Commentary &Photos 15 Nov 2009 09:17 am
Trees of the City
- One of things I love about New York is the number and excellence of the many parks throughout the City. It’s somewhat similar to London, except here the neighborhood parks are open to all.
1Where there are no parks, there are trees. I’m always fully aware of the many trees around
me on my way to or from work. At the moment, they’re all going through the final stage of Fall just prior to the barren winter upcoming. The reds are dark and the leaves fallen are everywhere. I’m particularly aware of this because of the small walkway in front of my studio’s door. There are trees all around us, and leaves have molted in this passageway for the past six weeks or so. I’ve had to sweep them frequently enough so that they don’t clog the drains and create problems. I have to say that I enjoy this chore. My cat romps about while I attend to the sweep-up.
To the right, you can see the barren trees above the outer wall which greets me when I leave my studio. The door is under the light bottom left of the photo. It’d been raining most of the day, yesterday, when this picture was taken, consequently there’ll be the last of the leaves on the wet, stony corridor.
The walk home lately is in the dark, thanks to Daylight Savings time. Fortunately, Houston Street, an eight-lane, major thoroughfare separating Greenwich Village from SoHo, is surrounded with trees, new and old.
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At night, the trees lurk in the street framing the shops and
street lamps which seem to play in and around those trees.
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The inner mass of the trees’ foliage is lit
by the street lights down below them.
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With pedestrians moving about the trees, there’s an
almost-festive mood about, thanks to the lighting.
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The lesser lit areas take on a moodier effect.
So quickly you travel from one emotion to another.
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Is it any wonder, then, that I enjoy living on 30th Street with
it’s abundant and spectacular foliage always lining the street.
The blue sky to the right, is actually a fogged mist. It’s covering
the Empire State Building which usually sticks out brightly.
Last night, it was like it wasn’t there. An odd sensation.
