Hoboken – The Mile Square City
Hoboken is a city located on the Hudson River Waterfront in New Jersey, its unofficial nickname is the “Mile Square City”, but it actually covers about 1.25 square miles. The city was an integral part of the Port of New York and New Jersey and home to major industries for most of the 20th century. By the late 19th century, shipping lines were using Hoboken as a terminal port, and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (later the Erie Lackawanna Railroad) developed a railroad terminal at the waterfront, with the present NJ Transit terminal designed by architect Kenneth Murchison constructed in 1907. It is also well known for being the birthplace and hometown of American singer Frank Sinatra, one of the most popular and most influential musical artists of the 20th century, and there are parks and streets located in the city that are named for him. The character of the city has changed from a blue collar town to one of upscale shops and condominiums.
We decided to take a ride over to see the views riverside, as Hoboken is a little less than half an hour from where we live. It was a perfect weather day, only in the 70’s, which for August is pretty cool here in New Jersey. We walked along the river taking in the view of NYC across, and saw the Terminal that was built in 1907, used for the ferries that shuttle commuters and visitors back and forth across the Hudson these days.
Thursday’s Special: Oddball
This week Paula invites us to explore the word Oddball for Thursday’s Special.
Oddball: a person or thing that is atypical, bizarre, eccentric, or nonconforming, especially one having beliefs that are unusual but harmless. Whimsically free-spirited; eccentric; atypical.
What better place than Times Square New York City and 42nd Street to find some non conformers.
The Naked Cowboy
Man With Rats
Cee’s Which Way
An early morning walk with the sun casting its rays as I approached the bend in the sidewalk… just had to capture the moment
A Photo A Week: Tender Moments
I don’t often take photos of people with them being unaware, it just feels wrong to me to invade someone’s private space without them knowing. In this case, this couple was actually doing a photo shoot with a professional photographer, so I too captured the moment alongside him with this challenge in mind. Taken overlooking the Hudson River in NY.
Wordless Wednesday
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The Cloisters
This past weekend my husband and I visited The Cloisters in Manhattan. Here is a brief history from Wikipedia:
The Cloisters is a museum in Upper Manhattan, New York City specializing in European medieval architecture, sculpture and decorative arts. Its early collection was built by the American sculptor, art dealer and collector George Grey Barnard, and acquired by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in 1925. Rockefeller extended the collection and in 1931 purchased the site at Washington Heights and contracted the design for the Cloisters building.
Its architectural and artistic works are largely from the Romanesque and Gothic periods. The four cloisters; the Cuxa, Bonnefont, Trie and Saint-Guilhem cloisters, were sourced from French monasteries and abbeys. They were excavated from Europe and, between 1934 and 1939, reconstructed in a four-acre site in Washington Heights, in upper Manhattan. The reconstructed cloisters are surrounded by early medieval gardens and a series of indoor chapels and rooms grouped by period and source location, and include the Romanesque, Fuentidueña, Unicorn, Spanish and Gothic rooms.
The design, layout and ambiance of the building is intended to evoke a sense of the Medieval European monastic life through its architecture. The museum contains approximately five thousand medieval works of art from the Mediterranean and Europe, mostly from the 12th to 15th centuries, that is from the Byzantine to the early renaissance periods, but also works dating from the bronze and early iron ages.
If you would like to read the background of all the different areas within the Cloisters you can click here
It was really stepping back in time wandering through the hallways and down the staircases throughout the museum. There are also sweeping views of the Hudson River as the location is set quite high up on a hill. Here are some of the sights.
Share Your World: Emilio Style
This week, sitting in for Cee, is Emilio over at Photos By Emilio. He is asking the questions for Share Your World, So here we go:
Have you ever been pulled over by a cop?
My first speeding ticket EVER was 11 years ago when I was in my late 40’s. I was driving a Mini Cooper at the time and sometimes found myself going a bit faster than I should – and on a local highway there sat a cop who pulled me over. I always cry when I am scared, that’s just how I roll, and this time was no different. He was very nice when he approached and saw me crying already, and when he came back to my car after checking my ID he said he couldn’t believe I had NO violations on my record EVER. He wrote the ticket for only going 15 miles above the speed limit, when in truth I had been going 40-yes, 40 miles over the speed limit-well it was a highway- telling me it would result in less points on my record. I ended up going to court and paying more than what the actual cost of the ticket was, because this way there would be no points on my record at all.
What have you always wanted? Did you get it?
I can’t really think of anything that I really wanted and didn’t get, as spoiled as that may sound. I started working in my teens so if I wanted something my parents did not think was a necessity I would buy it myself. I bought my first car when I was 21, using money I had saved and taking a loan from a local bank. I am grateful for the things in my life that I have.
What is your perfect pizza?
Ah pizza- being gluten intolerant for close to 18 years I have forgotten pizza. I have tried gluten free but it is pretty awful. People have recommended Cauliflower crust pizza- also not a substitute. My favorite was with lots of cheese, and a cheese filled crust too.
What inspired you this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.
This week 511 cyclists rode 180 miles over 2 days through 3 states, to raise money for an organization called Chai Lifeline. Chai Lifeline provides seriously and chronically ill children and their families with support and encouragement during illness. For two weeks of every summer, hundreds of children are granted the ultimate camp experience in Camp Simcha, returning home with renewed hope, determination, and the thrill of simply being a child rather than a patient.
As a volunteer in a local hospital and also having had a friend who benefitted from Chai Lifeline’s services, I can attest to the fact that it is an amazing organization that is there in every way possible for families going through unbelievably trying times when a child is sick with cancer. The riders this year raised a whopping $8,371,703.61. I followed the riders on Instagram this year and watched the video as they rode into Camp Simcha after travelling all those miles to greet the campers. It was very moving. Here’s a glimpse of the ride.
One Word Photo Challenge: Insect
I am not a lover of insects by any stretch of the imagination- I actually cannot stand the sight of most. They make me squirm and send shivers down my spine. However, Dragonflies and Butterflies, both insects, never bother me, I find their colors and markings like artwork, and their wings beautiful to behold. Here are some of the ones I have captured with the lens.
Black & White Sunday: Traces of the Past
This week Paula invites us to share Traces of the Past. I visited The Cloisters in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan yesterday, a fitting place to share traces of the past, as the four cloisters, the Cuxa, Bonnefont, Trie and Saint-Guilhem, were sourced from French monasteries and abbeys, excavated from Europe between 1934 and 1939, and reconstructed on a four-acre site. The architectural and artistic works are largely from the Romanesque and Gothic periods. The museum contains approximately five thousand medieval works of art from the Mediterranean and Europe, mostly from the 12th to 15th centuries, from the Byzantine to the early renaissance periods, but also works dating from the bronze and early iron ages.
Thursday’s Special: Windows
The Weekly Smile
Another day at the beach and more antics from the local seagulls. This guy actually went into someone’s bag that had been left unattended and made off with a bag of chips. He dropped it and someone returned it to the bag, but he went back and took it out again. I couldn’t stop laughing watching him persevere.
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What made you smile?
Nurturing Thursday
Wordless Wednesday
Share Your World
This week Cee asks:
When you leave a room, do you turn the lights off behind you or keep the lights on throughout your house most of the time?
I always turn the lights off when I leave a room. I do have some lights set on timers so I don’t come into a dark house at night, or if we are away the lights go on and off.
What do you feel is the most enjoyable way to spend $500?
I’ll admit it, I would go on a shopping spree for clothes. I love to shop, I love to find the best price for what I am buying so I would stretch that $500 pretty far. I am convinced I inherited this passion from my father, who always felt the money was burning a hole in his pocket, also had a love for clothes, and lived with the motto “you can’t take it with you.”
Complete this sentence: My favorite thing to do on my cell phone is…
Scroll through my Instagram feed, or maybe play Candy Crush, oh wait, check Facebook updates, or reply to comments on WordPress. How can I say which is a favorite??
What inspired you this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.
The following video someone shared with me. People have challenges in their lives and when someone turns that challenge into something positive I find it inspiring. I love the laughter this father and son share.
Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Take a New Photo or Photos – Any topic
Cee says this week the topic is Take a New Photo or Photos – Any topic. She is leaving it to us to get out there and take some photos!
Today we went to a lovely garden for a walk and I though I usually prefer nature photos in color, I chose some of the ones I took today for the challenge in Black & White. Hope you like them!
Cee’s Which Way
Black & White Sunday: Structure
StructureElemental
Thursday’s Special: Pick A Word
This week Paula invites us to pick a word for Thursday’s Special. Here are my picks:
setting – ocean front wedding
nubilous – cloudy, misty, not clear
growth
nautical 
Feathers on Friday
This week I’ll share with you a Seagull enjoying his catch of a Mussel for lunch along the shore. 
Watch in full screen to really see it well
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Travel Theme: Words
Nurturing Thursday
The Weekly Smile
Yesterday my husband and I went to visit our Aunt, about an hours drive from where we live. Her husband, our Uncle, is in a nursing home at the moment, getting rehab to literally help get him back on his feet. She spends every afternoon there from 1 to 5, so we thought we’d take her out to lunch and then go visit for a bit with our Uncle. We also thought it would be a nice break for her to get out, eat out, and have a change of the routine.
We sat down in the restaurant and were handed the menus, which much to our surprise were not paper, but tablets. Like a Kindle or Ipad. This was a first for me. You could choose from a category and then scroll through the different dishes offered, with photo and description of each choice.
Did I mention my Aunt is 90? She does not seem like she is 90, I still think of her as someone in her late 60’s- she is constantly on the move, constantly coming, going, cooking, visiting her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She does not however, have any idea about the workings of a computer. We have suggested it many times over the years, but she has always been resistant. The menu sitting in front of her was a mystery, she looked at me dumbfounded and asked “now what?” I showed her all she had to do was tap the category and swipe left. She was amazed. Seeing the color photos of each meal made it even more fun and no guess work about what you were ordering.
So my smile this week was my Aunt’s introduction to a tablet menu and seeing her enjoy learning how to use it.
Wordless Wednesday
A Day In The Life 
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