Wooster Square Daily Photo

So Long, Wooster Square

2011-09-15T07:21:00.000-04:00

I've been lax in posting because of starting my new position and getting ready to move to the parsonage. I've loved living in New Haven and I am quite sad to leave. Perhaps I'll be able to return some day. This is a shot from the Green of several of the buildings downtown.

I'm moving to Wilton, Connecticut which is a lovely suburban community in lower Fairfield County. I'm thinking that after I'm settled I'll begin a Wilton Daily Photo for you all to see Wilton. It's a town with lots of colonial history, Weir Farm, and artists community, farms and lots of open space.

Until we meet again!

No Sunday Services..

2011-08-31T05:52:00.000-04:00

I found this sign at the side door of St. Paul and St. James on the corner of Chapel Street and Olive Street in Wooster Square. Most churches, as was mine, canceled services on Sunday for the lady of the waterway, Irene.

Party Time

2011-08-30T05:49:00.000-04:00

These lanterns outline an outdoor patio for 'The Jokers Wild' Comedy Club in Wooster Square.

A Fresh Opportunity

2011-08-29T05:48:00.000-04:00

In between the leaves of the fallen tree I saw a fresh opportunity for the very tame squirrels of Wooster Square. Lots of acorns on the ground also.

Irene!

2011-08-28T17:41:00.000-04:00

The center of Hurricane Irene hit the Connecticut coast about 8 am this morning. The winds were pretty boisterous at around 70 miles per hour. Lots of coastal flooding and downed trees. I didn't lose power nor did my neighborhood but apparently around 700,000 folks are without in CT. Wooster Square park lost a lot of limbs from the trees and one that couldn't withstand the gusts of wind.

I hope that Jack from Hartford Daily Photo and Bruce from The Quiet Corner of Connecticut are ok.

Lighthouse Point Park

2011-08-27T10:38:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday afternoon some kids were having fun under the big sprinklers at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven. It's a great park with a carousel, sandy beaches, views of New Haven Harbor and Long Island Sound and of course, a lighthouse.

A Few Days Off....

2011-08-23T05:58:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone! I'm taking a few days off because I just started a new position as Interim Senior Pastor at Wilton Congregational Church. I'll be back with updates for Wooster Square.

Milo the Therapy Dog

2011-08-19T17:51:00.001-04:00

Everyone should be so lucky to live with a furry therapist. This is Milo, I've shown him before but today is special. He received his special Pet Therapy vest from Bridgeport Hospital today. So proud and ready to go.

Hibiscus

2011-08-18T05:18:00.002-04:00

These photos don't quite show the beauty of this perennial favorite of mine. The blooms are so large and catch my every time I see one. They are in bloom right now all over the neighborhood.

Heirlooms

2011-08-17T06:31:00.001-04:00

From last week's City Seed Farmer's Market in Wooster Square.

Well OK then....

2011-08-16T14:17:00.000-04:00

Somehow I lost a day and didn't post yesterday. Oh well. Here's an interesting political ad. I don't know who the car belonged to but they had something to say. The sign on the top of the car says, "Democrats=Medicare, Social Security, etc. etc. Republicans=nothing but BS like vouchers, etc."
Maybe it's all in the etc.

Still the Carnival in Guilford

2011-08-14T20:28:00.000-04:00

This ride is called Pirat. Hence the Pirate ship swinging like a pendulum in the night air. Looks like it could be fun if you're 13 or say, 15 years old.

The next two are a little out of focus but I LOVE the look of the three girls in the back row on the following shot.

Carnival in Guilford - the Cliff Hanger

2011-08-13T14:34:00.000-04:00

So you have to get in one of these green contraptions and lay flat on your stomach as they whisk you up into the air and go round and round. There is a reason why carnival rides are best suited for the young.

Carnival in Guilford

2011-08-12T18:22:00.002-04:00

This ride was called SCAT. I liked it the best because of the colors! Over the next few days I'll post more rides. It was a beautiful night for a carnival and the moon was almost full.

The Gazing Ball

2011-08-11T16:39:00.000-04:00

Self portrait at the Mercy Center in Madison, Connecticut.

One Clawfoot on Another

2011-08-10T07:21:00.004-04:00

I'm cat sitting for friends this week outside of New Haven. This is Cougar, one of three Maine Coon cats who are as sweet as can be. As you can see, Maine Coon's are very large cats. Cougar is especially playful and enticing.

Alderwoman Luisa DeLauro

2011-08-09T08:39:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday there was a big event for Wooster Square's former beloved Alderwoman Luisa DeLauro. Rosa today is 97 years old and served the neighborhood for 35 years where she still lives today. The corner of Chapel and Academy Streets was named 'Alderwoman Luisa DeLauro Corner' in her honor. It brought the neighborhood out and many of the political figures from the area including Luisa's daughter Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro,Third District.

Pirelli Building

2011-08-09T06:09:00.004-04:00

Several years ago IKEA came to New Haven and bought land on Long Wharf. Part of the land included the Pirelli building. Below is text from an article in 2002 about the transaction and the architect, Marcel Breuer.

"Commissioned as headquarters for the Armstrong Rubber Co. in the late 1960s, the building was part of the New Haven Redevelopment Agency's Long Wharf Project, a major component of New Haven's Model City Program. Then-Mayor Richard C. Lee followed Yale University's lead in hiring prominent architects to design new buildings.

According to Robert F. Gatje, a partner of Breuer's who was co-architect for the Armstrong project, Lee rejected company chairman Joseph Stewart's original plan for a modest two-story building and recommended Breuer.

What made the building significant then - and now - is a "combination of its unique design and location, which is one of the busiest points on I-95," DeStefano says. "Hundreds of thousands of people see that building every day and it sort of defines the image of the city."

Breuer had exactly those thoughts in mind when he created a building in which the executive office space was situated over a two-story void separating the three-story base from a four-story tower. Using cantilever trusses, the tower is suspended from above.

"This building is kind of a weird thing to see, a box with a space in the middle, but in terms of the site it's appropriate," says Yale architectural historian Vincent Scully. "Everything about it says, 'I am not just a building; I am a piece of sculpture.' That kind of architecture was riding high at the time."

The exterior of the Pirelli building is covered with buff-colored and etched pre-cast concrete panels, an element Breuer used in other buildings.

Another unusual feature is a separate structure containing the building sign. This was conceived, Gatje says, because of Breuer's refusal to allow Armstrong to put the sign on the building. Because a city ordinance prohibited free-standing signs, Breuer designed a structure with a small room in which "to put the garden tools."

During a recent visit to the building, when local artists displayed their work for the public the last weekend in October, Alliance member Peter Swanson pointed out its four stairwells are constructed of the same type of material - half bush-hammered concrete and granite - as those in the Whitney Museum. Two of the stairwells in the rear of the building are currently slated for demolition.

Born in Hungary in 1902, Breuer studied and taught at Germany's famed Bauhaus School, where he specialized in furniture design and created his much-imitated continuous bent steel tube cantilever chair.

Breuer came to the U.S. the late 1930s to teach at Harvard at the invitation of former Bauhaus leader Walter Gropius, with whom Breuer later worked. He lived in New Canaan from the late 1940s until his death in 1981.

Coincidentally, Smith acknowledges that IKEA's Scandinavian furniture was "very influenced" by the Bauhaus School in the 1950s, and that its furniture still shows elements of the style.

In 1988 Italy's Pirelli Tire company acquired Armstrong Rubber for $197 million and took over the Long Wharf site as its base of U.S, operations. But within a few years the company relocated its American headquarters, leaving Breuer's once-proud building empty.

Several years later, mall developers began an unsuccessful attempt to make use of the now-dormant property. Their plan, according to Karyn Gilvarg, executive director of the City Plan Department, was to preserve the Pirelli building for office space.

Preservationists concerned about the building's fate, however, moved quickly to secure it a place on the state Registry of Historic Buildings in 1997. The designation is no guarantee of staving off the wrecking ball, but may deter developers or encourage them to incorporate an existing structure into their plans.

Ikea submitted its first formal request for rezoning to accommodate a new retail facility in September. Heeding the mayor's advice, the paperwork showed the company would not disturb the front part of the Pirelli building, but would raze the first two floors, leaving only the tower's bare stilts."

The above quote came from
http://www.conntact.com/archive_index/archive_pages/3872_Business_New_Haven.html
Photos are mine!

Long Wharf

2011-08-08T06:02:00.000-04:00

Heading toward the Long Wharf Nature Preserve.

Low Tide

2011-08-07T06:30:00.000-04:00

New Haven Harbor!

Check out today's sermon, Fear and Faith at An Itinerant Preacher, my other blog.

New Haven Harbor

2011-08-06T05:56:00.001-04:00

Walk Along Long Wharf

2011-08-05T05:52:00.001-04:00

Early morning walk on Long Wharf at New Haven Harbor.

Sunrise at New Haven Harbor

2011-08-04T09:52:00.000-04:00

Monk Parrots

2011-08-03T09:36:00.001-04:00

This morning I took a walk down through the Long Wharf Nature Preserve by New Haven Harbor. I heard the unmistakable chatter of Monk Parrots, they are LOUD. I looked up and they were in the tree. When they heard noise they took off quickly.

Last photo is a cropped and enlarged version of the first. Bawk, bawk!

Monarch

2011-08-01T19:48:00.000-04:00

The butterfly drifted by this butterfly bush just at the right time. I was in Manchester Connecticut visiting a friend. It was a beautiful day.

Lenzi Park

2011-07-31T19:22:00.000-04:00

There is another lesser travelled park in Wooster Square named Lenzi Park. PFC Lenzi died on Iwo Jima in 1945. You can see that the large mural was painted by Tony Falcone and friends. It's an ok park for dog walking.

Check out www.anitinerantpreacher.blogspot.com for my sermon from earlier this morning.

Chain Link

2011-07-30T07:48:00.000-04:00

That is some lock mechanism.

Urban Garden III

2011-07-29T08:30:00.000-04:00

A little worse for wear.

Urban Garden II

2011-07-28T07:24:00.000-04:00

One lone stalk bearing one lone fruit.

The Cherry Tomato

Urban Garden I

2011-07-27T09:05:00.000-04:00

Behind the house is a parking lot which is edged by garages and brick walls to other apartment buildings. I take Milo out back sometimes to do his 'business' later on in the evening. Well one night I went out and the dirt had been turned over so I steered Milo away from the area. Low and behold in a few weeks a garden appeared. No doubt a verdant one thanks to his contributions to mother earth. Let's see what the garden yields. It was planted a little late in the season.

Sunset

2011-07-26T06:43:00.001-04:00

Also taken from the Green like yesterday's post is a shot of the Well Fargo Bank building in the center and the Eli, a fancy apartment building on the left.

The Green

2011-07-25T09:42:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago there was a free concert given by the New Haven Symphony Orchestra on the Green in downtown New Haven. Most of the photo's I took are unremarkable but I thought this was an interesting juxtaposition with the straw hat and the sitting woman.

Saint Mary Magdalen Society Processional

2011-07-24T13:50:00.050-04:00

Today as I was opening the door to take the Divine Mr. M out for a walk I heard drums. I looked to my left and turning the corner of my street was the Society of St. Mary Magdalen annual processional. I ran back into the house leaving the DMM out on the porch barking his head off. Here we go...

The woman in the black shirt and grey skirt is our House Representative Rosa DeLauro. She grew up in the Wooster Square neighborhood. She's a fine Congresswoman.

What's a processional without it's patron saint?

It was quite an unexpected surprise and when a man saw me taking photos he ran over and gave me a card that contained the following prayer: We greet and venerate you, oh mirror of repentants. Advocate of sinners, Maria Madalena, for which at a public banquet in the house of Simon the Pharisee, you threw yourself at Christ's feet and with the strength of your contrition in your heart melting into tears, with which you washed His feet, drying them with your hair, ask for us, for mercy's sake, the same tears, equal contrition, and obtain for us from your beloved Jesus, the total remission of our sins.

Below are photos of the outside of the SMMS house on Wooster Street.

You might want to have a look at Padre Micky's Dance Party. He'll tell you all about the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalen which is today!

And not to forget, today is the 100th Anniversary of Hiram Bingham's discovery of Machu Picchu. He was connected with Yale University here in New Haven.

The Mail Boat

2011-07-23T21:44:00.000-04:00

For the first time in decades the Walworth mail boat stopped at Pier 360 - Norman B. Barr Camp! All thanks to Ryan, my cousin's grandson, who wondered why the boat didn't stop anymore. They worked hard and now the boat 'drives' by and mail is delivered right to the pier. Below you see the boat coming.

The young man hanging off of the left side of the boat is getting ready to jump off of the boat, deliver mail, and then jump back on again. The trick is...the boat doesn't stop but does a close drive by the pier.

Ryan, of course, gets to pick up the first delivery of mail.

Lo and behold it was a letter for him and his sister Abbey! Yea....the mail boat has returned.

Norman B. Barr Camp, Geneva Lake, Williams Bay, Wisconsin

2011-07-21T13:18:00.000-04:00

This is down at the waterfront at Norman B. Barr Camp. The camp celebrated it's 100th anniversary in 2009! It was founded by Rev. Norman B. Barr, pastor of then Olivet Church in Chicago. The mission of the camp was, and still is, to provide a place for underpriviledged children to have a summer lake experience.

The pavilion by the lake.

From their website, "Over the years, the mission of NBBC became focused on the children’s programs as help for working women became less of an issue. A new children’s dormitory was built and later, new showers were added just for the children. Summer programs with a Christian theme continue to be offered and counselors are carefully selected. Religious services (Sunday services, Sunday school and weekly vespers) have been a tradition since Olivet Camp opened. Meanwhile, cottagers spend countless hours maintaining and improving the camp facilities and grounds. Several new structures have been added while others undergo repairs each year.

As a result of the dedication and effort of the volunteers over one hundred years, NBBC remains a vibrant and living memory of Rev. Norman B. Barr and his selfless mission in life devoted to the less fortunate, particularly children. An estimated 14,000 children have camped at NBBC since Rev. Barr established the camp in 1909. As he is quoted, “All the heaven and earth is right here. This camp should go on forever.”

I just spent a wonderful week with cousins at the camp. Their father started coming when he was 3 months old and passed away three years ago at the age of 97.

On Holiday

2011-07-14T08:29:00.001-04:00

I'll be back next week. I'm at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin at a cousins reunion this week. Shalom

Kentucky Coffeetree

2011-07-13T08:28:00.000-04:00

These are seed pods from a Gymnocladus Dioicus or commonly known as a Kentucky Coffeetree. At least that's what I've identified it as according to the beloved Internet. There is one that grows pretty centrally in Wooster Square. I don't have a photo of the tree but picked up pods from the ground while out walking Milo. I love the colors and they are the subjects of my botanical watercolor. Stay tuned.

On the way into New York City

2011-07-12T05:40:00.000-04:00

All photos have been taken through a dirty train window. Leaving from New Haven on the Express you hit every stop practically until Stamford, then it is express until 125th Street - Harlem.

The Train Yards at Union Station

2011-07-11T06:00:00.005-04:00

So we're out of the tunnel from yesterday's post and on the platform viewing one of the Metro North Commuter Rail trains and the train yards. Metro North is our communter line into New York City and Grand Central Station. It takes about 1.5 hours to get into Grand Central. From there you then have to get to wherever your final destination is. I dunno - you'd have to pay me a pretty penny to be a commuter from New Haven.

The Tunnel at Union Station

2011-07-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

This tunnel connects the beautiful old train station terminal to the train tracks all underground. It's a little eery and unique perspective. That's New Haven for you.

Union Station

2011-07-09T06:00:00.003-04:00

The next few days I'm going to show you Union Station in New Haven. This photo was taken at dawn when I had to get the train to New York City. New Haven is about 1.5 hour train ride into the Big Apple. It's a grand building that seems to have been refurbished with high ornate ceilings and these wonderful windows. The building was desinged by Cass Gilbert in 1920 who also designed the Woolworth building.

Just One More Dusk Photo

2011-07-08T08:03:00.000-04:00

I've been working on some night photography which is why the last few entries have been in the dark! I've still got a lot of learning to do.

Beautiful Sky

2011-07-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

Wooster Square at Dusk

2011-07-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hostas in Bloom

2011-07-05T06:00:00.001-04:00

These hostas are in full bloom right now here. They are towering over one of the many wrought iron fenches in the square. A couple of years ago I posted three entries called, Don't Fence Me In or Out that featured the fenches. You can click back to some of my first posts to view.

Happy Fourth!

2011-07-04T08:42:00.000-04:00

It was a breezeless night last night so Old Glory hung very still. It's located on the property of the old Italian Consulate in Wooster Square. Now it is one of the few, if only, private not turned into condos, home.

Sock it to me

2011-07-03T20:17:00.000-04:00

I know, low. Low of me to shoot a photo outside of my apartment window through a screen but laundry fascinates me. This was a load of grey socks that my neighbors did, 18 pairs in all. Sometimes they feature sheets, sometimes undies and sometimes random shirts. Whatever, I love to see laundry hanging out to dry. Reminds me of home.

Hughes Place

2011-07-02T19:50:00.000-04:00

I've shown Hughes Place throughout the seasons. Remember her dressed in her Cherry Blossom pink? Well now the trees are in their luscious green season. I don't take part in the City Daily Photo monthly theme, which this month is green. But here's my tribute anyway.

St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church

2011-06-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

I've featured St. Michael's before but this night was so spectacular with lighting. The church sits near the corner of Greene Street and Wooster Place in Wooster Square.

St. Andrew's Feast

2011-06-29T20:51:00.000-04:00

Just a little more of the Feast. It's very small, just a large alleyway but filled with all sorts of Italian yummies and music.

Feast of Saint Andrew, Wooster Square

2011-06-28T09:28:00.002-04:00

Over the next few days some photos of the Feast of St. Andrew in Wooster Square. The Societa di Sant Andrea Apostolo. Began one hundred years ago by immigrants from Amalfi, Italy the Society named itself after the patron Saint of Amalfi, Andrew.

Music, Warfare and the Soldier's Story

2011-06-28T05:53:00.000-04:00

This was an 'idea' at the Int'l Festival of Arts and Ideas. It's a panel discussion between (left to right) David T. Little, composer of Soldier Songs, a performance about the life of a soldier, Arthur Bloom, creator of Musicorps at Walter Reed Army Medical Center that rehabilitates injured soldiers through music, and Moe Armstrong, a decorated combat vet who helped to start Vet to Vet an educational approach to peer support. ALL extremely good with significant contributions. Moderator was John Schaefer, host of WNYC's Soundcheck.

Smokebomb Mondays

2011-06-27T05:44:00.001-04:00

Again at the International Festival of Arts and Ideas...On the main stage live at 4:45 pm Smokebomb Mondays. They are a terrific ska band who brought their own dance troupe (I use that term lightly).

They were really very good!

International Festival of Arts & Ideas

2011-06-26T17:44:00.000-04:00

Every June for two weeks New Haven is a beehive of activity with the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. There are offerings each day of music, dance, theater, and engaging lectures. I didn't get to to many but this is the Classical Contemporary Ballet Theatre.

To keep up to date with the festival go to www.artidea.org.

Back home again

2011-06-25T22:42:00.000-04:00

Well I think that I've exhausted the photos of San Francisco and we're now back in Wooster Square in New Haven. This is the overhead street sign heading down Wooster Street.

It's a beautiful summer's night here in CT.

The Orpheum Theater in San Francisco

2011-06-25T08:48:00.001-04:00

Local Offerings for Sale

2011-06-24T06:41:00.002-04:00

Beautiful Color

2011-06-23T06:36:00.001-04:00

The Buddha Exquisite Corp #756

Local Folk in Chinatown San Francisco

2011-06-22T06:14:00.001-04:00

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory

2011-06-21T09:13:00.000-04:00

We entered Chinatown searching high and low for the famed Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory to seek our fortunes. Down a tiny little alley, Ross Alley we finally found it. Not exactly what we were looking for but I suppose your fortune is never quite in the place where you suppose it will be.

The factory was a narrow corridor of a thing with three fortune cookie folders working very busily stuffing fortunes into round disks that they then would fold very quickly. For FIFTY cents we were allowed to take photos. We were all over that bargain.

We bought a bag of cookies and took our leave. They were the freshest fortune cookies I've ever eaten. My fortune...well...let's hope it comes true!

PS I will get back to showing photos of New Haven and Wooster Square eventually.

Golden Gate Bridge

2011-06-17T05:20:00.000-04:00

Sausalito

2011-06-16T06:06:00.001-04:00

North of San Francisco is the wonderful city of Sausalito. It was overcast and misty but that didn't stop lots of tourists. This man's art was balancing rocks, pebbles and stones.

This fountain was in the center of town and just as happy as can be. I would be too if I raked in the money that it does from the tourists. Not that I'm complaining, just sayin'. It is a very romantic place however.

OKKKKKK

2011-06-15T15:04:00.002-04:00

I give! Does anyone know why on some blogs you can get in to comment through Google Account and on some you can't? I'm having one heck of a time.

Muir Woods

2011-06-15T06:56:00.001-04:00

"Muir Woods National Monument is a remnant of ancient coast redwood forests that blanketed many northern California coastal valleys before the 1800's. Local businessman William Kent bought land in this valley in 1905 to protect one of the last stands of uncut redwoods. To ensure permanent protection, they donated 295 aces of redwoods to the federal government. At Kent's request, it was named for the conservationist John Muir." - from US Dept of the Interior National Park Service brochure.

San Quentin

2011-06-14T06:00:00.001-04:00

This is a drive by photo taken from the car. We're on the Richmond-San Raphael Bridge on our way to Muir Woods. Here's San Quentin State Prison with Mount Tamalpais or Mt. Tam in the background.

The Mission

2011-06-13T06:00:00.011-04:00

The Mission is another neighborhoods in San Francisco. It's named after the 6th Alta California mission, Mission San Francisco de Asis. It's quite a neighborhood with all different sorts of people. It's most known for their murals which are very impressive. They've even got their own website SF Mission.

By now it was pretty late in the day and remember, this was my first day in San Francisco. I'd say we covered a lot of ground.

I needed this....

2011-06-12T06:00:00.002-04:00

After our drive down Lombard Street, the crookedest street and the traversing some of the hilliest streets of San Francisco I needed to stop in for a High Tide Cocktail. But no dice, Carrie moved us on to the Mission District, tomorrow's entry.

Lombard Street

2011-06-11T06:00:00.001-04:00

San Francisco's crookedest street is Lombard Street. It's pretty crooked, intentionally so that people are killed going down it! It's lined with beautiful Victorian Homes.

What I love about Carrie is that she is as adventurous as me, maybe even more so because she suggested we drive down Lombard Street. She's photographing Lombard Street from across town. You can see the zig zag of Lombard in between the two clumps of trees. I also love Carrie because she loves my son!

This is the view behind us. You can see Coit Tower in the distance.

And the view of Lombard Street ahead of us.

After we waited in line it was our turn to head on down. Really, I can't imagine living on Lombard Street no matter how elegant and ritzy they are. The traffic is constant.

We made it just fine, she has good brakes.

Where Little Cable Cars

2011-06-10T08:38:00.000-04:00

Climb halfway to the stars

Nobody sings "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" better than Tony Bennett. Click the link to hear a wonderfully, syruppy, albeit cheesy rendition. I love the hula girls!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryF9p-nqsWw

Coit Tower

2011-06-04T19:03:00.000-04:00

Here we are now, still the first day, up on Telegraph Hill visiting Coit Tower. The tower was constructed in 1933, a commission by Lillie Hitchock Coit. Lillie was apparently rather eccentric in her ways smoking cigars and all. She also had a life long obsession with firefighting and she herself was a volunteer firefighter. Coit Tower, named after Lillie was commissioned in honor of the firefighters of the San Francisco Bay Area.

It is said that the tower resembles the nozzle of a fire hose but that has been refuted. Some urban legend I suppose. The plaza outside of the tower holds some magnificent views of San Fran.

Once inside of the tower, before you ascend to the top, there are extraordinary murals that tell the history of the area. The murals were part of the Public Works of Art act which gave jobs to area artists during the Great Depression. Very cool.

Once on top though you have a 360 degree view of San Francisco. Below is the Transamerica Building.

Here's Alcatraz Island, no longer functional as a prison.

Lovers inside of the Coit Tower observation deck.

Another view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Painted Ladies

2011-06-02T05:46:00.000-04:00

Along Steiner Street, across from Alamo Square (where the shoe garden was growing yesterday) is a row of Victorian Houses called The Painted Ladies. Painted Ladies get their name because they have been painted three or more colors on the exterior and architectural details. There are over 14,000 painted ladies in the city of San Francisco. This is probaly the most famous shot of the ladies because they are contrasted against the modern city skyline.

If this looks familiar to you at all it's because they were featured in during the opening music of the old sitcom, "Full House". It's also said that the author Alice Walker living in the Painted Ladies up until the 1990's.

If the Shoe Doesn't Fit

2011-06-01T10:23:00.000-04:00

Plant it!

If you can believe it Carrie and I are still out and about, still my first full day in San Francisco. We packed in a lot that day. One of the gardens in bloom was the random shoe garden that we visited. Below are all varieties of shoes and plants.

A sturdy shoe for a jade plant, just what I would have chosen.

This can only be from the late 60's early 70's. No wonder the plants died. RIP. Tomorrow check back to see the Painted Ladies

The Love of Ganesha on Haight Street

2011-05-31T13:36:00.000-04:00

Still in the Haight neighborhood in San Francisco. This was a colorful store to go into, so many items for sale and there was even a side altar room dedicated only to Ganesha. No photos were allowed there...darn...me being the religious type and all.

So many bangles and elephants I thought that I was in India.

The Haight

2011-05-30T18:38:00.000-04:00

Maybe you are not old enough to remember Haight Ashbury in San Francisco and the scene that it was in the 60's. Maybe you are and just don't remember them. Either way you can still visit the Haight and get a sense of the now upscale hippiness that it still offers. Vintage clothing stores, Ben and Jerrys Ice Cream, music shops, Himalayan stores, you name it. I was there in 1968 (with my mother - OI) to visit. I was 15, a prime age for exploring.

There are still lots of Victorian houses painted in lively colors. And now for a little time travel. Here's the corner of Haight Street and Ashbury Street in 1968.

That's me on the left with the stripped dress on. I was buying a copy of the 'Haight Ashbury Tribune'

from a real hippie.

Lands End

2011-05-29T15:41:00.002-04:00

We drove all the way out from the Golden Gate Park until we hit water. Here we found the 'modern' ruins of Sutro Baths and Point Lobos. Sutro Baths were built in 1896 and were the first public bathhouses in California, They were named after one time mayor Adolph Sutro. In 1966 they burned down while they were being demolished.

This is Carrie posing when we finally got out to the point.

A Floral Interlude

2011-05-28T18:44:00.000-04:00

Public Sculpture Garden - de Young Museum

2011-05-27T17:34:00.001-04:00

Only this one piece of sculpture captured my eye and the lense of my camera.

Corridor Pin, Blue

Claes Oldenburg, Coosje van Bruggen
1999

A View from the Other Side - Hamon Tower

2011-05-26T19:26:00.000-04:00

Still atop Hamon Tower in the deYoung Museum in Golden Gate State Park.

This is looking south onto the Music Concourse.

We were lucky enough to have a local high school band performing in the band shell so we grabbed some Annie's Hot dogs and sat down and rested while we ate.

This is a mother and her child pointing out where she used to live in San Francisco.

Hamon Tower at de Young Museum of Fine Arts

2011-05-24T10:17:00.000-04:00

Hamon Tower is free and open to the public to get a 360 degree view of San Francisco. It was quite extraordinary and the day was sunny and clear. This first photo is one of my son's fiance silhouetted against San Francisco.

Above you can see part of the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance.

And facing downtown, the Transamerica Pyramid in the financial district.

Tomorrow a view from the other side.

de Young Fine Arts Museum at Golden Gate Park

2011-05-23T10:12:00.000-04:00

The next few days I'll be showing some photos taken at the de Young Museum of Fine Arts in San Francisco. We didn't actually go to view the exhibits but went up into Hamon Tower that is open and free to the public. It has fabulous views of the city. Below are some hanging sculptures that played off of the light. I'm sorry to say I did not get the artist's name.

Final Random Shots in the Japanese Tea Garden

2011-05-22T07:04:00.002-04:00

So I realized that I don't have that many photos of the actual plant life in the gardens because I was enamoured with the pagodas, statues and bridges. Here are some final random shots in the Tea Garden.

Buddha says, "The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart."

Beauty Everywhere

2011-05-21T05:35:00.000-04:00

Still inside of the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. This is a beautiful pagoda-ish covering that you walked through to get to another part of the gardens.

And of course the beloved Cherry Blossoms!

Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park

2011-05-20T09:03:00.000-04:00

First we are going to take a stroll for the next few days in the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate State Park. It was a lovely day and we got there first thing in the morning before the crowds. Of course the Cherry Blossoms had already bloomed but the garden didn't lack for beautiful horticulture.

The pagoda that is in my opinion, the jewel of the garden was a Buddhist Shrine moved to the gardens in 1915 after the Panama-Pacific Exposition.

The Japanese Tea Garden was built and planted in Golden Gate Park for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition by Makoto Hagiwara. Over the next few days I'll continue to post photos from the gardens.

Back Again

2011-05-19T19:45:00.000-04:00

This is a 'teaser' photo of the Grand Tetons in Wyoming taken from the window of the airplane on my flight from JKF in New York to the San Francisco Airport. I just returned from a week of visiting and sightseeing with my son and his fiance who live in Oakland. What a grand time we had! Many more photos of the trip will appear over the next week or so. Hope you enjoy!

Standing Guard

2011-05-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

This dog's name is Lightning and he is a trained police dog in New York City. This officer was kind enough to let me photograph them this weekend as they were on watch in the Subway system of New York.

I've chosen this photo to stand guard over my blog until I'm back. I was away for the weekend, hence no photos and I'll be in CA on vacation for a week. See you when I get back with some new and different photos.

The Tiny Gallery

2011-05-06T07:30:00.000-04:00

The Tiny Gallery sits outside the Creative Arts Workshop on Audubon Street in New Haven. It is encased in a plastic opening in a larger column. CAW is a center for education in the visual arts.

What? Huh? How?

2011-05-04T21:41:00.000-04:00

I was walking downtown and saw the grafitti on the top of this building caught my eye. Not sure how this could have happened since that ledge is pretty thin. The other thing that struck me was who would even see the grafitti except for people with their head in the clouds.

Strolling Down Cedar Street

2011-05-03T22:42:00.000-04:00

We are still at Yale New Haven Hospital Campus where York Street and Cedar Street come to a T intersection. On any given day you can dine on whatever type of ethnic food you can possibly crave ala street vendor cart. Middle Eastern, Indo-Chinese, Indian, Ethiopian, Thai, Mexican, good old American Hot Dogs, Vietnamese..what's your pleasure? It was a grey day so not many people were out and the photos are rather drab. But can I tell you that the aroma of the food permeated my sense of smell and taste.

Enjoy yourself now!

Stained Glass Mandala

2011-05-02T22:50:00.000-04:00

There is a cross over on the second floor between the Yale Physicians Building and the Hunter Building also a part of Yale New Haven Hospital. There are some lovely pieces of artwork on display. I'm not sure of the artist...so sorry.

Teach Your Children Well

2011-05-01T21:18:00.002-04:00

I thought this was so cute. It reminded me of mamma, pappa and baby bear.

Yale School of Medicine

2011-04-30T18:48:00.000-04:00

As you can see it was a grey day in New Haven when this 'series' was shot. Everything is just kind of faded out. Founded in 1810 Yale School of Medicine is celebrating over 200 years of medical education. If you want to read more or apply - click here! It's probably a lengthy process but what the hey? What have you got to lose?

Yale New Haven Hospital

2011-04-29T20:24:00.000-04:00

Yale New Haven Hospital is a 966 bed hospital in the heart of New Haven. Opened in 1826 as the General Hospital Society of Connecticut it was the first hospital in Connecticut and the fourth in the Nation. You can read more about the history of YNHH by clicking here. Smilow Cancer Hospital, a part of YNHH was opened in 2009.

All Aboard Says Handsome Dan

2011-04-28T21:15:00.000-04:00

The next few days I'll be posting some photos around Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale Medical School and the Yale University Art Gallery. There are several shuttle buses that transport students, professors and the like to and from the different campuses. Pictured here is Handsome Dan the Yale Mascot. To read about the succession of Handsome Dan's click here. There have been 17 all together since 1889. Read about the first Handsome Dan here. Every time that I see a shuttle in Wooster Square I have to laugh when I see Handsome Dan peering out with all of the intelligentsia aboard.

Saying Goodbye

2011-04-27T17:07:00.000-04:00

We waited a long time for the lovely Cherry Blossoms to appear and they did not disappoint us. But now it is time to say goodbye. Their beauty is fading but we will not forget.

Sayonara sweet Sakura.

The Jesus Tree, Revisited

2011-04-26T18:23:00.001-04:00

You may remember my Good Friday post from April 2010 about the Jesus Tree in Wooster Square. Click here to have a look. Well to our collective dismay, one morning just one week before this year's Cherry Blossom Festival we all were out walking our dogs and the City of New Haven Public Works had cut off the right arm of the Jesus Tree. It's terrible. Really.

Robin in Cherry Trees

2011-04-25T18:07:00.002-04:00

One morning I was out walking Milo my dog and looked up in the Cherry Trees and found this birds nest. The next morning I went out with my camera sans Milo and waited for the mother to appear. She was a chubby Robin Red Breast. She was busy on her nest and then she would fly off when she got startled. She looked at me a couple of times but stood her ground.

Easter

2011-04-24T22:56:00.000-04:00

A joyous and happy Easter to everyone. The day started off in a heavy fog. Wooster Square was socked in.

Then by noontime or so the sun came out as beautiful as it could be. An Easter miracle.

Wooster Square in the News!

2011-04-23T11:08:00.000-04:00

What a coinky-dink, she looks a lot like me.

People come from all over to photograph Hughes Place and Wooster Square.

It's all about the sweet blossoms.

Yesterday on my way to Good Friday Services I was walking through Wooster Square when I ran into my friend and WTNH cameraman, Ken Melech. Next thing I know I was waxing poetically a lament for warmer weather and Cherry Blossoms. Thanks to my brother Richard for snapping these photographs of the newscast yesterday and to Ken for making me look good (I think). Of course, the Cherry Blossoms are the real stars here.

Cherry Blossoms 2011

2011-04-22T09:14:00.000-04:00

It was a beautiful night on Hughes Place adjacent to Wooster Square. Although it was a bit cool and breezy it produced some lovely photos.

Cherry Blossoms 2011

2011-04-21T21:33:00.000-04:00

Finally the Cherry Blossoms, Sakuras are in bloom. Well worth the wait.