We used
to live in Manhattan back in 2005 so both of us have an affinity
for the island. We decided that we would take the Long
Island Railroad (LIRR) into Penn Station and then visit my
favorite store B&H Photo. I got Kathleen a lens for
her Fujifilm X-Pro 2 as an early Christmas gift and along the
way got myself a super-wide angle lens for my Sony A7R2.
Since we were there, and had new lenses for our cameras, it is
only natural that we would hike around and see the sights.
The photos below are what we saw.
Not
every train stops at every station. This express train
blew through the station at Amityville like a bullet.
Amityville
is a smaller stop on the Montauk line and the station is only
served by the local train. Our ride was less impressive
than the express, but it got us to Penn Station without
incident.
On the
outskirts of Queens we could see some of the new buildings that
had been constructed since we live on the island.
Outside
of Penn Station we immediately saw many buildings that were
being built. Manhattan is in a continual state of flux due
to construction. The high price of real estate means that
older buildings are demolished and replaced with new ones.
Even the
old Post Office building across 8th Avenue from Penn Station was
undergoing rennovation.
On 33rd
street we could see the older, but stately, Empire State
Building in the distance.
In a courtyard
next to B&H we spotted this odd French truck likely used as
a food service vehicle. I have no idea what it was doing
parked in this really nice patio.
B&H
is my favorite store for cameras and electronics. Think
Home Depot for geeks. The store was busy, but we got fast
service due to the hundreds of agents that were wandering the
floors. Shopping took about 2 hours including browsing the
shelves. It took iron will to resist binge buying, but
somehow we survived. Armed with new glass for the cameras,
we headed out into the city to see the sights. Above is
one of the first photos from my new Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 lens
on my Sony A7R2. I am very pleased with both the field of
view and the color rendition. When the sun is in the
correct location, great reflections from the mirrored glass
windows on the new buildings are possible. The building in
the photo above was not there when we lived on the island in
2005-6.
We had
lunch and then walked west toward the Hudson River and along the
way came upon this colorful street mural. Amazing it has
not been tagged by the gang bangers.
The
mural was longer than one field of view even for my Zeiss
lens. Note the shroud on the building in the distance; it
was undergoing rennovation.
I did
not see attribution for the mural, but the message was clear.
Everywhere
we looked we saw buildings under construction.
Being
Sunday, the crane above was not in use.
Neither
Kathleen nor I could remember Hudson Yards as a subway
station. The newer architecture suggested that this
station has been added since we lived in Manhattan.
Beautiful
new buildings gleamed in the distance.
Our path
took us by the south side of the Javitz Center.
More
buildings under construction. The photo above was taken
from the Highline Park that recently opened. The Highline
was an elevated freight railroad that serviced the west
side. When the line was decommissioned, it was converted
into a really nice park with great views.
Our
elevated viewpoint allowed us to see the helicopter tour landing
site. It was a nice, warm day in NYC and there were plenty
of sailboats on the Hudson River.
Five new
structures under construction as seen from the Highline.
Look
carefully at the low structure near the center of the photo above.
This is a "walking sculpture" that has an outline like an
egg. The structure is mostly complete, but the remaining
stairs can be seen in the foreground of the photo above.
Also visible are Hudson Yards where the LIRR rolling stock is
parked awaiting daily use.
Kathleen
was able to get a closer view of the walking sculpture.
Plenty of stairs, for sure.
Across
Hudson Yards we could see the Javitz center and the buildings of
the west side.
The 18mm
Zeiss got most of this building. The amount of effort that
is expended in construction is amazing.
There
was a display area on the Highline tracks that had works of
art. The diagonal light bulb is clearly art. Just
ask Kathleen.
A small
portion of the egg is visible at the bottom right of the photo
above. I am not sure what the other structure will be.
The mirrored glass
windows produced nice reflections of nearby buildings.
The high clouds added
a touch of drama to an already interesting scene.
Many of the newer
buildings were non-symmetrical.
The light reflected
off the tall buildings made it quite hot.
From the new to the
old. This is a portion of the Highline bridge that was
built using the "rivet and plate" method.
We stopped in a bar
that was advertised along the Highline path and had a few
beers before heading back to Penn Station. The late
afternoon sun provide nice reflections in the mirrored
windows. Note the reflection at the lower left in the
non-symmetrical building.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2017, all rights
reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.