Black Tree, White Tree

I was on my way to visit my photographer friend in Manhattan on Sunday, and as I approached the building he was staying in, I happened to see this.  These trees just jumped out at me as I walked down the block.  Normally you don't see a plain enough background to separate the trees from their background.  So I composed the photograph, took a couple of shots, trying to avoid passing cars, and then saw a couple coming down the sidewalk.  I shot three frames as they passed through the scene, and then chose the first shot.