“The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is a greenhouse at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) in the Bronx, New York, United States. The conservatory was designed by Lord & Burnham Co. in the Italian Renaissance style. Its major design features are inspired by the Palm House at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace.

Groundbreaking took place on January 3, 1899 and construction was completed in 1902 at a cost of $177,000. The building was constructed by John R. Sheehan under contract for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Since the original construction, major renovations took place in 1935, 1950, 1978, and 1993. By the 1970s, the building was in a state of extreme disrepair and had to be either substantially rebuilt or torn down. Enid Annenberg Haupt saved the conservatory from demolition with a $5 million contribution for renovation and a $5 million endowment for maintenance of the building. A subsequent renovation, which started in 1978, restored the conservatory closer to its original design, which had been compromised during the 1935 and 1950 renovations. Due to her contributions, the Conservatory was named the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory in 1978.

The 1993 renovation replaced the inner workings of the conservatory. At this time, the mechanical systems to control temperature, humidity, and ventilation were upgraded to computerized systems. The exhibits were also redesigned. The conservatory serves as a focal point of the park and a center for education. It is a New York City designated landmark.” (Wikipedia)

The spectacular annual orchid show is held here.

Taken with a Fuji X-E3 and Fuji XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OSS II

The pub is located in the Fitzpatrick Hotel on 44th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues in NY City. Most of the space has a fairly typical “pub like” feel, but there’s also an area that, strangely is open to the sky. This is where we ate (fairly typical pub fare). All around are large pieces of metal. The pub is near where I used to work so I’ve been there a few times, but it never occurred to me to look up what a ‘Wheeltapper’ actual was.

According to Wikipedia:

“A wheeltapper is a railway worker employed to check the integrity of train wheels and that axle boxes are not overheating. Typically employed at large railway stations and in goods yards, they tap wheels with a long-handled hammer and listen to the sound made to determine the integrity of the wheel; cracked wheels, like cracked bells, do not sound the same as their intact counterparts (they do not “ring true”). Wheeltappers also check that the axle boxes are not overly hot by using the back of their hand. Although wheeltappers still operate in some eastern European countries, in countries with modern planned maintenance procedures and line-side defect detectors, such as hot box detectors, wheeltappers are redundant. The job is mostly associated with the steam age. Wheeltappers were vital to the smooth running of the railways as a cracked wheel or overheated axle bearing would lead to delays and the loss of revenue. These were particularly common in the 19th century, when axle bearings were lubricated by grease. At this time, metallurgy was a more haphazard science and thus it was impossible to test steel wheels for cracks: the role of the wheeltapper was of crucial importance.”

Taken with a Fuji X-E3 and Fuji XF 35mm f1.4 R