Blast Off

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We blasted out of New York yesterday back to the furnace in St. Louis, where it was 108F/42C. It was the city's 10th consecutive day with a high temperature over 100F/38C. People are going outdoors as little as possible. If you're poor and don't have air conditioning, you are in trouble.

The top photo is similar but not the same as yesterday's. Just a better quality image. It feels like you could be approaching a space station or looking upward within the atrium of the Guggenheim. (The second option is the correct one.)  I got barked at by a guard for taking the second picture near the top. They have a rule against taking pictures above the ground floor. It is understandable that they don't want people holding cameras six floors over the heads below, but I was well back from the wall here. Well, they didn't make me erase it. It shows the spiral structure of the gallery.

On The High Line

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Back in the 1920s, the New York Central Railroad had a line at street level on the lower west side of Manhattan. The area was industrial back then. The rail line was dangerous on the crowded streets so the company built an elevated trestle, the High Line. The service eventually fell into disuse. In the last few years it was transformed into a brilliant park space. The views of the city and Hudson River are stunning; the gardens are a delight. Some of the most interesting views are just off to the sides. These are a few samples.

The bottom picture is the obligatory shot looking up from the ground floor of the Guggenheim Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece.

Back home this afternoon, and back to visiting my friend's blogs.