Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - December 18, 2016

Good morning! Since it's Sunday morning, it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection of the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way. This past week we saw the finale of Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X along with just shy of 400 comments on my live blog post. Near a record amount of comments on one of my single blog posts, but not quite. Now I'm a bit in between seasons of shows. I need a rest anyway -- going from coverage of BB right into BBOTT/Survivor made me even more exhausted than my usual exhausted state!

This past week, I went into Manhattan Monday evening after work to meet up with an online friend of over twenty years. Due to some health issues with my back, I didn't make the rounds of the holiday doings in town. I've seen them all before, many times. And, while Christmas in NYC is amazing, when you've seen it many years, it tends to look and photograph the same year to year. It's different if you're there with friends. But I just didn't have the desire or strength to deal with the mobs and do more walking than needed. Next Sunday, on Christmas Day, I'll be posting some of the photos of the city I've taken in previous years. I did take photos on Monday, but they're more along the lines of basic Manhattan kind of photos, not holiday.

I didn't get a heck of a lot of shots in Plainfield this week, either! The bitter cold a few days (1) killed the battery in my camera and/or (2) made my lens fog. Then, yesterday, I actually forgot my camera! I felt naked without it! Plus, I missed snow and ice-lined trees shots! Oh, well. I'm sure to have plenty of that ahead in the next few months.

We had a couple of inches of snow, then ice (maybe a quarter inch of ice) yesterday. Today we're getting rain and the temperature might go up near 60 degrees. Um. Okay. That will make this snowy slushy mess melt. But then tomorrow, we're back to seasonal temps. So, that means icy sidewalks. It's not even really winter yet but I want spring.

Anyway ... onto the photos from the week. Clicking on an image will open it in a larger version.

Little Miss Ripped Jeans and Red

At the subway entrance corner of 8th Avenue and West 33rd Street.

Winter freakin' wonderland

I took this shot out my kitchen window Saturday morning. At that point, a fine snow was coming down starting to mix with freezing rain and sleet. Then I accidentally left my camera in the kitchen and left for work without it.

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Penn Station

Once the track is revealed, they'll run you right over getting to it.

Outside Penn Station

That's the Empire State Building all lit up in blue and white. I don't really know why it's blue and white. They do have a lighting calendar which explains the whys to each lighting scheme used each day. I didn't look it up. I'm not too keen on all the more recent lighted screen ads as they throw off my night photography. (Talking about the screen in the upper right.)

Dead End? Well, that's new!

How can West 33rd Street in Midtown be a dead end? That's a BUSY street! What's up with that?

Dead End dead indeed

I wonder what they had on the stages. Not only that, but the pedestrian plaza tables similar to the ones in Times Square were all but empty.

Empty pedestrian plaza on W. 33rd

Facebook Live is all over

Prime advertising space outside of Penn Station near the huge Farley Post Office (main Manhattan postal facility that is slated to become part of Penn Station) and West 33rd Street is now all about Facebook Live. Me? I'm not so much about Facebook Live, not at all.

Not as crowded as the subways

But, mind you, the jerks who constantly run late for trains will run you right over if you get in their way.

More FB Live advertising

There you go.

As close as I wanted to get to the Macy's Holiday Windows mob.

That's ridiculous!

As seen at a food cart in Midtown, three little peanuts for five dollars?!?! Prices are through the roof! Oh. Three packages of peanuts. That's different. Wait! Not much different! Puny peanut packs!

Madison Square Garden

Nothing to see here, move along. You can actually move faster on foot than in a vehicle at this point.

Bones Jugs underground

These guys in the subway were quite entertaining. I looked them up online. They're actually in NYC from Illinois to play at some actual venues -- not just to play in the subway. Maybe they needed money to get back home!

My one Christmas-related shot

A tree stand down in Soho across from the place I went to on Monday night.

The subways were packed like sardines

Now I remember why I don't usually take the subway at rush hour. You can see how packed the cars are looking in the windows. Thanks to the generosity of a stranger who could have claimed a seat when someone left but gestured for me to sit, I only had to stand until the first stop. I, in turn, gestured to her when I got off at Broadway/Lafayette. She might have been headed all the way to Brooklyn and deserved the seat.

Sax in the subway

Meanwhile, at the PABT

It bugs me that, when I went inside the Port Authority Bus Terminal, I saw homeless people all totally set up for the long run and aggressive panhandling INSIDE the building, yet I saw NOT ONE COP there. There have been articles in the local papers about the PA Police sleeping in break rooms and such while supposedly on duty. The proof is in the pudding, I say. I wasn't intimidated as I don't intimidate too easily and I'm familiar with the streets. But, what about the tourists? This is not reflecting well on the city. It wasn't like that just a year or two ago!

Last stop before home

Well, that last stop often includes a stop into Heartland Brewery at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. But I had already had three (expensive) beers and wanted to get my bus ticket and just rest for about fifteen minutes before I headed to wait at my gate. You have to stand while waiting at the bus gate. At that point, I decided to lean. Thankfully, the bus wasn't full and I had a seat to myself. Sitting is good. I like taking the bus home because the bus stop in Plainfield is right across the street from my apartment. Well, across the street from the house next door, but ...! If I take the train home, I end up about a half-mile from home.

Headed to the Lincoln Tunnel bus tube

Even at 11pm on a Monday night, there is a long queue of buses headed into the Lincoln Tunnel from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Most of them are going to Jersey. Oh gosh. It makes me feel so Bridge and Tunnel! (Although it's been decades since I "bridged" into the city.)

Plainfield pigeons

Someone put down actual birdseed for them at the corner of North and Watchung. It drew a whole herd of 'em!

Abandoned under the rail overpass

This sat for days under the bridge. It appears to have a leak! Eventually someone stole the stroller and left all the "belongings" scattered about. The last I saw, the mess was still there. PMUA needs to clean these messes up! Watchung Avenue in Plainfield.

Sunrise, albeit obscured

I went into work early enough to catch the sunrise from Berckman Street in Plainfield on Friday morning. Unfortunately, I didn't get back home until 7pm. I so want to retire!

Who dat cat?

Why, it's big-headed tiny-pawed Vincent!