MY New York ...

Anyone that knows me is wondering about that headline ...

MY New York. Yes - MY New York. Not your New York, not a true blue New Yorker, not a brand new New Yorker.

After coming home discouraged with my photo taking abilities ... or more like inabilities, I put my photos in a folder and assumed that it was just one trip, one humongous photo shoot that I was not going to re-visit ...

ever.


Funny how barfing for seven days, being 'attacked' (repeatedly) by a Sadomasochistic Phlebotomist and pretty much being wonky from lack of nutrients and electrolytes will change your outlook on a silly file folder of photos!

Got in my folder last night and thought ... Damn! These aren't for everybody, they are not your "Typical" or "Artistic" or "Talented" or "Clever" New York Photos ...


.... but



they are MY PHOTOS.


And this just so happens to be MY BLOG.

Therefore - I have decided to celebrate one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen - in very different ways. Not like Norway - where if you pointed your camera SERIOUSLY ANYWHERE and took a photo - it would come out beautiful, idyllic, and all the cute little house color coordinated! Norway is just like that. The people are seriously Scandinavian Beautiful, their country matches.

Well, New York is NOT like Norway - but it is beautiful in its own way ... to me. I don't know why I am so fascinated with the city - maybe the beauty - maybe I was a New Yorker in another life, maybe I am just fixated on it because of the incredible history it holds, but whatever has drawn me to it - has me held tight.

My New York is somewhere I don't know well, but know that the people are survivors, and survivors TOGETHER in such a tight space - thus kind, courteous and wonderfully helpful if you even look like you are confused a bit about something. Well, at least that was my experience!

So - I was sick and up all night and made the most of it by picking my 'favorite' New York photos from Day One: Friday - A Walk through Lower Manhattan - and I will warn you right now - there are about 200 - I have a TERRIBLE time making decisions ...

and I just might be a bit wonky still ....


So! Come take a walk with how I SEE NEW YORK! I promise - your feet won't even get tired!


We started in New Jersey at the Marriott hotel, thus we took the NYNJ PATH transportation system under the Hudson to the World Trade Center. Do you get the impression that maybe I look like a tourist? I just might be all the camera gear ... or just the general excitement ...


On to the World Financial Center - where a second floor area had become an observatory into the World Trade Center area.

Skyscrapers out the ceiling of the World Financial Center:

A beautiful building only seen through a window:

A panorama of the new building going up. For all you 'real' New Yorkers - you are not loosing it - Photoshop filled in - aka make up shit for a piece that did not exist in the upper left hand corner - cool building! But just from the rather creepy imaginations of Photoshop ...

Exterior of the World Financial Center (do y'all have an abbreviation for the name of this building?):

The surrounds:

A very poor close up shot of some of the most beautiful decoration on a building out the window of the World Financial Center:

Another exterior:

World Financial Center and surrounds:

Somewhere over there is our Marriott hotel ...

Gotta be THE COOLEST corner of a building ANYWHERE. Not just stuff stuck on - it is the actual corner ... beautiful!

Another beautiful building - I love, love the green!

Who takes the time to come up with detail work like this these days?

Just a building reflected in the new tower going up (apparently I, right this minute have no idea what it is called ... just a sec .... Ahhh - the Freedom Tower ...)

Indescribably beautiful:

Mosiac work:

The Freedom Tower:

The Freedom Tower and surrounds. In front are those that were 'in the know' and got tickets to go in and visit the WTC grounds - something I did not know we had to do and thus regret enormously that we missed it ...

More across the way ...

New York Policeman's Memorial:

No clue - but beautiful, no?

Beauty, beauty, everywhere:



Another beauty of a building:

This? THIS IS AN ENTRY ...

I'm going to shut up for a while ... just enjoy yourself ...









Backside of Trinity Church with the Trinity Building on the left hand side of it - a MULTITUDE of photos of both to follow - one freaking beautiful place ...

























I have decided - with more surety than I usually have - that this following photo is my most favorite shot of the day:









The Trinity Church is where Wall Street dead ends onto Broadway ... the most famous intersection anywhere ...






Leaving the church grounds and heading south on Broadway to Battery Park ...




I wonder just how many eagles there are in New York city?






Seriously does NOT seem impressed to be housing two pigeons! But isn't she (and the rest of them beauties?)




The detail work takes my breath away! I don't have A CLUE WHY ...



The sun hitting the Trinity Building and a SERIOUSLY OUT OF PLACE PHOTO. Sorry - with 3 cameras going with 3 numbering systems - I'm doing pretty good keeping them all together ...

Recognize this guy? He seriously looks pissed!




BEARS! The "Bear Rug Decor" was very new to me? Flattened bears above windows - but ever so much fun to photo (can you tell I didn't take anything even remotely resembling architecture in college?)




People! I'm BEGGING YOU! I am SURE I have the right building ... OK, Google Earth assures me I have the right building and by SHEER LUCK I remember it's name: The Standard Oil Building. In a book I read that ON THE TOP OF THE BUILDING IS A METAL REPLICA OF AN OIL LAMP. OK - how in everything that is, oh, I don't know what - can you GET AN OIL LAMP OUT OF THAT THINGY UP THERE! Please - send me a drawing! I am desperate!!!! And apparently obsessed about it ....



OK, now, I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but up until this very moment in time - uhhhh all the 'people' on buildings - WERE PRETTY! I seriously cannot tell if this is a really ugly woman or man in drag ... not that there is anything wrong with that ... ESPECIALLY in New York!!! "One Butt Ugly Dude Above A Window" - new title to my photo ...


Huff, huff - we are to Bowling Green - almost to Battery Park!

One of the most captivating memorials I have seen in a very long time ...

The Merchant Marine Memorial - and THANKFULLY I did not stand there and watch the tide slowly rise over the head of the man in the water , with only his hand - oh, so close but forever out of reach the only thing above the water ... and still stand there and hope that they save him. A daily sad show for the truly strong and the patient ...

The beautiful Ellis Island:

And the pretty Lady herself! Had I known this was going the only close up I was going to get of her - I might have spent a bit more time ... I SO HAVE TO GET BACK TO THIS CITY ....








Leaving Battery Park and heading up Broad Street ... and MORE MOOSHED BEARS!








Even their fire trucks are beautiful!

Heading down Wall Street to ... anyone? anyone?



Past the New York Stock Exchange and on to the Federal Hall National Monument - an ABSOLUTELY STUNNINGLY beautiful and historical building ...













WHO makes ... 'burgler bars'? like this? WHO? WHY? THEY ARE STUNNING!

The detail ALONE is unbelievable - and just think - this is ONE WINDOW IN ONE BUILDING IN THE ENTIRE BEAUTIFUL CITY OF NEW YORK!!!



A sneak peek back at the Trinity Church to say goodbye ...


OK, for ANY AND ALL New Yorkers that happen to cross these photos - um, sometimes? A GIRL JUST NEEDS HER SHOT! I KNOW that there is a huge black ugly building above the green 'shed like thing' and I KNOW there is a huge black tube that seems to run behind these three white windows on the top and I KNOW - TOTALLY FAKED the side of the green thing up there since it is mainly ugly black - but, well, sometimes - I just CANNOT STOP THE PHOTOSHOPING! Sorry - I will put the ugly stuff back in and post the REAL photo some other day (ahem ... and did you catch the *mutters* seven *mutters* other shots that I took out an ugly background building(s) and / or cranes and / or anything else I deemed to MUCK UP MY SHOT? Hmmmm? NO?! You just enjoyed the photo - so I will feel guilty for cheating, albeit beautifying your EVER SO LOVELY CITY even without my help, and you can just go find them yourself ...)



St. Pauls Chapel coming right up ...


*SIGH* OK, OK, Its a freaking Church! This is one I took out a construction project out of the upper left hand corner - SO ... SHOOT ME!!!


Beautiful!

Beautiful!

Beautiful!

Stunningly beautiful!

A beauty beyond words ...


OK - HAPPY NOW? Here is one I left alone .... (*ahem* only because I was too lazy to recreate the building behind it ....)

The EVER SO LOVELY City Hall Fountain: (in Steve Flanders Square)


New York City Hall peeking out of the trees while still enjoying the fountains ...

I do not believe this is my first photo of the Woolworth Building - but the first one I have identified it as such .... (I would kill to live in the pretty green castle on the top ...)



We have made it to the lovely Brooklyn Bridge!

Part of the LOVELY Tweed Courthouse:










Back on the Subway to go rest up before the Broadway production of Wicked tonight!!!




IT'S TIME! WICKED TIME! Sure I've seen it twice - but that JUST MAKES SEEING IT BETTER - you know when to appreciate the really good parts!





OK, um, heres the thing .... I KNOW there is NO PHOTOGRAPHY during a Broadway production (even posting them, I get an uneasy feeling the "Broadway Police" are going to hunt me down and arrest me ....). KIDS - don't do this - it is EVIL AND WRONG! I DID turn off all camera sound and lights, I DID never use a flash and always held it close to my chest so no one could see what I was up to ... So - if YOU know how to turn off all sound and all lights (OK, the back screen would light up - thus held on my chest with half of my shirt surrounding it ...) then give it a try - I am THRILLED I have these little gems! Unfortunately - they light up the main characters so much that you can either get them, or the stage - take your pick - I was going for stage and I WAS NOT GOING TO UP AND CHANGE MY F-STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PRODUCTION to take care of the problem ... what do you think I am?

I know, I know - crappy, crappy, extra double crappy shot - but IT GIVES ME CHILLS EVERY TIME I SEE IT! Defying Gravity and Elphaba rising into the air is my most favorite part of the entire show ...







Ah, NO ... not our ride back to the hotel ...

Ahhhhh, here we are ...

A LOVELY day filled with beauty and fun at every corner!

Feet hurt? No? Yes?


Come back tomorrow - I don't go as far! I mainly just go ... vertical ...