Bryant Park City Promenade - Part I

Last Saturday the NYC Urban Sketchers met at Bryant Park City Promenade, starting at the most northern end. Our host this week was Jim and he did a great job of scouting out the location.

I took the LIRR and the subway to Chambers Street and walked the few blocks to the meeting point. The entire area has been completely redone since I've been down there and has some really wonderful views. We started by River Terrace. While I was sketching a young man came over and asked if I was part of the Urban Sketchers. When I said yes he called his dad over. Don and his family were visiting from Germany. He spent a few hours sketching with us while his wife and son explored other spots.

Here is Don working on one of his sketches at the first location.

I did two sketches at that location. One included the sunflowers in the garden with the view across to New Jersey.

Then I sketched one of the moored boats with the city behind it.

Jim and Mike came along and the four of us walked down a short way to the Potato Famine Memorial. Having been to Ireland last year I appreciated how close the area looked to the Irish farmland. The only thing that seemed to be missing were the sheep. The memorial was set at a sloping angle with crumbling walls, grasses, rocks, and fencing. All that in the center of tall buildings.

Here is me and my sketch against the view of the memorial.

And a close-up of my sketch.

I took a photo of Jim sketching while I was at the top of the memorial.

At this point Don left to meet his family and a new sketcher, Kay, joined us.

We went to a deli to get lunch and walked down to the North Basin to eat where Jane met us. Sometimes that is how the day goes...we gain and lose sketchers as the time goes on.

To be continued.