I saw this building in Brooklyn on the corner of Boerum Place and Livingston. I have no idea what this building’s painting has to do with a Hero Shop, but I rather like it. Is it a path in love or a subway line?
Tag Archives: Travel
New York’s Highline Park in Bloom
Last January I visited New York’s Highline Park for the first time. I thought the park was wonderful even in winter when all the plants are dormant. On my next trip to New York, I had to go back. The park is even more beautiful in summer when all the plants are green and flowers are blooming. It is a wonderful oasis above the busy Manhattan streets. Below are a few photos from my most recent trip. 
New York’s High Line Park
New York is a city so dense that they actually created a park elevated above the street. The High Line is a park created on an abandon, historic freight rail line that is elevated above the streets of Manhattan’s west side. The elevated structure was threatened with demolition, but community residents formed the Friends of the High Line and successfully fought for its preservation and transformation into the lovely park it is today. The first part opened in 2009, and a second portion opened in 2011. They are currently working on transforming a third and final section. The entire length of the structure has a paved trail, and there are plants almost the entire length of the trail. There is also public art along the park. The designers did a nice job of preserving the structure and accentuating that the park is built on an historic rail line.
In many places the rail tracks were left in place, and plants were planted in and around them.
It has a lawn area.
It goes under buildings that straddle the old tracks.
There is an amphitheater of sorts that allows you to view the street below.
There are seating areas all along the park. This area has some nice lounging chairs.
The lounging chairs are really cool. Some of them are on wheels that roll on the railroad track, although they were locked, so they can’t be moved by the general public.
The benches are nicely designed to look like they have just been lifted out of the ground material.
It even has a movie theater. There is a projector above the seating area on the left of this photo.
At one location, it has a great view of the Statue of Liberty.
Zoomed-in photo.
Cool street views.
There is public art along the park. This cool installation is on the side of a building and is called Broken Bridge II and is by El Anatsui.
Louisiana Welcome Station
My recent trip to Louisiana included stopping at the Louisiana welcome station on I-10 at the border with Texas. Like most parts of southern Louisiana, it sits near a swamp and wetlands. It has a nice little trail through part of this swamp, which if you have ever driven on I-10 is a welcome diversion. Below are some photos of my visit there. 
Barataria Preserve
Barataria Preserve in southeastern Louisiana is part of Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve. It is a beautiful area that includes bayous, swamps, marshes, and forests. Below are some of my photos from a recent trip there.
Yellow rumped warbler
New Orleans Above Ground Cemetery
There is an old joke in New Orleans that you know you are from New Orleans when you worry about your late relatives coming to visit you when it floods. The joke of course being based on the fact that most cemeteries in New Orleans are above ground where human remains are buried in stone crypts and mausoleums. The water table is too high for remains to be buried six feet under. While some of the plots are rather simple, many of the crypts are quite beautiful and ornate. All of these photos were taken at Masonic Cemetery, where many of my relatives are buried. Some more information about and photos of Masonic Cemetery can be found here. Masonic Cemetery has some large tombs that hold numerous people related by professional or social organizations. Such as this large Masonic tomb, which has an usual staircase to its roof.
There is also a tomb for the Red River Pilots.
However most of the tombs are owned by families. They can be quite ornate.
They can also be more simple.
Some of the tombs list the family name on top.
Then list most or all of the family members buried inside.
Others list only the name of the family or of one person buried inside. The one below lists one person buried inside, A.F. Parmalee but the stone vase on top says “Mother”, so probably A.F. Parmalee’s wife is buried inside with him, and their children put the vase their to honor their mother.
Below are a few more photos from the cemetery.
Many of the graves have unintentional greenery.
Finally here is the cat that lives nearby somewhere and escorted me while I toured the cemetery. He was well fed with a collar, so presumably he has appointed himself as an unofficial comfort cat for you to mourn while he gets petted.
Flight from Las Vegas
The flight path between Las Vegas and southeastern airports such as Dallas passes over some really pretty terrain and landmarks. Flying into Las Vegas I was lucky enough to get some really good photos of the Grand Canyon. For several reasons, on the flight leaving Las Vegas, I did not as good photos of the Grand Canyon, but I did get a few interesting photos. Immediately after taking off, I got some neat photos of the Las Vegas Strip.
Then the Hoover Dam.
This is part of Lake Mead. I am fairly sure it is part of what is called the Grand Wash Bay.
Then a few photos of the Grand Canyon.
Finally this canyon that is east of the Grand Canyon, and I am not sure if it is technically part of the Grand Canyon.
Las Vegas Wash Wildlife
Previously I posted photos of the scenery along the Las Vegas Wash. The Las Vegas Wash attracts a lot of wildlife, particularly birds, because it is an important source of water. Below are photos of some of the wildlife I saw on it.
First the small wildlife. A pretty lady bug.
I have no idea what this is.
A spider.
There was a lot of birds. Bunches of American coots.
I think these are male Gambel’s quail.
I think this is a Gambel’s quail and a Crissal thrasher (its curved bill is more evident in another photo).
Black phoebe
Male northern flicker
The following three photos are of the same bird. I think it is a juvenile northern harrier, but I would really like someone to confirm that or tell me what it is.
Of course what body of water would be complete without fish. This fish had lovely orange lips.
Las Vegas Wash
I don’t know about anyone else, but when I think of Las Vegas, I think of the Strip, casinos, shows, and desert. The only wildlife I think of is that of the human variety, generally in an inebriated form. Thus, on my recent trip to Las Vegas, I was surprised to learn about the Las Vegas Wash. It is the lowest part of the valley in which the Las Vegas metropolitan area sits. All storm water and urban runoff in the area drains to it, and it eventually drains to Lake Mead. The Wash has been increasingly eroded due to the increased flow into it from the increased Las Vegas metropolitan area urban runoff. In the past decade or so, the LVWCC has constructed numerous structures to reduce erosion in the Wash and increase the wetlands in it. Structures such as this.
And this weir.
They have also been removing non-native plants and planting native plants. None of which I can identify in the photos below.
Plants that can amazingly grow in the desert that is Las Vegas.
All of this has created a very pretty area, which is really nice to hike along, assuming the weather is nice. It has some lovely views of the nearby mountains.
And beautiful sunsets.
In some places, it allows some nice views of the Las Vegas Strip.
Next time you are in Las Vegas, if you like the outdoors and want to get away from the Strip, I highly recommend checking the Las Vegas Wash out. In a later post, I will be posting photos of the wildlife I saw on it.
Las Vegas, Where Insane Architecture Reigns
A disclaimer on this post: I am an engineer. Architects and engineers famously don’t get along all that well. Oh sure, we work on projects together, but engineers understand and respect the laws of physics. Architects, not so much. I do in fact like and respect architects, and at one point in high school, I wanted to be one. That was until I realized how much more I like and was better at the math and science of design than the art of it. However I do appreciate good architectural design. Then there is Las Vegas. I need to study the history of Las Vegas because I am really curious when and why casinos started being built with crazier and crazier, over the top themes. The casinos really know how to do a theme also. They completely saturate the property with the theme, whatever it may be. I have to wonder if drugs were involved in the design of some of the casinos. Along the Strip, are casinos and hotels with themes based on at least three different continents, several different time eras, and both real and fictional places. Part of what I find so hilarious is that casinos with completely different themes sit right next to each other. For example, on the southern end of the strip is Mandalay Bay which has water as part of its theme and features an aquarium. Thus it is appropriate (in Las Vegas logic) that next to it is the Luxor, which is themed off of ancient Egypt (i.e. the desert) and features a giant, black glass pyramid, a shape, I might add which is rather inefficient use of space for a hotel. Also, I can’t leave out the fake Sphinx in front of it because of course a pyramid is not complete without a sphinx.
The Luxor sits hilariously next to the Excalibur, so that one can walk from ancient Egypt to the fictionally old England of Camelot.
I must say that while the Excalibur does a nice, over the top, job of a theme based on the fictional England of the Camelot tales, it really does not have a proper moat, and that is a disappointment.
From fictional England, one can then walk to modern day New York City because well, why not?
Across the street from New York New York is the MGM Grand, whose theme I have never been clear on, but it features a giant gold lion head in front. If the MGM Grand lion and the Luxor’s sphinx came to life, would they be friends or enemies? Would they eat the giant M&Ms and drink the giant margarita and coke that sit next to the MGM Grand in what appears to be food trademark central?
Very close to all the gaudiness and insanity is the brand new CityCenter, which features some absolutely gorgeous buildings and in my opinion, looks rather out of place on the Strip.
At the front of CityCenter is the Crystals at CityCenter designed by Daniel Libeskind in his trademark disjointed, angled buildings design. I am rather a fan of Daniel Libeskind. He and Frank Gehry are probably my favorite modern architects, but I could never work on the construction of any of their buildings because first, I’m not that type of engineer, and second because they seem to enjoy designing buildings that try to break the laws of physics.
The Crystals is even interesting up close due to the different materials and textures on the exterior.
Inside the Crystals is more insane architecture. I have no idea what this wooden structure is supposed to be.
Across the street from CityCenter is Planet Hollywood and the Miracle Mile Shops, whose architecture is not really insane, just rather loud. The exterior of the Miracle Mile Shops features a series of three-dimensional dots that look either green or purple depending on the direction from which they are viewed. I have no idea what they are supposed to represent, but they are kind of cool.
Next to Planet Hollywood, we again travel to another continent with Paris which features a scale model of the Eiffel Tower because again, why not?
At this point on the strip, you can look at a scantly clad women from Bally’s who appears to be looking at Paris, perhaps to get some much needed clothes for which Paris is famous. Across the street is the edge of ancient Rome (Ceasar’s Palace), modern (?) Italy (Bellagio), and the modern architecture of CityCenter. Only in Las Vegas.
The Strip is not done yet though. Across from ancient Rome is the Flamingo, which is not all that outrageous, but just features lots of pink flamingos that would never be found in Nevada. Then the Asian themed Imperial Palace, which appears to be coming down or being renovated. Asia is next to the New Orleans’s Mardi Gras themed Harrah’s. Close to this, we go back to Italy with the Venetian and Palazzo. Italy is very popular on the Strip.
Across the street from fake Venice is the Mirage with its waterfall that at night has a volcano on top of it. Again, why not?
In the background is Treasure Island which of course has pirates. Don’t most deserts have pirates? Oh wait. . . Then slightly further down the strip is the Fashion Show Mall which appears to just be a mall, but a UFO landed on top it. No doubt the UFO got lost from nearby Area 51. Further down from it is the Stratosphere which features a roller coaster on top of a really tall tower because isn’t that where most people put their roller coasters?
Well north of the Strip are the really old casinos of Fremont Street. Several years back, they built the Fremont Street Experience, a light structure to help bring business back to their area and away from the Strip. From an engineering standpoint, the Fremont Street Experience is a cool structure.
One of the fun things about the Fremont Street Experience is that it is a light show that encapsulates other lighted advertisement signs.
I have to wonder how much electricity would be saved if all of Las Vegas’s lights were converted to LEDs. At the east end of the Fremont Street Experience is Fremont East. I have no idea what is in this district, but it features a fun, retro martini sign. Presumably there are bars there, but I think that goes without saying.
So that was my one cent tour of the insane architecture of Las Vegas. I hope you enjoyed the visit. I did.
