My first ever trip to New York city was busy, but fun. Most of my time was spent in Midtown Manhattan but I did venture down to the Financial District on my last day.
The Empire State Building was completed in 1931 and was the tallest building in the world for almost 40 years. It is an iconic New York building, but there was no sign of King Kong!
There are plenty of opportunities for reflections shots in the store windows.
The Christmas tree at Rockefeller was up, but still hidden by the scaffolding. And yes, its pretty big although it doesn’t look it next to the skyscraper!
The Chrysler Building was completed 11 months before the Empire State Building and for that short time it was the tallest in the world.
Patterns…
Grand Central Station was opened in 1871. In June of 1910, just after the last train left the station, the building was demolished to make way for the new, very grand, terminal that would eventually open in February 1913.
It’s a massive, beautiful building and a testament to the grandeur and opulence of the golden age of train travel.
The building was the first to use of ramps rather than stairs which allows for a better flow of pedestrian traffic.
Grand Central is a “Terminal” as opposed to a “Station”. When it was built, it was the end of the line and as far south as the trains could go. It was built to accommodate the new, cleaner electric trains which eventually changed that.
Everyone has a story and an “explanation” as to why the constellations on the ceiling are backwards. I think the answer is simply that the painter made a mistake!
Times square is always lit up, day and night. It’s also typically full of tourists!
Having some fun playing with long exposures & flash… (a special thank you to Zim, my guide for the day and the model)
Creating abstract photos…
My goal for the rainy day was to visit the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, arguably the most well know of New York’s public libraries.
The Rose Reading Room is magnificent; it’s what I imagine a library should look like.
The 2 marble lions that guard the building are known as “Patience” and “Fortitude”. This is Patience.
Looking up 43rd street to the Chrysler Building
More fun with long exposures…
The United Nations Building itself is nothing spectacular, but it does make a good subject for some abstract fun!
A little light painting, and yes, I do love New York!
Getting up close to the corrugate panel creates an interesting effect at night…
Above the entrance to Grand Central sits the world’s largest Tiffany clock at 13 feet in diameter.
The four faces of this beautiful clock inside the terminal are opal; it’s estimated that it’s worth $10-20 million! It doesn’t look very big inside this massive space, but my guide told me it’s over 7 feet tall.
On my last day, I walked south from my hotel towards the financial district. Along the way I passed through the Flatiron district and Soho.
The Flatiron Building was built from 1901 to 1903 and was built triangular to fit the shape of the lot. At the time, this was one of the most prominent locations in Manhattan making it one of the city’s most prominent landmarks.
When I took this photograph I had no idea what this building was, I just liked it. Turns out, its the Metropolitan Life Clock Tower. Completed in 1909, it was the both the world’s tallest building and the highest timepiece for only 4 years.
One World Trade towers over the 9/11 memorial and it’s said to be one of the safest buildings in the world.
For me it was very surreal and somber to be at the site of the 9/11 attacks. The memorial is very tastefully done and really brings home the events of that day.
Around both pools are the names of those that lost their lives that day. A white rose in the name indicates that it’s that person’s birthday.
After the 9/11 Memorial, I took the subway to Brooklyn and walked back to Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge.
This next photo shows how perspective is everything. One World Trade is the tallest building in Manhattan (and I suspect it will always be), yet from this angle, this wavy building looks significantly taller!
Another of New York’s landmark buildings, the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank building was once home to a bank formed to protect the assets of the city’s Irish Catholic immigrants.
The lights on the Empire State Building are used to honor different holidays, groups, charities etc. On this night, they were purple and red to honor the Lupus Research Alliance. If they aren’t honoring anyone or anything, the lights are white.
Once a year Sak’s 5th Avenue has a multi media event to launch the Christmas season, revealing their display windows and festive lights. I stumbled upon this and it was quite the show!
Iconic NY pretzels and roasted chestnuts for sale on every corner!
That’s it for this trip. I could easily have spent more time wandering around the city. Perhaps another time…