New York City from the river

There are views of New York City, primarily Manhattan, that are simply iconic; they have been imprinted in our minds through television and film, books and photographs.

The views are new to me, yet incredibly familiar. I have seen all these things before, even though this is my first visit to New York. Yet seeing them again, for the first time, is wonderful.

























There is something special about this place and while the views are important, the thing that truly stands out is the people of New York: helpful, friendly and extremely proud of their amazing city.











Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Parking creatively in NYC

Call me old-fashioned but I always thought a solid yellow line along the kerb meant no parking. Apparently it's okay if you park on top of the solid yellow line in New York City.

And there's something about never parking too close to a fire hydrant too. And on top of a solid yellow line.

Parking can be creative here in New York, and maybe the yellow lines are signs of creativity too?

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Garbage in NYC

New York is a city of superlatives. One of those number ones is found in the amount of garbage it produces everyday.











About 10 million kilos of garbage is removed from the streets by municipal garbage trucks every single day.









Another 10 million kilos is removed from commercial buildings and apartments by private contractors.













As in other large cities around the world, most of the garbage collects on the city streets through the day. On warmer days a fragrance fills the air. By outside cafes and coffee shops. Apparently one gets used to this aroma.


Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Riding the New York Subway

The New York Subway system is a world class transit system. It is relatively easy to navigate, goes most everywhere and appears to be clean and safe. We've seen signs a a couple of stations advising about rat infestations, though we haven't seen any. World class.




Compared to MetroVancouver's four lines and 68.7km of routes, NYC has 34 lines covering over 375 km and 421 stations. Some of the lines are old, the track uneven and unsteady. Like an amusement ride. Begun in 1904 some of the stations appear to be as old as that too. Some of the trains have a Canadian connection, built by Bombardier in Quebec and New York.

Carrying over 5.5 million passengers every weekday, the trains are crowded yet congenial and in true New York fashion, if you pull out a map it won't be a moment until someone asks to help.











It helps to know where you are going, but part of the adventure is the going and journeying into the light of day. Or the edge of night as the case might be.


Photos by Jim Murray.
Copyright 2014.

Arrival in New York City

A few months ago we visited the Excited State of Arizona. Now we find ourselves in another Excited State: New York City. This place is light years from Arizona; it might even be in a different universe. It's certainly another state of being. Excited.

We're staying in a small apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Central Park is a fifteen minute walk and the subway much less.

New York City has a population of over 8.4 million people, within a regional agglomeration that is much larger. With an area of only 790 square km, the density is 10,600 per square km through the city's five boroughs. Manhattan, where we are staying, has a population density over 25,000 per square km.

In spite of that population density, and the fact that about 54 million international and domestic tourists will visit NYC this year (it sometimes feels as though they're all here now), the city, outside of the tourist district, is surprisingly open and quiet. This is an amazing place.

And this is our street.

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Delany's Coffee House ~ Vancouver Coffee Shops continued

The North Shore has monstrous malls and shopping centres. It also has its own sea wall, great parks and some village-like neighbourhoods.

In Dundarave in West Vancouver is one of the four North Shore locations of Delany's Coffee House (there's another location downtown). 

Family owned, Delany's offers a nice atmosphere and a neighbourhood feel. Our visit to Dundarave, over this Easter weekend meant a bit of a seasonal theme in the store: pink rabbits, easter balloons and other paraphernalia. Stuffed animals and coffee shops are not compatible. However, the coffee here makes it worthwhile.

Of more interest within the store is the excellent display of old posters. 

There's a Starbucks next door to Delany's, and that would be a mistake. Instead a traditional macchiato and then a brisk walk along the sea wall, then back to Delany's for an encore. Just ignore the stuffed animals.

Photos by Jim Murray.

Copyright 2014.

Buds and blooms at VanDusen Gardens

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Birds and bees at VanDusen

After a heavy downpour yesterday, today, Good Friday, was sunny and warm.

The turtles are still sunning themselves at VanDusen, and the geese are flapping and honking. 

Bees are active again and the humming birds have stopped along their long journey.

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

The Turtles appear at VanDusen Gardens

The warmth of the sun brings out the crowds, and the turtles, to VanDusen Gardens in Vancouver.

                                                                                                                                                

As for the other Turtles, they began as surf band in 1965 with a hit penned by Bob Dylan: It Ain't Me Babe. Great vocals, smart arrangements and dumb lyrics combined to provide their biggest hit in the spring of 1967, knocking Penny Lane by the Beatles out of the number one position: Happy Together.                                                

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Cherry Blossoms in Vancouver

One would think we would grow tired of this time of year. Same old, same old. 

Yet every year at this time we delight in the cherry blossoms throughout the city.

The trees are beautiful, their arms full of flowers. It's a new show every year, even though we've seen it before.

Spring is here, warmer weather is coming and summer is only a breath away. The carpet lasts but a few days.

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.