Here are pictures from 1-2-11 before the trip to the Whaler Bar.
Nature girl here doesn't know what kind of tree is associated with these prickly seed pods - I just call them "burrs."
And this is a "birdie."
Trees
Whenever I see ducks in Central Park I think of this bit from "Catcher in the Rye" - Holden is talking to a cab driver:
"The fish - that's different. The fish is different. I'm talking about the ducks," I said.
"What's different about it? Nothing's different about it," Horwitz said. "It's tougher for the fish, the winter and all than it is for the ducks, for Chrissake. use your head, for Chrissake."
I didn't say anything for about a minute. Then I said, "All right. What do they do, the fish and all, when that whole little lake's a solid block of ice, people skating on it and all?"
Old Horwitz turned around again. "What the hellaya mean what do they do?" He yelled at me. "They stay right where they are, for Chrissake."
"They can't just ignore the ice. They can't just ignore it."
"Nobody's ignoring it. Nobody's ignoring it. They live right in the goddam ice. It's their nature, for Chrissake. They get frozen right in one position for the whole winter."
"Yeah? What do they eat then? I mean, if they're frozen solid, they can't even swim around looking for food and all."
"Their bodies, for Chrissake - what'sa matter with ya? Their bodies take in nutrition and all, right through the goddam seaweed and crap. They got their pores open the whole time. That's their nature, for Chrissake."
These steps lead to Shakespeare's garden in the Park.
Shakespeare's bench
Shakespeare's sundial - I couldn't tell what time it was - I think it's broken.
Heading out of the Park I saw this Christmas creche - I'm sure Wes from the blog A Camera in Some Hands knows about the Catholic League - it's run by cranky old coot Bill Donohue who managed to get the Smithsonian Institution to censor the video piece "A Fire in My Belly" by David Wojnarowicz.
Right nearby the creche I came upon this protest - it's against the use of horses in New York City and I completely agree - why treat horses this way so that people can do something so pointlessly anachronistic as ride a horse buggy around in 21st century New York City? You go, animal cruelty protestors!
I didn't get any good pictures of lunch at Le Pain Quotidien, but here's the Chrysler Building a few blocks away from the Whaler Bar.