The day after the last significant storm I went into Manhattan again to say goodbye to some good friends who were leaving the US for good and moving ‘down under’. We had lunch at the Bryant Park Grill. Didn’t stick around for too long as, although it was a bright, sunny day there was still a lot of snow and slush on the ground. It was also very cold. Above: Approaching the Bryant Park Grill, a pleasant restaurant right next to the NY Public Library on 5th Avenue. Here you can see some of the snow from the last ‘snowmaggedon’. The child seems to like playing in it. So does my dog.

Entrance to the restaurant. The adjacent Bryant Park Cafe has outdoor plastic ‘igloos’ where small groups (4 or 5 people) can sit and feel as if they’re outside. As you might expect in Manhattan they seem to be quite expensive.

At the bar.

Another view of the beer pumps.

The Bank of America building as seen from the entrance to the Bryant Park Grill.

“The Bank of America Tower, also known as 1 Bryant Park, is a 55-story skyscraper in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is located at 1111 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) between 42nd and 43rd Streets, diagonally opposite Bryant Park. The building was designed by Cookfox and Adamson Associates, and it was developed by the Durst Organization for Bank of America. With a height of 1,200 feet (370 m), the Bank of America Tower is the eighth tallest building in New York City and the tenth tallest building in the United States as of 2021.

The Bank of America Tower has 2.1 million square feet (200,000 m2) of office space, much of which is occupied by Bank of America. The building consists of a seven-story base that occupies the entire plot, above which rises the tower. Its facade is largely composed of a curtain wall made of insulated glass panels. The building’s base incorporates the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, a New York City designated landmark, as well as several retail spaces and a pedestrian atrium. The Bank of America Tower received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum green building certification upon its opening. However, because of its high energy use, the building has scored a “C” on a citywide energy-efficiency ranking system.

Seymour Durst had acquired land on the site starting in the 1960s, with plans to develop a large building there, though he was unable to do so because of the presence of other property owners. His son Douglas Durst proposed a large office skyscraper at the beginning of the 21st century and continued to acquire land through 2003. After Bank of America was signed as an anchor tenant, work on the building started in 2004. Despite several incidents during construction, the building was completed in 2009 at a cost of $1 billion. In addition to Bank of America, the tower’s tenants have included Marathon Asset Management, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, and Roundabout Theatre Company.” (Wikipedia).

Taken with a Fuji X-E3 and Fuji XF 35mm f1.4 R