My mind went blank today when contemplating this week’s ABC Wednesday post. I mean, the letter ‘Y‘? All I could think of was ‘yellow‘! So I give you the theme for today: Yellow in New York!
We visited New York city in the year 2008, with Son No 1, a young man with definite views on air travel and the tediousness thereof, but who nonetheless consented to a free holiday with his ageing parents. We took in the sights as tourists do, and one of the things we did was take a horse and buggy ride around Central Park.
Do you see the yellow things in that picture? The yellow cab will jump straight out at you, but there are also yellow flowers in the buggy on the right, and a yellow sign attached to a pole on the left – and just look at all the yellow reflected in the glass of that building from the lights inside! And while that van isn’t yellow, it does have ‘New York‘ conveniently written on the side.
This next picture … well, I’m not entirely sure where it is.
OH thought it might be Times Square, or maybe Broadway, and certainly in was in that area somewhere. But look! Quite apart from having Yellow Swordfish himself in it, there’s a dinky little Yahoo sign! And lots and lots of yellow. Yellow traffic lights, yellow ‘neon’*, yellow writing, yellow clothing …
But not as much as there is in this picture!
I’m pretty sure that’s Broadway!
One of the touristy things we did was take a bus tour. A very ill-fated bus tour. It was fun at first, until it started raining.
It absolutely bucketed down! The tour people kindly gave us plastic macs, but as you see, we were on the upper deck and eventually we had to abandon ship. See that single yellow seat?
The bus stopped here.
This was a very sobering place to be. It’s Ground Zero. The yellow here is from the equipment, diggers and earthmovers employed to clear all that twisted metal and prepare the ground for rebirth, and from the safety jackets of the workers. It’s not a sunny yellow. But maybe it’s a hopeful yellow – a symbol of the indomitable spirit of the American people.
The spirit of the people is embodied here, too.
The Statue of Liberty isn’t yellow at all, although the flame of her torch is yellow-ish. She stands on Liberty Island, which was closed for a while after the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001, but reopened in December that year.  Such a powerful symbol is she, that there are replicas all over the world, from the ‘New York New York‘ hotel in Las Vegas to Tokyo Bay in Japan. We even have a couple here in England: apparently there is one in the grounds of the Liberty Park Halls of Residence in Leicester, and another stands in the stairwell at a bowling alley in Warrington. She’s an inspiring young lady, and she gets about.
While on that trip we saw this yellow water taxi.
Hard to lose that in the grey waters of the bay, huh? I do love the fact that it has the ‘yellow cab‘ livery! I wonder if they’re owned by the same company?
I’ll leave you with another yellow vehicle. This time parked rather oddly in Grand Central Station.
Scooters do look fun! These appear to be retro-designed, in the style of the old Vespa and Lambrettas of my youth. I didn’t own one then but if I were to buy one now, I might like a yellow one. Did you know it’s the safest colour on the road, because of its high visibility in all weathers?
Why didn’t I own one? I went for a motorbike instead. And guess what? My motorbike was yellow!
That’s my little bike! It’s my father-in-law riding it, and a very much younger version of Yellow Swordfish talking to him. I believe they were discussing how much fun it was to ride bikes, and how terrible mine was. Oh, and the bright yellow Morris Minor? We painted that ourselves, using a can of British Telecom yellow that we’d acquired somehow – I think it was outdated – and we called it ‘Sunstroke’.
See the date on that one? Not exactly yesterday!
* Neon glows orangey-red. Helium glows yellow. Different coloured signs need different gases.
Some great yellows there. Enjoyed that.
Anthony North´s last blog ..YOU
How is it that you’re up to Y already? You just started this yesterday.
Anyway. I lurve your little motorbike. I want one just like it. Even if it was terrible.
Tuli´s last blog ..30 Books of 2009 – The Year End Review
I’m only 150 miles away, but haven’t been to NYC since 2002. YIKES!
Roger Green´s last blog ..How Not To Fly
Very nice…yep I’m thinking it looks like Times Square to me.
Great post and I am to read your notes on Ground Zero and the Statue of Liberty…made me a little misty eyed to see kind words written about the Yanks, when so little good is being said these days. Thank you, Jay.
I do believe you have seen more of my country than I have!
I am so impressed at how you get all about…I think it is wonderful and need to do it more myself.
Love the motorbike and the lesson on different gases used to produce different colors of neon lights.
Wonderful post!
This is a delightful trip through the letter Y. I love the pictures of NY and your old moterbike. Great stuff and a good read.
photowannabe´s last blog ..ABC WEDNESDAY LETTER " Y "
What a fun post for the Y day! Loved seeing all the spots of yellow pop up in each shot! And your photos are terrific!
Have a great day — Y or otherwise!
Sylvia
Sylvia Kirkwood´s last blog ..Evening, Wisdom and Beauty
Didn’t they have yellow macs? Just to keep with the theme?
Mara´s last blog ..Y is for…
Another ‘must see’ city on my travel list. Gorgeous photos and cool observations on Yellow! We have those tourist buses too and I feel sorry for the nitwits who sit out in the open on a 40 degree day! And what’s my ‘bug’ doing in your bike picture! Loved that car.
Baino´s last blog ..Polka Dots – Or How to Waste a Morning Searching for A Theme
heeheehee!! I can’t believe that’s DH in that last pic!!! And I love love love Morris Minors – my sister’s best friend had one in the 60’s – I always wanted one.
Do you have some pix of you & DH from that era that you could share with me?? (I’ll trade you for some of me…)
Relly good picture from Yellow New York:-)
Ps:Yyou know, Norwegians are born with skis on, so we just have to try to live up to the reputation:-)
Wish you a great evening!
Spiderdama´s last blog ..ABC Wednesday – Y
It is amazing how when we pay attention we can pick up so much details from our surroundings, such as yellow colors in New York. The color does stand out in your pictures. I love your little bike. We had a Green Morris Minor in England in almost mint condition many years ago. It ended its life on the French highway en-route to South of France when it lost one of its wheels.
Grace and Bradley´s last blog ..Skywatch Friday & ABC Wednesday: Y is for Yosemite
Anthony North – Thank you!
Tuli – I know exactly what you mean when you say ‘you only started this yesterday’! LOL!
But trust me, you wouldn’t want a motorbike like that one. It was heavy and clunky and underpowered and held the road like jelly sticks to a warm plate.
Roger Green – Ha! Well, we only live a hundred miles or so from London and yet years go by and we don’t visit! We never really appreciate what’s on our own doorstep, do we?
Sistertex – I like American people! I have several really good friends in your country and now that we’ve visited quite a lot, we find that we like the country too. It’s an entirely different thing from any political views we might have – and I suspect many people can’t make that distinction, which is very sad. I’m sorry that you’ve felt anti-American ugliness.
Photowannabe – Thanks – I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Sylvia – Thank you! I try to make even the meme posts interesting!
Mara – Haha! Yellow macs? You’d think so, wouldn’t you? I think it’s quite inconsiderate of them!
Baino – Rain is one thing, 40C is quite another. I wouldn’t do it, that’s for sure. If the inside was full, I’d wait for the next!
Jeannine – Morris Minors are great! That little car did the Lake District on three cylinders and lived to tell the tale!
I’ll see what I can find in the way of pictures. I’ll have to get OH’s consent though. He might demand to know what you intend to do with them! LOL!
Spiderdama – Thank you!
Being born with skis on my feet probably wouldn’t have helped me much!
Grace and Bradley – Yellow does stand out so well, doesn’t it?
What a shame about your little green MM! Such lovely little cars, and still quite sought after as vintage vehicles!
You must have felt you were back home on the top of the bus, rain and macs. Nice to see your honeymoon morris minor colour coordinated with the bike. Great series of yellow pics.
Joy´s last blog ..ABC Wednesday – Ysgyryd Fawr
Happy-making Yellows!
So awesome that you have travelled so much! I have never really wanted to visit New York; too scared. But your pictures make it look very inviting. Love all the yellows you picked out!
Maureen´s last blog ..How To Waste A Lunchhour
you really out did yourself with all your Y’s ! & you also shot some wonderful New York scenes as well.
Nice story Jay!
Lily´s last blog ..Y is for yellow diamonds
Yellow is bright and a cheerful color! we have yellow taxis here too…..and blue, and red….different colors denotes different company.
Jama´s last blog ..ABC Wednesday: Y
What a delightful tour through the world of “Y”; you caught the energy of New York City and your commentary was a fun read. Many thanks for visiting my blog, too! Kindest regards and happy new year, too.
Kate´s last blog ..YakTrax!
Love all your Yellows Jay – why just the one yellow seat on that bus? – and I’m grateful for the information on neon and helium which I hadn’t realised.
I used to have a Vespa 90 once, but I married a motorcyclist and took to riding pillion!
Dragonstar´s last blog ..ABC Wednesday – Y
A nice collection of yellows! You took us on an interesting tour in New York! I should go there myself one day! Thanks for your visit!
Reader Wil´s last blog ..ABC Wednesday , Y for Yesterday,when I was young…
Thanks, Jay; I so enjoyed this tour of NYC! Do you know, I’ve never been there? It’s definitely on my “bucket list.” The photo of you and your family on the upper deck of the bus with your macs on is so funny, though I’m sure you didn’t think so at the time. I remember getting drenched on our first trip to Disney World. I was carrying a turquoise canvas bag which bled the color all over my clothes in the rain. I was quite a mess!
Sophie is getting a lot of chances to experience the snow–we’re having a big snowstorm at the moment.
Rose´s last blog ..The Secret to Happiness? Book Review: "The Geography of Bliss"
Oh, that Morris Minor takes me back. I had a bright yellow, much loved Austin Allegro, we called it, “The Fying Bananna”!
I once had a little tour round NY in a horse and buggy too – but that was back in a more innocent time, long, long before the scars of ground zero.
shrinky´s last blog ..Just Before The Break Of Dawn
I love *LOVE* Love New York City.
[Considering it is only a 45 minute ride from my house, I dont go there nearly often enough!]
meleah rebeccah´s last blog ..Top Ten ‘Highlights’ of 2010 [so far]
Very nice pictures of New York, I have been there about 12 years ago, a very interesting town.
Gattina´s last blog ..WINDOW VIEWS & Doors
I do believe you captured every possibe “Y” in New York!
That yellow water taxi cracked me up!
And, in that second photo – is that Leonardo Dicaprio?
I was too late to do Macro Monday, but I never would gotten it. You camera is amazing! I just got a new one for Christmas and am having a lot of fun trying to figure it out.
ethelmaepotter´s last blog ..A Spooky Christmas Tale
Sigh…thanks for the pics of home. I was back in Nov. for the funeral, as you know, but didn’t make it into Manhattan. That’s okay though, I did make it to my beloved Brooklyn to see some friends from Rochester that moved there a few years ago. Being the son of a Brooklyn mom, a Bronx dad, growing up mostly in the Bronx, visiting Brooklyn often to see relatives and then working in Brooklyn for 10 years, I’ve always felt more Brooklyn than Bronx. Either way, it’s NYC baby!
Mr. Nighttime´s last blog ..Spit take…
Joy – Thanks! It was coincidence really, that the car matched the bike. The bike was yellow because it was the only one available second-hand at that time, that suited me. The car was yellow because OH got hold of some suitable paint and it was yellow. You can’t paint cars with just any old paint. Funny old world, isn’t it?
Tumblewords – Thank you!
Maureen – Too scared to visit New York? Why? I think it’s no worse than any big city is these days? You have to be careful in them all, regarding muggers and pickpockets etc. Sad, but it’s the way of the world.
Lily – Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed the tour!
Jama – We now have different coloured taxis here, too, but in New York, they still all seem to be yellow!
Kate – Thanks, Kate – happy New Year to you too!
Dragonstar – I would say the single yellow seat is probably for disabled people, except that it’s upstairs! I have no idea, failing that!
Pillion riding was never going to work for me. The only person I trusted to ride pillion with was my motorcycle instructor, and even then it was terrifying. I’d much rather be in the driving ’seat’.
Reader Wil – Everyone should probably go to New York one time, just to see it. It’s a fun place!
Rose – Sophie must be in her element!
Yes, the bus tour was great to start with but by the time we got off I was absolutely freezing. My teeth were chattering! The men handled the cold better than I did, which surprised me, because OH usually feels it more than me.
Shrinky – ‘The Flying Banana’? I love it! I bet you didn’t paint it yourself though!
Meleah – If you’re that close, you have no excuse! You should get down there for a visit and have some fun!
Gattina – Thanks! Yes, we found it interesting!
EthelMaePotter – Leonardo DiCaprio? Ha! No, that’s Son No. 1 with his Dad! I’ll tell him you said that, it should make him grin. LOL!
Yes, these little Panasonic cameras are great! And I’m very impressed with this little bridge camera. They do an even better one that it’s hard not to lust after, too… *Sigh*
You know, when you posted this comment I immediately hopped over to your blog to see if you’d posted, and I was disappointed to find you hadn’t. You should get back in there!
Mr N – I knew you’d like this post! I tried to make sure I didn’t repeat any pictures of NY that I might have posted earlier, just for you!
Much more important to get to see your friends and relatives than getting to Manhatten, I would think! Sounds like you have Brooklyn well and truly flowing in your veins.
Oh, btw, NY Water Taxi went belly-up last year…
Mr. Nighttime´s last blog ..Spit take…
Mr N – They did? That’s a shame! If nothing else, they were picturesque, but it’s always sad when something useful goes out of business.
A great idea for the Y’s Jay. I’d have been stuck for sure. Good to look at your shots of New York City too.
SJ Anne – Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed the post!
Very (yellow) cool! I’m pretty sure that is Times Square.
Sandy´s last blog ..Sorry, Martha
Hi Jay,
I’m back! Thanks so much for your comment on my post for Monochrome Weekly. Thought I’d put my response to your question here for you.
You do bring up some interesting thoughts. There are actually older buildings in MN, but perhaps not so many north of the Twin Cities area. Of course Indians were here long before the folks who decided to build such structures. And a lot of the older buildings are no longer standing too…this is entitled ‘oldest still standing’. Minnesota is North and Center of the continent pretty much. So it took a while longer for people to get going away from the coasts and up in the cold northlands, thusly you see it settled later than the coastal areas. (however, these are pretty obvious statements I am making to be sure.)
I agree…there are no midevil castles, only forts that I think would even slightly rival some of the castles of Europe.
This all being an extremely loose answer to your wonderful comments.
Now on to the ‘heating’ element which has me going as well. Absolutely if they were going to spend more than 5 months out of the year in Minnesota the’d need heat. That being some sort of fire. However, would not always, at that point in history, have to be a fireplace. The roof on the house has quite an pitch to it and you can not really see the other side. Quite possibly it was a wood stove, perhaps more than one, that was used to do the heating. Coal is also a possibility at that time. Then then there might well be vents (stove pipe) that ran up and out instead of something that looked like a brick chimney. And might not be seen from the side of the house I took the photos from due to the pitch of the roof.
All that said and done…I don’t know and have written the Crow Wing Historical Society about it, asking them, since they are basically the ones who are currently responsible for taking care of the house and any restoration that might take place. I will let you know what I hear! Thank you for asking!
Now to throw on to the end of this regarding your response to me for your post above.
Ahhh – thank you, it is true, the American people and government are not toally always ‘one’. I for one haven’t see *too* much of it, but my youngest daughter did hear a lot about being an American when she went to live in London. Not a lot of nice things, though for the most part the people in London were very kind to her and there she stayed for 5 years. Now she is returning home to live and work and I *know* she is going to be missing her friends and the action living such a large and bustling city as London provided her. Still…she misses home and we are thankful for that for it is bringing her back to us.
Jay ~ Yes your “yahoo” picture is Time Square and the Lion was playing on 42nd St at the time of your visit. I frequent the City and am quite familiar with the area. I, also, saw The Lion King 3 times when it was playing on 42nd. Best play ever!!
Trish´s last blog ..It’s a Cold Marco Monday: 1-11-10