Andy Warhol films at the MoMA

I hadn't been to the MoMA in such a long time and I was starting to feel guilty! Then it happened that one of my friends had 2 tickets to the Andy Warhol: Motion Pictures preview for this past Tuesday night. The exhibit opens to the public on December 19th, and consists of 16mm black and white silent films of his subjects looking into the camera, not moving or speaking; in screen tests.

So we went to one of the member preview nights, where, after an hour and a half of sipping wine spritzers and snacking on parmesan crackers in the lobby, we ventured up the museum's 6th floor to take a look at some of the videos on display as part of this special exhibit. 



Screen Test: Edie Sedgwick


Screen Test: Gino Piserchio


And a pic of the crowds there taken with my camera phone:

At the Bronx Zoo

Before it got too cold, I visited the Bronx Zoo for the first time since I have lived in the City. This large scale park is located within the Bronx Park and is actually the largest metropolitan zoo in the U.S.

The Bronx Zoo is home to the Wildlife Conservation Society and while it is a place to view the various indoor, outdoor, underwater and jungle dwelling species, it is also a place to gain inspiration and insight into the future of the wildlife on view. The Conservation Society's aim is to encourage visitors to learn more about these animals not only here, but at the New York Aquarium, Central Park, Prospect Park and Queens Zoos as well.

While there I viewed the Himalayan Highlands, Tiger Mountain, Jungleworld, the African Plains, the Aquatic Bird House, Congo Gorilla Forest and more. And every corner I turned and every path I walked down seemed to have a peacock or two running wild. They were all over the place! (I later learned that they are there to scare away snakes...) This made for a fun time and a great first visit to the Bronx Zoo. See below for some sights and scenes from this visit!

A peacock spotted along Bronx Park South

Peacock running free by the Dancing Crane Cafe

A little girl chasing one of the peacocks by the Dancing Crane Cafe

Camels spotted by the Asia Plaza

A Malayan Tapir in the indoor Jungleworld exhibit

Underwater scene from inside the Jungleworld exhibit

Penguin feeding time at the Sea Bird Aviary

Goldfish inside the Butterfly Garden

A Monarch resting on a display plate inside the Butterfly Garden

Flamingos outside the Dancing Crane Cafe

Giraffes outside the Carter Giraffe Building

One of the Tiger brothers on Tiger Mountain

sources: Wikipedia and the map I got when I visited.

Literary Walk in The Mall

Literary Walk in Central Park is considered the park's main thoroughfare or gateway. It is one section of "The Mall", which is comprised of the Bethesda Fountain, Terrace Bridge, the Naumberg Bandshell, The Lake and the the Olmstead Flower Bed. There is always a mix of tourists and locals here, enjoying the views, entertainment and scenery.

Literary Walk is most recognized for its pathway of American elm trees that form a canopy overhead. This is the type of area that's so unique and scenic all throughout the year—whether it's sunny and leafy or coated in snow.

Additionally, there are statues of prominent literary figures along the walkway, including everyone's favorite, William Shakespeare!

Literary Walk in the Fall

To the right of Literary Walk, a little more green
(picture taken same day as the above)

The Shakespeare Statue in Central Park's Literary Walk

The Olmstead Flower Bed, named after Frederick Law Olmstead, one of the creators of the park,

 located at the south end of The Mall

5th Avenue gold

On Thanksgiving night, after a day of rest from all of the early morning parade activity, I went out to dinner in the Theater District then walked up and down 5th Avenue admiring the holiday lights and window displays. The golden lights reflecting off the storefronts caught my eye the most throughout the night, as well as the gold shades and glowing hues in signs, flags, statues and so on.

Looking north on 5th Avenue from 49th Street


Rockefeller Center's ice skating rink (just off 5th Avenue & 49th Street)
The Rock Center Cafe and the Prometheus statue


30 Rock and the flags around the perimeter of the ice skating rink




The golden seal outside of Cartier


Bendel's


Looking south on 5th Avenue toward 49th Street

84th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

I'd been planning on going to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade here in NYC for a few months now. It was my first Thanksgiving not spent with my family, but I was determined to experience this New York tradition first hand and of course—take pictures!

My wake-up call was 5:45 am. Left the apartment around 6:30 and got to my planned destination along the parade route, which was Columbus Circle, at 7 am. It was awesome. And I had about 6 other friends joining me so there was a lot of frantic texting back and forth so that we could find each other amid the crowds. Joe from I Still Heart New York found us a great spot along Central Park South/59th Street and 7th Avenue. We had a view of the parade as it passed the top corner of Columbus Circle then moved toward us along 59th Street with the trees of Central Park as a backdrop.

Here are some highlights from the parade:

Spiderman


Hello Kitty!


Jessica Simpson


Stars from Macy's Believe campaign


Parade marchers


Kanye West

Unfortunately, Kanye got a lot of boo's from our section along the parade route.
My friend recorded and posted this video and put it on YouTube. Perez Hilton 
soon found it and posted it on his website! 

And from the day before the parade, the Smurf float set-up on West 81st Street by the Museum of Natural History

Orbs in the Upper East Side

Time to take a break from Central Park (but not in real life—I spent all day Sunday there and plan to be back the day after Thanksgiving for some more free tours with the conservancy!)

I just wanted to post these photos to let everyone know about an interesting exhibit that is up at the Vilcek Foundation Gallery at 167 East 73rd Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenue. It is up through Thursday, December 9th, so you still have time to see the exhibit if you are in town. They are only open until 6 pm though, but are open on Saturdays. I went 2 Saturdays ago with some photo friends and we had fun interacting with the current exhibit: Toshiko Nishikawa: Senbazuru, which is made up of 1,000  mirrored glass orbs hanging from the ceiling. You can view your changing reflection in the orbs and touch a number of pieces with a slinky-like wire connecting them to the ceiling.

Boating on The Lake

Last fall my friends and I went boating on The Lake on a cool October day. I think it was warmer this time around when we went in mid-November! It was the perfect weekend to be in the park, and the same weekend as the 3 tours I went on with the Central Park Conservancy.

It's been getting colder but I will continue to visit the park just as often because I plan on getting a new digital camera to take nature shots with. I'm thinking of purchasing a Canon Rebel T2i so that I can start learning more technical skills and have more features to work with.

The Boathouse


View toward Bow Bridge and the west side of the Park


After passing under Bow Bridge


A turtle sunning himself on a nearby rock


Paddling around The Lake


About to row through a nearby tunnel


One of 4 wedding photo shoots we saw taking place around The Lake

Touring Central Park's Sheeps Meadow

After attending 'The Castle and its Kingdom' tour in the upper 70's of Central Park, I walked down Central Park West to 67th Street where the former Tavern on the Green restaurant still stands as what is now a gift shop for the Conservancy and an outdoor dining patio with food trucks. I got some dumplings and a coffee to fuel up for my next tour, called 'Tavern and its Green.' I take these tours very seriously so I need plenty of food before hand so I don't get too distracted!

The tour is described with, Discover the sheepfold that became a world famous restaurant, a parade ground that became the Sheep Meadow, the Children's District, The Mall including its statues and American Elm Trees, and much more.

I was so taken with the fall colors in the trees surrounding Sheeps Meadow and outside the old Tavern on the Green. I enjoyed the walk through The Mall and 'Literary Walk'—named so because of the four statues of famous writers along the way, including one of Shakespeare!

This is by far the most populated part of the park, with people posing for pictures on Bethesda Terrace, recording film projects in the Naumberg Bandshell, skating in the roller derby area and playing volleyball on the sand courts. There are also plenty of kids frolicking in the grassy fields, running back and forth between their parents and the playgrounds, the carousel and the cotton candy vendors... It is a chaotic but comforting area. So familiar and recognizable, yet always new and exciting—a part of the park I've been coming to for years to find the perfect photo opp.

And from there we ended the tour in the exact spot where the ING New York City Marathon finish line lies.

Yellow tree above a hot dog vendor near Sheeps Meadow




The Mall in Central Park, located mid-park in the lower 70's


Beneath a canopy of American Elm trees on Literary Walk


View toward Midtown Manhattan from standing above Sheeps Meadow