversation, they gave me a fragrant bunch of fresh thyme to take home!

What a nice surprise :-).

NYC Nightlife :-)

There is something special about New York City at night.

At night, as the city lights come out in full force, the city turns into a magical kingdom.

My favorite time to experience the city is at night. I visit my fountain at night, I take walks at night...Last night, I went grocery shopping at Fairway at 10:30 at night. It's the BEST time to shop, in my honest opinion. No pushing through crowds or waiting online forever. Just a nice, peaceful shopping experience.


Michael Huitt is an Upper West Side photographer who takes the most wonderful photographs of New York City, and many of them are at night! I don't know a thing about photography, but these are some of the most beautiful images I have ever seen!

Brownstones along 71st Street.

The 72nd Street 1, 2, 3 Subway station. 

I love this photograph so much, I made it my desktop background

I think this is Columbus Avenue at 73rd Street.

75th and Columbus at Midnight. 

59th Street and 5th Avenue.

I know this is not nighttime yet, but I absolutely LOVE the way he captures the sunset. Totally not traditional, yet incredibly captivating.

I've only shared a handful of his magnificent images. Click the link to check out the rest of Michael Huitt's New York City photography. 


Thank you Michael Huitt for permission to share your work in this blog!

Amazing Sidewalk Art

I was walking along Broadway a few days ago, and I saw this:

Art... on the sidewalk?!

A few days later, again walking along Broadway on the same street, I saw this:

Ah hah! The artist caught in the act!

Yesterday, I walked by the same spot and saw this:

The magnificent finished work. 

When I think of chalk coloring on a sidewalk, I think of the hopscotch boards we used to make as kids, or the cute messages we would write for all to see. This takes it a whole new level!

Look at the details! Notice how it's all 3D... as if the hand is coming straight out of the sidewalk and into the world. The rainbow of colors are so bright and clear; it must have taken a really talented artist to create such a masterpiece.

Who is he, you ask?

After a quick Google Search I discovered that the artist's name is Hani Shihada, and he has been doing sidewalk art for the past 25 years. It takes a certain skill to create art on New York City streets, and with this skill Hani brings beauty and color to thousands of New Yorkers in their everyday lives. Hani himself says, "I do these works for your enjoyment."

Visit http://hanisidewalkart.com/ for more information.

Let me know if you spot Hani or any of his beautiful artwork around the city!

Pomander Walk

As a young girl traveling on the school bus to elementary school, I remember passing this:

Credit: NewYorkSocialDiary.com

In my young mind, I labeled these houses as "the only houses in Manhattan." They were such a stark contrast to the tall buildings and elegant brownstones surrounding them in the neighborhood. 

Little did I know that what lay the other side was...

Credit: ny.curbed.com

Cool, no?

I only discovered this quaint little village (95th St. and West End Avenue) a few weeks ago when I read about it in a local paper and then set out to discover it. I was disappointed to find it closed off to visitors (by a wrought iron gate), but was thrilled when a deliver man opened the gate to leave the village giving me exclusive access to this private oasis!

As I walked down the little path between the houses, I felt like I was transported to a different era, or perhaps another country. The homes are reminiscent of Tutor style homes built over a century ago. 

Yes, it does have a name: Pomander Walk. Or "New York's Best Kept Secret." Or "The Cutest Walk You've Never Heard Of."

For more information and a bit of history, check out:
"Pomader Walk - the Cutest Street You've Never Heard Of"