On the LIE and BQE

Over the weekend some friends and I went out to the Queens County Farm Museum to attend the Amazing Maize Maze - a 3-acre corn maze located on the farm, where there was a scavenger hunt, a DJ and live music. The farm also had pigs, llamas, hens, turkeys, horses, goats, sheep, a butterfly garden, pumpkin picking and hot apple cider stands.

On the way out there, we drove on the BQE and the LIE and enjoyed views of the New York City skyline and the lone skyscraper in Long Island City, the Citibank building.

Pictures of the corn maze and llamas are to come in the next post...

The last weekend of Governor's Island

It took me 5 months to make it out to Governor's Island. I'm ashamed that I went on the last weekend of it being open for this season, which was the weekend of October 9th & 10th, but it was so hot this past summer I just couldn't make it outside unless it was to go grocery shopping (Governor's Island opens sometime in early June).

I went with a friend for Oktoberfest but the event was at capacity by the time we got there so we settled for a beer and a walk along Water Taxi Beach. While there I enjoyed the views of Lower Manhattan and the Jersey City skyline across the Hudson River.

There were also great views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, along with glimpses of cruise ships, sailboats and water taxis passing by.

And it is a quick 7 minute ferry ride from the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan (by the Staten Island ferry terminal). I hope to make it out there more often next summer and fall...

View of Lower Manhattan across the Hudson River


View of Lower Manhattan and the Jersey City skyline from Water Taxi Beach


There are bicycles for rent or you can bring your own to Governor's Island


Interesting street names along the promenade


An empty, historical house on the island


Old cannons at Fort Jay

The view from Pier 1

I was out on the newly opened pier in Brooklyn Bridge Park last Thursday for the Movies With a View event. They were showing The Big Lebowski, which I'd never seen before even though it's only from 1998. Apparently it is one of those 90's cult movies. I guess for me that was the movie Clueless—I can recite all of the lines, I used to dress up as the characters, and can watch it over and over again, etc.

Anyway, from there you could see the Statue of Liberty, downtown Manhattan's skyline and the South Street Seaport.

Is this considered 'dusk' or 'twilight'?

The crowd on the lawn, waiting for the movie to start around 8:30 pm.

Pianos throughout the 5 boroughs

I think most people have heard by now about the 60 pianos placed in pubic parks and spaces throughout the 5 boroughs of New York City as part of the Play Me, I'm Yours outdoor art installation. These are real pianos with real keys and peddles for anyone to sit down at and play their choice of music on.

I visited the musical spot of Lincoln Center where Julliard, Alice Tully Hall and the Metropolitan Opera attract music lovers of all kinds. There were two pianos located there, with the sounds of Beatles classics filling the crowded space. Impromptu performers here, like the one below, seemed to love all of the attention!

Next I ventured out to Long Island City in Queens to not only see the two pianos in action out there, but to get a good view of the City skyline from across the East River. It was a treat to also see the Pepsi Cola sign up close. It is located by the north end of the Gantry State Plaza Park, just off of 50th Avenue and 2nd Street and close to the Vernon Blvd/Jackson Ave. 7 subway stop.

Lavender NYC sky

The sky really caught my eye one evening above the Manhattan skyline. I went out to Dumbo, Brooklyn for an Etsy craft party and stopped by the Brooklyn Bridge Park to relax and take in the view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the buildings of downtown Manhattan. I got there kind of early and stayed a while, watching the sky go from blue, to lavender, to orange, but left before it went black.