travelswithdan

Of course I had experienced all the varieties of weather before in my life. But having them occur HERE is like experiencing them anew. What is 'rain' like when it falls on a city of twelve million? How does the quiet of a new snowfall sound in the City? Do New Yorkers play in snow or simply see it as an inconvenience, hindering their ability to conduct business at a 'New-York-minute' rate of speed? How is the sight of all those skyscrapers transformed by fog? These images show some of the answers... Dan ... read more

I have no idea as to the origin of that quote, but I first saw it scrawled on the wall of an old building in Berkeley, CA where it resembled the handwriting of a street person being pushed over the edge of mental stability by the sheer inundating power of the beauty around him. It's amazing what you see when you really look... So these images are all "stuff I happened to notice while on my way elsewhere," hurrying down the street to get here or there by some appointed hour when my attention was snagged by something wonderful that was just SITTING THERE, waiting patiently to be noticed. Never run so fast that you can't stop and photograph the roses (after smelling them)... Running fast is what I've been doing a lot of in ... read more

Since 9/11, the management companies of many well-known buildings in New York have closed their doors to visitors. Others will allow you to enter the lobby but not take any photos, photography evidently being the hallmark of terrorists and tourists alike (can you imagine Osama with his Nikon?). Virtually all require some form of coded identification to enter security gates before gaining access to the elevators or stairways. It is against this backdrop that structures like Rockefeller Center and the Chrysler Building, which allow both visitors and photography in their lobbies, seem to embody the kind of fearless liberty the U.S. of A. once endorsed. But, here are three beautiful buildings whose interiors I cannot show. The Woolworth Building was the tallest in the world for 17 years, from its construction in 1913 until it ... read more

Of the many beautiful buildings in Manhattan, this is probably the hands-down favorite. Built in a little over a year and a half (for a while they averaged four floors a week) and completed in May of 1930, the Chrysler Building was for a time the tallest building in the world. It is now the third tallest in New York, a distinction it shares with the New York Times building: they are the exact same height. Designed by architect William Van Alen as the home of the Chrysler Corporation, it utilized automobile designs in an Art Deco style. On the four corners of the 31st floor, for instance, are winged ornaments intended to replicate the 1929 Chrysler radiator caps, just above 'hubcaps' a floor below (see photos). The corners of the 61st floor have eagle-like ... read more

Actually, the NY Philharmonic was in North Korea when this concert, featuring the Julliard Orchestra, took place, but it was in their home theater in Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall. Having been to the other two buildings around the central courtyard there (The Metropolitan Opera House and the New York State Theater for ballet--see earlier blogs) we attended this performance to complete the trifecta. The concert included a variety of classical and modern works as well as some that featured particular musicians, but I confined my photo taking to shots prior to or after the concert itself so as not to annoy my fellow audience members (or to be asked to leave--as I was taking the final image in this series a guard approached and said cameras were not allowed inside the Hall. Well, of ... read more