Hurricane Sandy: The Post-Show

Well, Rich and I survived Hurricane Sandy just fine yesterday. We mostly experienced high, loud winds and some light flickering here, but as I'm sure you all know others in parts of New York were not as lucky. My returned flight to Toronto has been cancelled for a second time and my stay here in New York has been extended to Saturday. Hopefully by then things will be up and running around here.

Pictures around uptown NYC:

A runaway pumpkin! 

Along Broadway several businesses had

signs or canopies torn off their facades. 

Large tree down on 101th and

Broadway. There were many 

trees like this in the area.

Many businesses are still closed (including -heaven forbid- 

Starbucks!). The ones that were able to open are getting

plenty of business today. 

The car that narrowly escaped 

the attack of the falling tree! 

As you may know all of the subways

are closed here - a strange sight to see.

Unusual sight: empty Apple Store.

Signs down along Broadway.

The now infamous dangling crane. 

All parks including Central Park are closed. Many runners

took to jogging up and down Broadway instead. 

Sad to see some beautiful trees in Central Park

destroyed by the winds.

Hurricane Sandy: The Pre-Show

My trip to New York has been extended by at least two days thanks to Hurricane Sandy. We're waiting for the storm to hit land here in the City, but we've got plenty of supplies.

Preparations for Hurricane Sandy:

Lots of non-perishables! 

Plenty of candles and matches 

As much water as we could find at the store. 

 (We have several pitchers of water in 

the refrigerator too.) 

I'll do my best to keep you guys updated! As of right now it looks like my rescheduled flight on Wednesday may be cancelled as well. I'm not sure when I'll get back in Toronto, but there are much worse places to be stranded!

Beware: Zombies and gore!

Halloween is coming soon and there are a variety of events celebrating the spooky holiday here in Toronto during the weeks leading up to the big day. This weekend was an event I had always read about but never seen for myself, the Toronto Zombie Walk. The Zombie Walk helps support the Heart and Stroke Foundation and is a great excuse for people to get dressed up as the undead and walk around the streets of downtown Toronto. People go all out for this event as you'll see below. I'm posting some of the more mild pictures here on the blog, but if you'd like to see the full extent of costuming and gore click here for the picasa album (and remember it is all just excellent make up artistry!).

Zombie face paint station for last minute

preparations and touch ups!

 

 This zombie looks a little friendlier than some of the 

others...

Dia de los Muertos zombies. 

Werewolf-cheetah zombie? 

Hello October!

With this week came the start of October, my favorite month! The temperatures dropped accordingly and beautiful fall squash and apples began to appear all over.

Mon: Roasted apple and acorn squash soup and a brie and apple grilled

cheese sandwich for dinner! Delicious fall-time meal. 

 Tues: Autumnal gourds. Although I don't have a mantle to decorate, 

I like to adorn my windowsill with seasonal trimmings.

Wed: Spiced apple cider, yet another wonderful 

part of the season. 

Thurs: More fall leaves. I just can't resist taking pictures whenever

I see them. Although I've been amongst the beautiful colors for 8 years now

I always feel a thrill when the trees start changing. 

Fri: Bixi Bikes are Toronto's equivalent to Paris's vélib program. You can

rent bikes by the half hour and return them to any bixi bike station around the city! 

 Sat: Queens park picture #2. In this post I took a picture from the

same perspective to show the change over time. The leaves are just 

starting off here so by next month there should be a distinct difference.

Sun: The Carillon tower of Hart House and the CN tower in the 

distance. 

That is all for now! Wishing all a wonderful start to October!

Goodbye September...

I forgot to post last week so I'll be doing a double post this week. Two weeks ago mom and dad came for a visit in Toronto and while it was brief it was a blast. Without further ado here are the pictures from September 24-30.

 

Mon: The old class periodicals at the Toronto library remind me of 

the books you'd find in a library out of Harry Potter!

Tues: Many of the squirrels here in Toronto are a surprising shade 

of black. They've been busy preparing for the winter!

Wed: Yet another condo construction site. This one is unique because

they are preserving the facade of an old building using the large scaffolding.

 

Thurs: A festive pumpkin Rich bought me during his visit! 

I can't wait for Halloween. It is one of my favorite holidays!

Fri: Hart House- My favorite place on campus. The

theatre and the swimming pool are here! 

Sat: The night of mom and dad's visit we wandered through Nuit Blanche,

an all-night art festival. Unfortunately, we mostly encountered crowds like this. 

 Sun: Here come the fall leaves! I just love the fall for 

all of the beautiful leaves that begin appearing!