Tag: New York City

Visit to New York – Sep 30th, 2021

Posted on by georgefattell

I visited Manhattan this past Thursday. It was the only my second trip to NYC this year. I live about 70 miles west of NYC, in Easton, PA, and before the pandemic hit I usually visited NYC at least 5 or 6 times a year. I was encouraged by city scenes I witnessed, which reflected the city returning to normal. Once in the city I made trips to the Upper Westside and to the new Little Island park, which is located off Westside Highway, just below 14th Street.

I have previously lived and worked in Manhattan and I grew up in suburban Northern New Jersey. I’ve lived in a few other places around the country, but always returned to NY, NJ or PA to see friends and relatives . So, over the past 40 to 50 years I have seen a lot of change in the New York skyline, but most of the time the change seemed gradual. However, there have been a few occasions in when I have been struck by dramatic changes in the skyline of the city and this past Thursday was one of those days. I’m old enough to remember when the Empire State Building towered over all other buildings in midtown Manhattan. Now it is no longer visible from directly across the Hudson, blocked by the towers of Hudson Yards. Several of the Supertall skyscrapers on 57th St. are even taller than the buildings at Hudson Yards.

Manhattan Skyline – View from the Lincoln Tunnel Helix

Supertall buildings on 57th Street
Little Island – View North
Little Island Entrance
Little Island – View South
Little Island – View from the Amph

Visit to the High Line-New York City 09/16/2020

Posted on by georgefattell

Here are some pictures and a video I shot on the High Line in Manhattan during my visit to NYC. on Wednesday, 09/16/2020. I have always enjoyed walks along the High Line. I have been a fan of the elevated park since it opened in 2009.

I initially did not post the video below because my narration of the video while I was walking from the South end of the HL to the north end was not easy to understand due to the fact that I was wearing a mask. Subsequently, I edited the video and added some music as a soundtrack. I think the video turned out better with music.

Visit to The Edge at Hudson Yard, New York City

Posted on by georgefattell

On Wednesday, September 16th, I visited The Edge at Hudson Yards, which is New York’s newest high altitude observation deck. The Edge opened back March, but it only remained open for a couple of weeks before it was closed when Covid-19 forced the entire city to shut down. I came very close to going to The Edge back in early March, but I postponed my trip because news of C-19 rapidly spreading The Edge is located on the 99th and 100th floors of 30 Hudson Yards, the tallest building in the Hudson Yards development. The Hudson Yards complex is located on the Westside of Manhattan, between 30th St. and 10th Avenue and 34th St. and 10th Avenue.

Here is a short video I made on the outdoor portion of the Observation Deck. It was a little windy up there, which I guess you have expect at that height. And I have to make a correction to something I said in the video regarding height. The Edge is 1,100 ft. in the air, not 1,000 ft., which I stated in video. The outdoor deck is 7,500 square feet and the glass walls on the deck are 9 ft. tall. The deck is comprised of 15 sections that were lifted by two cranes and bolted together.

View of Hudson Yards from the HighLine
Hudson Yards view from 34th St. and 9th Ave. The Outdoor observation deck is positioned on the North and East sides on 30 Hudson Yards.
The view East from the Indoor observation deck. Notable buildings you can see from this angle include the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the new One Vanderbilt, 432 Park Ave and 53W53.
View East from Indoor Deck
The view South from the Outdoor Observation deck. The Hudson River is to the right and One World Trade Center is straight ahead.
The view of the Outdoor Observation deck. There is glass triangle on the left that allows visitors to see straight down, On the right there bar that sells a variety of beverages, including soft drinks, beer , wine and champagne. I had a Brooklyn Beer. You have to sit on steps that like bleachers that rise above the deck while you have your drink. An Edge employee directs you to a location where you can sit so that proper social distancing is maintained.
View East toward Midtown Manhattan.
View of Westside, Central Park and Midtown.

Beautiful Clouds over New York

Posted on by georgefattell

I took the this photo on Saturday, August 10th, at 7:02 pm. Location was Outlook Hill on Governors Island. I made the trip out to GI on that day to take some nights shots. Governors Island remains open until 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays during the summer. I jumped on the 6:30 ferry from lower Manhattan and made my way over to Outlook Hill, the highest point on the Island, arriving shortly be 7:00 pm. Ironically, this photo, this daytime photo turned out to be my favorite from that trip to the island.

Photo taken with iPhone XR.

Manhattan view from Outlook Hill, Governors Island.

My Favorite Pictures Of 2018

Posted on by georgefattell

    During 2018 I used three cameras: A Canon G9 X, an iPhone SE and an iPhone XR. My iPhone SE served me well the last few years, but I had to replace it in the fall of 2018 because of a defective part (charge port/microphone) and I decided to go with the iPhone XR, which has an excellent camera.

    The pictures that I selected for my 2018 top ten were taken in my home town of Easton, PA, New York City and Hoboken, NJ.

    January 6, 2018. Ducks on Bushkill Creek, Easton, PA. Canon G9 X

    January 8th, 2018 Delaware River at Dawn, Easton PA. iPhone SE
    April 5, 2018. Armed Forces Recruiting Station. Times Square, New York, NY. iPhone SE
    August 28, 2018. Route 611 North, Easton, PA. iPhone SE
    May 5, 2018. Sun Shining on the Statue of Liberty, Governors Island, New York City, iPhone SE
    September 16, 2018. Forks of the Delaware (Lehigh River & Delaware River). Canon G9 X
    October 5, 2018. Hudson Yards & Midtown Manhattan from Hoboken, NJ. Canon G9 X
    November 4, 2018. Fall Colors, Bushkill Drive, Easton, PA. iPhone XR
    November 30, 2018. Westside of Manhattan from Pier 45 (W 10th St.). iPhone XR
    November 30, 2018. Blue Stars, Lobby of Time Warner Center, New York. iPhone XR

    On The Waterfront: Midtown Manhattan at Night

    Posted on by georgefattell

    I was in Hoboken, NJ this past Friday night and took this shot Midtown Manhattan. It was beautiful, clear night and this vantage point from Hoboken really captures the dramatic cityscape of Midtown. The illuminated spire of the Empire State Building can be seen center and cluster of skyscrapers to the left of center are buildings of the futuristic Hudson Yards.

    This picture was taken with my Canon G9X Mk II.

    Midtown Manhattan

    Sun Shining on the Statue of Liberty

    Posted on by georgefattell

    I took this picture of Statue of Liberty this past Wednesday (05/02/18) from the top of Outlook Hill on Governors Island, in New York City. It was about 4:45 pm when I took the picture, approximately 15 minutes before that portion of the Island closed for the day. It was a sunny, but very windy day, with some clouds. It was an almost surreal sight to see the Sun Rays beaming down of the Statue of Liberty at the moment that I took this picture with my iPhone SE.

    Statue of Liberty fr Outlook Hill

    Return to Governors Island

    Posted on by georgefattell

    I made a return trip to Governors Island a couple of weeks ago. The Island closed to the public for the year on Oct. 31st and does not re-open until May 1st, 2018, so it was important for me to visit the Island when I made a trip into New York City two weeks ago.

    GI Soissons Landing

    Governors Island is a former military base in New York harbor that has been a converted to a park and was opened to the general public starting in 2003. Conversion of large sections of the Island started in 2007 and is still a work in progress, but the Island is about 75% redeveloped. It is a great place to spend an afternoon in NYC when the weather is good and you can enjoy the spectacular views. You can easily spend 4 or 5 hours exploring the Island. I was on a tight schedule that day because I had other things I had to do in the city that day, so I was only able to spend about 2 hrs there that day, but it was still well worth the trip.

     

     

    One of the best parts of Governors Island is a section of the Island called The Hills, which consists of four man-made Hills located in the Northwest portion of the Island.

    I shot a couple of short videos with my iPhone SE on two of the Hills that occupy the Northeast portion of the Island.

    The first video is my climb to the top of Outlook Hill, which is the tallest of the Hills, at 70 ft. That may not sound like much, but the 360 degree views of the New York harbor from the top hill are amazing on a clear day.

     

     

    My second video was shot on Discovery Hill, right next to Outlook Hill. Discovery Hill is home to, The Cabin, a creation of British artist Rachael Whiteread and one of the permanent pieces of art that scattered around the Island. Like Outlook Hill, Discovery Hill provides outstanding views of lower Manhattan, the harbor and the Statue of Liberty and overlooks Picnic Point at the NW end of the Island.

    Pictures below are from were taken in and around The Hills. I shot the pictures with my Canon GX9

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Visit To Yankee Stadium

    Posted on by georgefattell

    I attended my first New York Yankees game at the new Yankee Stadium this past Wednesday, when the Yankees played the Cleveland Indians. I went to the game with my mother, which was only fitting, because she brought me to my first Yankee game way back in 1970’s at the old Yankee Stadium when we lived in northern New Jersey. The Yankee team of my youth was one with Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Thurman Munson, Greg Nettles, Bucky Dent, Mickey Rivers, Lou Piniella  and Manager Billy Martin.

    Babe Ruth sign at YS

    Our trip to the new Yankee Stadium was a first for the both us. Visiting the new stadium has been on my to-do list since I moved back to Pennsylvania from San Diego a few years ago, but I didn’t want to go the last couple of seasons because the Yankees were not playing real well. This year the team has shown a significant improvement and look like a they should at least secure the wild-card slot in the American League playoffs.

    Yankee Stadium Gate 6

    I knew the stadium would be impressive based on what I had read about and the pictures I have seen of it and the many times I’ve seen the stadium on television, but seeing it in person exceeded my expectations. As soon as you emerge from the D train subway stop at 161st street in Bronx you can see the massive limestone facade of the stadium and imposing Gate 6 stand right across the street. The building seems like a temple to baseball, which is appropriate for the baseball team with the richest history and tradition in Major League Baseball. The stadium is filled with tributes to multiple generations of great Yankee players that have played on teams that have won a total of 27 World Championships during the storied history of the team. There is a museum at the stadium that includes displays for the Yankee greats spanning the generations.

    All in all, I had a great time and I look forward to future visits to this magnificent stadium

     

     

     

     

    Here is the view from section 209 as the fans sing Take Me Out To The Ballgame..