Love in New York City

Photo 359: I've never actually seen this "Love" landmark, but stumbled upon it the other day, so I couldn't resist. It's corny, but I had to. hahaha The hopeless romantic side came out in me, but in my defense, Brandon makes me giggly and mushy... so it's HIS fault. lol It's still pretty cool, and definitely one of the images everyone thinks of when they think NYC iconic images.

Up High

Photo 350 - 352: One of the best things to do in New York City in the summer is to have a drink on a rooftop bar whether it's at night or in the afternoon after a great day of roaming around museums and little shops. Who knows what you see when you look up high.

A Manhattan Reflection

Photo 348 - 349: We (Brandon and I) strolled around Manhattan this weekend, and went to the MOMA to see the Henri Cartier-Bresson photography exhibit. It was amazing. What a talent that man had. I want to get some of the prints that we saw for the apartment. :) After the exhibit, we made our way down to the little courtyard garden, and people watched a bit. It was a beautiful day, and the reflections in the windows were crystal clear. Here's the view you have when you look up ... and over. Pretty cool, no?

A Little Green Goes a Long Way...

Photo 345 - 347: This will be the last post before I upload some more shots that I've been taking, but I needed to throw little green into the mix, and of course a stairs that lead nowhere... No idea who put it there or why, but it makes for one more oddity in this fantastic, scary, serene and odd site.

A Ray of Light

Photo 342 - 344: Archways are my favorite types of architecture to photograph. Granted, these aren't "pretty" due to the graffiti, but they're definitely interesting and they frame nature trying to break through. And nature isn't the only thing trying to break through, just look at the sunbeam... I couldn't have staged it any better.

Beauty Amidst Ruins

Photo 339 - 341: Hm... Looks a little scary, no? lol But here is the fence I climbed, and the shrubs I escaped. It's amazing how these grounds seem to set themselves apart from the rest of the neighborhood. Birds chirping, leaves blowing around and bees buzzing, but surrounded by these ruins.

"But two miles more, and then we rest!
Well, there is still an hour of day,
And long the brightness of the West
Will light us on our devious way;
Sit then, awhile, here in this wood--
So total is the solitude,
We safely may delay.

These massive roots afford a seat,
Which seems for weary travellers made.
There rest. The air is soft and sweet
In this sequestered forest glade,
And there are scents of flowers around,
The evening dew draws from the ground;
How soothingly they spread!

Yes; I was tired, but not at heart;
No--that beats full of sweet content,
For now I have my natural part
Of action with adventure blent;
Cast forth on the wide world with thee,
And all my once waste energy
To weighty purpose bent."

-- Charlotte Bronte

Graffiti in Nature

Photo 336 - 338: We all know about my fascination with graffiti in all shapes and sizes. Here are some more to add to my collection with a total of five now (to see the first, click here, and to see the second, click here).

Iron and Wood

Photo 332 - 335: What is it about a little sunshine thrown in, and all of a sudden it changes the meaning of the picture? It was great finding all of these iron shots all around the building and courtyard. Strong giants among the ruins... Makes me want to live in a loft and hang these pictures. lol

Watertowers: Round III

Photo 327 - 329: I'll be off in a few minutes to grab some shots of the Brooklyn Waterworks since I procrastinated yesterday, but I found some more watertower pictures that I didn't post either. Is this becoming habit? Hm... I have a few weeks left with Project365, and I definitely don't want to slack off now. It's easy to do that though since I'm sooooo close. I realize I won't achieve my total 365 photos, but I'm pretty darn close. *glow* I blame the incessant winter in NYC... AND I missed two huge snow storms where I could have dug myself out and conquered Central Park and Prospect Park for some great shots. Oh well, excuses aren't gonna cut it. Let's see what the next few weeks bring. :)

FYI If anyone has some good suggestions about discounted (less than $20) photo books, let me know. I'm trying to get a coffeebook going with some of these images (about 200 images) to jumpstart my fundraising project. It's a long story, and I'll get into more detail later, but I want to sponsor a young student in Cambodia for a year. I was so inspired by Half the Sky that I thought, hey, why not? I'm almost done with Project365, so why not put these images to good use... If you haven't read the book, please pick it up. It was amazing, haunting, life-changing and so inspiring that I couldn't put it down - I laughed and cried on a subway every day until I finished it. lol

Flatiron

Photo 313 - 315: Walking around the Flatiron District on a beautiful summer day is really a highlight of NYC. You see beautiful parks, amazing buildings, and can get a little shopping in while you're out enjoying the sunshine. I'm off to Reno, NV, tomorrow, and going to be traveling all week, so wish me luck! I'm off photo hunting. ;)

What Happened to Summer?

Photo 304: Now that the air has turned fall-ish again (what???), and I'm wondering if we skipped ahead to NOVEMBER, I also realize that this is the time where the air is crisp, and so are the pictures. My company just moved to midtown Manhattan, and this (see below) is what I get to walk by every morning. It's quite the atmosphere change, from a busy beehive of disgruntled New Yorkers shoving aside tourists in Grand Central to a more relaxed Park Avenue-ish area where you can find the cutest little Italian wine bar just around the corner right across from a vegetarian Indian restaurant. It's crazy, it's loud, it's wonderful -- all wrapped up into one beautiful adventure.

"In Washington, the first thing people tell you what their job is. In Los Angeles you learn their star sign. In Houston you're told how rich they are. And in New York, they tell you what their rent is." -- S. Hoogart -- SO TRUE! lol

A Weekend and a Wedding

Photo 286: We interrupt the scheduled programming to bring you this image of upstate New York... I went to a beautiful wedding this weekend, and despite a two-hour delay due to a bus getting lost with 30 wedding guests, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the weather was perfect, and the bride even prettier. The great thing about there being a delay though was the beautiful sunset! THIS was the backdrop not only to the ceremony, but the pictures the bride and groom took afterwards. It couldn't have been any more amazing...

Last Post Before Egypt

Photo 264 - 265: As I am preparing for my big Egypt trip - i.e. get new camera bag, clean Pedro, charge batteries, etc. - I decided to walk around NYC today to catch a few shots. I just got Pedro spotless, and the pictures were so nice and crisp. I was thrilled. Well that was after I had to go back TWICE to the repair shop to make sure the cleaning was done well... too many specks on my lens and sensor! Eventually, Pedro was perfect... and this girl was a happy camper. What a beautiful day today!

I'm off to Egypt on Friday, so this blog is officially on vacation! I might still have time to post some tomorrow, if not, CIAO until a week from now. :) Get ready for some camel and pyramid shots...

Watertowers Phase II

Photo 261-262: Here's two more watertowers from the project. Enjoy this beautiful spring!

Watertower I and II

Photo 259-260: I recently discovered an amazing photographer, Gary Heller, who inspires so much creativity in me, and who's work is exceptional. It doesn't hurt that he's a New Yorker and loves to roam around anywhere that is interesting, dark and "different." I've climbed fences, balanced on garbage cans, "let myself into" abandoned buildings, escaped a German shepard bent on destruction and fought poison ivy to get a perfect shot, so I only admire that drive and dedication. A little adrenaline goes a long way. lol

But back to something more sane. He did a series of photographs of New York watertowers, which are fantastic, and have even been featured in "V," so I decided as I was roaming around Union Square, that I was going to do the same thing. I had been looking up to see how many watertowers I could find - there couldn't be that many, right? - and I saw ten, all over a two block radius. I hate to copy anyone's work, and I've been struggling with doing this for that reason, but I caved in, because it's such a great idea and concept. Here is the first part of a three part series of NYC watertowers - with all the props/kudos going to one of my favorite photographers.

Note: Lesson learned, ALWAYS look up, you never know what's in the sky...

Chinese New Year Parade

Photo 253 - 258: For weeks now, I've been promising to post my Chinese New Year Parade pictures. Between traveling to a NUMBER of places, and being a little photographed and photochopped out, I haven't had time to really concentrate on any of the number of projects I've wanted to work on. I've also been on a complete NYC skyline/sightseeing kick, so my little Chinatown suffered a bit. But on a sunny Sunday, bustling Mott Street was suddenly turned into a world full of color, character and good luck.

and this is what it turned into at the parade...

Soho Chic

Photo 252: I am slowly working my way through the many, many pictures I have stored up, and I just love this one. Don't know why, but one of my favorite areas in NYC is Soho, and I just happened to see this little nugget on a door the other day while I was wandering around.

Bright Umbrellas and the BK Bridge

Photo 250 - 251: Brandon and I (giggle) went sightseeing around BK the other day, and after an amazing white pizza pie, some creamy ice cream and a cat-nap in the park, we picked up Pedro and Lexi (our cameras), and did BK proud. What a view! So here is my favorite bridge in the world, and I'm having a dilema with this picture. Should I use the wider shot or the closely-cropped one? I like both, so which one is a better fit?

or

A Little Coney

Photo 248 - 249: Coney Island is one of New York's most famous, if often forgotten and neglected landmarks. It's dirty, and loud, and run-down, but absolutely fantastic at the same time. A lot of it is being torn down now, and not operational yet, but the big Wonder Wheel and little amusement park are still there for kids - big and small.

NYC Sights

Photo 247: Don't have to say much here, but what an amazing sculpture. It just symbolizes NYC so well, and it's such a beautiful view.