Sunday, October 26, 2025

Halloween in the hood - 2025 edition

 

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday.



So, I just love the fact that my hood has turned into the go-to-place for over-the-top decorations in Manhattan.


When people began posting photos and addresses from last year on Instagram, I was a bit concerned. 


 What if these folks didn’t feel like decorating this year?



Worse yet, what if they moved?



If they did, I sure hope they told the people who bought their houses what was expected of them.



Can you imagine what it would be like to have bunches of disappointed people stalking your house?



When I saw a pic of this set up online, I just had to go check it out.  (60 East 85th St.)  It’s going to be hard to beat.



Meanwhile 78th Street between Park and 2nd is particularly festive.  Apparently, they have a block party planned.




I may just have to crash. 😉



Posted by at 9:23 AM
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Sunday, October 12, 2025

Bonsai @ BBG

 

This is the 100th anniversary of the bonsai tree collection at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.



When I heard that they were celebrating by showing off additional selections I decided it would definitely be worth a visit.


Especially since several of my cousins actually cultivate them.  Imagine that.


I’m struggling with all my indoor plants these days.  Yes.  I have become a chronic over-waterer.  Sigh.


I timed my visit for the end of the exhibit so I could catch some fall foliage.


Of course, the red maple stole the show.


I also caught a variety of fruit  - oranges anyone?


Or maybe grapefruits?


Not all of the specimens were dated, but among those that were, this Daimyo Oak is the oldest – from 1851. Wow.


And because my friend Tim is so into naked trees, I couldn’t help but notice that this one had the most impressive trunk.


The show runs through 10/19/25, so there’s still time to check it out if you are a fan.

Here are some previous blogs from BBG…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2013/06/brooklyn-botanical-gardens.html

 

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-touch-of-spring.html

 

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2014/04/japanese-gardens.html

 

Cheers!

PJ

 

© 2025 PJ Lehrer


Posted by at 8:34 AM
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Sunday, October 5, 2025

Water lilies @ NYBG

 

When I headed to the New York Botanical Garden earlier this month to see the Van Gogh sunflower exhibit,



I thought I would also check out the water lilies and lotus blossoms since they were peaking.


This is the first chance I have had to catch them at leisure.


I have to say that I was really impressed.  Their collection is even better than the one at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.


Water lilies have a storied history – petals have been found in 3000-year-old Egyptian tombs.



And, the sacred lotus Nelumbo Nucifera symbolizes eternal life in Buddhism.




Then there’s Monet, who once wrote –



“It took me time to understand my water lilies.”



“I had planted them for the pleasure of it; I grew them without ever thinking of painting them.”



And they have dragonflies and koi fish too. 😊




Here are some other water lilies blogs …

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2012/11/water-lilies-lotus-flowers.html

 

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/11/water-lilies-2.html

 

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2021/09/water-lilies-3.html

 

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2023/08/water-lilies-4.html

 

Cheers!

PJ

 

© 2025 PJ Lehrer

 


Posted by at 9:43 AM
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Sunday, September 28, 2025

Collaboration with Tim #41: Billionaire’s Row

 

In 2015, One57 was completed and 57th Street between 5th and 8th Avenues was given a new nickname – Billionaire’s Row.  

Of course, no one actually lives there despite the great views of Central Park.  They are merely investment properties for the rich and greedy.

I took this photo from the edge of the lake in the southeast corner of the park while some of the buildings were still works-in-progress.



And then Tim did his usual fabulous job of creating artwork from my photo.



It’s going to take me a while to adjust to the new skyline. 😉

Here are some of our previous collaborations…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2021/04/collaborating-with-tim-13-roosevelt.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/08/collaborating-with-tim-8-brooklyn-bridge.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/04/collaborating-with-tim-6-34th-street.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/03/collaborating-with-tim-5-view-from-nyu.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/11/collaborating-with-tim-10-fdr-to-bqe.html

You can also follow us on Instagram at @pjlehrer and @timbaynesartist.

Cheers!

PJ

© 2025 PJ Lehrer


Posted by at 9:51 AM
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Sunday, September 21, 2025

Sunflowers @ NYBG

 

To mix things up a bit this year, the New York Botanical Gardens decided to create a Van Gogh inspired sunflower exhibit.  (Running through October 26th.)


As soon as I heard about it,  I got excited.


I’ve never had a chance to photograph sunflowers in nature – only on the sidewalks of Manhattan.



So, this would be a golden opportunity.



I immediately started pondering when the best time to go would be.




I figured that I’d look to the streets for guidance.  As it turns out, my sunflower Instagram posts in 2024 were from the first week of September.




Of course, the weather is never the same year to year.  So, when I saw them blooming in the hood the last week of August, I figured it was time.




I was delighted to see that there are many more varieties of sunflowers than I had realized.



Apparently, there are over 70, and the NYBG exhibit includes 32 different kinds.




I don’t know who enjoyed them more – me or the bees.  (There were lots of varieties of those too. 😉)




Posted by at 9:33 AM
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Sunday, September 14, 2025

LES murals

 

I’ve wanted to photograph the murals that line east Houston Street for years - ever since we rode past in a cab a while back.



So, when I decided that I wanted to check out the pickles at The Pickle Guy,



I brought my camera along and allowed some additional time for the trip.




Lucky for me, they were still there.



And just as pretty as I remembered.




It’s a good neighborhood for murals.



In addition to the string that caught my eye,



there were other interesting examples scattered about the hood.



In fact, I think the prettiest one might be the one that greeted me as I left the subway station.



Oh, and the pickles were worth the trip. 😉



Posted by at 8:53 AM
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