Friday, July 2, 2010

Happy Pink Saturday ~ Happy 4th of July!


Many New Yorkers live in apartments without balconies or decks, so they love to go to their local city park to sit on the grass and get some sun on a weekend or holiday. This is Madison Square Park located on  6.2 acres between 23rd and 26th streets and Fifth and Madison Avenues, that offers flourishing gardens, lush lawns and cultural programs for all ages.


The park is surrounded by some magnificent and historical buildings, as you can see in the photo collage above. From left to right you can see The Empire State building, The Metropolitan Life Clock Tower building, The New York Life building, and The Flatiron building.


The park was also surrounded by magnificent pink hydrangeas the day I visited recently.


Along almost every fence there were flowers in bloom!


Some beautiful pink astilbes in front of blue hydrangeas in this section of the park.


Beautiful shades of pink hydrangeas of all kinds were a delight to see. All photos will enlarge for close up viewing if you click on them once and then again when they open in a new window.  Use your browser's back arrow to return to the post.


There were also American flags surrounding a portion of the fence of Madison Square Park in front of the Eternal Light Flagstaff that honors the World War 1 Veterans.  It was dedicated on Armistice Day, November 11, 1923, and it is the site where the New York Veterans Day parade concludes and where official ceremonies are conducted.  If you look closely at the photo above you can see the very decorative base of the flag pole....



....and this is looking up toward Old Glory, the American flag! 
May she ever wave free for the land of the free and the home of the brave!


Happy Pink Saturday!  Happy 4th of July!


I'm linking this post to the "Pink Saturday" event at Becverly's blog, How Sweet The Sound. Please visit Beverly this weekend to see a long list of blogs participating in Pink Saturday with their pink and or patriotic posts!





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52 comments:

dianasfaria.com said...

Wow! Pink Hydrangeas! I love them.
I always liked walking through Madison Square Park when I lived in the city. Great post Pat.

Maria M. Boyer said...

Pat, I miss NYC with every one of your posts. Beautiful!

Betty said...

Your pictures are beautiful. I always enjoy my trip to NYC at your blog. My Dad worked for NY Life, but I don't think at that building.

Happy 4th of July!

http://jackieinsurrey.blogspot.co.uk/ said...

Hi Pat, another great post making me very envious that we won't be visiting New York this year after all, BUT my daughter and her fiancé are and they fly out Wednesday morning. She is in NYC for a week and then goes to San Francisco!! Lucky girl, me, I have to look after her house, cat and roses.

Have a great weekend and 4th July. We celebrate here on the 5th, my husbands birthday and our wedding anniversary!!!
Jackie in Surrey, UK.

Claudia said...

I remember my days in the Parks or along the Hudson - trying to connect with the natural world. It's a necessity when you live"in the City." Even today, with a large yard filled with blooms, I go to Parks and trails and the lake to connect. Our blooms are early this year - but NYC has us beat. Those hydrangeas make my heart sing. But your photos always do. Happy Fourth of July!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Love seeing all of the parks and buildings in and around NYC... AND the Hydrangeas are fabulous.

Thanks for another fabulous post, Pat.

Hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July weekend.
Hugs,
Betsy

nycstylelittlecannoli said...

great post and gorgeous flowers! Happy 4th to you and your family!!

RoeH said...

Isn't it strange? When it's beautiful summer like that, you can't imagine it ever being snow and cold. And vice-versa. Maybe it's supposed to be that way. Great photos!

La Petite Gallery said...

New York it's a wonderful place.
Happy fourth to you my Dear.
Beautiful photo's



yvonne

Vee said...

The garden looks so beautiful all decorated for the fourth. My eye went straight to those gorgeous astilbes growing with the hydrangea. What an interesting combination. Thanks for sharing your trip to the park. I know that you didn't do any sunbathing, but did you sit in the shade and just relax?

A Bit of the Blarney said...

What magnificent pictures!!! Thank you for sharing!! Cathy

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Happy Fourth, Pat!

I loved this post.

I would think it would be great fun to celebrate the Fourth in NYC! Loved all the flags.

We are taking it easy because Mr. Magpie has a trial next week, and he's preparing. So I am working on my post now. I'm going to do it in part about the NJ Caldwells, and I found a short film on her. Kind of interesting.

Love to you. I am going to try a recipe from my new book this weekend and blog about it!!!

XO,

Sheila :-)

Sue said...

Hi Pat- this is a great post about the park. Love the shot looking up at the flag waving in the breeze! And the flowers- they are gorgeous. Always a treat to see what you show us from that great city! Have a safe and happy holiday weekend.
hugs, Sue

Grace said...

Happy 4th of July and Happy Pink Saturday. I love the Park it is right across the street from my cousins job and often meet her there. Beautiful photos as always. Enjoy Grace xoxo

Sarah said...

Pat, what a wonderful post! The pink hydrangeas are gorgeous as are the other ones. :-) But it's the flags that have my heart singing. This is just beautiful!
Happy 4th of July! ~ Sarah
PS.
I've added myself as a new follower. All this time I thought I was. . . well I was, just not official. Now I'm official! LOL

Ciao Chow Linda said...

We almost lost our son in the streets around that park when he was two years old. I just love hydrangeas so I am flipping over all the ones in that park.

Lisa@GrandmasBriefs said...

Those hydrangeas are lovely! Have a safe, happy and cool (temp and otherwise) Fourth of July!

Marg said...

Hope you have a wonderful July 4th party. Its' been so much fun watching the folks prepare for this event in San Diego. What a patriotic country. We can learn so much from you. My daughter has a friend working in NY and so they are always in contact. May you enjoy the freedom.

Sara said...

Those hydrangeas are gorgeous! I love the way NYC has so many cute parks - and that they are used by the citizens of the city...

Anonymous said...

Yes parks are so necessary to apartment life. People need sunlight to be healthy.

Love those hydrangeas!

RNSANE said...

It looks like New Yorkers are all set for the summer, basking in the rays!

Beautiful flower shots, Pat, and everything looks nice for 4th of July festivities!

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

The mosaic of the four buildings is fantastic and the flowers are pretty, but I lovvvvvve all the flags that this weekend brings out!!!!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful flowers!!
Love your pictures.
Happy 4th of July!
- Cheers Gisela.

diane b said...

Happy 4th of july to you and all your countrymen. Love the collage of the buildings. How did you do it? It seems funny to see everyone sunbaking while I'm sitting here with a sweater on and the heating.

Old Kitty said...

Oh it's wonderful to see green spaces so well kept and adored in a city as huge and amazing as NYC! I love how the hydrangeas fence the green bits in with their magnificent heads of flowers in all sorts of pinks, lilacs and blues! Beautiful!

And look at those classic buildings!! That narrow on to the right - the FlatIron - that's just impossible! LOL! I've just read the wiki link and can't believe it was finished in 1902! What a visionary Mr Burnham was. Amazing.

And the decorative base to the flag pole wher Old Glory flies is lovely isn't it?

Have a wonderful Independence Day weekend!

Take care
x

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

What beautiful pics of the city!! Enjoyed visiting you today!!

Debbie

Allie and Pattie said...

I remember many afternoons eating lunch there while running around the city Pat- just gorgeous!
xoxo Pattie

Catherine said...

You are never disappointing! I`m going to share this post with my neighbor from the Bronx. Actually, I send her a link to most of your posts and she loves them.

Anonymous said...

Happy Pink Saturday and the Happiest of July 4ths to you, too!

I so loved your photos and text about the park and surrounding buildings....The Flatiron is still one of my favorite places in NYC. The flags looked so great added the iron fence and those flowers were wonderful!!

Have a great weekend....and be careful with those firecrackers! L, Dana

Regina said...

Wow how delightful!
Happy Pink Saturday Pat and a blessed 4th of July weekend.

R e g i n a

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a perfect post for the 4th. Your photos are, as usual, just beautiful. I hope you have a great Pink Saturday and a wonderful holiday weekend. Blessings...Mary

Jeanne said...

Hello Pat, Your post today is a perfect Pink Saturday 4th of July post. I always love the history lessons and you really find some interesting bits of history. We just saw a TV show about the Flatiron building about when and how it was built. The flowers in the park are beautiful.

If you check my post from Friday you will see a sisters shot of us when we were in NY. It was taken at the Today Show. We had a great day that day. I love NY.

Have a wonderful 4th of July Pat. We are going out on our deck in a few minutes to see fireworks 16 miles away in Franklin. We are high enough in the mountains to see most of them. Better than fighting the crowds. Our town is doing fireworks tonight instead of on Sunday.

Since the last two weeks have been filled with grandkids week and my brother's visit, I just want a nice time at home alone with my dh. Smile. I am also enjoying time on my computer to visit for a change.
Happy Pink Saturday as well.

Hugs, Jeanne

Elaine said...

I have never been to New York City.. What beautiful pictures of the park and flowers. Thanks for sharing them.

Lottie said...

What a beautiful post! I enjoyed the pictures and especially the pink hydrangeas! Happy Pink Saturday and Happy 4th of July!

Rhonda Hartis Smith said...

Pat those hydrangeas are gorgeous! Hope you have a Happy 4th.

Annesphamily said...

Pat you post the greatest stuff! Your pinks are magnificent and your patriotic post is always educational and I leave with something new I learned here. Thanks for sharing and Happy weekend to you and yours! Anne

Tracy said...

LOVE, love, love all those PINK hydrangeas, Pat... *SWOON*!! Fun to see all the 4th festivity! The 4th is not celebrated here in Norway, but we Americans abroad take it with us! We sometimes do our own little picnic. But Hubby & I both are under the weather with colds just now this weekend--not much fun in summer. :o( Wishing you & your a very happy holiday weekend ((HUGS))

Lorrie said...

Happy Independence Day Pat! I love the pink hydrangeas--they are a favorite flower of mine, and all but mine are mostly blue--just one pink bush. I love 'em no matter what color they are.

How fun to have parks surrounded by such beautiful, historic buildings--that's New York for ya!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Pat, your photos are magnificent, as always. You make NYC seem beautiful. While I love the city I've never thought of it as beautiful. Goes to show how wrong you can be. I just needed to see it through another pair of eyes. Blessings...Mary

Brenda said...

And a happy 4th to YOU, Pat. Beautiful pictures (as usual)!

Unknown said...

I am pleased to meet you Pat ... ty for popping by.

Awesome dramatic floral pictures! I love viewing the park when we are up that way ...

May she wave freely forever above this great nation.

Happy Independence Day ...
TTFN ~ Marydon

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Sheila said...

My favorite picture is of the people in the park. It's nice t see the park being used and to see people just taking life easy on a summer afternoon.

The Gathering Place said...

I love the parks and all the flags. Beautiful flowers, too.
In all your travels, have you been to Washington, D.C.? I'm going in the fall and thought you might have some fun posts on it.

Gracie said...

I hope you had a great time!

Judy said...

Here's hoping you had a wonderful 4th of July, Pat!

Great post...from the buildings of the city...to the flags...and the hydrangeas in all their glory. Oh...and the sunshine! All the makings of a great holiday.

Just a little something from Judy said...

Thank you for kindly taking me with you on your fun and informative walks through the city. I enjoy the historic facts, the gorgeous flowers and learning new things about life and people in this fine city. I enjoy it all so much.

Carol said...

I love the city parks, with the immediate world just hanging out, such fun! Love the building shots. and the pink hydrangea's are gorgeous!

Kathleen said...

It is funny to see hydrangea in the city. I never really noticed them till we started coming out here. Even in Huntington I don't remember them being prevalent!
We had a busy 4 days, one more day, then back to normal I hope!

Pam said...

That's a great park and the flowers are gorgeous! I just found your blog and really like it! I'm looking forward to future posts!

Frances said...

Oh Pat .... your photos are so gorgeous. I love, love, love the pink hydrangeas. Most of the hydrangeas in my yard are blue, so my eye is always drawn to the pink ones. When I was in NYC last month, I took a photo of a pink hydrangea near one of the subway stations, and it is one of my favorite photos. I can't tell you how much I enjoy looking at the scenes you show us, especially after having just visited. Makes me long to go back.

Hope you have a very special week. Looking forward to your next posting.

Hugs .....

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

Love the hydrangeas of every color! And the scenes of the city! You've really opened our eyes to things we've never know about NYC! ♥