Snow Falling at the Manhattan Bridge Entrance

Yet another blizzard hits New York City! That’s quickly becoming a regular occurrence around here. At least the city was prepared this time and most people knew to stay off the roads. Of course, that doesn’t mean that it still wasn’t an adventure trying to get around. Just take these people trying to cross Canal St at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge – a long crossing, especially when snow is flying at your face.

BTW, this is the first photo posted here that was taken with my brand new Canon 50D DSLR. So happy.

This photo was taken on January 26, 2010.

Snow Falling at the Manhattan Bridge Entrance

Chicago Harbor

I spent three days in Chicago in August 2009. The first day was a beautiful, warm, late summer day. The last two? They were miserable, rainy affairs. Still, one has to make do with what nature deals them. It can’t be too bad – after all, I did get to see a Cubs game that was played in a tight window between periods of deluge. On my last morning, I just wandered around The Loop and ended up on the harbor, watching all these boats rocking left and right, back and forth, as the wind whipped and the rain began to fall. A rainy, but oddly beautiful, end to my all-too-short visit to Chicago.

This photo was taken on August 27, 2009.

Chicago Harbor

Seattle Underneath Aurora Bridge

After dinner at Book Bindery, I decided I wanted some nice Belgian-style beers before calling it a night. That’s how I found myself crossing a bridge and then staring to my right at another, much higher bridge. The cool thing was that I had a nice overhead shot of part of Seattle – the lights on the ground and the light reflecting off the river at night.

This photo was taken on October 2, 2010.

Seattle Underneath Aurora Bridge

Yup, More Snow

Not to get all Old Man McCrankyPants but, seriously? More snow when we’ve yet to entirely do away with the last blast of snow still lingering on our sidewalks? Sure, it’s not Mother Nature’s fault that the city’s slow response is mostly responsible that there are still reminders of the last storm – the remaining, greying snow and the garbage bags lining the curb – but it’d be nice if she’d be a little understanding. Perhaps a one-month reprieve? Is that too much to ask? Then again, maybe she’s taking pity on us because, as I type this, it seems like the snow is starting to taper off already.

This photo was taken on January 7, 2011.

Yup, More Snow

Cookie Monster and Elmo Hang Out in Times Square

This is easily the most popular photo I’ve ever taken if my Flickr stats and numerous Gothamist appearances are any indication. This wasn’t my Project 365 photo for that day and it really was just a throwaway shot, at least in my mind it was, but I thought it was funny enough to post. I didn’t know the origin of these guys being in Times Square, that they were essentially scumbags who wanted money for photos.

This photo was taken on November 29, 2009.

Cookie Monster and Elmo Hang Out in Times Square

The Bartender in the Mirror

After a frustrating darts game in which I had a chance to win twice but couldn’t double out on my first try and subsequently lost on the following turn, I walked over to the bar and saw Lesli’s (the bartender) reflection in the mirror. All this time I spent at the bar and I never even noticed there was a mirror behind the bar – that’s how in the zone I normally am. Anyway, inspiration struck and I wanted to see how a photo of her facing the mirror, away from the bar would look. Not bad, I think.

This photo was taken on January 3, 2011.

The Bartender in the Mirror

JetBlue JFK Terminal – T5

I had gotten to the airport over an hour early for my flight to Chicago – blame it on the insanely good timing of R to E to AirTrain that morning – so I had plenty of time to just wander around JetBlue’s spiffy new terminal. I started taking photos of the place and I just lucked out when this guy walked, seemingly striding with purpose, directly into the center of the shot, making an infinitely neater shot than just the terminal itself.

This photo was taken on August 25, 2009.

JetBlue JFK Terminal - T5

Garbage Bags As Far As The Eye Can See

Thanks to the blizzard that dumped 20 or so inches of snow on us, the sight of garbage bags, piled high and stretching far is a sad, familiar sight on New York City’s streets even though it’s been a week since the snow fell. Chalk it up to a poorly managed response to the snowfall plus the possibility of a sanitation slowdown. They just started garbage collection yesterday but even that’s hampered by a necessary split in service where some trucks are still working on the snow in some areas. It’s estimated that there are 50,000 tons of garbage to haul away, some of which has been accumulating since before Christmas. Christmas! That was over 10 days ago! Now all we need are the rats to come out of hiding and then we can sound the alarm for a plague warning!

This photo was taken on January 3, 2011.

Garbage Bags As Far As The Eye Can See

An Empty Ace Hotel Stumptown

The Stumptown at the Ace Hotel has lines out the door and into the hotel lobby on just about every weekday I’ve been there. When the blizzard finally came to an end on Monday, I stopped in for some coffee before getting some work done and this place was empty. Dead. This was the only person on line. That’s what it takes for them not to be busy – a blizzard in the week between Christmas and New Year’s.

This photo was taken on December 27, 2010.

An Empty Ace Hotel Stumptown