It's not like I have any shortage of images to fit a blue theme, but as I searched through the images, this one stuck out -- just as it did when I first saw it in the West Village.
And no, I never did get to see Nicole Kidman's bare behind on Broadway, even though that was back when I loved going to plays and musicals with movie stars in them.
Every block seems to contain a symbol of New York, especially those that include a view of the Empire State Building.
As much as I loved the theme "macro without bugs or flowers," I sometimes fall victim to the cliche myself. But even if the assignment had simply been "macro," I would've avoided the floral or insect options.
In any case, the distorted Blue Smoke coaster beneath the glass -- in this case beer, but it could easily be bourbon, among other choices -- is inviting. And tempting.
New York City has no shortage of fabulous neon signs, so a walk around the city at night can take longer than you expected if you're carrying a camera.
Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009, the Tribute in Light beam rises until it meets the cloud cover. Commuters exit the PATH and Hoboken Bus Terminal. Behind me, Steelers fans drink and talk above the DJ at Texas Arizona as the NFL season prepares to kick off.
[I still haven't caught up on blogging my daily photos since coming back from vacation, but they're all in the Flickr set. I'll catch up soon enough, but I just couldn't wait until I had to post this one.]
[The backlog is released and 18 days of photos have been posted, beginning with Day 142. Start there and head back here!]
Ever since I first read about the decommissioned railroad tracks built over 10th Avenue and the West Side, I've been intrigued. And once they announced that the old trestle would become the High Line Park, I've eagerly anticipated my first trip up there.
This one particular overpass has caught my eye since 2006, when I first started working in Chelsea Market. I'm standing on the east side of 10th Avenue, just north of the Market, looking west across the avenue to where the tracks used to duck into the building before emerging out the north side and continuing up to 34th St.
Many of the old entryways have been built over, like the one in this photo, so it's only bits and pieces of the rail line's past that remain. The rest is left to the imagination.
On a beautiful spring afternoon at Citi Field, I took pictures of people taking pictures of people at the old Home Run Apple.
Taking a rented rowboat out for a spin in Central Park.
We went to Burger Bash at the James Beard House to sample four delicious burgers, along with tasty fries and onion rings and the ever-wonderful Victory Prima Pils. I also bought George Motz's Hamburger America and Josh Ozersky's The Hamburger: A History so I can make myself hungry while I read.
The Ballpark at St. George sits right next to the Staten Island Ferry terminal, providing sweeping views of Upper New York Bay on a summer afternoon. On a clear day, the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan stand out (though, sadly, that view is not as spectacular as it once was.
During day games in particular, the traffic on the water provides a moving backdrop to the game -- as with this container ship just beyond the right-center field wall.
Shots like these are why I love botanical gardens. If you're there under the right conditions, the light can do wonderful things with the blooms.
Went to an interesting new concert venue in Manhattan: City Winery. It's like a bigger Joe's Pub; you reserve your seat, order a bottle (and perhaps some meats and cheeses) and enjoy the show.
Also took three videos.
As I walked to work last night and spotted the red-and-green top of the Empire State Building, it occurred to me that it was the first night I'd seen the city's tallest spire bathed in the colors of the season. And that's when I remembered why it was still red and green -- it was Twelfth Night. A few houses in our neighborhood have also kept their holiday lights on through today (I unplugged ours on Sunday), but next year, I think, I'll leave them lit through the sixth.
Having already decided to use an image of my train ticket for yesterday's photo, I saved my shot of the holiday-adorned ESB for Epiphany itself. That proved to be a fortuitous decision. The light rain gave the streets a reflective sheen, yet the skies were clear enough for a good look at the tower 18 blocks and a couple of avenues away.
I was torn about which bench to feature, but I went with this one over a more recent image because I like the color and balance of this photo better. This is from New York's Museum of Natural History. The lighting and the shadow of the fish are my favorite aspects, but the fact that the bench remains empty on a busy weekend afternoon at the museum (not seen, obviously) says something, I think.
[Jan. 3 update: Among the chosen!]
Several things went so right to get this image. I had my SLR and zoom lens with me on this fine May afternoon at Shea Stadium. My friends and I moved down to box seats behind home plate in the loge level for the final few innings. And as the Mets put runner after runner on base in the bottom of the ninth inning -- which began with a 5-1 Cubs lead -- I began to think that I'd better be ready with the camera if they finished their comeback.
When they did -- on a bases-loaded single by Carlos Delgado (he's No. 21 on the right). David Wright (No. 5, on the left) led the team in celebration, egging on a reserved Delgado, who had been struggling that season (and would for most of the balance of it).
I've not taken a better photo of the action at a Major League ballpark before or since. Not that I won't keep trying ...
I went back into the archives to find an image that represents this week's theme of "Yes we can!" because I love the phrase and enjoyed the task of finding a picture to represent it. I didn't want to simply go with an American flag or the sign I put up in the front yard during this year's election season. So I think this shot, from the 2006 New York City Marathon, covers it well.
[P.S. -- Thanks for the love!]
There's something special about walking out of the office and standing on the streets of New York "finishing" your day while the majority of the city's residents are just about to start theirs.
