New York City: 9/11 Memorial

Last stop on Day Two.

New York City: Street Scenes

East 42nd Street

A smoke after a slice

Souvenirs

Flatiron Building

Actors

Crew

New York City: I tried to kill us the first day

We were tourists. We had limited time. And there was stuff we HAD to do. I was a tad ambitious for Day One

After Bryant Park, we drank in post-rush hour Grand Central Terminal . . .

. . . and then headed for the Empire State Building.

Though visibility was not going to be good, it seemed like it was clearing, so we took a chance. While wending our way through the line, we got some history on the building.

We finally got to the observation deck, and I have to say, this was my least favorite spot. It was cramped and crowded and as you can see, visibility sucked. But, when life hands you lemons . . .

Instead of looking OUT, I looked DOWN. Much better.

Macys.

The Yellow Cabs are everywhere.

And water towers adorn every building over six stories tall, whether you see them or not.

Many rooftops are put to good use.

One last hazy look out . . .

We went looking for some lunch. Sweetie had told be before we left home that we HAD so have some New York pizza.

Cheapest meal we had the pleasure of eating. Tasty. And the crispy crust was to die for. And we did it in New York!

Then we were off to the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium. Unfortunately, we couldn’t give the museum the time it deserved. Day One was passing far to quickly.

Directly across the street from the Museum of Natural History is the oasis known as Central Park. I really wish we could have spent more time there, slowly exploring the place and maybe having a picnic lunch, but what we did manage to see was beautiful. The park features prominently in my favorite move, “The Fisher King,” so I was doing mental cartwheels whenever I came across a spot where a scene had played out.

Wedding pictures in the park. I love the bride’s footwear!

Capturing the photographer capturing the moment.

Did I mention we had tickets to The Phantom of the Opera that evening?

World’s worst iPhone picture

And aside from the cab ride from the airport and the shuttle to the airport, we rode the subway and walked everywhere.

We also discovered that Google Maps GPS doesn’t work so good when you are walking the canyons of New York City. It would consistently show us a block away from where our lying eyes told us we were. But we figured it out, and after three days, were pretty darned good at getting ourselves around.

New York City: Circle Line Tour – A great way to see the NYC skyline

Friends of ours (Mathew and Pam) came into the city for the second day we were visiting, and as luck would have it, the weather was pretty decent, though there was still a bit of fog to deal with. Given traffic constraints they weren’t sure if they were going to make it in in time for us to catch the 10:15 Semi-Circle Cruise, but they arrived just under the wire. We headed to the back of the boat and took the 2 1/2 hour tour. Matt is a New York boy and he added “color” to the tour, as in “There’s the building they used for the headquarters in ‘Men in Black.’ ” or “Yes, that’s the building from ‘Ghostbusters.’ ” or “That’s where I reenlisted in the Coast Guard.” while pointing to a building with no windows. You know, stuff like that.

Matt was also responsible for taking the one and only photo of Sweetie and me together (iPhone pics taken by me don’t count).

Now, for a few photos . . .

As you can see, not exactly the clearest sky, the lack of clouds notwithstanding.

Ellis Island.

Unfortunately, because of damaged sustained in Sandy, neither Ellis Island nor Liberty Island are open for visitors. Liberty Island is expected to reopen by the 4th of July, but Ellis Island is closed at least until the end of the year.

The Statue of Liberty. I’ll admit it, I got choked up. I’ve waited all my life to see Lady Liberty in real-life.

The mix of the old with the new is what I love about New York City.

This shot of Manhattan was shrouded in haze, but when I converted it to black and white, a lot of the haze “disappeared.” Still, it is grainier than I would have liked, and yet I actually like how it turned out.

There are a multitude of bridges spanning the Hudson, Harlem, and East Rivers.

The Brooklyn Bridge appeared to be undergoing maintenance, but those iconic arches were still amazing.

Manhattan Bridge

The Manhattan Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. This would have been so much better on a clear day.

Williamsburg Bridge

The Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge. Behind that: the Roosevelt Island Bridge. In the far background is the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (formerly the Triborough Bridge). (No, the Queensboro Bridge is not out of focus – it’s the way the structure lined up)

More to come later. By the way, if you’d like to see more photos from our visit to Washington, D.C. and New York City the full gallery can be found at this link. I still have more photos to share with you, but there is no way I’m going to post them all here.

Stolen Childhoods

Weekly Photo Challenge: The Sign Says

My contribution to this week’s photo challenge.

I’ve been to a fair share of rallies . . .

Sometimes I’m celebrating, but mostly it’s because I’ve got something to say.

Women’s Equality Day, August 26, 2010. 90 years of women’s suffrage.

Wisconsin Solidarity Rally in front of the Nevada Legislature, February 21, 2011.

Daughter holding my sign and giving a thumbs-up to the people honking in support.

The Rally to Restore the American Dream, February 26, 2011.

Occupy Carson City, October 15,2011

Photo-shoot: Alex

My photography group did a model shoot today at Hidden Beach at Lake Tahoe. It was my first model shoot and I was feeling a bit like a fish out of water. First of all, it was going to be a lot of photographers, and what appeared to be not very many models. I worried that I’d have to elbow the guys out of the way to get any decent photos. I had ridden up with another photographer friend of mine, Sally, and she had some of the same concerns.

When we got there it turned out there were only three models and a lot of “the guys.” Hmm.

Then I spied Alex sitting on a rock near one of the models who was getting ready. He had on a neat hat, sunglasses and a half buttoned shirt over an undershirt. Oh, yeah, I wanted to shoot him. “Who is THAT guy?” I asked one of the old-timers. “Oh, he’s just the boyfriend of one of the models.”

Not one to let an opportunity go by, and knowing that all the other guys would be shooting the girls in bikinis, I walked up to him and asked him if he minded I shot him. He didn’t mind at all, but noted that he might look pretty tired as he hadn’t had any sleep the night before.

Sally and I tag-teamed the shoot, sharing reflectors and fill-light duties, and along with some help from another photographer, Ray, we were off to the races.