Clouds Over Sutton Place

There are two Sutton Place Parks: The larger one, at the far east end of 57th Street in Manhattan, is temporarily closed for renovation. It is going to be expanded and will become part of a more extensive park along the East River. The smaller one, which I'll call Sutton Place Park Jr., is at the foot of East 53rd Street and is a pleasant triangle with excellent river views. It is noisier than "Sr.," because it is lower down and closer to FDR Drive traffic. Still, it's very pleasant, and one can watch boats go by. On a day like the one pictured, who needs to leave Manhattan? 

When a woman carrying her pet hyacinth macaw sat down near me yesterday in Sutton Place Park, I immediately consulted Google on my iPhone for more info about this bird. It appears that they make good pets if you don't mind being bitten occasionally. They survive mainly on nuts, and can cost as much as $10,000 to purchase. Needless to say, there are not all that many private owners of hyacinth macaws, although anything goes in New York. It appears that the bird owner was conferring with the owner of the cute lap dog about the merits of each pet. The gorgeous macaw is about the largest parrot and regularly makes itself known by loud squawking, as was evident yesterday. The owner kept stroking the bird as if it were a cat. These birds become very attached to their owners and need a lot of personal attention. They can learn a few words, but don't talk as much as other parrots. Maybe that's a good thing.

This is Seated Ballerina. It's 45 feet tall and inflated. Has to be taken down in bad weather. Not sure why; perhaps, despite its size, it could be blown over and hit some innocent passers-by. Most passers-by may not quibble over the sculpture. I like it almost as much as Koons's Puppy, the giant flower-covered terrier exhibited in Rockefeller Center some years back:

Puppy was also exhibited in various other locations here and abroad. The ballerina was inspired by a porcelain figurine. Like a lot of dance art, the artist didn't get some details right, e.g., ribbons on pointe shoes are not tied that way. However, it and the puppy are a lot of fun. There's plenty of room for lighthearted art, and we need a lot of cheering up these days.

Letter in the NYT (albeit anonymously)

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/30/realestate/dear-landlord-wheres-our-building-canopy.html?emc=eta1

My third, and probably last item to be published in the august New York Times. Have had two "Metropolitan Diaries" in over the years.

However, the canopy was replaced before my letter could appear. Doesn't matter; I'm glad it's back. We were without it which seemed like forever.

Easter on the E Train

Sunday, April 5, 2015—these little girls are so delighted with themselves and look so charming in their silky dresses and skirts, that they deserve to be recorded, even though they won't ever know about it. Can't decide which hat I like best, even though these hats are probably purchased already assembled and not original creations by the wearers, formerly a longstanding Easter tradition in New York City. They probably do not plan to watch Fred Astaire and Judy Garland in Easter Parade in the evening, either. In fact, they've probably never heard of Fred, Judy, or the movie itself. Or Irving Berlin. What they're missing!

"Du bist der Lenz"

It's been a long time since posting anything, but here we are on the first day of spring, supposedly, 2015. So it's appropriate to start over. Snow-capped Citibikes symbolize the end of a super-long winter. But the sun is out and, as the second-most-quoted English poet said, hope springs eternal. It's a nice, sunny day at 11:30 a.m., and the temperature has risen above freezing, so let's go!

Onward and Upward in the Neighborhood!

After many years of a view over low rooftops, the blow has finally fallen; the die is cast, etc. The local developer finally got enough money together to start construction on what is going to be a 33-story apartment house on the site of the former and much beloved Metropolitan Café and Columbus Bakery! Plus ça change,,,,

But—The upside is that I have a bird's-eye view of the details of building construction to which, like most city dwellers who aren't actually in the business, I never paid much attention in the past. I can see how much really skilled labor is involved, and even, as a dance, theater, and art enthusiast, a certain amount of choreography and design. I especially like the arrangement of the black netting recently installed to catch flying débris. A few years ago there was a construction disaster in this part of town, only a couple of blocks away, wherein a crane toppled into a building under construction, destroyed a brownstone, killed one person, and heavily damaged some other surrounding buildings. I'm hoping that enough precautions have now been taken so that nothing like that can happen here. Fortunately, my building is far enough from any cranes anyway.

This is what it may eventually look like:

959 First Avenue : Curbed NY

At least I'm still going to have almost all of my light.