New York City Photography
It's already been two months since my trip to New York City. Time sure does fly by! I wanted to share a little about the trip, and particularly the photos that I captured while there.
I've always wanted to visit New York, but never really thought much about going there specifically for photography. There is so much to see there, but street photography is not something that I had tried before. However, I usually don't mind trying new things with photography, and this trip sounded interesting. Getting to meet up with some friends there made it even better, so I couldn't resist.
The four of us were traveling from different parts of the country. John from New Mexico, Gary from Maine, Phil from Massachusetts, and of course me from Missouri. Gary was to be our guide for this trip since he visits the Big Apple frequently and knows all the good places to go. He did a great job helping us to navigate the busy streets and sidewalks to get to our destinations without getting lost. Thanks Gary!
The flight out of Kansas City into La Guardia was a smooth one. There is always some anxiety when traveling with photography gear. I try to carry everything on the plane with me to avoid the possibility of a camera, lens, or something else from getting broken or lost. The problem with that is my camera bag is pretty big and gets heavy when it is full. My fear is that it either won't fit in the overhead compartment or there won't be any space left when I get on the plane. Everything went well, although it was kind of a tight fit.
Flying into the New York for the first time was quite an experience. The massiveness of all the skyscrapers is amazing. It seems that every square inch of land is covered by buildings. After landing and catching up with John, we caught a ride to our hotel with Uber. If you ever visit the city, don't plan on driving yourself. Take advantage of any number of transit options to avoid the nightmare of navigating the streets on your own.
We finally arrived at the Americana Inn and quite possibly the smallest hotel room I've ever stayed in. It was 'cheap' by New York standards and conveniently located in Midtown. All I really needed was a bed anyway, since most of the time would be spent wandering the streets.
My tiny home away from home for a few days in NYC. It's even smaller than it looks in this picture.
After checking in and unpacking a few things, what better way to start the trip than exploring the hotel a bit. My window opened up onto a fire escape, which went up to the roof. Who wouldn't want to see what the view was like from up there?
The fire escape outside my hotel room window.
Surrounded by tall buildings as you would expect.
The view up 6th Avenue from the roof of the hotel.
After exploring the hotel, it was time to head down to street level and see what interesting things were nearby. The mass of people and the never-ending activity is just staggering, and something I wasn't used to. That, and the constant sounds of car horns at all hours of the day and night.
Just a couple of blocks down 6th Avenue was Bryant Park. The park was abuzz with activity and was in the midst of its wintertime transformation into an ice skating rink.
The fountain at Bryant Park
From there, we headed over to Times Square, which gives a whole new meaning to the word crowded. And this was just a typical night. It is quite a spectacle with all the bright lights, stores, and commotion. And quite a few interesting characters, too.
Times Square
There is definitely no shortage of street vendors throughout the city. They sell a variety of foods, drinks, other things. It must be an interesting and tough way to make a living.
That was enough for one night. Back to the hotel and a few night time captures from the roof before bed. It was going to be a busy few days...