therealtamara

Bottomless

On my little coffee break, I passed a sign for a “bottomless brunch.” It jogged my memory of an experience years ago where it was hard getting just that second mimosa. Bottomless only if you can capture the waiter’s attention.

Closing…

Departures and arrivals on the Upper East Side.

70 years in the window is kind of a goodbye poster here. This corner in the lower picture has a space available sign.

Caffeine with a side

The coffee trail for me begins at #Tozzo. It ends there as well these days. It’s not just the convenience or the friendly greeting that draws me there. It’s that best darn latte ever!

The tozzo (a nom de plume, it’s full-name is maritozzo) is basically a nice soft roll filled with whipped cream and a flavor. My choice will always be pistachio if pistachio is a choice you give me. At #Tozzo the pistachio is revered and featured.

Been there. Done that.

This is what it looks like when we run out of road. Next stop East River.

Rainy day view from a workout studio at Asphalt Green comes with the membership.

Coming soon to this corner a Barnes & Noble. Bet you thought you’d never see one of these again.

It’s rare to see a giant semi on the streets of New York.

Sites, sights, or (maybe) signs

The Church of the Epiphany has moved to 74th Street off 1st Avenue. Construction has begun on a new high-rise at York & 74th.

It’s almost a spring-like mid-January day so feels like a perfect time for a paint refresh in the park.

Store closures are as obiquitous as construction pits on the UES.

That short walk home

This optician was in the neighborhood for years.

Passages at City and Suburban have the look of a secret maze.

Toy towns and bird perches have sprung near us.

Library

The public library, if I am correct in my recollection, was brought to us here in NYC by German immigrants.

79th between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, the Yorkville branch is a lovely solid little building.

The NYPL near Astor Place on 2nd Avenue was the first in the City. It’s the Otendorfer Library.

The Ottendorfer Branch of the New York Public Library opened in 1884 as New York City’s first free public library. Designed by German-born architect William Schickel, this landmark building combines Queen Anne and neo-Italian Renaissance styles with an exterior ornamented by innovative terracotta putti. The branch was a gift of Oswald Ottendorfer, owner of the New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung newspaper.
From their website.

Libraries throughout the NYPL system are mostly picturesque well-built structures.

The pandemic and e-reading has brought us a “no late fees” policy.

If you enjoy listening to books or reading on tablet or phone, there’s one more innovation for you.

Construction

New York is one big renewal project. It transforms from little brownstones to giant skyscrapers, with each passing generation. Building big or building tall changes the shape of our streets.

The pace of growth demands that this city builds bigger.

Sometimes, as the city ordains, we repair what’s come before and keep the scale as it was.

With rooflines registering up and down in commemoration of years of raising and tearing down, NYC holds on to its dynamic past while looking forward to a towering future.