Metropolis

Metropolis by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #94

And here it is, a shot of New York during the day. Getting outside of something is a great to get a different perspective on it. That wasn't the reason we went to Brooklyn (the reason was Brooklyn Brewery) but it is still quite true. The trickiest part of taking this shot was the wind, which was fiercely trying to knock be off my precarious footing on a bunch of rocks.

Week 13 - Photo 7

Gotham

Gotham by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #93

They say that Metropolis is New York City during the day and Gotham City is New York at night. I don't know what it is at sunset, other than a bad time to take pictures from the Top of the Rock, especially if there are annoying French people setting up camp in the prime spots and not giving any respect for the unwritten laws of human interaction on which society depends.

Week 13 - Photo 6

Hyperspace

Hyperspace by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #92

We managed to avoid doing many of the touristy things people do in New York, but going to Top of the Rock was a concession to whichever kid hadn't been there before. I'll talk more about the experience at the top in the next post (hint: there will be French people). Meanwhile, on the way through one part of the luckily fast moving queue areas, I spotted this chandelier. Since I already had my camera in my hand, it was an easy shot to take.

Week 13 - Photo 5

Market Day

Market Day by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #91

If you don't like crowds you should probably stay out of New York City. You should especially stay away from Chelsea Market. It can get so crowded there that some tall guy standing mostly out of the way holding a camera high over his head could cause angry looks from passersby.

1:09

1:09 by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #90

One thing a photo odyssey is, is a way of marking time. Really, what is photography if not some effort to capture a moment in time? You can't do it though - by the time you've take the picture, the moment is gone.

(Week 13 - Photo 3)

All the Hearty Ladies

All the Hearty Ladies by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #89

Put your hands up! Put your hands up! OK, maybe it is a little creepy to take a picture of the sign to the ladies room. Or maybe this is in fact a sign to a store that sells ladies. No, that is probably worse. Forget I said that. We should probably just think of this as a picture of a cool neon sign in the cool Chelsea Market.

(Week 13 - Photo 2)

Crossing Signals

Crossing Signals by Andy Roth on 500px

Photo #88

New York is not just another city. There is something special about it. I used to make many visits there and got to know the town pretty well. Times and schedules change however, and it had been a year since I'd been back. We took the opportunity to make for a long weekend visit, and as we walked from the streets of Midtown to Chinatown, all around and back, I paused as much as possible to see and photograph all that we passed.

(Week 13 - Photo 1)

Day 6 - Across The Street - 17 Dec 2010

I like it when someone is bold enough to paint bits of a building a nice, bright, primary color. It certainly catches the eye when one is looking for things to notice. This pub also had a cool old looking sign about coming in for a pint which a minute after I left I regretted not taking a picture of. I need to learn to listen to the voice that says I should go back across the street.

Day 5 - King of the Lite Brite - 16 December 2010

Larry King ended his historic television show run on December 16, 2010. Me and my co-workers were all guests in his New York City studio. OK, we were not guests on his show, and Mr. The King himself was in his Los Angles studio, but still we were there, and I have this picture of the lights behind his desk to prove it.

Day 4 - Close Encounter - 15 Dec 2010

In the state of New York is a city called New York. In the city of New York is a hotel called The New Yorker. In the lobby of the New Yorker is this chandelier. How I managed to take a picture of this without looking like a tourist, I just don't know.

He Loves You

There was a time when I could play the saxophone. Maybe I didn't have mad skillz, but I could carry a tune - especially if that tune was Dr. J. For President. It has been many years since those days, and whatever "chops" (cool music guy word) I once had are long gone. That said, I wonder what would happen if I dusted off the old Bundy II, set up in some public place, and coaxed out whatever sound I could. If I did, I would definitely need one of these fuzzy "I Love You" hearts to hang on my tip can because anyone listening would probably conclude otherwise.

Square Umbrella

There is a secret little part of Manhattan that I like to call "Times Square". It is the perfect spot to meditate, unwind and enjoy the peaceful quietness. My Times Square is even more idyllic now that they've added these wonderful umbrellas. It is so nice that I'm hesitant to even post about it for fear that it will be discovered by the masses.

Skyline

One good way to look like a tourist when visiting the big city is to point your face to the sky and marvel at how them tall buildings is bigger than anything you have back on the farm. If you happen to have a camera between your face and said buildings, you can get shots like this one.

No Return

They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery, so I must be a big fan of myself, because I took this same picture a few months earlier, and even wrote about it here on Roth365. This time Shelley was along, which makes not only the picture but also the trip that much better.

Apotheke

Want to know a good way to not pick up chicks in a hot, cool, secret, happenin' New York City bar? Take your DSLR out of your combination camera/laptop backpack and start taking pictures of the cool bottles behind the bar. Yup, that will keep the ladies away.

100 Strangers - Stranger 1

I've decided to undertake a new photography project. One of my weaknesses is candid street photography - especially with regards to portraits. In hopes of improving in this area, I've decided to take portraits of 100 strangers.

I'm pragmatic enough on this one to not try to do it in 100 days, especailly given that most days I don't leave the house, yet alone see a stranger. Instead, I've set no time limit on this - I will take and post the shots as the opportunities arise.

I'm kickng this off today with my 1000th shot on Flickr that I took last weekend in Times Square:

When I took this shot, I was not sure if this man was looking at me and was upset that I was taking his photo, and after studying the shot, I'm still not sure. I suspect that people being annoyed with me will be a too common theme in this project, but oh well.

Final Exit

On the other side of this door is New York City - East Broadway at the Manhattan Bridge - right in the chaotic heart of a Chinatown morning. People are hurrying in all directions as vendors unload truckfuls of mysterious produce and other unknown wonders while cars and trains pass by noisily on the bridge. This side of the door holds quiet and calm, but that all changes as you pass through, and there is no going back.

Jazz Club

I must have walked pass the door to this jazz club in Greenwich Village three times before I finally decided to take a chance and go in. As much as I like jazz and new experiences, it felt a bit weird to go into a place like this by myself. I am so glad that I did. B.D. Lenz Group played the exact kind of funky cool tunes that I needed to get out of my own head for a while and lose myself to the night.

Dark Alley

At my peak, I was a fairly average bowler. My peak however, was somewhere between 15 and 20 years ago. Since then, I had been bowling exactly twice. That is, until this fateful night in New York City during which I learned two things:
1) The rules of bowling etiquette are either not the same in New York or they are just ignored
2) Bowling is not the kind of activity that once you learn how to do it, you always remember, even after not doing it for a long time (can't think of a good analogy).



Thanks to Phill Price for letting me know about AudioBoo.

Broome Street

This is a nice little place at the corner of Broome Street and West Broadway in New York. I stopped here on my way back to the hotel to grab a burger and a beer, and because my face was frozen.