driving inside the queens midtown tunnel

photo courtesy of ian


is always an adventure. my husband used to tell our son that if you opened the little doors on the walls inside the tunnel you could let the water in from the east river.
it costs $5 to access the city this way. most people use an E-ZPass displaying it in their car window allowing them supposedly expeditious payment. I prefer to pay cash. and now that most people have the pass, I find the cash lines are usually quicker. just make sure to watch for the "cash only" signs to direct you to the proper lanes .

manhattan view

please click on this photo to see more details of the empire state building


this photograph was taken by my son as we headed into manhattan last thursday evening. getting to see this skyline as you approach the city is what makes driving in worth the trouble.
who doesn't love the city?

radio city music hall

is so beautiful inside. you can pretty much sit anywhere in the hall and enjoy the show. I got to see willie nelson at radio city the other night and he was amazing. the woman next to me started to weep as he sang help me make it through the night. for great pics of willie singing with nora jones as well as jakob dylan's performance, go here.

say goodbye to shea stadium

please click on the photo to enlarge for greater detail.



we got to bid our farewell friday night. the new stadium is right next store, already built. soon the old shea stadium will be turned into a parking lot. billy joel said goodbye in july. if you want to read a great dan barry article about how mr. joel fit the bill perfectly for a last tribute to shea stadium, go here. what are your memories of shea stadium?

skywatch in the secret garden...

at farmingdale state college. these puffy clouds look like rows of hearts to me. if you live on long island, please take the time to check out the skies at the end of the day. the sky is fleeting as the sun goes down, but it is really beautiful nonetheless. please go here to see more beautiful skies from around the world.

horse stable

specifically the bethpage stables riding academy. the other day while riding my bike home from the secret garden, I noticed a large flash of dark movement in the woods. I kept looking to see what it was when I saw between the thicket of trees, a figure riding a galloping horse. I imagined there to be someone in front of her that she was chasing. she sounded like she was yelling out to a friend. it was the coolest thing. it reminded me that there was a stable nearby & I ought to go check it out. it used to be adjacent to the bethpage golf course but for some reason they moved it across from the fire academy.

suburban development...

in massapequa. I don't know if these are condos or apartments. not long ago this was mostly woods. I found it odd that I was at a very busy intersection and there was not one car passing by long enough for me to take this photo. what caught my attention was a person leaning out one of the top floor windows in one of the buildings to the left. then of course I had to get my camera.

pretty nails

this is where I like to go and get my nails polished. I don't go nearly as much as I would like, but judging from the surplus of nail salons in my neighborhood, many women get their nails done quite frequently. when you consider that I paid $24 for two manicures (I treated my dear mother) and a pedicure (mom didn't indulge) that is pretty reasonable for an hours worth of pure pampering. and while you are waiting for your nails to dry, the nice woman gives you a vigorous back rub.

rose garden

farmingdale state college's department of ornamental horticulture prides itself on being the top school for study in the northeast. while riding my bike around campus, I found this teaching garden quite accidentally. it actually seemed like a genuine secret garden. I knew a garden existed on the campus but I hadn't been there in years and never knew there was another entrance. also, I remembered the roses, but I didn't remember seeing the abundance of other separate distinct gardens. as I continued to follow the different paths, I found little rooms with a wide variety of beautiful lush plantings. I've seen photographers using the grounds for special occasion picture taking. the rose garden in particular provides a beautiful backdrop for their pictures. ever since my discovery, I make sure to include a visit back to the gardens whenever I am out and about riding my bicycle with my son, who especially loves the reflecting pool garden. a separate 'room' by itself, the pool includes two benches on either end of it where people can relax in the shade or pose for pictures. it's not always easy to find a venue for one's needs, especially for weddings or other large party type events. 

truly the last day...

please click on photo for more interesting details.


of summer! but that doesn't mean you can't go to the beach anymore. in fact now is actually one of the best times to go. you don't have to pay to get in. it is very quiet. and because there are no crowds you can set up camp almost anywhere you'd like. If you want to, you can even ride your bicycle on the boardwalk. and if we are lucky enough to get some warm days back, you can still swim in the ocean because right now the water is warmer than it was in June.

birdwatchers

please click on photo for greater detail.


I have passed this viewing deck at robert moses at least a zillion times and have never once seen anyone on it. as I was leaving the beach yesterday I couldn't help but notice this group of people with gigantic cameras and heavy duty binoculars looking up at the sky. of course we had to look up and right at that moment, a hawk was flying directly over our heads. it was pretty cool. I wonder if someone on the deck has a blog and wrote about it or maybe posted their photographs.

Ocean Conservancy on LI

I would guess that if you ask a long islander one of the things they like best about living here they would tell you how lucky we are to live so close to the beach. we are literally surrounded by them. recently I heard about the ocean conservancy's international coastal cleanup. this saturday september 20th, anyone can volunteer to help clean up a beach close to where you live. please go here for more information.

"The ocean is the engine that drives our planet’s climate. It is our life support system, providing much of the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the resources we depend on for life every day. The ocean is essential for life. " ~ from the ocean conservancy's press kit.

I thought this sky photograph and the topic I am writing about today was especially fitting for this weeks long island daily photo skywatch . every week skywatchers around the world demonstrate their love of nature by sharing photos they have taken of the sky. please go here to enjoy more beautiful skies.

hardy mums

please click on photo to see more details.


nothing signals the end of summer like hardy mums. our local grocery store starts putting them out before labor day so I pretend not to see them. I like to think of summer ending on september 21st. heck, I've swam in our warm atlantic ocean as late as early october after all!
since it is starting to get chilly, I like seeing these hardy mums because that means we get to see pretty blossoms for another month or so.
do you have your mums yet?

dairy barn...

please click on photo to enlarge.

in suburbia. notice how this building is painted red just like an old fashioned barn you'd see in the country. only this isn't the country and this isn't a real barn. dairy barn is a drive through convenience store people frequent when they need to get something they need like milk, a loaf of bread or some ice cream. maybe they just don't want to take the time to park their cars or wait in line at the supermarket in their pajamas. whatever the case may be, I have seen them here on long island since I was a kid.

jackson avenue school...

please click on this photo to get a better look at the copper dome.


in mineola. check out this copper dome with the neat weather vane topping this building. I must have passed this place a couple of dozen times and never noticed it was a school until I actually stopped to take this photograph.

another smart car

I had to post this. if you click on this photo you will be able to see greater detail of the map of long island decorating this tiny car's door. every time I see a small car on long island I think it is a good sign. I hope more and more people will be driving them- then I won't be afraid to drive one either.

long beach dune...

please click on this photo to see this long beach dune up close.


at dusk. the city of long beach is a developed residential beach where one may access the beach directly from the street. many of the houses are small bungalows that people use for the summer. although it is definitely a beach town many residents live there year round. after labor day these same year round residents breathe a collective sigh of relief as their summer guests depart leaving them a less crowded neighborhood with greater access to parking.

Angelo's pizza

   
one word, yummy! desperate for a quick lunch after a late music lesson, it was our good fortune when we happened upon this place by accident. it's located next door to the tj maxx on glen cove road in carle place. we didn't think much of the fact that it was stuck in the corner of a shopping center where their was virtually no parking, but it turned out the extra 5 minute walk to our car was oh so worth it. my two favorite slices are grandma's pizza and ala vodka pizza. the crust is so thin and the sauce is so good! where do you go to get pizza?

skywatch over jericho turnpike...

in mineola. it was hard to pick a photo for today. I happen to be in a place where there were lots of wide open spaces with big skies affording me multitudes of diverse photo ops. I picked this one because I liked the contrast between man made and nature. the sky looks to me as if it is pressing down on the traffic.


I also happened across this school field and its beautiful sky. which one would you have picked?




please go here if you would like to enjoy more skywatch photos from all around the world.

we will never forget

spiders everywhere

these spiders and their webs are all over our yard. this one was taken with a flash, the only way a "professional" like me, can take this picture. so you really can't get a good look at the spider itself unless you go over here to loving long island's site. I have been trying to capture their webs for the last few weeks. somehow tonight I got lucky. it must have been the magic hour. the funny thing is, right before I snapped this photo, mr. spider just kicked out a leaf that had fallen into its web. you can see the big hole towards the bottom where the leaf kicking did some damage. it was pretty amazing to watch. we have another one taking up residence directly outside the entrance way to our house. since the people I live with don't like to kill bugs, (with the exception of mosquitoes and spiders inside the house) I suffered a small uprising when I was about to get rid of the web with the broom. consequently, my husband named him steve.

shark!

if you click on this photo to enlarge it you will see this shark has garland around his tail as well


this is supposed to be a shark, right? there were a few more on the roof of this establishment but I chose this one because of the christmas decoration still wrapped around his... neck, throat, upper body? I'm not exactly sure how to describe it. I learned about this place when I called the locksmith asking for directions. the owner tipped me off when he said, "we are located on montauk highway directly across from a building with very large fish on their roof." as soon as I heard that, I quickly grabbed my camera and realized what was previously thought to be a mundane chore was now going to be my photo op for the day.

bike trail

this is one of my favorite places to ride my bike. if I take it from bethpage park to sunrise highway and back again, it's about 15 miles. it's a great path with a few small hills to get your heart pumping. there are cyclists, runners and walkers. the speed limit is 15 mph and most cyclists will warn you as they pass with a friendly, "on your left", before they take their place in front of you. these boys looked like they were spending a typical summer day together just riding their bikes. I know, school has begun, but summer is definitely not over yet!
what is your favorite exercise?

palm trees in the shopping plaza

in the country glen center on old country road. I was purposely waiting for a rainy day to post this photo and with our visit from tropical hannah, today seemed like the perfect opportunity. I was actually sitting in my car listening to some music when I first looked up and noticed the small palm trees planted all around me. it was hard to get a good shot of one because they were on the middle islands in between the roadways. the sky was so blue and the plantings so lush that for a minute I felt like I was in Palm Beach.

mushrooms in the backyard

they literally appear overnight. I wish I was skilled in time lapse photography so I could film their rapid growth. still, whenever I discover something like this out in my garden, it seems almost as if it is a whole separate world, like a secret place where the fairies like to be.

farmingdale skywatch

have you ever seen the sky rapidly change before your eyes as if it was putting on a show for all to see? that's what was happening as I was driving through farmingdale early last evening. it was an amazing treat, a perfect skywatch. for more skies to watch all over the world, please go here.

mister softee

I have been reading a lot about the end of summer lately and I can't help but think, if mr. softee is still coming around, how could summer possibly be over?
I happen to think he's one of the best deals in town. almost everyday we hear him in the distance playing the least obnoxious music out of all the ice cream trucks in our neighborhood. this warns us to drop whatever we are doing and go fetch a few dollars so we are ready to stop him as he drives by our house. the ice cream is creamy and the cones are always fresh. if you would like, he'll even dip your cone in that chocolate or strawberry topping that coats the ice cream in a shell.
we don't feast on mister softee nearly as much as I'd like, but I must say that when we do, it feels like the perfect summer day.
and here's an interesting tidbit, did you know that mister softee is now in china?

7th avenue

I'm thinking most long islanders or former island people know exactly where this is. the first hint is the address. does anyone recognize this part of manhattan? there are many clues in the photo as well of course. I wish this photo came out the way I would have liked but I neglected to turn off my flash. the lights were so bright the entire street was lit up. it would have been so much cooler sans flash but I still like the scene regardless. I'll do a comparison shot same time of day and place the next time I am in manhattan so you can see the difference.

jeff koons at the met

on the roof in manhattan. seen here is one sculpture of three on display, sacred heart (red/gold) by the artist. though prompted by the guards in some cases, I was relieved to see people weren't lounging on the white platforms, with snacks and drinks in hand- there aren't many seats on the roof garden at the metropolitan museum of art. despite the crowd up there, you really do get a chance to look at the art, which by the way was very refreshing. get there soon if you are interested, koon's work is on display until october 26.
please go here to see more art from the met.

bonfire at the beach

another great way to spend time at the beach. I don't know if bonfires are allowed at other beaches on long island but you can do this on at least one montauk beach and a lot of people like to take advantage of it. there are rules one must abide by. you have to make sure you are far enough away from the dunes, you need a bucket you can fill with water near your fire & you have to dig a pit to start your fire in. the town has a guy drive up and down the beach in order to enforce all these rules. they aren't jerks about it either. for instance, one time we were lacking in something and they didn't fine us, they just told us what to do. I hope everyone who is reading this isn't working today. whatever the case may be, happy labor day to you and yours.