Painting From Life

Here's a guy painting the Brooklyn Bridge. I've never seen him there before. You really have to have focus and guts to paint out in the open where anyone can stand over your shoulder and stare at your work-in-process.

Remember, Things Could be Worse. (Or Better)

The bum was busy washing his feet and changing his shoes this morning. I'm not a bum yet. Being a bum would mean not having a good place to go to the bathroom. But it would also mean not caring if you took a sh*t out in the open. It would mean having to sleep in an unsafe place. But also not thinking that kind of stuff.

Copter

This week I rode my bike every day over the bridge, so taking pictures was much harder.

But I did stop to take a shot of this helicopter that kept buzzing round and round the bridge, with a man hanging off the open side. All the tourists were mesmerized, like they'd never seen a helicopter so up close in their lives.

It's A Dog's Life

You see dogs on the bridge sometimes and it's always a nice touch. But today I saw a woman with her little dog strapped into a bike basket! The dog was sitting up with it's tongue out loving the wind and the motion. I'm not saying I would trade places with it, but I was tempted.

Greenstreets

Spring is here! just look at the foot of the bridge at all the flowers in bloom...

If you see something...

Someone scribbled a pun on the MTA's eyes of New York campaign "If you see something, say something"

It said "If you see something, kill someone".

Reminds me of the twisted pro-gun argument after the Virginia Tech shooting: If only the students had their own guns, they could have protected themselves and killed the crazy guy.

Tourist sports funny flower shirt to celebrate spring

lick my jesus??!!

I came across this lickmyjesus.com sticker on the bridge... what a funny name! the first thought was that this had something to do with the chocolate jesus controversy.

But when I logged on to the site, I was pretty amused. Some guys had loads of fun with pictures and thought-bubbles.

Emergency!

This is one reason to be a cop.

A Different Perspective

I Took the Q train on the way home, which rides over the Manhattan Bridge. There is a fantastic view of the Brooklyn Bridge as you cross over. This picture doesn't do it justice.

Model Obstructs Bike Lane

I came across a photo shoot this morning...it was a perfect day for it: great light, crystal clear skyline. The model was, however, strutting down the bike lane..ahem ahem

Bike lanes

As the weather warms up and the tourist numbers increase, the bike lanes become clogged with tourists unaware of the lane rules. Frustrated bikers whiz by, yelling and whistling for them to get out of the bike lane. Startled foreigners jump out of the way.

I also noticed that the bike and pedestrian signs are completely worn out. We need newly painted yellow signs!!!!

Ulf!

I had a friend visiting from Germany for a couple of days, and he joined me on my morning walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. It was one of those early fog morning days that clear up and warm up, so it ended up being a beautiful walk. TIt was fun being a tour guide...ummm at least I pretended to know everything!

Salvation?

The bridge appears to be a popular place for religious recruitment. Today I found a Jehovah Witness flyer on a bench and a salvation poster.

Spring Cactus at Base of Bridge

I worry about this cactus sometimes. Growing in the little perennial garden at the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge. It has to contend with dust, dirt, Starlings, smog, garbage, traffic (foot and vehicular), snow and dogs. It looks a little stressed out right now. But I'm confident that it will bounce back. Just like the rest of the saggy, deflated city at this time of year.

Twin pants

Spring is Here?

Well, I walked the bridge twice today. Weather was great, and when I left work, the sun was still out!

The bridge was bustling with people. Benches were packed with people reading, relaxing, kissing, catching up on their NYC guides.

The grammophile was back! He was trying to stick a pencil in between the cracks to the river below. He was a bit ripe, but he smiled at me as I walked by.

Oh, and the balloons are still there...

A Pink Gem

I was walking past three German tourists who stopped short at the Manhattan side of the bridge. I was wondering why they were gesturing and and pulling out their cameras...what's so appealing about the building projects? Then I saw what they saw...peeking out in between the ugly buildings was a pink-hued Empire State Building. It was like a painting. It was beautiful.

Still Stuck on You

Yes, it's been a full week, and the now fully deflated balloons are still there: a sad, tangled mess.

It was a quiet walk today, most likely because of the below-zero temperature accompanied by a chilling wind! But I still spotted a few desperate-looking tourists. poor souls...

Balloon day 3

Yup, balloons are still there, now more deflated than ever. But I did spot something quite spectacular today. A dozen maintenance workers walking up the cable with their gear: helmets, black uniforms, safety leaches and belts. Against the sun, they looked just like mountain climbers making their way up a snowy path.