Older and Colder (Selected Photos from My Trip, Some of Which Are Gardening-related)

I went to Boston and NYC to see friends for my birthday. Here is Boston from the plane.


It was colder than I expected. It was mostly windy as all-get-out and varying degrees of rainy on more than a few of the days.

But there were some truly beautiful moments, like this one at twilight by the wharf section (or whatever it is called) of Boston. The big red and white boat was a Puma boat about to compete in some round-the-world race. Apparently Salma Hayek had broken the champagne bottle over the bow a day or two before.


Luckily, I hit the Boston Commons on a beautiful day.


There were some great signs. Note the creepy "Big Brother is watching you" eye logo in the corner.


I enjoyed Big City Arts & Culture, like the Museum of Fine Arts.


This is one of my most favorite paintings in the whole world. It's called "Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?" and it's by Paul Gauguin. It's around twelve feet long by four feet tall -- enormous. And beautiful.


Also went to the Boston Aquarium (I love aquariums). I know jellyfish are bad for the ecosystem and people and stuff, but they shore are lovely.


And I love public transportation.


There were a ton of bulbs in bloom, including tulips. These won't grow in Florida -- not cold enough -- so I enjoyed seeing them sway in the wind.


Then I went to New Yawk. I stayed with my friend Joel in Brooklyn, where there are a lot of trees (in certain places).


Brooklyn also has a few community gardens, part of a city-wide Parks & Recreation program called Green Thumb.


In Manhattan, green spaces (except for Central Park) are harder to find. This tiny plot in SoHo (or somewhere nearby ... geography isn't my strong suit) had a sign reminding people that trash attracts rats. Speaking of rats, I had one run over my foot in Penn Station. It was pretty big.


Here's another public garden, this one in the East Village. I thought this structure was really cool, but Joel said it's going to get torn down soon.


In Joel's neighborhood, Park Slope, there seemed to be a competition for who could create the cutest garden in the tiny plots in front of brownstones. This one had a cool garden sculpture.


In Williamsburg, one street randomly had some sod just, oh, laid out on the sidewalk under some containers made of old tires.


In New York I continued to enjoy more Big City Arts & Culture, like the Museum of Modern Art, which had a free night that was (as might be expected) an absolute zoo.


Sometimes I prefer street art to museums.


A street fair in Brooklyn was fun.


There were cool old bikes and cars.


Throughout my visit, we ate delicious food in restaurants with beautiful decor.


I walked around a lot. This is Gowanus Canal, which is supposed to be one of the most polluted water bodies in the country. It smelled sort of like a public toilet.


There are great views of the city from certain parts of Brooklyn. As you might be able to tell from this photo, it was raining sideways, and it was in the forties plus wind chill. The umbrella I had didn't work. I probably walked about ten miles that day.


Of course, the World Trade Center is missing from the skyline. I went to Ground Zero to pay my respects and check out construction. There were cops everywhere, just standing around and looking for suspicious activity.


I also visited Wall Street at rush hour to pick up Joel. Everyone looked beaten down. Once again I am grateful for my job!


All in all, an awesome trip and a wonderful birthday. Thanks, Keith, Amy, and Joel!

P.S. It's good to be back in the warm, sweaty bosom of the South.