Views from Liberty State Park

Last weekend I went out to Liberty State Park in Jersey City for the Earth Day 2010 event. I took the PATH, then the Hudson-Bergen light rail, then a shuttle bus–and it all took quite a while! But along the way there were amazing views of the city skyline, the Statue of Liberty and its close neighbor, Ellis Island. It amazes me every time I see these famous places and sites. I've been out to Jersey City nearly every other weekend lately, just to take it all in.

Manhattan Skyline—mostly downtown and Battery Park City


View towards Ellis Island (and the Statue of Liberty is hidden behind it)


You can see the top of the Empire State Building over the hill




View toward Midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building

Out in Jersey City

Twice recently I have visited Jersey City—once for work and once to visit the Jersey City Museum and some galleries. It was my first time back in the Garden State since flying out of Newark back in '07.

During work I viewed some furnished apartments located near Jersey City's waterfront and got to see a little bit of the neighborhood. These apartments have THE BEST views of Manhattan. Even the sun decks present an unrivaled sight of the Empire State Building and downtown/Battery Park City.

During a gallery tour I got to see all of the beautiful brownstones along Montgomery Street, and people watch in Van Vorst Park while on my way to the Jersey City Museum.

Jersey City is a unique place, with great views, lots of mom-and-pop establishments and definitely more fresh air than there is in the city!

Next stop, Hoboken!

View of Downtown Manhattan from inside Riverside at
Towers of America, an apartment building at 1 River Court.


View of the Goldman Sachs Tower from the J. Owen Gundy Park.


View from the sun deck at Marbella, an apartment building
at 425 Washington Blvd.


View of Manhattan and the Empire State Building from
Jersey City's waterfront walkway


Grove Street in Jersey City, near the Grove Street PATH Station

Katz's Delicatessen

I never saw the movie When Harry Met Sally so I haven't ever craved a visit to this NYC landmark, but I had a friend in town who did, so we ventured down to the Lower East Side to see what all of the sandwich fuss was about.

We sat at the table NEXT to the table where Harry and Meg Ryan sat for their big scene.

We split the chicken. And that was all!

Inside the new Upper West Side Apple Store

This place is so colossal it makes me feel small and powerless. Actually, my exact words to my friend who visited this fairly new iLocation with me were, "I feel lonely!"

You have to visit in person. It is just another unique experience in iShopping ;-)

Wherever work takes me...

Sometimes my work takes me to high-up places! As a Graphic Designer in the marketing department of a corporate housing company that provides furnished apartments all over Manhattan, I sometimes get to view the apartments in person to take pictures or plan video shoots.

A while ago I took part in a video tour at Tower 31, a luxury high-rise in The Flat Iron District and got to photograph the views from inside one of the rental units. And there are more to come following this one!

This apartment, located a block away from Times Square, was amazing because it provided views of all of New Jersey, Downtown Manhattan and The Statue of Liberty. My personal favorite is the view of New Jersey. To me it is amazing to be able to stand in one state (New York) and SEE another (NJ).

It was a bright and sunny afternoon up on the 60th floor of this luxury high-rise. I can't wait visit again!


Looking South towards Downtown Manhattan


Battery Park City, Jersey City and The Statue of Liberty


Looking West towards New Jersey


View towards Chelsea and Gramercy; the New York Life Insurance Building and Met Life Tower (gold top)

A few odd things around NYC

I was inspired by Nick and LevysUniqueNY on Twitter to write a post about some odd signs and sights I've spotted around the city. Some I see every day, some I saw a long time ago but never forgot, and some I see on occasion.


Lost sock sign in the Upper East Side on 2nd Avenue & 65th Street
(spotted almost a year ago)


Spotted in front of the Whitney Museum on Madison Avenue
and 75th Street


In the Upper West Side on 74th Street between Central Park West
and Columbus—a street sign that reads "Baxter" in an apartment window


An upside down Pedestrian sign on Spring Street in SoHo


"Pray", written on door handle of an NW subway

Times Square during the day

Times Square is a place I find myself in at least once a week. Having lived in the city for almost three years, it's not normal protocol for a local to be found here, but I can't help it that the subways all stop here and I have events to get to that are nearby! (and really, I'm happy to spend time here; rather than avoid it I embrace it!)

Times Square during the day is quite a sight. Nothing like it is at night...

Looking south towards 42nd Street (from 49th)


The tkts booth at 47th and Broadway

Museum of Modern Art - it's been a while

It's been a while since I've visited the Museum of Modern Art.

I went back in January in an attempt to view the Tim Burton exhibit (up through April), but didn't get there in time for one of the limited-available tickets.

While there I enjoyed viewing works by Gabriel Orozco, the Bauhaus artists and of course, Monet.

Gabriel Orozco's Samurai Tree Invariants (ended Mar. 1)


The entrance to the Bauhaus 1919-33: Workshops for Modernity exhibit
(ended Jan. 25)


Monet's Waterlillies

Out on Pier 66

You wouldn't expect to find yourself on a ship on any regular night while attending a weekend art fair. You wouldn't expect to climb that ship in a tights and a dress, and explore the bowls in the freezing cold weather out on Pier 66 off of 12th Avenue and 26th Street.

But hey, it can happen!

The Fountain Art Fair took place a couple weeks ago on Pier 66 Maritime. It included 20 exhibitors and independent projects all under one roof—or tent I should say. There were installations, paintings and mixed media pieces throughout the tent and the neighboring ship called "The Frying Pan."

I stayed on the ship as long as I could before I was close to freezing then headed back into Midtown and towards home!

View of Chelsea Piers from Pier 66


Inside The Frying Pan ship, which dates back to the 60's


View of the mast and the lights of Jersey City!

At the Armory arts Show

The Armory Show, which was first put on in 1913 as the "International Exhibition of Modern Art", now occurs every year in March. It is the place to see contemporary art from artists, galleries and collectors from all over the world all in one spot—two big spots that is, being Piers 92 and 94 out on the Hudson.

I went last year and was so pleasantly surprised and so exhausted after walking among miles and miles of gallery art that I couldn't wait to return this year and fill my camera card to the max with more color, people, shapes and outrageous things again.

These are a few of my favorite things...

Snow Away!

I think that the snow and slush and blizzard-like conditions that near blow you up the street have gone away! It was very warm and sunny in NYC today (Sunday, March 7th)—so sunny in fact that I couldn't get out my camera to take pictures because I was too busy shielding my eyes!

Until next year, winter snow!

The fire escape outside my bedroom window


Stairways outside my office window


Stairways across the street


Snowy cab and street outside my office

Lincoln Center at night

I haven't been to a show at Lincoln Center since the summer of 2006. I went to see The San Francisco Ballet for just $15 thanks to my being a student—an out of state student as I was in the city for the summer doing an internship while in school in Florida.

Earlier this month I finally went back to see another Ballet, Sleeping Beauty, for just $20.

Lincoln Center, view from the steps


The lobby during intermission


View from the 4th floor/ring




The fountain in Lincoln Center's plaza

Another Chelsea Gallery Crawl

It's been forever since I've visited the galleries out in Chelsea. Now that I live close by, you'd think I'd plan to go at least every other weekend, but I only just made it back out there during a gallery crawl with some of my photo friends last week. We started at the Gladstone Gallery on 24th & 11th and wandered underneath the High Line elevated Park up to the Aperture Gallery on 27th Street, then back down to 21st for one last stop before walking home on a cold February night.

Exhibit in Aperture - No Singing Allowed: Flamenco and Photography


Exhibit sign in Aperture


At Fredericks & Frasier, "Chimera" by Nicholas Di Genova


Interesting building across from our last gallery stop on 21st