Macy’s Fourth of July Spectacular electrified the skies over NYC last night with booming blooms of reds, whites and blues. Hundreds of thousands of spectators were enthralled by the “patriotic canvass” erupting 1,000 feet over the Hudson River which included fiery spirals, glittering starbursts and even combustive smiley faces. The 40,000 fireworks launched from six [...]
Filed under: Postings | Comment (0) Article tags: central park, Declaration of Independence, Hudson River, Independence Day, James Cagney, Macy, new york city, United States
In 1998, a research team for the Central Park Conservancy assessed the park’s ecosystem; then in a rather trodden and disheveled state. Led by Liz Johnson and Kefyn Catley of the American Museum of Natural History, they collected samples of various flora and fauna for analysis in an effort to better understand and preserve the [...]
Filed under: Postings | Comment (0) Article tags: American Museum of Natural History, Biology, central park, Earth, Molecular biology, Museums, Natural History, Plant litter
Drugs were sold at the carousel. Muggers used the cover provided by the park’s shrubs and foliage. One year, near the skating rink, a man was found shot to death, and another year, the acting supervisor of the zoo was arrested and charged with shooting animals. In the 1970s, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park was a scene [...]
Filed under: Postings | Comment (0) Article tags: brooklyn, Calvert Vaux, central park, Grand Army Plaza, Minnesota, Prospect Park, Travel and Tourism, United States
Time is deranged and seasons are distracted–it’s summer in NYC. Early April’s unruffled warmth has leapfrogged into the torrid depths of July or August. As of 1:45 pm the thermometer in Central Park hit 90 degrees (32 Celsius), topping the old record for this date set in 1929. CBS 2HD Meteorologist John Elliott called for unseasonably [...]
Filed under: Postings | Comment (0) Article tags: central park, christmas, Holidays, John Elliott, new year, new years eve, new york city, thanksgiving
Just in time for Easter, the Seattle Times reports that Central Park’s once considerable rabbit population has decreased to a precious few or maybe none at all. Over the past four years, those adorable critters of fact and fairy tale appear to have moved on (or, perhaps, passed on) to greener pastures; indeed, Peter Cottontail [...]
Filed under: Postings | Comment (0) Article tags: central park, Easter, Pet, Peter Cottontail, Rabbit, Recreation, Seattle Times, Urban Park Rangers
I’ve lost track of how many coyotes are, or were, running loose in NYC but there seems to be a sudden and considerable influx of these furry visitors. First there was Hal, who did the Big Apple in 2006 and, unfortunately, died in his quest for adventure; and, last winter, the Central Park roving coyote [...]
Filed under: Postings | Comment (0) Article tags: central park, Coyote, Holland Tunnel, new york, new york city, Police, Thomas Street, West Broadway
Manhattan’s carriage horse industry is being faced with two alternatives: substantial modifications or costly restrictions for an industry on the verge of complete obsolescence. The other day, members of Teamsters Union Local 553 and animal rights activists exchanged heated words and related contentiousness at a hearing before the City Council’s Consumer Affairs Committee. While one [...]
Filed under: Postings | Comment (0) Article tags: Animal rights, Carriage, central park, City Council, Equestrian, new york city, sports, The New York Times
On the afternoon of August 10, 1884, a relatively minor earthquake hit New York City. Estimated to have been 4.9 to 5.5 in magnitude, with its epicenter off the coast of Coney Island or Far Rockaway, the quake lasted for about 10 seconds but caused little damage. Nonetheless, it was felt as far south as [...]
Filed under: Postings | Comment (0) Article tags: Building code, California, central park, coney-island, Earth science, Earthquake, Fault, manhattan, Natural disaster, new york city, Richter magnitude scale, United States
An unfamiliar coyote has been spotted in Manhattan by an unidentified man walking his more urbanized dog. At around 6:45pm last night, he saw the prairie wolf (quite a long way from the nearest prairie) at the entrance to Central Park on 7th Avenue and Central Park South. According to the man, the coyote approached [...]
Filed under: Postings | Comment (0) Article tags: Add new tag, central park, Coyote, Dog, Harlem, manhattan, new york city, Pets, Recreation
Those cute and cuddly creatures known as raccoons are a blithesome sight indeed as they scamper through the fragile green of New York City parks. Their masked visage makes them particularly attractive amongst our four-legged friends and, for animal lovers, draws a special kind of affection from us as we observe them go about their [...]
Filed under: Postings | Comment (0) Article tags: Bronx, central park, Dog, manhattan, new york city, Rabies, Raccoon, staten island
Prospect Park, the 526 acres bounded by Flatbush, Ocean and Parkside avenues, Prospect Park South and Prospect Park West, was considered by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux a better example of their work than their Central Park in Manhattan. Commissioned to begin design work in 1866 by the state legislature, the team worked continually [...]
Filed under: Postings | Comment (0) Article tags: Calvert Vaux, central park, Frederick Law Olmsted, manhattan, Prospect Park, Prospect Park West, State legislature, United States
Top left, a stereoview of the original Oak Bridge, built in the 1860s. Top right, the replacement bridge built in 1935, as seen in 2006. The stone piers and abutments, seen in the photo bottom left, are the only remaining elements from the original bridge. Bottom right, the new bridge, to be dedicated Wednesday. In [...]
Filed under: Postings | Comment (0) Article tags: bridge, Calvert Vaux, Cast iron, central park, Central Park Conservancy, Design, Great Depression, new york, park, Structural Engineering, Technology