Pearls & Prose

Random NYC

Posted on March 25, 2011 by pearlsandprose

What’s a trip to New York without Times Square? It was really encouraging to see all the billboards for theatres–when the economy tanked, there were troubling rumors about theatres shutting down. The clarity on these monitors is truly amazing. Ah, technology.

Another view.

More glassware at the Empire State gift shop.

Empire State Building

Remember “Sleepless in Seattle”? If it’s on TV, I have to watch for at least 15 minutes. I don’t feel the same way about “An Affair to Remember”–too weepy.

Another bridge in Central Park

A fire alarm box on a street in one of the boroughs. I like the rusty colors and decided to “Polarize” it.

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Next week I’m meeting a friend I’ve known since I was six years old in Florida. We are taking another friend who’s developmentally disabled to Disney World and Epcot for the first time. We all grew up together and have stayed in touch all these years–a huge blessing in my life. I hope to share some iPhone shots when I get back, but won’t be blogging or commenting until then.

{ms. pearl}

Posted in photography | Tagged Central Park, Empire State Building, fire alarm box, NYC, stone bridge, Times Square, viewer | 14 Comments

A walk in the park

Posted on March 24, 2011 by pearlsandprose

I’ve been to New York several times, but never get around to really seeing Central Park. This trip, the weather was so chilly, we stayed only a while. I finally got a picture of one of the familiar bridges, though….

Remember the bird lady in “Home Alone 2”? Now I want to see Central Park in bloom. There’s a guy on Flickr who posts amazing photos from the rose garden, so that’s on my list too.

Wollman ice rink. I once stayed in a penthouse in one of those tall buildings overlooking the park, but that’s another story.

I have no idea what this building is, but I like the colors and architecture.

There were so many people in the park that day, it was hard to get a shot with no one in it. I kind of like the way this turned out, though.

OK, I’ll be posting a few images tomorrow, since my class is ending and I’ll be in Florida next week. Hope your week’s is going well.

{ms. pearl}

Posted in photography | Tagged bridge, Central Park, NYC, Wollman Rink | 17 Comments

The Village and street performers

Posted on March 23, 2011 by pearlsandprose

WordPress was down for a while last night, so rather than do one long post, I’m splitting it into two and will upload the other half tomorrow. I’m trying to finish two paintings before my class on Thursday, because we’re going to receive critiques from the entire group (ack!). As I said before, I didn’t know what I was doing the first two weeks, so now I’m reworking my first painting with the correct colors. Cannot believe how long it takes.
I’m also trying to get ready for a trip to Florida on Monday. More on that later.

So, after doing the Empire State Building, we hopped over to Washington Square in Greenwich Village:

Washington Square Arch was designed by renowned architect Stanford White (read his bio –it’s a doozy) in 1892. It replaced a temporary wood and plaster arch that commemorated the centennial of George Washington’s inauguration. I was hoping to see some street performers, but there were only chess players and this guy:

He was playing classical music and was quite good, but the piano was pretty tinny, not surprisingly.

We encountered another street performer near the Plaza Hotel and Central Park.

I took the photo, then realized he was beckoning and pointing to his torch. We wanted to see Central Park, so went on our way. I turned around and saw this:

Evidently, “Liberty Guy” will let you hold his torch and you can pose with him for money. Um, no thanks. He was probably giving me the stinkeye behind those sunglasses…. That’s the Plaza Hotel in the background on the right. I think of “Sex & the City” and “The Way We Were” every time I see that place.

Tomorrow, some shots of Central Park.

Just heard Liz Taylor died. What a life she had.

{ms. pearl}

Posted in photography | Tagged Greenwich Village, NYC, piano, Plaza Hotel, street performers, Washington Square Arch, Washington Square Park | 5 Comments

Empire State!

Posted on March 22, 2011 by pearlsandprose

On Saturday, we took my stepdaughter to the top of the Empire State Building for the first time. It was one of those crisp, clear-blue-sky days, and this is what the view looked like:

It was cool and windy, but we didn’t care. I love this place so much, from the Art Deco lobby…

to the top.

There’s also a nice gift shop with a colorful light

and some nice martini glasses.

But oh, those views….

Lower Manhattan

Hudson River and New Jersey

That’s the Chrysler Building in the middle. Another Art Deco beauty.

If you can, go at this time of year, because the lines are short and there’s less haze. When I went in the summer, it took hours and the views just weren’t great.

{ms. pearl}

Posted in photography | Tagged Art Deco, Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, Hudson River, Lower Manhattan, New Jersey, New York City, NY | 16 Comments

Quote time

Posted on March 17, 2011 by pearlsandprose

For this Things I Love Thursday, some favorite quotes and posters, all found on Pinterest.com….

Sorry this is so small. It says, “Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many. ~Unknown”

Great weekend, everyone! I’ll be back on Tuesday. And I almost forgot–Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

{ms. pearl}

Posted in writing | Tagged posters, quotes | 15 Comments

Random iShots

Posted on March 16, 2011 by pearlsandprose

While going through my iPhone photos recently, I realized I haven’t blogged any for a while. Here’s a random sampling:

The window of Georgetown Cupcakes, voted best by The Washington Post. I’ve only had the red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting, but I think it made me a better person.

Just for fun, I used the Photo Studio app on it:

Some artichokes at the grocery store.

Glen Echo Park at night. Hand-held.

Last purple tulip shot! (For now.)

{ms. pearl}

Posted in photography | Tagged artichokes, bows, cupcake boxes, Georgetown cupcakes, Glen Echo Park sign, iPhone4, Photo Studio, Polarize, purple tulips | 14 Comments

Textured forsythia

Posted on March 15, 2011 by pearlsandprose

Just a quick post today, as we’re getting ready for a trip to New York and I spent two hours in the dentist’s chair again. Fun and games!

I shot this forsythia yesterday….

Thought it might look more interesting with some texture, so I used one from Flora Bella (soft light blending mode, 89% opacity):

“Forsythia is pure joy. There is not an ounce, not a glimmer of sadness or even knowledge in forsythia. Pure, undiluted, untouched joy.”

~Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Hope your day is going well.

{ms. pearl}

Posted in photography | Tagged Anne Morrow Lindberg quote, Flora Bella textures, forsythia | 12 Comments

How about some more tulips?

Posted on March 14, 2011 by pearlsandprose

Sorry for the redundancy, but those purple tulilps from the other day seemed to be calling me when I went into the dining room. Hope you enjoy….

I don’t take tons of shots, but I do try different angles. I started with a vertical group here.

Then a horizontal.

Then a single tulip.

Closer.

And closer still. I like the light show going on in this one.

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I can’t close without saying something about Japan. I’ve looked at photos of the devastation and even some film clips, and I just can’t take it all in. How do you cope with something of that enormity? I’m so grateful to have a roof over my head and everything else I need. Hopefully the aftershocks are done and they can start the recovery effort soon.

{ms. pearl}

Posted in photography | Tagged Japan earthquake, natural light, purple tulips, tsunami | 14 Comments

A little pick-me-up

Posted on March 10, 2011 by pearlsandprose

Yesterday was not my favorite. I had to go to the dentist (one of my least favorite activities) to fix a crown that had fallen out the day before. A simple cement job that should last 15-20 minutes. An hour and a half later, I had a temporary crown and a completely numb mouth. I’ll spare you the gory details. But it threw off my day completely. I’ve got so much going on now, I don’t welcome losing large chunks of my day.

So to cheer myself up, I stopped and bought these beautiful purple tulips: