Thursday, October 26, 2017

Part 2: New York City With The Girls - Central Park, The Met, And Other Stuff

What most people perceive who have never visited and explored New York City, is that it only consists of concrete sidewalks filled with fast-walking pedestrians; massive buildings made of either brick, stone, or steel and glass; and congested streets of horn-honking cars, buses and taxi cabs. Which yes, those things are a part of New York. However, there are also many charming and quiet neighborhoods, and peaceful pockets of nature that enables city dwellers to take a break from all the noise and visual stimulation.

And one of those places is Central Park, which spans 843 acres.

Here is an aerial view of how massive this park is...

*photo credit

While in New York City earlier this month, my friends wanted very much to walk through Central Park. We started our trek at the Plaza (on the corner of 59th Street and Fifth Avenue) and then proceeded to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) which is on 80th Street and Fifth Avenue.

Midway through our journey, we decided to stop by the Bethesda Fountain and Terrace...

Isn't it beautiful?
The Bethesda Fountain and Terrace has been a location featured in so many television shows and movies. This is probably one of my favorite landmarks of New York City.

The ladies sitting on the edge of the fountain.

A rear view of the fountain.

Unbeknownst to me, one of my friends took this photograph with her cell phone while I was taking a photograph of a lily pad in the fountain.

When you look at these next two photographs you would never think that you were in New York City, but rather a serene park in the suburbs, miles and miles away from urban life.

Within Central Park (along East 74th Street) there is a classic sculpture of Alice in Wonderland. I desperately tried to get a photograph of the sculpture without anyone sitting on it so that you could see the sculpture clearly, however there wasn't a single second when it was not being sat upon. Do you see the woman in the upper right hand corner of the picture, perched behind Alice in Wonderland? Well, you would have sworn she was a supermodel posing for a Vogue magazine cover because her husband kept taking picture after picture of her in FIFTY MILLION different poses until he got the perfect shot. And it only took him like FOUR HOURS to do it!

Next, we headed up and over to The Met...

I edited the color of these next several photographs to give them an "artsy" feel...

The Met stairs, at anytime, you will see this many people sitting on the steps - yup, it's pretty much a New York tradition.

The ladies...

belle facce!
*Italian meaning: "beautiful faces"

I spotted this woman and her dog (and young grandson) on the stairs. Isn't that dog such a cutie?

Food vendor carts along Fifth Avenue in front of The Met.

One of the many things I love about this city is people-watching. It's something you can always do for free in New York, yet you feel as though you're doing something you paid a fortune to witness because it's such a rich experience.

I used to work for Chanel, so when I saw this woman sitting there wearing a Chanel ensemble, I had to snap a picture. 

Do you see the arrow pointed at the building in the above photograph? Well, that was where Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis lived in New York City. She moved into that apartment on the Upper East Side (1040 Fifth Avenue on the 15th floor) after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. She initially purchased the apartment for $250,000. After she passed away, it was sold for 9.5 million.

Images of New York City life...

Cyclers on a busy Fifth Avenue

What I find so incredibly attractive about New York City is that it's a stunning collage of vintage architecture mixed with modern. When you take a moment or two to look "up" while walking through the streets of Manhattan, you will very often discover some of the most interesting images to photograph. 

The exterior of Bvlgari Jeweler on Fifth Avenue

This little doggie looked up at me at the perfect moment when I snapped this shot. What a sweet precious face!

The corner of 55th Street and Madison Avenue at about 5:30 PM., just after it began to rain.

Thank you so much for taking this two-part tour of New York City.

Have a grrrrreat weekend, y'all!

X

*You Can Read Part One Here