A Visit to SoHo, NYC

SoHo is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan that is known for art galleries, lofts, shopping and a few interesting restaurants and bars. The pandemic has of course dampened the vibrance of the area and caused it to be littered with what we will refer to as “outdoor dining structures”. These shacks have definitely reduced the attractiveness of the area, but SoHo is still a nice destination to visit for an afternoon or evening.

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A Trip to The Vessel at Hudson Yards

The Vessel is a new structure built as part of the revitalization of the Hudson Yards area of the  West Side of Manhattan. Construction of The Vessel began in April of 2017 and it opened to the public in March 2019.

They might look like it, but no, these aren’t mall escalators!


The Vessel consists of a series of interconnected staircases and tiers designed to allow visitors to walk from the bottom to the top of the structure easily. The Vessel is 16 stories tall and consists of 154 flights of stairs totaling 2,500 steps.

I’m not afraid of heights, I’m afraid of falling.


Looking down from the top tier, one can see how elaborately designed and constructed The Vessel is. For those that can’t or don’t wish to walk up and down the stairs, there is also an elevator, which you can see on the right side of the photo above.

Are they waiting for the sun to set, or for a train?



The Vessel offers great views of the Hudson River and the distant New Jersey skyline. In the photo above, visitors wait on the top tier facing West to catch the sunset. Below you can see the rail yard – that’s where Hudson Yards gets its name.

As the sun sets it brings out amazing colors in the sky. It’s best to plan a trip to the Vessel around sunset time. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance. Reservations fill up quickly, so be sure to reserve them a week or two ahead.

It’s time for some moon shopping.


After the sun sets, the revitalized Hudson Yards area is a great place to hang out at night. It’s still under construction, but so far a shopping mall and arts center have been built in the area and more attractions are planned.

Have you visited The Vessel at Hudson Yards? What was your experience like? Let me know in the comments, and follow me on Instagram.

If you’d like an NFT of my sunset photo of The Vessel for your collection, visit here.

An Outing to the Central Park Reservoir

Real New Yorkers simply call it the Central Park Reservoir, but officially it’s called The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. The Reservoir stretches from 86th to 96th street, and from 5th avenue to Central Park West.

It’s going to be a long walk.

I wanted a specific shot of some particular Upper West Side buildings, so I entered Central Park at 90th street and 5th avenue and walked up a few steps to the gate surrounding the Reservoir.

Whenever I think of the Reservoir, I’m reminded of the movie Marathon Man with Dustin Hoffman. To this day, there is a constant stream of joggers around the Reservoir, and the path around it is a sort of loose, sandy gravel to facilitate running. I wonder how many of those joggers have seen that movie.

Joggers — just like in the movies!

I didn’t know the Reservoir was decommissioned in 1993. That explains the lack of security around it and the low gate. I assume that if the Reservoir did supply New York City with water, no one would be allowed anywhere near it in this day & age.

Times Square is waaay down there.

The Central Park Reservoir is great to visit and watch the sunset on a nice day, or to jog around it if that’s your thing. There are many great views of the city and photographic opportunities to be had there.

The photos in this story were taken with an Olympus EM-10 and Lumix 14mm f2.5 & Lumix 25mm f1.7 lenses.

New York City’s Union Square Park

Union Square is one of my favorite places in New York City. It’s often the starting point for many interesting nights out. Union Square is also a great place to just sit down and relax — some nights, it’s the only destination.

A typical night in Union Square.

In the warmer weather you’ll find young people playing hacky sack or soccer. You’ll see skateboarders practicing kickflips and ollies, while street performers dance for dollars. There’s even a freestyle rap group that meets up there on Friday nights. And let’s not forget the chess players. Drop in a for a friendly game.

It’s all very friendly. Maybe.

In practical terms, Union Square is a major transportation hub. You can catch many subway trains here (4, 5, 6, L, Q, N, W and R). The L train can connect you to the 8th Avenue Line, so you’ll be able to catch the A, C, E after a quick ride.

Enter the subway. Or just hang around it.

Union Square Park stretches from Broadway to 4 Ave and from East 14th street to East 17th street. You can access the subway from many entrances in the park.

The photos in this story were taken with an Olympus EM-10 and various lenses.

New York City Skyline As Seen From the Ink Hotel

The Manhattan skyline is beautiful at night with all of the lights shining. In this photo you can see many major corporate buildings, such as the Conde Naste Building (the one that says H&M on it) and the Bank of America Tower behind it.

Towards the right side of the image, you can see the Empire State Building hiding behind the New York Times Building.

Taken with a Lumix GX1 and Panasonic 20mm f1.7 lens.

Dramatic Skies Over New York City’s High Line.

I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. The sky was turning this amazing shade of purple as the sun was setting, and there were enough clouds in the sky to make it a  bit more interesting. The High Line is in the distance.

Shot with a Lumix G3 and Panasonic 20mm f1.7 lens.