Spring Leaves the Station

A visual/verbal commentary on a few days in New York City, where spring has come and spread its gorgeousness everywhere.

First on the list: The High Line, my favorite urban touchstone for seasonal drift. Two views looking south from 20th street—two months ago and this weekend:

Comparing urban flora and fauna in February and then again in April

And of course keeping it all in perspective—here’s what we have to look forward to in the next iteration:

The High Line in the summer of 2009

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A few more visual remembrances:

Sand mandala painter in Union Square

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My favorite spring tree, the Redbud, whose fecundity has blossoms that explode everywhere. This tree is so wildly expressive it almost makes me blush.

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Draftmanship kept alive, at the Met Museum. He doesn’t move from that seat for hours.

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A delightfully elemental and sensually lipped wooden bagel (donut for some). This is not its real name, just so you know. By Ross Rudel on exhibit at the Jack Shainman Gallery in Chelsea

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The best quixotic wall message I’ve seen in some time: Is its intended reading Better History? Bitter History? Better Future? Bitter Future? I think the message is: e) all of the above.