Though the Boston Naval Shipyard was decommisioned in the 1970s, several architectural elements have remained including this old security gate. The former shipyard still houses the Navy’s USS Constitution as well as a museum, businesses, residences, and a marina.
This is another street portrait I made along the East River Esplanade in New York City. As Mr. Louissant walked towards me, a lot of the locals stopped to talk to him. It turns out he is a local lawyer and a musician. I’m not sure which profession he is better known for. He graciously agreed to let me take his picture.
While visiting Boston this summer, I passed by a parking garage in the heart of downtown. Always curious, I took the elevator to the top floor. It gave me a totally different view of the city.
The image above shows part of Downtown Crossing with the golden dome of the State House in the back. The image below shows the steeple of the Old South Meetinghouse.
The Irish Hunger Memorial in Lower Manhattan sits near the Hudson River. Despite its half-acre size, it’s easy to walk past it. The entrance is though a passageway in the front of the structure. Once you enter you walk up into an Irish cottage from County Mayo. Beyond lays a field with plants and stones imported from the west coast of Ireland. It’s like walking through an Irish field. At the top is a commanding view of the Hudson River. It’s a wonderful tribute to those who perished in the great famine.
We’ve all seen pictures of people like the young girl above posed with the famous Wall Street Bull. You go to New York and think, “I’ll pop over and take a pic with The Bull.” But the photo below shows the reality.
There is a line to get your picture with El Toro. But if you really want it, go for it. Plan to wait. Watch the crowd. You’ll get some good ideas for ways to pose and shots to take. When it’s your turn, make sure to get some good pics. The good news is that it’s free.
I imagine that at one time Trinity Church was the tallest structure in what we now know as Lower Manhattan. Today, it is dwarfed by the skyscrapers of the Financial District.
The other bucket list item that I did while in New York City was to ride in the TD FiveBoro Bike Ride. This forty-mile ride goes through all five boroughs of New York. I first learned of it in January 2020 and signed up to ride in May of that year. Needless to say, that didn’t happen. I was thrilled when they announced that it would be held this August. It was a fun ride rather than a competitive one. Riders of all abilities participated. The most challenging part was around mile 35 when we crossed the Verrazano Bridge to Staten Island. It’s the longest suspension bridge in the United States. Next year’s ride will be Sunday, May 1st. Who’s with me on this one?
A New York City firefighter reports to work near the World Trade Center in August 2021.
One of my goals for the trip to New York City was to visit Ellis Island. It has long been on my bucket list. In addition to touring the museum and exhibits, I wanted to take the hard hat tour of the abandoned hsopital on the other side of the island. It hasn’t been restored, though work has been done to arrest it’s decay. A group called Save Eliis Island offers a few tours each day. I highly recommend it.
During my time away, I visited New York City. While taking photos at the September 11th Memorial, this man struck up a conversation with me.
HIs name is Scott Crawford. I quickly surmised that he visited here quite often. He told me he’d been drawn to this place by a facscination with the architecture that followed in the wake of 9/11. Scott moved here from Virginia because he wanted to be near the World Trade Center. Originally, he planned to walk the 300-plus miles to NYC. But after realizing he couldn’t get enough rest time on the road, he took a bus the rest of the way.
He was kind enough to let me take his picture. We took several because the light was not the best. This one was my favorite, and I thought really captured his nature.
