SKYWATCH FRIDAY - A Kiss in the Sky

People in Hershey, Pennsylvania, get 'kissed' every day, if they look up and see these overhead street lights. They don't melt, either! (These aluminum foil-covered candies are called 'Hershey's Kisses.')

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This happy cow at Hershey's Chocolate Town tour ride snaps your photo as you exit....but I got her first.

ABC Wednesday "B" is for 'beautiful"

Beautiful indeed, and smart, too. This is my cousin's little granddaughter, Sophia, who accompanied us on our tour of the Chocolate Town Exhibit in Hershey. Naturally, we treated her afterwards.....

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How sweet it is!

Comedian Jackie Gleason said "How sweet it is!" about Brooklyn on his show "The Honeymooners," but inhabitants of Hershey, Pennsylvania, America's chocolate town, believe it's sweeter here! I took a tour of the Chocolate Town Exhibit, which is a far cry (for the better, in a way!) of the tours I took as a kid. Back then, you could tour the real factory, come finger-licking close to the vats of chocolate, and no one had heard of safety precautions! All the same, this tour was fun.

A typical Pennsylvania country scene

I continue my Pennsylvania journey down Memory Lane. For me, this image reminds me so much of the Sunday drives in the country we used to take when I was a kid. Some things don't change much.

These are a few of my favorite things...

Ah, who says you can't go home again? In Pennsylvania I enjoyed tasting some of my favorite foods from my youth....they just tasted a bit different, or is it my tastebuds that have changed? In any case, here you see the sandwich-meat-of-my-youth, Lebanon bologna, the sweet kind, a pack of Tastykake Butterscotch Krimpets, and in the back, a bottle of Birch Beer! (For those readers not familiar with Birch Beer and its relative, Root Beer, they're not alcoholic beers, but rather brews originally made from bark/roots, more like soft drinks now.)

Can you guess which treat I was most anxious to taste...?

Fire!

Inside the Pennsylvania State Museum in Harrisburg are many wonderful exhibits. Here, my cousin, who was a volunteer fireman, is photographing an old firetruck. Very pretty and quaint, but I think most of us are happy the modern ones will arrive much faster.

"Bibi's" birthplace

Finally moving on to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, my birthplace. In this photo I am standing on a stone map of Pennsylvania that lies in front of the Pennsylvania State Museum. I visited the museum to see again (saw it a long time ago) a painting done by my great-great grandfather, which had been donated a while back. My mother's side of the family has been in America since 1739, which I guess is a long time for a "Yankee."

The White Peacock

My friend and I were surprised by this white peacock (actually, I think it was a peahen) while visiting the garden beside the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York. Her companion, flaunting much bolder colors, chose not to model for me as she did.

The white peacock/hen is frequently mistaken for an albino, but it is a color variety of Indian Blue Peacock.

Tomorrow, it's on to Pennsylvania.

This photo comes to you courtesy of my cyberfriend Bob in Nevada, who managed to salvage photos I had somehow saved on cd in a format I could not open! Thanks again, Bob.

ABC Wednesday "A" is for "all alone"

I'm winding down my NYC photos; about to move on to Pennsylvania.

So sad to see someone all alone like this lady, or seemingly so, in a huge city.

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Imagine...

I came across this young woman mime in the subway. Here she was holding a 'bird' that she had 'caught' to this little girl, who was enchanted by her performance.

A BLT and Ham and Cheese, please!

When I'm in the US, I want to eat American food. Not the junk stuff, but good old standard fare, like the two sandwiches above. I did not eat both. The BLT (bacon, lettuce, and tomato) was mine, and my new friend, Alexa, from The Road is Mine (see sidebar!) ordered the ham and cheese. Lily Hydrangea, from Long Island Daily Photo (see sidebar!) ordered a vanilla shake....and a grilled cheese sandwich!

Moving on to Pennsylvania later this week.

Composition in Red and Yellow

Fire escapes are soooo New York. I took at least a hundred photos of them, all kinds, everywhere. This one is atypical in that it is painted a nice shade of yellow/orange, which makes it contrast nicely with the red painted bricks. This building is just off Union Square.

Tacolandia!

I don't know how it is where you live, but in Belgrade I've noticed that lots of small firms end in 'land.' There's a Petroland (gas station) and Foodland (grocery store) not far from where I live.

Here in NYC's Jackson Heights area, I came across Tacolandia, which reminded me of Belgrade, in name at least!

Don't!

Here's a list of what you can't do in some parks in New York. Looks at first like you can't do much, but you can still read, jump rope, talk, sing, dance, sit and watch the passers-by, and smell the flowers.

Bart, the Friendly New Yorker

Say hello to Bart, a friendly New Yorker who helped Alexa, Lily Hydrangea, my friend Marianne and me take photos of ourselves together in Brooklyn. Bart, who was just passing by, kindly offered his photo services without our asking, and while he was snapping away at us, I snapped back at him!

ABC Wednesday "Z" is for 'zoocephalic'

Zoocephalic means 'animal-headed,' and I'll let you look for examples here on this detail of a stained-glass window at The Cloisters, a branch of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to the art and architecture of the European Middle Ages. Its collection contains approximately five thousand European medieval works of art, with a particular emphasis on pieces dating from the twelfth through the fifteenth centuries.

If you go to New York, this museum is an absolute must.

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Happy Bastille Day!

Had lunch at French Roast, a restaurant on 85th and Broadway. I enjoyed an endive au gratin and a glass of deep, rich, red wine. Naturally, I photographed the endive, but decided to post this French-looking photo for you today on Bastille Day. Vive la France, et vive la cuisine française!

Soft pretzels

I just LOVED to eat soft pretzels as a child. I liked mine piping hot, sprinkled lightly with salt, no mustard. I saw them all over New York, but have not tried any yet.

What am I waiting for? I did have a hot dog, though. New York's not New York without eating a hot dog.

Staring at the Skyscrapers

I took this photograph of these people looking at Manhattan from Brooklyn because it resembled a much safer version of this photo taken in 1932 by Charles C. Ebbets.

Smile! You're (not) on Candid Camera!

A commenter on my post two days ago inquired if one should ask people before taking a photo. I answered her on that post what my experience has been. This is what happens to me when I ask for a photo! We had a chat about his cute Cocker Spaniel, and so I asked him if it was all right to take a photo. He was a really nice man, but you'd never know it from his expression. His dog looks like he's wondering why he's not smiling, too!

Still posting from The Big Apple, but will move on to Pennsylvania in a week or so.

SKYWATCH--Are these clouds for real? You betcha!

My New York friend, Marianne, and I took a "Manhattan and Brooklyn By Night" bus tour. Very touristy, but well worth it. I had rained, but we risked sitting on the top outdoor deck of the bus, which yielded me some good shots.

Everybody was fascinated by these clouds. If an artist had painted them, people would complain they didn't look real. People below on the sidewalks and out from apartment windows were taking photos of them as well.

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Everybody Loves a Sandwich

No matter how different we all may look, we humans have all the same needs and desires...one of which is food. Tastes may very, too, but cultures around the world have their own versions of sandwiches.

This head-turning lady was enjoying a sandwich in Lower Manhattan. (This was another of Bibi's 'hip shots'.)

I'm still in the US and don't have so much free time to visit your blogs, but I'll be back...!

ABC Wednesday "Y" is for 'yellow' sari

Another subway photo for you. Truthfully, I could have spent my entire time in the Big Apple underground, for this mass transit system offers photographers endless opportunities.

This young Indian woman takes advantage of a few minutes before her train arrives to make a phone call. I didn't see her talking though, and people tell me it's often difficult to get a connection underground. (OOOPs! She's not wearing a sari---see comments below--apologies for my mistake.)

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Tribute to Edward Hopper

This photo reminds me so much of Edward Hopper's work that I decided to dedicate this post to him.

Edward Hopper (1882 – 1967) was a well-known American realist painter and printmaker who derived his subject matter primarily from the common features of American life (gas stations, motels, restaurants, theaters, railroads, and street scenes) and its inhabitants. Most of Hopper's paintings focus on the interaction of human beings and their environment. In these paintings are often themes of solitude, loneliness, regret, boredom, and resignation.

More photos from "Bibi's" trip to New York still to come, followed later by some from other cities....

Singing on the Street

This lady was singing in a Renaissance Music group on a street in Brooklyn. All the singers in the group looked as if they were really enjoying themselves, but this lady seemed to be the most enthusiastic.

In the Subway

For those of you who may be viewing for the first time, I am currently in the US until late August, so I am posting from my homeland

I am ever fascinated by the NYC subway. People in Belgrade asked, "Aren't you afraid to travel alone in the subway in New York?" But I am not. I know bad things can happen, but I have found New Yorkers extremely kind and helpful, above and below ground.

Red, white, and blue

Well, it IS the Fourth of July and I had to post something in patriotic colors, so this is it!

Skywatch Friday--View from Brooklyn in Black and White

Here's a view from Brooklyn in black and white. I enjoyed primarily sunny skies while in New York, and thought I'd just try a photo in black and white.

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"Bibi" in the USA!

It's summertime, and like many others, I'm on vacation. I'm currently in the US until late August, and will be posting photos from here. Sometimes I'll post photos that have something to do with Serbia, comparisons, contrasts, and such, and sometimes I'll just post what I find interesting!

My first US stop was New York City, and I was very pleased to meet up with Alexa from The Road is Mine and "Lily Hydrangea" from Long Island Daily Photo (see my sidebar for their links.) Lily hadn't met Alexa, and neither had met me, but somehow our blog auras led us to one another. Joined by my NYC friend Marianne (who's being coerced into starting Queens Daily Photo...), we hiked over the Brooklyn Bridge and along the Brooklyn Panorama.

In this photo you see our feet daintily poised on the bridge's planks. The foot with the bandaid belongs to Lily, the red nails are Alexa's, and the covered toes are mine.

Stay tuned for more photos from the Big Apple, then Pennsylvania, Seattle, and somewhere in California.

Theme Day--'Empty" and ABC Wednesday "X" is for 'xyloid'!

This future floating restaurant or cafe is pretty empty now, and I hope that it will be full when opened! I'm doing a double post today for ABC Wednesday's X and for Theme Day=Empty. "Xyloid" means "relating to wood."

More good stuff beginning tomorrow, as Bibi posts from the U.S., where she's visiting until August 18th.... Please continue to drop by to see how Bibi views her home turf.

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Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in the THEME DAY!