of the Old West Farms Soldier Cemetery

A surprising sight nestled among neighboring apartment complexes, this public veterans' cemetery contains the remains of a few dozen men who served in four US wars: the War of 1812, the Spanish-American War, World War I, and, predominantly, the Civil War.

Located at the corner of 181st Street and Mapes Avenue, this map depicts the city's subways (the red lines) and highways (the orange-white lines). That's the Bronx painted in the upper left. I have no idea what the animals, flags, or people mean, but I like them!

Hanging out in a used-car lot

The Bronx's omnipresent Royal Kingbee seems to have a kite-like relationship with a fan of the OGT Crew. This probably means something.

in Mullaly Park

Depicting Lorelei, enchantress of the Rhine, and her riverine companions, this fountain honors the German writer Heinrich Heine and his poem "Die Lorelei". Located just across the street from the Bronx County Courthouse, it stands at the southern end of Joyce Kilmer Park, itself named for a poet — the guy who wrote that silly paean to trees.

The years have been rough on this fountain, but it has proven itself a true survivor. Commissioned in 1888, it began its life unloved and unwanted, rejected by Heine's hometown of Düsseldorf, for whom it was originally intended; the idea of memorializing Heine was politically unpopular at the time because of his criticism of German nationalism and his Jewish origins. A committee of German-Americans eventually acquired the fountain and, after a failed attempt to have it installed in Central Park, finally found a home for it here in the Bronx in 1899. It's suffered severe vandalism in the intervening decades — coats of spray paint, decapitations and dismemberments — but it has emerged in good health and good spirits. After a thorough restoration in 1999, it was feted with a centennial rededication ceremony at which the keynote address was delivered by, of all people, a deputy mayor of Düsseldorf.

You may be interested to note that this vehicle also had an "Official" license plate, but no one seemed concerned about that in the least.

(The NY Times's photography blog recently published a good interview with the general counsel for the National Press Photographers Association on the subject of police officers suppressing people's First Amendment-based photography rights. You can read it here.)

Bathed in the light of the late-afternoon sun, the Bronx County Courthouse was beautifully rendered on the hood and windshield of this vehicle conveniently parked in a no-parking zone located right at the midpoint of the building's western facade.

As I began to take this photo, a police officer (the one pictured) emerged from the courthouse to ask me what I was doing. I explained to her that the reflection of the building looked "really cool". Drawing a line in the sand, she decided to exert her authority by telling me that I would not be allowed to take pictures of this car, because "it has an 'Official' license plate."

I told her that I'm well within my rights to photograph cars and buildings from the vantage point of a public street. Seeking a compromise that would shut me up without having to show "weakness" by admitting she was wrong, she told me that I could take as many pictures as I wanted of the building, the other cars parked nearby, and the building's reflection on those other cars, but that I couldn't take any photos of this one vehicle, not even a close-up shot of the hood with no identifying information visible.

Arguing with her was about as fruitful as trying to have a reasoned discussion with a grumpy four-year-old. I eventually realized that I had made my point as best I could, and so I stepped a few feet to the right, where another dark-colored car was parked...

Renowned for its sculpture-laden design, this massive beige block of bureaucracy now has a (partially) green roof.