Foliage Paradise on 28th Street

After a brilliant first few days in New York I'd almost forgotten that I had come to do the ICFF trade show! I had a few jobs to do before the show and one of them was to find some twigs or branches to adorn my stand. I asked Jill if she knew a good florist but she did better than that - she took me to a WHOLE STREET of them!

This is 28th street between 6th and 7th Avenue and I had a lot of fun here. There is a flower market in the street early in the morning and the rest of the day it's plant shopping heaven.

I loved the humid house plant shops with jungle like tunnels of green.

This is Jill my jungle exploring companion.

I loved the Palms and Yucca's lining the pavements.

I loved the trays of succulents spilling out into the street.

The flower shops were full of prettiness.

The shop fronts were interesting.

It was a hive of activity.

with people doing their thing.

It's not every day you see a guy wheeling a cacti down the street.

Amongst all this beauty and lusciousness was the tackiest shop ever selling twigs sprayed with glitter and everything artificial and this is where I found the perfect bunch of dried pussy willows for my stand. 

Job done!

  I wish I had a 28th Street within walking distance of my house. I would have a jungle of my own!

Orla's meadow

One of my lovely customers Debs, sent me this gorgeous photo of her beautiful new baby who has Paper Meadow wallpaper in her nursery. Debs says that she keeps smiling at it. What good taste she has. Just like her Mum!

Central Park

I was as excited as a school kid about going to Central Park.

It was just as I imagined.

People biking, skateboarding, jogging,

sitting on benches,

sunbathing,

boating,

 chilling.

The flowers were blooming.

The birds were singing.

This little robin (yeah not like the British kind of robin) was happy to have his picture taken.

Again, it was so familiar after seeing it in so many films.

We found the John Lennon memorial. I thought it was lovely that a guy was singing 'Imagine' and adding was to the atmosphere.

This busker told us there is someone here singing just about all day and night. Wowww.

I loved the park. I think I could have happily found a pretty spot to sit in and stayed there all week....but there was just soooo much to do. Next time Jill? 

Dreaming in buildings

I've been dreaming in buildings since I got back from New York. 

When I wake from sleep there is a sense that my brain has been trying to assimilate everything that it has seen, that it's trying to fit it all together, like a big game of Tetris.

So many windows and fire escapes. 

 Some are beautifully ornate

and beautiful

and artists just have to draw them.

Some are full of history and musicians have to sing about them.

Some are just super tall.

So tall that when it's cloudy they disappear altogether.

We went up this one.

Wooooosh up the lift to the sixty-ninth floor.

and out on top of the world.

You could certainly see a lot of buildings from up there.

   

and teeny tiny yellow cabs.

I can still feel the intensity, the buzz and the beauty of all the buildings. I'm sure they will be in my dreams for a while yet (just like my basket bike was after we came back from Japan). It's nice to be back in peaceful Hebden Bridge letting the lusciousness of our green valley seep back in. 

Walking The High Line

I've had The High Line on my Pinterest board as a 'one day' destination for quite some time.

The idea of a historic freight line being turned into a public garden that you can walk along appealed to me immediately.

It was a lovely thing to do on my first day in New York.

From it's elevated position you can take in the streets and buildings of Manhatten's West Side

whilst strolling past pretty flowers and luscious greenery. It was surprisingly peaceful. 

It's a beautiful mix of urban grunge and organic beauty

with so many photo opportunities along the way.

I bet the people living in these buildings never thought they would one day be looking out at a garden or that they would have quite so many people pass by their windows each day!

It's nice how they have left the old railways tracks exposed

and grown flowers among them.

There are sun loungers and seating areas with good viewing points so you can take it all in and stay as long as you want. Check out some of these photos so you can get an idea of where The High Line sits in the city. I wish I could have had an aerial view somehow as it looks so great cutting through the city.

 I didn't want it to end. Next time I go to New York I'll be going again for sure!