Tom Otterness in Battery Park City

Tom Otterness' characters made of bronze have been described as "comical, cunning, cartoonish and adorable". His bronze sculptures are located throughout the City in Times Square (on West 42nd between 7th & 8th in front of the AMC movie theater), along the 8th Avenue subway station of the L & ACE trains, and also in Battery Park City.

I went to a guided tour on Saturday, May 8th at 2 pm with the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy, which described the public exhibition of 'The Real World', installed in 1992, of some of Tom's cartoony characters.

You really had to look around. They were everywhere!



"Humpty Dumpty is the Fiddler on the Roof"!


Kids are allowed to climb all over his works!


Spilt martini glass. Or is it a flashlight?


Almost took some of these for myself.. I mean, we're in recession





Why is the cat tied up!?

Napping, Lunching, Lounging in the Grass

Some park-goers in Nelson A. Rockefeller Park, which is in Battery Park City between Warren and Chambers Street. I was there last weekend to check out a tour of some sculptures by Tom Otterness, also located in the park.

NAPPING





LOUNGING





LUNCHING





And here is a better idea of the setting—everyone's relaxing in the grass in front of some of the luxury, residential mid & high-rises along River Terrace....

Tribeca Towers & Buildings...

If I could afford to live anywhere in Manhattan, it would be in Tribeca. Everything seems better down there—the buildings, restaurants, stores, waterfront views, transportation, etc.

Every time I am in that part of town, I am so impressed and inspired by the architecture and the atmosphere. It's the perfect mix of business district and residential/family friendly.

And as you can see, on a cloudy yet sunny day, I am constantly looking up and admiring the way these buildings and towers stand against the perfectly accented sky....


Frank Gehry's new residental condo downtown: New York


The Cosmopolitan Hotel on the corner of Chambers Street & W. Broadway


View toward the Woolworth Building, one of the oldest skyscrapers in NYC on Broadway & Park Place




Cool buildings on Chambers Street between Church & W. Broadway

New sculpture in Madison Square Park

When walking past Madison Square Park after one day, I had to stop and do a double take in disbelief. A tall, glowing white face with a warped shape was sticking out of the main lawn, set against a backdrop that included the similarly stretched Flat Iron Building and the surrounding trees.

This is by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, who based the sculpture off of a previous piece he did in England, titled "Dream." NYC's version of it is "Echo"—a young girl with a braid in her hair, standing 44 feet tall and made of polyester resin.

The St. Helens Star came across some of my photos of it on Twitter and used them in an article that ties this piece back to the original "Dream" sculpture Plensa did in St. Helens, England. Check it out!

Cherry Blossom Festival at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

The annual Sakura Matsuri, or Cherry Blossom Festival, took place at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens recently and my friends and I went to enjoy the pink blossoms and picnic on the Cherry Esplanade! Also known as the 'Cherry Walk' we were sitting among hundreds of other park goers enjoying the musical entertainment up on stage and the very pricey bento boxes of sushi, vegetables and chicken teriyaki.

It was very crowded but it made for some interesting photos with all of the fluffy cherry blossoms and swarms of families and their kids.

The crowds at the Cherry Blossom Festival




Cherry Blossom and Japanese Hill and Pond




After leaving the Festival grounds, I went into Shakespeare's Garden where I saw some Bleeding Hearts!


And tulips!