Summer skies

Summer is the best time to capture the sky in any scenic picture you take. My boyfriend always bugs me that I never take any pictures of people (or me with the people), but ever since summer of '06 when I first lived in the city, I've had a thing for the sky.

Summer skies are the best. They are almost always blue and clear. Cloudy is a good thing, because then you have some texture and contrast.

I was looking through some of my recent photos from June up to now, and I noticed one common element, thanks to my love for photographing buildings and anything else that touches the sky...

Here are some of the skies I've seen this summer:

Calm skies

Clear skies

High contrast skies

Orange skies

Museum skies

(the Met)

Reflective skies

Pink skies

Long skies

Cloudy skies

White fluffy skies

Skies through bus windows

Scary skies

Perfect skies

: )

Times Square V-J Day kiss

As part of the 65th anniversary of the U.S. triumph over Japan, a statue created by Seward Johnson was put up in Times Square last week, based on the famous photograph V-J Day in Times Square by Alfred Eisenstaedt. We've all seen it, and know at least some of the story behind it, like how the nurse in the photograph was identified some 30 years later in the 1970's as Edith Shain. No one knows who the sailor was or is though.

Life-size sculptures of the kissing nurse and sailor have been put up in Times Square in past years, but this year a large-scale bronze sculpture was erected for a kiss-in reenactment on Saturday, August 14th.

I didn't hear about it until the last minute so I went by on Monday night while it was raining and with what felt like 10 lbs of groceries in each hand, snapping away before it was to be taken down.

Until next year!

Times Square live video!

The new Forever 21 in Times Square (which took the old location one of my old favorites, The Virgin Record store), has a large video screen above them that displays live footage of pedestrians on 46th and Broadway. This central spot of Times Square usually attracts the biggest crowds. Just a block or so south of the tkts booth in Duffy Square and near the Lion King on Broadway and MTV's studios, there's already reason enough for Tourists galore to stand in this spot!

One night while taking a bus through Times Square, I decided to join the large group of people waving at the reflective video screen. I quickly hopped off the bus and joined them in waving at the screen as well, only to have a hard time finding myself because, well, EVERYONE was waving so we all looked pretty much the same!

This is just as much fun for a local as it is for an out-of-towner, so if you are around, I suggest stopping for a fun glimpse of yourself braving the crowds of one of the brightest attractions on Earth!

The Forever 21 video screen above the new store

Me on the screen!

Move over! We can't see ourselves!
(a model spraypaints over our waving hands and smiling faces)

Another view from above NYC

Over the past year and a half I've been flying in and out of New York much more often, so I am able to get some views from above the city. I always pick a window seat and get my camera out for a few minutes as we fly over the many skyscrapers and famous landmarks of Manhattan. By now I know just the right seat to pick and the what side to pick it on.

Leave a comment and I will tell you which side, haha!

View of Central Park with the Boathouse, Conservatory Water and Banshell in sight

Thanks Curbed for featuring my photo on your site!

View toward Midtown, Madison Square Park, Gramercy

View toward Long Island City, Queens and Roosevelt Island

230 5th

20 floors or so above 5th Avenue and 27th Street (and only a few blocks from where I work), the best roof top garden in town is set against a perfect blue NYC sky.

I'd heard of this place before but had never been lucky enough to be invited to a party or get together here until this weekend. A few friends and I went, willing to brave the expensive cocktails and appetizers for a chance to enjoy all of the views and comfort that this spot has to offer.

I recently saw a scene from The Bachelorette set on this roof top, but it all looked so different in person. There were beautiful plants, flowers and topiary structures everywhere. Benches, bars, palm trees, fans, umbrellas and candles were everywhere too.

And even though my camera lost both memory space and power, I was able to capture the views of nearby landmark buildings and the aforementioned flowers, palm trees and topiary structures.

View toward Gramercy/the East of the NY Life Insurance Building


Cat topiary behind one of the bars




View uptown of the Empire State Building



View toward Gramercy/the East of the NY Life Insurance Building later in the night

Out by The Fying Pan

It's only a few blocks from where I work, but I seem to rarely find myself out on this NYC gem and photo opp spot: Pier 66 Maritime. The pier is off of 26th Street and juts out into the Hudson River, with impressive views (at least to me) of New Jersey. I'm always a fan of views.

After visiting some of the Chelsea art galleries, a group of us attempted to get dinner and/or drinks at The Frying Pan, the seasonal bar and grill located at Pier 66, but I paid no attention to the food or drinks. All I cared for were the views, as you can see.

Citibank in Long Island City

I ended up in Long Island City again in an attempt to get some Panera. Beforehand, I stopped by the Warm Up party at PS1 MoMA. It was so hot outside I didn't really get around to the partying part (the party was held in the front courtyard), but I browsed through the hallways (formerly public school hallways) of this contemporary art center, viewing video installations, photographs, mixed media and what not.

Anyway, before all of this, I was at the subway station near the Citibank building, the only skyscraper in Queens.

I feel like this is one of the most iconic skyscrapers in New York City—at least for me—because it's so easy to recognize, even from afar. I always notice it when I am flying into La Guardia airport or running around Brooklyn or the east side of the City, and I used to have a pretty good view of it from my old apartment in Astoria, Queens.

The view from Pier 1

I was out on the newly opened pier in Brooklyn Bridge Park last Thursday for the Movies With a View event. They were showing The Big Lebowski, which I'd never seen before even though it's only from 1998. Apparently it is one of those 90's cult movies. I guess for me that was the movie Clueless—I can recite all of the lines, I used to dress up as the characters, and can watch it over and over again, etc.

Anyway, from there you could see the Statue of Liberty, downtown Manhattan's skyline and the South Street Seaport.

Is this considered 'dusk' or 'twilight'?

The crowd on the lawn, waiting for the movie to start around 8:30 pm.

Tiny city

Staten Island isn't far, but it's far enough away to make the city look like it's far away and less intimidating than it actually is.

It's been about a year since I've been on the Staten Island ferry and gotten a front row view of downtown Manhattan's skyline, as well as the Jersey City skyline, Ellis Island, Liberty Island and The Statue of Liberty. I'm thinking of going again soon to check out the 9-11 Memorial and enjoy the views some more.

tiny city

tiny famous statue

Hotel

While exploring Greenwich Village (an old hobby of mine from when I first lived in the city) over the weekend, I was inspired by Scouting NY's blog to take and post pictures of an old abandoned hotel by the West Side Highway.

Located at the corner of Barrow and West Streets in the West Village, I am not quite sure what the name of this 'Hotel' used to be, but it is in a great spot near a couple of piers and public parks.

It's fun to wonder about the history of this place and what it was like maybe 40 or 50 years ago...

The only sign this place has

The front, gated and locked up

The front door, without a doorknob or address
(but next door is the address 386 West Street)

I'm not sure what this means or even what it says
but it is small lettering on the corner of the building

Bryant Park

Bryant Park is the perfect place to go in the summertime. It is near plenty of subways, restaurants, cafes and even a library (The New York Public Library). There is a nice cool law, lots of chairs and sometimes entertainment. I was shopping nearby and needed a rest from the heat so I wandered over to the lawn where I noticed how amazing the surrounding buildings like the Grace Building, The Empire State Building and The Bryant Park Hotel looked against the blue, cloudy sky.

The W. R. Grace Building

The Bryant Park Hotel

 

The Bryant Park Hotel and The Empire State Building

Close-up of The Bryant Park Hotel

Manhattanhenge 2010

I'd been looking forward to Manhattanhenge for a year couple of months now—since last year's viewing out in Long Island City at Gantry Plaza State Park. A yellow post-it reading, "Manhattanhenge, July 11, 8:26 - 8:28 pm" had been hanging (and falling) from my work computer as an important reminder since I missed the May 31st one.

It was cloudy on Memorial Day anyway, but on Sunday, July 11th, the weather was perfect and Joseph from I Still Heart New York and I went out to the Tudor City Bridge above 42nd Street and 1st Avenue to catch this very special, very orangish/red event.

There were crowds already forming along this pedestrian bridge but we got a pretty good spot in the second row (behind all the tripods) and waited patiently for the few minutes worth of perfect sun alignment with Manhattan's East-West grid.

Here it comes!

Almost Manhattanhenge...

Almost centered.

He sees it too!

Perfectly centered with the Chrysler Building also in view

On its way out...

Painting the city orange and red

Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, Queens

At the time there was just one week left of the Play Me, I'm Yours piano installation throughout the city, so I went to Long Island City's Gantry State Park to listen to the music, observe the public and get a good view of the city from across the East River—all in one!


So while I was out there I spent a good couple of hours taking pictures and baking in the sun, enjoying the view of the blue-hued Manhattan skyline that stretched in front of me.


View of the Manhattan skyline with the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and United Nations.

The Pepsi Cola sign, which residents of Queen and Long Island City view as "aloC espeP" since it faces away from them and toward Manhattan.