Washington Square Park, in the heart of Greenwich Village near New York University, is one of New York City’s most beloved public spaces. Within this vibrant park stands an iconic landmark: the Washington Square Park Arch.
Continue reading “A Visit To The Washington Square Park Arch”Category: Quick Shots
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.
Continue reading “A Visit to SoHo, NYC”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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Empire State Building as Seen From 10th Avenue
This image is also featured in my article Why You Should Shoot RAW. You can see the original version in that blog entry and get some information about the benefits of RAW. Taken with a Nikon D5100 and 35mm f1.8DX lens from the backseat of a taxi.
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.
Four World Trade Center in the Fog
4 World Trade Center, at night in the fog. Shot with a Panasonic Lumix G3 and Panasonic 20mm f1.7 lens.
Characters in Times Square
A couple of cool versions of the Statue of Liberty in Times Square. There are lots of interesting & colorful costumed characters roaming around in Times Square. Times Square is also a great place to practice taking candid shots of people.
Shot with an Olympus OMD-EM10 and Olympus 45mm f1.8 lens.