Reigniting My Search For Yellow Cabs

You can never find a cab when you need one.

Going through some of my old files I came across this shot of the World Trade Center. It was taken only a couple of month before the tragic events of 9-11.

It put me in mind of the absolute fixation I used to have of lining up shots at iconic NYC locations and then waiting for a yellow cab to come into the shot. In the last few weeks, I have been inspired to try and capture some similar images.

I am enjoying being out and about again taking photographs.

Tourist In NYC

Having out of town family or friends visiting is great. Not only do I get the opportunity to see them but I get to do some tourist stuff I never do.

Here are a few pics from the recent visit of my niece and her boyfriend.

Along with some of the more regular tourist stuff I got them a backstage tour of a Broadway Theater and then took them to a cool trailer park themed bar.

FORT SCHUYLER, MUSEUM AND MARITIME COLLEGE, BRONX,NY

Tucked under the Bronx side of the Throggs Neck Bridge stands Fort Schuyler a Civil War era structure which has been repurposed as the State University of New York’s Maritime College. The grounds contain a modern campus and inside the actual fort is an interesting museum. Most of the the museums artifacts and models relate to the merchant navy and is a fascinating piece of history.

http://www.sunymaritime.edu/Maritime%20Museum/index.aspx

 

Here is a vintage  aerial view of the fort  used under a  creative commons license 

You can view more vintage image here http://www.fortwiki.com/Fort_Schuyler_(1)

Mike’s Miscellaneous Mondays: Five Borough Facts

NYC FIVE BOROUGH FACTS

Way to often visitors to New York City do not venture to far from the the tourist haunts of Manhattan. There are four other boroughs to explore each with it own unique feel. From zoos, parks and museums to great food in ethnic neighborhoods. So step outside your comfort zone and give The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens or Staten Island a chance. You may just surprise yourself.
If you are visiting New York and on a budget I would recommend The Staten Island Ferry if you want to see the lower Manhattan skyline from the water and get up close to Lady Liberty without being able to visit her. It’s like a mini harbor cruise but it’s free. You have to disembark on the Staten Island side before returning to Manhattan. There is a Dairy Queen at the ferry terminal so grab an ice cream. Sadly it slipped Dairy Queen’s mind that Staten Island was part of New York City http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2014/03/25/dairy-queen-forgets-staten-island-is-part-of-new-york/ but it is a great way to end your “cruise”.

by Lemonly.

When I first arrived in New York it would have been nice to have a local to guide me a little. Allow me to introduce you to Johnny T, a New York born Italian American.  He will give you a primer on how to make your first visit good for both you and the natives.

 

 

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night …..

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”  This quote references postal workers but with the inclement weather we’ve had of late I thought it might aptly relate to photographers. I captured several photographs while wandering around NYC I thought you might enjoy.

This first shot was not a bad weather shot but I wanted to share it as it is the Met Life Building lit up for Inauguration night. 

Here is a view up Fifth Avenue on a dull wet morning.

One of my favorite buildings in NYC is The Chrysler Building here is an image of it through a soupy fog.

   Not even Atlas can get a cab on a rainy day.

Here are a couple of the workers at workers at my apartment complex on snow clearance duties. Apart complex is such an understatement for where I live. It has 50,000 residents, it’s own Subway stop it even has a Macy’s Department store on the bottom floors of one of the buildings. Parkchester is an interesting place to live. Take a look at the aerial shot I found on Wikipedia it is not my photograph but it is public domain.

Miscellaneous Mondays: Discovering Columbus

Usually The Statue of Columbus lords it over NYC watching the cabs zoom by. But somebody at The Public Art Fund had the wonderful idea to build an apartment around the statue and but him sitting on a coffee table. The art installation will be in place till November 18th. You will need to pre book free time stamped tickets for access.
Below you can see how the statue looks unencumbered by scaffolding.

© Jorge Royan / http://www.royan.com.ar




An  added advantage is you get to see some views you would not usually see..


And the installation is right next to one of my favorite places, Central Park.

Mikes Miscellaneous Mondays My Old Yellow Cab Fixation

Growing up in Ireland I always felt yellow cabs were iconic of NYC. So when I made the city my home and wanted to take photographs I used yellow cabs to tie the images together. I would actually frame a shot and wait for a cab to come into the frame before pressing the shutter.

No commentary here just some photos for you to check out.

     

Dim Sum A Very Sociable Way To Dine

A coworker of mine has been trying to get me to go for  a Dim Sum lunch for a very long time. We finally got it together and went to Chinatown for what I have to tell you was a wonderful meal. I love small tasting plates so this was such a great experience. My friend who is Hong Kong Chinese took us to a place not frequented by tourists so it was a truly authentic experience. Jing Star is an Hong Kong style restaurants that seems to be very well regarded. Our little group turned heads a little with two Asian woman an Irish guy and an African American.

The food was incredibly good but I did not take many photos as the conversation was even more incredible. I know feel I could go without a guide and try even more dishes..
And usual a wander around Chinatown is always interesting.

View Larger Map
I have had a lot going on of late and have very little energy for blogging. I have some time of this week and am hoping to get back in the groove. 

Eataly NYC, Amazing Food Emporium

It has been almost a year since I blogged about Eataly in NYC. I visited again over the weekend and wanted to share some photos of what I have to say is one of the most incredible food stores I have ever seen. It is somewhat outside my price range but it is enjoyable to walk around and look at the delicious items for sale.

 

 

MARIO BATALI and LIDIA BASTIANICH are two of the founding partners and it is looking like they have an winner on their hands. When I was there a year ago I assumed even if it was successful it would not stay as busy as those early days. Much to my amazement the place is still very busy.

www.eataly.com