Broadway - REALLY the Great White Way today

Off on another epic adventure! LocalTourist decides to run Broadway the entire length of the island of Manhattan. What a great way to see the snowfall over every part of the city. Here is intrepid partner G at the 215th street #1 train stop, ready to run. It is still snowing heavily. Couldn't be bothered to wait until the blizzard was over, that's no fun.




We're running through this? It's deep! Not everyone has had a chance to get out and clear their sidewalks yet.



Upon closer inspection, you can see we are already at the Dyckman Street A train subway station!
This is pretty close to 125th street. It was here that it became apparent the camera battery charge was extremely low. Any attempt to zoom in made the camera shut off immediately, which explains this pic of my running partner in the yellow jacket, lower right. Keep looking. (click any photo to enlarge)
Columbus Circle, where Broadway crosses Eighth Avenue (Central Park West). Lots of people out enjoying Central Park. This is the place where New Yorkers come to see snow when it falls.
Apparently, LocalTourist missed the photo opps where Broadway crosses Ninth Avenue (Columbus Avenue) at Lincoln Square, and Tenth Avenue (Amsterdam Avenue), before it. Ooops. Too busy jumping through snowdrifts.



The Maine Memorial, at the Southwest corner of Central Park.




Hitting Times Square, where Broadway crosses Seventh Avenue, and the world crosses New York. The Hersheys store does not close for no stinkin' snowstorm! There are a surprising number of customers wandering around the area for them to sell to.





There was a huge crowd at TKTS Discount Broadway tickets booth. All the tourists staying in Times Square hotels were there.





Cup O' Noodles up there steamin' away, on the building to the left of the gap (click on photo to enlarge). Still snowing.




Herald Square, where Broadway crosses Sixth Avenue. Macy's just to the left of the picture. Good golly, will ya check out the height of the snow pack on those cafe tables? Really makes you believe the 26.9" total recorded in Central Park.




The venerable Macy's with a bit of snowy trim.




The Campanile of the Met Life Building at 23rd st, where Broadway crosses Fifth Avenue. Also known as Madison Square Park.




Some people really like all the snow. This guy looks like he has been sitting out in it all day. He's thinking "sweet! No pigeons".



Union Square, downtown baby. Where Broadway crosses Fourth Avenue. At this point the batteries in the camera are so low, LocalTourist is literally pointing and shooting, very quickly before the camera shuts off. The blur is wetness on the lens. There is not a spot left on LocalTourist's clothing that is dry enough to wipe anything off. Luckily, this is a waterproof camera.
Animals frolicking in the snow in City Hall Park.



City Hall Fountain, City Hall in the background. Getting close to the end, yeah.





Ah, the end of Broadway, at last! The famous Bull, guarding Bowling Green to the right and behind him, and the ornate Customs House in the background.




The upper levels of the Customs Building, just south of Bowling Green. Designed by one of LocalTourist's favorite architects, Cass Gilbert. The entrance of the building was blocked by construction equipment, since there is a lot of work going on down here right now.

Battery Park, the farthest southern tip of the island. Whew.
Not only was that a long run (12.25), it was a HARD run. Little traction, deep snow, high energy output. A good way to spend a record breaking snow day.

NYC Breaks All-Time Snowstorm Record!

Photos from subway trip on the #1 to the upper end of the island. This is not a day to sit at home! Another reason not to own a car in nyc.




First pass through, much work left to do. Advil tomorrow.



As you can see through the open doors, there was a ton (over 2 ft. anyway) of snow on the train platform.




MTA workers very hard at work. I took this photo for them to take to the union negotiations.



Snow on the #1 subway tracks, around 125th street, where it is above ground.




This is snow underground on the subway track, if you can believe that. It falls through the grates in the sidewalk up above. It is deep!

The Many Moods of Mrs. Funnyhead

Open to adventure.






Multitasking.













Silly.


















Meditative.
















Stealthy.













Ethereal.















See ya next year Mrs. Funnyhead!

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach - Puna area

One of the more scenic and easily accessible beaches in the Puna area, Punalu'u has a large turtle population. Unfortunately, they were pretty camera shy the day LocalTourist visited.



A plaque which tells about the turtles this beach is famous for.


When you first drive into the parking lot, you see this bank of smooth Pahoehoe lava.



Then you look to the left and there it is, a stretch of volcanic black sand, combined with lots of people searcing for the Turtles.
The inky black sand angainst the mossy green sea grass on the rocks.
The inky black sand against the lime green of a thong.






A ghost ship stranded on a sand bar to the south of Punalu'u Beach.

Hi biscus!

The Hibiscus is the national flower of Hawaii, or at least the flower most frequently seen on the front of t-shirts in the local shops. Rightly so! What a happy looking bloom. These were cultivated as a hedge by the side of the road.
Here's a closer view. You see them all over the place.
Hmmmm, let's see what this 3x zoom can do . . .
Extreme close-up! The stamen is soooo velvety.

The many moods of Mr. Funnyhead

Soaking up the Big Island ambience.



Feeling the tilt of the earth.



Keeping watch over the shoreline.



Laughing with family and friends.



Reflecting on the creation of the Universe.


See ya next year Mr Funnyhead.

Lava me now or lava me not

There is a distinct demarcation where the lava flow has covered much of the hillside, but left some random areas untouched and green.


In the next photo, the thin diagonal line cutting through the darker lava flow is Chain of Craters Road coming down from Kilauea Caldera. It is the only road that leads to this side of the lava flow, and now ends there (as you will see in the photos).





The most breathtakingly beautiful landscape LocalTourist has ever walked across. This is Pahoehoe lava, the smooth version, and it looks like the top of a pan of brownie batter that has cooked and cooled.



The most amazing formations repeated over and over, yet never the same. This flow is much younger than you are, part of the 2003 to present flow. Think about that a minute.
The lava cools, cracks, and breaks off. If you are not careful where you step before you see this, you will be careful after.




Guess which one we chose first?



WOW. A life long goal fulfilled. Seeing new earth being created as it pours into the steaming sea.

Why did the lava cross the road?











To get to the other side.





Roadkill.


This is what's left of a road sign sticking out above the lava. The side you see is the front of the sign. Time to ask for directions.



This is the best photo LocalTourist could get of the lava flow. It was getting too dark for my camera to focus at that distance. First sighting of the lava flow was 4 small orange spots on the hillside. As the sky grew slowly dimmer, more and more orange flames appeared, until in the dark, it was a connected flow of orange spilling down the hillside toward the ocean.