What is it?

This stuff is amazing.
You could probably have a camel or a 
huge hunk of Limberger cheese in 
your house, and if you put out a bunch
of these little gel odor eaters
you'd hardly notice (well, I guess the
camel would be obvious, but not for its "scent").

[Linking back to Blue Monday and Macro Monday.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

I can't imagine going to Paris and not
taking at least one stroll along the
beautiful arcades of the Palais Royal—
especially lovely when the sun is out and
the lamps cast their shadows.

Simple and elegant!

[To see more Sunday shadows, go here.]

Pink Saturday

. . . and here they are
(see yesterday's post).

[To see more Pink Saturday posts, go here.]

the bamboo wood

Apparently, this is the little boat 
that Monet rowed out in to 
capture his water lilies in all their glory. 
(stay tuned . . .)

[Linking back to Weekend Reflections and
to The Weekend in Black and White.]

Thursday Challenge—"hard"

Mom and Dad were having fun, but their little girl
was still pretty unsteady on her blades.  My
father first brought me here to the Rockefeller Center 
rink when I was 4 years old, and I quickly learned two things:
Ice-skating is hard—and so is that ice!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends—

[To see more of the Thursday Photo
Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—T is for "tiles"

This beautiful floor belongs to
Veniero's Pasticceria, which is not in Italy
(though you might think so), but rather on the
Lower East Side of Manhattan. I told 
you all about it last month.

[To see more ABC posts for the letter T, go here.]

If it's eucalyptus, it must be November

I love the folks who come to our local
greenmarket with flowers from their farm. 
It starts with daffodils and tulips in
April and ends with dried arrangements and huge 
bunches of eucalyptus—like the one this guy
has just bought—into November.

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

A "cautionary" tale

Look out! Be careful! Watch where you're going!
But don't forget to love yourself too.
I'm making fun of where they put their little 
feel-good sticker, but the folks at the
Love Yourself Project are doing some good 
work—especially with kids and art.

[To see more Monday Mellow Yellows posts, go here.]

Today's Flowers?

My new work space is right next to the 
food editors at another magazine, Family Circle. 
This showed up last week, so I went over to
admire the pretty orchid—and then . . .

someone cut into it!

[To see more (real) flowers from
around the world, go here
and click on the link.]

Saint-Antoine-des-Quinze-Vingts

This Paris church is relatively young—it was
built in the neogothic style and completed
in 1903.  I've featured it here before.

[Linking back to The Weekend in Black and White,
Shadow Shot Sunday, and inSPIREd Sunday.]

Weekend Reflections

Hi-ho, hi-ho—it's off to work we go.
But it was a Monday after a very
nice weekend, so I doubt any 
of us were feeling that enthusiastic.

[To see more Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"warm"

As we move from "sweater" to "jacket" to 
"pouffy down coat" weather, I'm thinking about 
"barefoot"—from a mere two months ago.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo Challenge, go here. 
Also linking back to Weekend Reflections.]

ABC Wednesday—S is for "Starbucks"

At the Louvre, no less.  There's something
about it that's just so un-Parisian.
(On the other hand, I have to admit that
I really do like those cups.)

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Kings Theater

This theater, On Flatbush Avenue in the heart
of Brooklyn, opened in 1929 and was
closed in 1977.  Finally, after the completion this
year of a $95 million restoration of the original design
along with 21st-century technical improvements,
we have a wonderful new venue for live entertainment.
SO glad they opted to renovate rather than demolish.
(I was there with my girls to see the
So You Think You Can Dance live touring show—
anyone else addicted to SYTYCD?) 

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

Fluctuat nec mergitur

I took this picture exactly two years ago,
when I was in Paris with two fellow
bloggers who have now become my good friends.
They are both there now, and I am so
grateful that they—and all my Paris friends—are
safe.  We won't let what's happened keep us 
from the city we love so much.  As the motto of Paris
says:  "Elle est agitée par les vagues, et ne sombre pas"
(She is tossed by the waves, but does not sink).

[Linking back to Macro Monday.]

inSPIREd Sunday

This stained-glass window in the church of
St.-Etienne-du-Mont features an image
of the church itself.  The building to the right
 (the original abbey, I believe) is no longer there . . .

but the church looks the same
as it did when it was completed 
391 years ago.

[To see more churches from around
the world, go here.]

fall colors?

Actually, yes—I found these pale pink beauties  
blooming in the garden about a week ago, so . . .

[Linking back to Pink Saturday and Today's Flowers.]

Skywatch Friday

When I was walking over the bridge one morning 
recently, I couldn't see the top of One World Trade 
because lower Manhattan was all fogged in.  
The fog gradually lifted, everywhere but just around 
the trade tower—then  finally it moved away. 
 I've never seen an effect quite like it.

[To see more Skywatch pics, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"curves"

I'm doing something here that I normally
try very hard not to do: repeat myself.
But I looked at the challenge and thought
immediately of this long, curvy subway corridor.
So forgive me, please—I couldn't resist.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo
 Challenge, visit Dale's meme.] 

seabirds, reflected

To me, it almost looks like these birds are 
trapped in a field of ice. Not to worry, though—
I took this photo in late August.

[Linking back to ABC Wednesday (R)
and to Weekend Reflections.]

Fall flowers

A colorful display in front of the
Mandarin Oriental, at Columbus Circle.  
You can stay at this centrally located hotel for 
a mere $1,000 (and change) per night!

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.]

Blue Monday

Built right over Park Ave. at 45th/46th Streets,
 this started out in 1929 as the New York
Central Building. It was purchased 
in 1998 for $253 million (part of the deal
being that the name—The Helmsley Building
at that time—would not be changed).
And it hasn't been, even though it was sold again
in 2006 for $705 million, in 2007 for
a tad over $1 billion, and most recently this past 
May for $1.2 billion.  And so it goes . . .

[To see more Blue Monday posts, 
visit Smiling Sally's meme.]

inSPIREd Sunday

Santa Croce in Florence—
you can't talk about this basilica without
doing some serious name-dropping:
Founded by St. Francis himself,  it's the
largest Franciscan church in the world;
builders included di Cambio,
Vasari, and Brunelleschi; frescoes by Giotto;
tombs (or funerary monuments) for
Dante, Galileo, Gentile, Ghiberti, Machiavelli,
Michelangelo, Rossini, Marconi, and Fermi.
See what I mean?

[To see more churches from around the world, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

Unless you log at least a million air miles
a year—or, like me, you happen to
be traveling with someone who does—
you're not going to see this stairway in one
of those "special" lounges at CDG.
(I really missed it the next time I came through
that airport, without my privileged pal.)

[To see more b/w pics, visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Weekend Reflections

The "prow" of the triangular Flatiron Building,
where Broadway and Fifth Avenue intersect
at 23rd Street, is devoted to (always interesting)
art installations.  Currently featured are
hand-cut sculptures of iconic Manhattan buildings—
the work of the artist Christina Lihan.

[To see more Weekend Reflections, visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"treats"

I tend to crave salt more than I do sugar.
Besides, I never saw a chip that I
thought was too beautiful to eat—while these
pastries really are just that (well, almost).

 [To see more of the Thursday Photo
Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—Q is for "quotes"

I don't know who put this compilation of movie
quotes on the Internet—but it must
have been a fellow romantic, because I can 
tell you what film each of these is from
without even thinking about it.
And then there's this:

Because it will not do to leave out Mr. Darcy
when quoting romantic movies
—though the rest of this one is an excellent
example of that famous pride (or is it prejudice?). 
Besides, how many movie versions 
are there of this classic?
So what's your favorite movie quote?

[To see more ABC posts for the letter Q, go here.]

balloons on the bridge

Who left this bouquet of balloons here?
I haven't the foggiest notion, but
they definitely cheered up my morning walk 
over the Brooklyn Bridge—and they were 
gone the next day (released, not popped, I hope).

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and My World Tuesday.]

the local art scene

There's a corner in my neighborhood
where an unfinished construction
site has been an eyesore for years now.
Lately, though, it's become a
good spot for some young artists
to do their thing. [For the complete story,
check out the links in Tall Gary's comment.]
[Linking back to Blue Monday.]

Jardin du Luxembourg

The Luxembourg Palace (now the headquarters 
of the French senate) was built between 
1615 and 1645 for Marie de Medici, widow of Henri IV.
It was passed down through various members 
of her family, was at one time the home of the scandalous 
Duchess du Berry, and was taken over by 
Hermann Göring during the German occupation.  

[Linking back to Today's Flowers
and to Monday Mellow Yellows.]