Weekend explorations: Midtown Manhattan

During a rare lull (usually, there's triple the crowds and cars). I returned to Princeton after dark, so hope you don't mind this glimpse of our metropolitan area!

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See all City Daily Photo 'Pedestrians Crossing' April theme entries!

Hothouse flower

Orchids at Duke Farms public park (I showed some park grounds on Tuesday). Enjoy your weekend!

Mark Morris Dance Group

A post-dance, point-and-shoot shot the prior week. The dancers performed to gorgeous live classical music.

K for Kid-friendly Knight

Guarding the toy shop. Our grey day forced me to use this winter shot. Below, the shop last summer - no video games, but kids love it. More at ABC Wednesday.

Statuary

North of Princeton, a hay barn-turned-statuary at Duke Farms, the estate of late philanthropist Doris Duke (Duke University is named for the family). The estate's 2700+ acres, 20% of Manhattan's acreage, are now a public park with trails and native species. Controversially, many original gardens were demolished. My doctor's office is across this park, so it's a nice detour.

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Bittersweet note: The park's nesting bald eagles are expecting hatchlings any day, but the eagle camera caught a fight with a hawk attacking the nest Sunday. It remains to be seen if the eggs are OK. Update: As of late Monday, one eaglet has hatched and is being fed, awaiting one more egg.

The couple next door

A sweet, late afternoon sight at the nearby pond. It's nice to be back home after last week's work travel!

J for Jumble of Jewelry

Strands of bead shop gems, ready to craft into new treasures. More at ABC Wednesday!

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I''ll be signing off early this week because of work travel. Enjoy your week, see you soon!

Sunny moment

Entering the 500-acre woods. The marker points to two 1700s homes, one on the left and one on right, used as Revolutionary War infirmaries. Behind me, a path into the woods where a horse had trod (second photo) - hope the horse enjoyed the woods too!

Avenue of plane trees

Like dignified old soldiers lining Battle Road (after a battlefield 1 mile away), under Saturday's light snow.

Soft light (and mystery bird)

Somehow, I did not notice the bird until I uploaded photos. (The second shot is cropped from a less-dark photo, but it's still blurry with a point-and-shoot, sigh. Juvenile red-tailed hawk maybe?)

Enjoy your weekend! More at Ein Stück Himmel.

Caffeine break

A cortado with heart-y flourish. (That's better, more awake now:)

I for Influential Italian (and Illuminating Art)

A current exhibit, Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe, explores the lives of Africans in Europe via Renaissance art. This Bronzino portrait is of Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence, one of the most prominent figures of the Renaissance, and widely believed to be of African ancestry. The Economist called the exhibit "illuminating and exciting" (sorry, this dim, through-glass photo doesn't do the art justice!).

More at ABC Wednesday.

What a difference a day makes!

Saturday and warm (50F/10C) in New York City, near Astor Place, and Friday's snowy Princeton.

The best dressed guy on the block

He loved the camera:) (Thanks to this cutie for posing and his parents for permission to use this photo!)

End of day stroll

Under sunset skies, south of downtown (helps clear the head). Enjoy your weekend! More at Ein Stück Himmel.

Tigers at play

From a Baroque oratorio yesterday to...a nail-biting Princeton Tigers-versus-Harvard basketball game (Princeton won but it was close). Hard to imagine a more brightly-dressed band (or fans:).

H for Heavenly Handel

Hearing a friend sing in a heavenly Handel oratorio on Sunday! More at ABC Wednesday.

{Hoped to have violinist Hilary Hahn, but alas...no luck with photos.}

Postcard from Washington, DC: Icons

The Washington Monument (the color change one-third up occurred after a 23-year halt in construction)...

The Internal Revenue Service (it's tax season) and moving Vietnam Memorial.

Goodbye DC

Postcard from Washington, DC: Memorial scenes

Returning to DC, scenes at the Lincoln Memorial. Overheard (one teenage boy, in awe, to another): "Oh man, this is where Martin Luther King said I Have a Dream!"

Nice to see teens in awe over social history.

Breakfast room

For CDP theme day and anyone longing for Spring - a sunny, pre-winter breakfast room and inviting cafe(ish) chairs. Wouldn't tea or coffee here be nice? At a 1820s Princeton guesthouse.

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~More cafe chairs here! Have a wonderful weekend.~