Tagged With "Brooklyn Heights"
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Re: Small Brooklyn: Three small but fascinating museums
Jonathan ... Would like to see a blog on your NYC Museum of the American Gangster if you ever get the itch.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, July 14, 2015: YanGuan -- a scenic little town to watch Qiantang’s Tidal Bore （钱塘江潮）in China
I have heard of the Qiantang Tidal Bore, which is the biggest in the World. The largest in Europe is that on the River Severn in South West England, which is highest near the equinoxes - a website details times and height predictions. I attach some pictures from a few years ago taken near a pub, conveniently located near a good viewing site. The bore is particularly popular with surfers, and I believe the world record for longest wave ride was recorded there.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Oct. 13: Brussels' Saucy Statue
He's much smaller than I thought -- and I'm talking about the height of the little guy. Besides chocolate their tinkling mascot, the Belgiums also love beer and comics. I was quite surprised at what a comic book culture they have.
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Re: Capital of Culture Series: Liverpool
Here's a good quote Paul PORTRAIT OF AN UNHEALTHY CITY - NEW YORK INTHE 1800'S by David Rosner Columbia University When a horse died, its carcass would be left to rot until it had disintegrated enough for someone to pick up the pieces. Children would play with dead horses lying on the streets. In addition to lacking street cleaning, the city also had no sewage system and no flush toilets. Garbage--which included both human and animal waste--was basically thrown out windows and onto city...
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Re: A Bridge to Everywhere
I like bridges in gardens too. Something just so peaceful about them. Here's one from Rikugien Gardens Tokyo
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Re: Alitalia: No money, but new uniforms
I'd suggest that, designer duds aside, Alitalia has arrived at this point in the company history because someone, or someones, has their head you know where. I was on an Alitalia flight this past Thursday and for those hours I was unable to put my knees together, so stingy was the leg room (aka "pitch") for my steerage-class seat. I had to place my feet on either side of the seat-back pocket and there they stayed. I'm a mere 5'6" in height and I felt for the tall guy next to me who was...
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Re: Montmorency Falls (Chute Montmorency), Quebec. Where Gumbo was #52
It is beautiful. I think I was there about 38 years ago on a family trip after the Olympics. The cliffs and height of the fall gave me the St. Lawrence (after your last clue), but I could figure the exact place. Good Job!
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Apr. 20, 2014: Spring Comes to the Botanic Garden
Another view of spring, in your almost-neighbor right across the pond, London's St. James Park. I couldn't resist it (from Londonist today).
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Re: Brooklyn Heights Promenade: A Disaster Turned to Treasure
I have every intension of coming to Brooklyn to see the Promenade for myself. Will you take a few more pictures, please, when the trees are all leafed out later in the spring? I'd like to see it in all it's glory.
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Re: Brooklyn Heights Promenade: A Disaster Turned to Treasure
I seldom quote Gen. MacArthur, but "I shall return."
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Re: Strictly for the Birds...
While searching for some other photos, I came across these two that might have joined the birds above. One is a scene of well-mannered pigeons on a rail at the Musee Rodin in Paris, perhaps waiting their turn to annoy diners in the garden cafe; the other is yet another of those ironic meetings of statue-fied dignity with feathered pit stop...
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I've often advised travelers with jam-packed itineraries to step back and leave themselves time to take a walk in a park or sit there a while, experiencing what the locals see and do. That is absolutely excellent advice. I hope that most people were wise enough to take your advice. Many of my best trip memories are made of such stuff. Thank you so much, PHeymont, for this walk in the park. It is just what my jangled nerves needed today.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I suspect a walk in the park is a habit acquired over time and familiarity with a place. I have a feeling, too, that the urge to go at top speed is the initial and overriding one. Or is it years and not travel experience that slows us down enough for such places to finally come into focus? Looking back over the decades I think maybe it's the latter.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I do think people's perspectives and priorities change with time. For example, I care little about a bar or nightlife scene in most of my destinations nowadays; that mattered more to me when I was much younger. I have always loved walking in parks because of the beautiful gardens, etc. But I think i'm much more into people watching in these places than I used to be. One of my favorite places to visit is the provincial park a short block from my home. It's grand to go for a walk in it, see...
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Maybe travel advice of the very concrete sort then, hotels, trains, etc. is the most satisfying for all concerned. A suggestion to slow down just may not compute, something for each of us to discover on our own. So PHeymont may be preaching to the choir...may he continue.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Good advice is good advice. People can accept it or ignore it. I'm all for freedom of choice. But sometimes an alternative needs to be presented in a clear way, as PHeymont has nicely done in this piece.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I don't disagree. Just pointing out the nature of human beings and, like world peace, we can wish for it while not actually expecting everyone to join in. But lessons are learned from war too and how would we feel about every tourist in town flocking to OUR park.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I've mentioned in other pages that I love wide open spaces - like the State Delaware Park - but the designer of New York Central Park rung a Bell with me. Frederick Olmsted came to Liverpool to check out the "Peoples Garden" and he wrote in 1850 : "Five minutes of admiration, and a few more spent studying the manner in which art had been employed to obtain from nature so much beauty, and I was ready to admit that in democratic America there was nothing to be thought of as comparable with...
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
It is clear that the "dumb" animals always seem to know the best places to hang out. We can never have enough parks. Nice to read that Frederick Olmsted also knew a good park when he saw one. Thanks for that info GarryRF
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Garry's note about Olmsted's travels (and he was quite a traveler) set me off on a quick look to find the park he was referring to (which I didn't; apparently "people's garden" was a description rather than a name?) and found that Liverpool has more parks and especially top-class parks than any British city besides London. The article also mentioned that for reasons of health—and keeping social unrest down—the city commissioners set out on a park-building spree starting about 1833. Many...
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Another Park from the 1850s. People would escape Liverpool for the day and travel north to Hesketh Park. 20 minutes on the train. This is taken in Mid-Winter.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Originally Posted by Grouchy Gumbo: The last pic is of my cousin Priscilla, who lives in Prospect Park. I see that you gave her a little gnosh. Not that she needs it. She seems to be putting on a little extra "winter coat" this year. She has a fine home. I would really like to visit the park sometime. Grouchy, I'm curious how a squirrel manages long distance travel to visit relatives. Maybe you can enlighten us mere mortals.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Oct. 19, 2014: Creating an Urban Jungle
That's Art ! Something everyone can see - every day. Get art out of the dusty confines of a gallery and do it BIG That'll get the younger generation interested. Love it !!
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Re: Gallery: Hapuna Beach Prince Resort, Hawaii
Some resorts have a rule that the tree line is the maximum building height. Blends in with the local landscape much better. Looks like this hotel was built to fit the local landscape. With the gardens it looks wonderful.
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Re: Eiffel Tower: Tech at the Top Isn't New (Where Gumbo Was #58)
Sometimes it's the things we see the most that we miss when they are "out of context" or are the least part of it. In this case, I think that looking at the tower, you're likely to notice the height, the gentle curves, the open spaces...but not the cluster at the top. I had certainly never looked at it before I took that picture, which was an extreme telephoto grab as we threaded our way through the crowd on our way to dinner. I showed it to my wife, and she said "I know what you're going to...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Aug. 17, 2014: Manhattan Distortion
Looks almost like a reflection in a pool of water.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, May 18, 2014: Lower Manhattan's New Skyline
It is truly a remarkable and unique skyline. I think Gehry's new building is brilliant. While some of his other buildings seem a little precious, I tend to enjoy his style. But this one's a stand out.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, May 18, 2014: Lower Manhattan's New Skyline
I've said it here before and I'll say it again, I love Gehry's buildings. Whether one is a fan of all of them, or not, it's an amazing thing to perceive such seemingly static materials used in such a visually malleable way. Almost reverting to a tribal sensibility when fabric was the stuff of shelter, the most exciting tent wins. I'm surprised more of his influence hasn't been expressed by others. Or in domestic architecture. Maybe some day. Or maybe they have and I just haven't seen them...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, May 18, 2014: Lower Manhattan's New Skyline
You may have noticed that NYC has 2 areas of very tall buildings - The Battery/Financial District and Midtown, separated by an large area where building height is limited. This was not just due to zoning. The reason is geological. The bedrock is very close to the surface in Midtown and Battery so there is support for very tall buildings. However, From 34th street down to Canal the bedrock is much deeper and the ground is more sandy/gravely, so it was unsafe to build tall buildings in area.
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Re: Manhattan from the Other Shore
excellent article and collection of pictures, PH. The Manhattan skyline is always fascinating to look at and the history of it is equally interesting
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Memphis, Tennessee 2) The King's chariots
Elvis loved cars and mechanical toys of all types, including motorcycles and airplanes. He had the money to indulge his passions, and you can see many of his favorites right across the street from Graceland . The Elvis...
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The Sunshine Skyway Bridge – The Creepy and the Miraculous
If you follow Interstate 275 south through the city of St. Petersburg, Florida until you run out of land, you’ll be greeted by a gentle slope of road that seemingly rises from the waters of the Tampa Bay. This...
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Erasmus Hall, Brooklyn, NY: Where Gumbo Was (#81)
As my fellow New Yorker Jonathan L recognized right away, Gumbo was at Erasmus Hall High School, the oldest public school in New York, and certainly one of the most beautiful. The exterior seen in the puzzle picture, in "Collegiate...
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Saguenay Fjord — Deep and Long but not very Tall
I’d heard as a schoolboy that the Saguenay Fjord was one of the longest in the world. Years later someone told me the area around Tadoussac was pretty, sparsely developed and inviting. Given a spare day or...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Nov 6, 2013: The Brooklyn Museum...and Neighbors
Here’s the Brooklyn Museum, in a night view that has the dramatic lighting of a linen-era postcard. The museum is a world-class collection that doesn't get noticed as much as it should because it lives in the shadow of Manhattan’s...
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Lisbon: Cheap, but Steep!
That’s my short take on Lisbon after two weeks there last summer. A variety of economic factors, not all connected with the Euro crisis of the past few years, have made Portugal incredibly cheap for foreign travelers—but you have to be...
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Under the Cirio Tree
One of the strangest plants I have ever seen is the Cirio Tree. It is a bizarre tree found mostly in the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. A few also grow in mainland Mexico and in Arizona. It is also known as the Boojum...
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Visiting Western Greenland. Part II – Western Greenland on Foot!
Part I covered three Greenlandic towns I have visited but my real passion is being out in West Greenland’s wilderness. So this part is about what it has to offer those willing to get out there on foot and under canvas! I...
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Skyscraper hotel planned for Swiss valley
A 100-suite luxury hotel, the same height as the Empire State Building, is planned for a tiny Swiss town of only 1000 residents. Room rates would run from just under $1000 a night to nearly $25,000 a night. It's aimed at (VERY) wealthy guests from the...
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A Road Trip Gallery: Jane's Garden
March 9-10, 2015. I stayed at Jane’s comfortable cottage, a short walk from the western edge of North America, for the first 2 nights of my birthday road trip. Her modest home, of indeterminate vintage, has a deceptively...
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NYC&Co: We bring you tourists, we'll show you how to serve them
Taking a step beyond just beefing up the number of tourists arriving, New York City's tourism promotion agency, NYC&Co. has developed a program to help businesses and attractions in all five boroughs be ready for the numbers. And they are impressive numbers. Last year 56.4 million visitors came to New York; the city is pushing to hit 67 million by 2021. The new program, called "Tourism Ready" builds on Brooklyn's success in branding and marketing itself; experts including former...