Tis the season to be Pumpkin!

I love fall.  There's a crispness in the air, the fall colors are in bloom and the light on a sunny day seems to make everything more vivid and festive.  I was walking down 34th Street, past Seventh Avenue when I saw all these pumpkins.  Pumpkins in New York?  You betcha!

As a jaded New Yorker, I'm surprised no one has tried to steal them.  However, It could be that there are cameras keeping an eye on them to prevent any petty thievery.  And this wasn't the only one.  The whole block was lined with these pumpkin displays.

You can see spots of orange past all the people.  And all the girls are so fashionable.  They're wearing high boots or booties with close fitting jeans and short jackets.

Warn Everyone About These Two Guys!!

Maksym and Denys Pashanin

I read about these two guys who were taking advantage of short-term rentals in order to squat, according to a Flyertalk article.  Read all about it here.

New Urban Oases

Sixth Avenue and 23rd Street

I've noticed lately that Manhattan streets have become kinder public spaces.  The busy crossroads like 23rd Street and 6th Avenue, the 34 St Herald Square area, and Times Square, are much nicer to pedestrians by inviting them to sit down in these nice cozy chairs and tables.  Growing up, these intersections were traffic nightmares and pedestrian no go zones.  I happened to be walking around 6th Avenue and 23rd, and it was such a serene (for New York) setting.  The air was nicer because there was no exhaust fumes coming out of so many cars, the traffic was diverted away from these rest areas.  People were enjoying the day and just sitting around small tables people-gazing or eating.  It's just so civilized.  A lot of this is due to former Mayor Bloomberg who championed these urban islands of serenity amidst all the noise and pollution.  Giuliani may have made New York safe, but Bloomberg is the mayor who made New York livable.