Djurdjevic - Personal Photos -LA, Europe, NY

23 Jan 2011

May 2008 - Los Angeles-London-Paris-Belgrade-Montenegro-Rome-New York

In Full Bloom; A Deluge in Manhattan; Post Nubilla Phoebus

A month ago, spring seemed delayed on its way to the Big Apple; now everything is in full bloom; A deluge in Manhattan...

NEW YORK, May 14, 2008 - The arrival at the Newark airport was a pleasant surprise. Everything is quite and new and spacious there, unlike the crowding at JFK, for example. And even the immigration officers were nice and cheerful. After the lady stamped my documents, she smiled and said in Serbian, "sve najbolje!" ("all the best!"). That was delightfully surprising. I smiled back and said "thank you."

When I was last here in New York a month or so ago, plants were still largely dormant. Nature looked as if spring had been delayed somewhere on its way to the Big Apple. No longer. Everything is in full bloom now...

... and looking beautiful, as you can see from the above photos taken around my hotel in Rye, NY (Westchester County).

After I checked in, I realized I have not had a Starbuck's in about two weeks. So guess where I headed out first even before unpacking or doing anything else, like writing this travelogue? The magnetic power of the "ice grande mocha!" (at least it works on me). :-) Yum!

NEW YORK, May 16, 2008 - This would be a good day for Noah to cast off his boat in Manhattan. Unless the island floats away first. Want to see how hard it has been raining here today?

The left picture should give you an idea what the Rockefeller Center looked like this afternoon. And the middle left photo was the view of the Midtown West side toward the Hudson river from my hotel room at 8th Ave & 43rd St. Normally, one should be able to see right across the Hudson into New Jersey from there. Today, we can only hope that there is still New Jersey somewhere out there...

As is usually the case on days like this, traffic is a mess (middle right). But the shows go on, rain or shine, as is the case at the Radio City Music Hall and the NBC studios across the street (right).

You also count on seeing something unusual on Times Square no matter what the weather. Take a look at this "Naked Cowboy" displaying his wares while pretending to play a guitar in the middle of Times Square traffic. He is only about 38-years late copying the idea from the "Midnight Cowboy" movie with Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman. Guess we can call him a "Noontime Cowboy."

While I was returning my rental car to a place near 50th St & Park Ave, thought I'd give you a glimpse of some famous sites nearby. Saks at Fifth Avenue seemed busy despite the rain (left), as was The Waldorf Astoria on Park Ave (the other three photos).

I walked back about 16 city blocks between the car rental place and my hotel, having first bought an umbrella, of course. I own about six umbrellas, I think, and I've bought all of them in New York. I never get to use them back home in Arizona, of course, nor remember to pack them when I leave. So it goes...

Since I am planning to see the musical "Curtains" tonight at the Hirschfield Theater on Broadway (two left photos), I took some pictures of it as well as of the nearby Lycium Theater, which I think has a very attractive facade (middle right). And finally here's a shot of yours truly that I took today for a reporter who needs it for an article she is writing about me. That's my farewell shot for you, too, from this long and exciting trip.

Well, maybe not quite. There is one more observation I want to share. I was surprised by the feeling of joy I felt when I drove into Manhattan today from Westchester. It felt like a homecoming. For a "Lord of the Mountain" who has just climbed down from the Djurdjevic Mtn and the Djurdjevic Tara river, you would think that Manhattan would be the furthest thing possible from feeling at home in this urban jungle. Yet in a strange way, the city skyscraper canyons have something in common with the steep mountain gorges of Montenegro. Besides, thinking about all my trips over the last 30 years or so, I have probably spent more time in New York than any other place except home in Arizona. So no wonder it sometimes feels like home when you return to familiar grounds.