Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Day 67: The Pond

Photo of the Day: Ducks on Reflection


 Today, I attended a day-long seminar hosted by the Center for Nonprofit Strategy and Management at Baruch College in New York. The topic was media coverage of the nonprofit sector, which fit neatly into the intersection of my own professional experiences in journalism and public service. There was a fantastic mix of panelists from distinguished media outlets like The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, prominent nonprofit organizations like the Robin Hood Foundation, government agencies like New York City Health and Human Services, and academics in journalism and public affairs from Baruch College. Having played on both sides of the aisle, I appreciated the honest and constructive dialogue between each sector, and I think understanding of the challenges and needs was increased for all parties at the table. Things did start to devolve toward the end as several nonprofit organizations, increasingly desperate for media attention, began to emerge and shifted the conversation from constructive discussion to thinly veiled begging for increased coverage. Overall, however, I thought it was a great opportunity to hear multiple voices on the issue in one room, and do some key networking.

After more than a quarter century, I'm finally experiencing my first real autumn here in New York City. The weather hovers at cool temperatures, and I'm astonished by the changing leaves. I'll be walking along and literally do a double take at trees afire with red and gold foliage. One of the best spot to witness this annual miracle in Manhattan is of course Central Park. I want to shoot more of these gorgeous, vibrant colors on future days, so I limited myself to only the iconic pond in the southeast corner of the park, but even that was enough to keep me busy for awhile. Apparently other people had the same idea because everyone had their cameras out and snapping. Who can blame them with such spectacular natural beauty in the shadow of the urban skyline?

City Limits editor-in-chief Jarrett Murphy and The New York Times reporter Stephanie Strom answer questions after their panel at Baruch College on how the nonprofit sector is covered in the media.
Former The New York Times editorial page editor Jack Rosenthal, one of the panel moderators at the seminar on media coverage of the nonprofit sector.
I got off work early and stopped by Central Park, where I was greeted with fiery autumn colors.
The pond waterfront was packed with people sitting on benches, enjoying the mild weather, and taking lots of photographs.

The Time Warner Center framed by the colorful trees at the Central Park pond.
The pond surface covered with a thin layer of fallen leaves.
The tip of the beautiful and historic Sherry-Netherland Hotel peaking through the fall foliage.
A picturesque view of the skyline at Central Park's southeast corner.
Vibrantly colored leaves.
Ducks swimming on the pond.
An idyllic, meandering trail along the pond waterfront.
The iconic Gapstow Bridge at the pond surrounded by autumn colors.
Lovers under yellow leaves.
The midtown Manhattan skyline as seen from Gapstow Bridge.
The Sherry-Netherlands Hotel as seen from Gapstow Bridge.
The scene greeting visitors entering Central Park from the southeast corner.
A Central Park promenade lined with benches and lit with streetlamps.

4 comments:

  1. the nature shots are so beautiful! i wish the trees down here would change colors more. that first one is neat how you only see the buildings in their reflection in the water.

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  2. why, thank you for noticing...that's why it was chosen as Photo of the Day! it's my first time seeing the leaves change, so i had such a hard time choosing which one to feature. it's so exciting having autumn colors!

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  3. Next time I'll choose spring or Autumn to visit NYC. I love the different colors of trees combine with the cool weather.

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  4. Autumn is nice, but it also rains unpredictably. It was kind of starting to drizzle right after I left the park. The trees here are pretty, but there are nicer places to watch the leaves turn. I really want to go up to Connecticut or Vermont where the colors are supposed to be amazing! Hopefully I'll get the chance!

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