New York, New York... It's a Wonderful Town

We stayed on Wall Street for the weekend. TBG spent hours pointing out where this used to be and where that once was, while I became fascinated with the details.

This was the view outside our window.  Our hotel,  Andaz Wall Street, is the height of NY minimalist design. There was nothing extraneous.  There were no frou-frous. It was glorious. 

The City, though, is filled with geegaws.

There are random faces and swirling columns going no place, and if the bus hadn't stopped right in front of the doorway I'd have been able to show you the extensions of the window treatments you see in the center curved lower window. 

It was outstanding.

Sam's Felafel had the longest line of any of the food trucks on the park.  Sitting on a bench, surrounded by tourists and a serious police presence,

 I wondered if the architect imagined shorts and sandals striding in front of his decor.  The buildings seemed to call for bustles and parasols and horse drawn carriages.

Freedom Towers are going up on the site of the World Trade Centers.

I love the fact that they are reflective, bouncing back the energy and the reality and reinforcing the notion that you can knock us down but we're coming back twice as good as we were before.

The construction process is fascinating

and very patriotic.

And the buildings will be beautiful.

This was all we saw of Occupy Wall Street.

New Yorkers tell us that the police stand shoulder to shoulder around the outskirts of Zucotti Park each night, keeping the Occupiers out.

Possibly the coolest address in The City - #1 Broadway.

Right at the edge of Battery Park, in view of the Statue of Liberty, I had to giggle when I saw the sign.  The owner obviously knew what he had.

We went up to the Museum of Modern Art and saw self- portraits

and old favorites

and wondered just what this FIGURE is doing....

driving a car?

easing an aching back?

sitting in the dentist's chair?

As you can see, TBG was enthralled.

This was my favorite...

I felt as though I was in the apartment on the other side of the alleyway, peeping into the lives of strangers.

It seemed apt, feeling that way in this busy overcrowded city...

where strangers let you photograph their children drinking in the culture.

I couldn't live there, but I certainly do like to visit.