It was my late wife Eirah’s birthday yesterday, the second since we lost her. I miss her so much.
An Unhappy Day
Lions at the Gate
This is the main entrance to an old mansion built by Walter Law, the founder of Briarcliff Manor. It’s about a five minute walk from my house. It’s fairly easy to find information online about Law, but difficult to find anything relating to the mansion other than that the estate was probably called “The Manor”. I guess that if I want to find out more I’ll have to visit the local Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough-Historical Society.
I’ve taken pictures of the lions before, but usually either singly or in pairs. The reason for this is that somehow I never had a wide enough lens with me to get everything in at once. On this occasion I was testing my new Sony FE 24 f2.8G and was able to get all four lions and the gates – although one of the lions is not really visible as it’s hidden behind one of the gateposts (I wish I had taken more time with the framing so that all of the lions could have been seen).
Taken with a Sony A7IV and Sony FE 24mm f2.8 G.
In New York City – Woman on a Train
Seen on the The 42nd Street Shuttle, a New York City Subway shuttle train service that operates in Manhattan. The shuttle is sometimes referred to as the Grand Central/Times Square Shuttle, since these are the only two stations it serves. The shuttle runs at all times except late nights, with trains running on two tracks underneath 42nd Street between Times Square and Grand Central; for many decades, three tracks had been in service until a major renovation was begun in 2019 reducing it to two tracks. With two stations, it is the shortest regular service in the system by number of stops, running about 2,402 feet (732 m) in 90 seconds as of 2005. The shuttle is used by over 100,000 passengers every day, and by up to 10,200 passengers per hour during rush hours.
The 42nd Street Shuttle was constructed and operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and is currently part of the A Division of New York City Transit as of 2021. The shuttle tracks opened in 1904 as part of the city’s first subway. The original subway line ran north from City Hall on what is now the IRT Lexington Avenue Line to 42nd Street, from where it turned west to run across 42nd Street. At Broadway, the line turned north, proceeding to 145th Street on what is now the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. This operation continued until 1918, when construction on the Lexington Avenue Line north of 42nd Street, and on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line south of 42nd Street was completed. One trunk would run via the new Lexington Avenue Line down Park Avenue, and the other trunk would run via the new Seventh Avenue Line up Broadway. The section in the middle, via 42nd Street, was converted into shuttle operation.
The shuttle operates at all times except late nights, and each of the shuttle tracks in operation at any given time is independent of the other. Its route bullet is colored dark gray on route signs, station signs, and rolling stock with the letter “S” on the official subway map. (Adapted from Wikipedia)
Taken with a Fuji X-E1 and Fuji XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OSS II
In New York City – Bar Boulud
This is where we had lunch. New York Magazine described it as follows:
Daniel Boulud’s foray into the ubiquitous semi-casual-dining model is filled with solid renditions of the familiar Boulud-bistro cannon designed to be enjoyed as an early dinner before your evening (or afternoon) show at Lincoln Center, or while enjoying several glasses of Champagne after the curtain goes down. If you don’t want to doze off during the show, you might want to save the rib-sticking Lyonnaise specialties (truffled pork or blood sausages, veal’s head with sauce gribiche) for a post-theater visit, but the superb selection of charcuterie, flown in from the Paris kitchens of the great Gilles Vérot, is worth investigating any time of the day or night.
Taken with a Fuji X-E1 and Fuji XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OSS II
In New York City – Lincoln Center – Reclining Figure
“Reclining Figure” 1963–5 (LH 519) is a statue by Henry Moore. The original two-part bronze statue of a human figure was commissioned for the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, where it has been displayed outdoors since 1965 in a pool of water to the north of the new Metropolitan Opera House. Other copies in plaster or bronze exist, and are displayed in other cities.
Taken with a Fuji X-E1 and Fuji XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OSS II