pumpkin colors

I've always been drawn to the sight of pumpkins. I think it's the huge pop of orange brightening up the supposedly scary holiday. So it's no wonder these pumpkins made me smile - with colorful cartoony faces painted on the fun, orange gourd!

Though it turns out, painting over the orange still draws me in. Okay, I guess it isn't surprising that I would be captivated by these colorful, patterned pumpkins...

Don't you love their fun, Mexican pinata vibe?

What about the restrained pops of color & pattern on these white pumpkins?

 
Even purely white pumpkins look gorgeous!

Who would have thought white pumpkins could look this sophisticated?

Now what do you think of these black ones?

Turns out, with some paint, tinsel, glue and twine, Shannon of NYC Taught Me brought some punk to her pumpkins!

I'm not sure I'm ready to bring this punk aesthetic to my home. But I don't mind a black pumpkin for an interesting vase...

And to my dear friends & family in New York & New Jersey (where the top pumpkin photo was actually taken), I wish I could send you these pretty white pumpkin candles to help out during the power outages going on now. Stay safe. You are all in my prayers!

I guess it doesn't matter if pumpkins are orange or not. I'm still quite enamored by them in any color!

So orange or not, pumpkin or no pumpkin, have a happy Halloween everyone!

Photos are my own and from elizabethstreet via nyctaughtme & here, here, here and here.

Click here for my previous post on my farm-to-table pumpkin experience.

a secret NYC subway station

Who would have thought there was an underground cathedral in New York? Right within the New York Subway System! I'm not really a fan of taking the subway - largely due to my motion sickness here, but also because there's nothing beautiful to look at through the windows of the moving train. So it's a good thing there are glimpses of beautiful art in some stations. Like this mosaic at the Spring Street station...

And these humorous sculptures scattered all around the station at 8th Avenue and 14th Street.

In fact, I see the mosaics of the station names as a delightful break from the rapidly moving (read: dizziness-inducing) walls I see through the view-less subway windows. I think this one is especially pretty...

But imagine something much more majestic than these glimpses of subway art... with tall arches lined with tiles, brass fixtures and skylights.

The City Hall Station, which opened in 1904, was meant to be a showpiece and crown jewel of the new subway station. Sadly, it was closed down in 1945 and is still closed to the public today.

But a few blogs I've read say that in-the-know subway riders can still catch a glimpse of the architectectural station. They say we should take the 6 train. But instead of getting off at the last stop, which is Brooklyn Bridge, you need to stay in the train as it makes a turnaround through City Hall Station to start its trip back uptown.

Am not sure if they still allow people to stay in the train after the Brooklyn Bridge station, but if I were in New York, I'd definitely get on the 6 train to try and view this hidden underground cathedral. Oh, I wish I could fly to New York!!!

Photos are my own and from here, here and here.

Click here for New York captured in beautiful moving pictures.  

Lego Tales: Legoland Humor

Another thing I love about Legoland is their sense of humor. They poke fun in a subtlely silly, crazy way. From a lifeguard reading a how-to book on swimming to an old lady luring some pigeons to (gah!) cook.

To their hilarious restroom sign of mini-figs that badly need to go...

They even put in a restroom - with a man going #2 - in the Miniland replica of the Grand Central Station. Too bad, I didn't get to take a photo, but you might be able to make out the man on the toilet in this photo (check inside the circle).

I think the name they chose for their Italian restaurant was pretty clever.

And this idea of adding a Christmas twist to the San Francisco replica at Miniland via a falling sleigh and firemen holding up an inflatable catcher is quite funny too.

Finally, my favorite of all. This unassuming dog...

... doing what dogs do at hydrants.

Hysterical!

Photos are my own except for the Grand Central Station photo, the link to which I've sadly lost. If you know where the photo is from, please email me so I can give due credit.

Click here for previous posts from the Lego Tales series.

Lego Tales: Legoland Details

As promised here, am sharing another thing I love about Legoland: their attention to detail is unparalleled.

It starts out as soon as you enter the long driveway (at least, in California) because, not only will you be greeted by letters forming the word WELCOME built with Lego bricks, but the banners on the tall posts by the road have a Lego brick screw! It's a shame I didn't take a photo of it, but it is testament to their meticulousness. I mean, who even looks at a banner's screw?

Then when you get to the park entrance, you will see the huge LEGOLAND sign which is very high up so you would hardly notice the Christmas trimmings.

But lo and behold, they are made of Lego bricks!

Even on a regular (no occasion) day, they take the trouble to put a mini-figure made completely out of Lego bricks inside the letter O.

One of the Miniland sights was a mini-replica of the Daytona International Speedway.

It's actually a mini-replica of a Daytona 500 race. See how full the stands are?

Here's where Legoland's unbelievable attention to detail comes in. They could have used Lego mini-figures to fill up the stands, right? But no, they decided to use Lego bricks to make every unique person in the crowd!

Can you find two people that look exactly the same? I couldn't! I did spot an ice cream & lollipop vendor though. Can you see him?

Still in Miniland, check out this replica of the White House.

Notice anything?

There are Secret Service agents on the roof. Aren't their shades adorable?

In Lego Central Park, they unsurprisingly had a mini-replica of the Central Park Stage, the Imagine mosaic, the Wollman skating rink (not in photo) and the Belvedere Castle (not in photo).

But even in obscure spots around Central Park, there was even this cap and postcard stand!

How meticulous is that?

Truly, Legoland's attention to detail is unparalleled!

Photos are all my own.

Click here for previous posts from the Lego Tales series. Click here for a down-in-the-dots post about Legoland details.

Whimsical Wednesday!

Remember Tom Hanks on the giant floor piano in Big?

When I saw the same giant piano at the FAO Schwarz flagship store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, I was sooooo tempted to make like Tom Hanks and skip around to hopefully play Chopsticks or Do-Re-Mi. But the piano was filled with kids and I was embarrassed to be the only grown-up hopping all over the keyboard.

If only someone would do this with some of the staircases here...

Isn't it great how whimsical, fun stairs can get people to choose the stairs over the elevator?

Have a whimsical Wednesday!

Photos from here and here.

Click here for previous posts from the Whimsical Wednesday series.

peace in bustling new york

Yes, I've shown you this photo before. But, how can I not include the magnificent NY skyline in this post about New York?

The subtle movement in these photos from From Me To You give a certain calmness to the bustling activity that is typical of New York City. I feel like I'm watching New York in a silent movie. With movement limited to just one element - the passing taxi, the train, the man reading the paper amid a motionless backdrop, New York is graced with a serene quietness that is so uncharacteristic, yet quite fascinating.

Truly, Jamie of From Me To You is an exceptional artist, not only because of her fabulous photography, but also because she has turned animated gif into wondrous art that evokes profound new meaning versus a still photograph or even a full-fledged video. Incredibly remarkable! 

My favorite is the train which Jamie has aptly dubbed, "The Neverending Commute". What about you? What's your favorite?