Central Park Autumn Scene

This image was made in Central Park last weekend. The photo was processed with Aviary soft focus.

Roosevelt Island Autumn Hues

The Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge

Trees at the FDR Four Freedoms Park with the United Nations Building (across the East River) in the background

Autumn leaves at the Roosevelt Island Tram Station

The Queensboro/Ed Koch Bridge

Autumn leaves with the Smallpox Hospital (Renwick Ruin) in the background

Roosevelt Island, a narrow island in the East River of New York City, lies between Manhattan to its west and the borough of Queens to its east. The parks on this island, especially the FDR Four Freedoms Park are beautiful and serene all throughout the year. Autumn is a magical time to visit the island and enjoy fall foliage.  

Central Park Conservancy Receives $100 Million Donation

John Paulson, a billionaire hedge-fund manager recently donated $100 million to the Central Park Conservancy. It is believed to be the largest donation to any park in US history. Paulson, who joined the conservancy board in June, said he wants to make New York City a center of his philanthropy and decided Central Park, which he has visited regularly since his childhood and where his grandparents courted, should be No. 1 on the list.

"It's been an important part of my life and my family's life for a very long time." he said. "I wanted the amount to make a difference."

"It is a great privilege to be able to contribute to the Central Park Conservancy, one of the most important cultural institutions in New York,” Paulson said. He’s No. 28 in the Forbes 400 and No. 61 in the list of Forbes Billionaires.

The images above were taken two days before Superstorm Sandy hit the northeast. 

Autumnal Ginkgo biloba

Some streets in Manhattan are lined by different kinds of trees such as Ginkgo biloba. These are images of the ginkgo leaves which turn bright yellow in the Fall, taken on the Upper Westside.

From Wikipedia:

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba; in Chinese 銀杏, pinyin romanization, yín xìng), frequently misspelled as "Gingko", and also known as the Maidenhair Tree after Adiantum, is a unique species of tree with no close living relatives. The ginkgo is classified in its own division, the Ginkgophyta, comprising the single class Ginkgoopsida, order Ginkgoales, family Ginkgoaceae, genus Ginkgo and is the only extant species within this group. During autumn, the leaves turn a bright yellow, then fall, sometimes within a short space of time (1–15 days). A 2004 conference paper summarizes how various trials indicate that Ginkgo shows promise in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, though a 2008 study found it ineffective at treating dementia.