The High Line

The High Line...one of my favourite places to go in NYC.

On our first visit, it was still closed post-Hurricane but the next day we were in business.

Aerial

Barceloneta, from the cable car

Cacti

Poble Nou

Trail

Montjuic

Amber

Montjuic

Where I'd like to be today

Mar Bella Beach, Barcelona.

Barceloneta

Colour inspiration for a rainy day.

Anish Kapoor @ Kensington Palace Gardens

Skyline

The changing skyline at London Bridge: Borough
Cathedral dwarfed by the Shard.

Fading

The darkening colours and papery textures of fading flowers are a thing of beauty.

Dawn

I haven't felt very inspired to update the blog recently but this morning I feel very positive about the week ahead.

Red and white

Taking shelter at the Union Chapel in Islington

on the first day of the snow blizzard.

Covent Garden

Giant reindeer sculpture from greenery:

a festive version of Jeff Koons' Puppy.

Volkspark Friedrichshain

This park was just one block behind our apartment. Being winter, the fountain was closed and many of the ornaments around it were covered in wooden boxes. All of the visible sculptures were either of animals or small children - and on a weekday morning, it had a feeling of quiet gothic.

Parklife

Friedrich-Ludwig Jahn Sportpark

Tiergarten

Gothic

I loved these trees that wouldn't be out of place in a Tim Burton or Guillermo del Toro fantasy.

900 years

Chichester Cathedral, completed in 1108.

Cloisters

Last week, I went to Chicester University for a conference, the content of which was mostly very dry but I met some interesting people and the Cloisters building was lovely.

DIA Beacon

After a very scenic 90-minute train ride from Penn Station, we arrived at Beacon station which has a sweet view across the Hudson River. From there it was a few minutes' walk to the DIA: Beacon - which holds one of the finest collections of contemporary art I've seen.

The space is a converted print factory and its high ceilings, concrete floors and incredible natural light create a backdrop for the thoughtfully curated spaces; each gallery contains work by a single artist - in some instances a single work by a single artist. Many contemporary greats are here: from Beuys, Bourgeois, Flavin, Richter, Serra and Twombly.

I loved that there were none of the usual signs requesting visitors to 'stand back' or 'do not touch'. You can get close to the works and everyone respects the space and the artwork featured; this is a place where incredible architecture and fine curation meet.

Almost a month after visiting DIA, this remains one of the highlights of our trip to New York. A beacon indeed.