B Is for Broadway/Columbus Circle

 A relatively empty subway platform at our next stop for

The A to Z Blogging Challenge,  Broadway/Columbus (at 59th Street).

 

We've now moved to the west side of Manhattan. We're at the gateway to my neighborhood, the Upper West Side. This station has a place in my heart. I worked at a building -- since torn down -- for almost five years. I could walk to work (which I rarely did) and I could walk home, which I often did. I could take a subway just about anywhere in New York City and there were restaurants and stores in abundance. I was heartbroken when the demolition began in the fall of 1999 and our office moved to Lower Manhattan. 

 

   

Yesterday we were at a stop named for John Jacob Astor and today we're at a stop named for Christopher Columbus. Technically the name of the station is Broadway/Columbus Circle, but when I'm meeting friends I simply say I'll be at Columbus Circle. The area was seedier when I worked there but it was refurbished and the area around the statue is beautifully landscaped in warm weather.

 

 My favorite spot in the station is this mural by the contemporary American artist Sol LeWitt. I may have seen "Whirls and Twirls" -- unveiled in 2009 -- easily 100 times, but it never fails to make me smile. Yes, there's room for renovation in the station, but my eye gravitates to the colorful tiles and exciting pattern. It may seem odd to have art in the subway stations, but it is a great way to enrich what can be tedious treks through the stations. I'll be including photographs of the art installations in a number of the stations we will be visiting.

The Time Warner Center has some of my favorite Christmas decorations 

The building I once worked in was replaced by the Time Warner Center, a shopping mall, concert hall, office building and hotel. It's the closest mall to where I live, and it's only three blocks from my Y, so I am here often. One of my favorite snack stops for great coffee and pastries is at Bouchon Bakery, and perhaps the best view of midtown Manhattan looking east. It is one of my favorite places to take friends who are visiting or simply to treat myself. 

 I hope you've enjoyed our visit to Broadway/Columbus Circle. Here's our hint for tomorrow. We're going uptown and the stop is named for one of the great buildings of New York City.

As ever, thanks for visiting. An especially warm welcome to bloggers participating in the A to Z Challenge. See you all tomorrow with C!