by It’s been closed down for a long time while they do renovations and now it’s open again, and I have to say, it doesn’t look very different to me. They moved the fountain, supposedly, but if it’s a few feet over in one direction or another I can’t tell. There used to be a two tier, different level thing going on around the fountain and now everything is all on one level. But I looked all around for improvements and couldn’t find them.
This planting thing leading up to the fountain didn’t used to be there. A statue/monument thing used to be there. I liked the statue/monument thing, but this is nice.
One great change is there have been children playing in the fountain every time I walked by, and I love the sound and look of that. Screaming, splashing children. I’m not very kid-oriented, but I once was a kid and I remember how much fun it is to play in fountains. I love that they have one. Street performers used to take over the fountain and I’m sorry they’ve lost their spot, but this is a better use. Now they perform off to the side, so it’s not like they no longer have a spot.
I really enjoy your pictures of New York.
It counters the sort of knee-jerk reaction people in my part of the country have when they think of New York — from Goodfellas, The Godfather, Donnie Brasso, etc., etc.
We get the same stereotyping down here, like the pot-bellied, racist deputy sheriff. A long time ago, a girl on Long Island seriously asked me if we were still fighting Indians.
And as far as Indians go, Navahos in New Mexico used to laugh hilariously at the movies when they would see themselves depicted as living in teepees like tribal nations far removed from those in New Mexico.
Here’s a question for you. Of all the television shows that depict New York, which ones most accurately show New York as you experience it?
What an incredibly nice thing to say about my pictures, thank you!! That’s funny, and sad, about that girl from Long Island. I once had some guy from the south ask me how many times have I been raped and mugged. Good lord. That was the picture of NY he had!! I said, “daily.” (I was young.)
I love your question about television shows about NY. I’m thinking. I guess the thing is most don’t depict my crowd or my lifestyle, but I have to go with Sex and the City. They got a lot of things right. In an idealized way. I’m a struggling writer so I don’t dress or party like that, so I’m living the poor girl’s version, and they left out the life of the mind — in addition to talking about relationships we like to talk about ideas and the world — but still, all and all, it got enough right.