Yellow Brick Road

The road swirls around the Staten Island Ferry building.  A bike path flows by.  Metal pillars protect it from the dangers outside.  But, the road beyond leads to somewhere special if you take it far enough.  

Yellow Brick Road

The Tetris Building

Yes, I am attracted to take pictures of the Federal Reserve building, probably ever since they warned me not to.  This time, it just occurred to me that it was somewhat like a giant Tetris board with shapes fit just precisely.  

Previous posts featuring the building behind were The Encounter and The Castle.  

Here we have two more.  Here I just loved the light streaming down Nassau Street.

Tetris Silhouette

This is a different interpretation, showing various layers/planes/levels of variations of people and light.  It's really three different dimensions.  

Dimensions

Promenading

A lot going on in this picture, almost to the point that I feel it is too cluttered.  But, I do find it interesting when the capture of people walking in lockstep is caught.  Off to the distance, the Statue of Liberty.  

Promenading

Cones in a Hole

I was walking along the Hudson and looked down to see a round grating that I suspect used to have a tree growing up through it.  Down below, someone had stashed a couple of cones.  Makes kind of an interesting composition.  

Cones in a Hole

Bike with a Box

Actually, when I looked closely, this isn't just an ordinary box strapped to the back of this bicycle on a Tribeca street, it is a wine box.  

Bike with a Box

Stepping Off

If you're driving, you better not get caught within those crisscrossed lines after the light changes to red.  If you're walking, it's OK.   

Stepping Off

Underpass to the Future

I regularly travel through the PATH train station that lands beneath the downtown World Trade Center site.  Since the event in 2001, there has been constant rerouting and construction within the underground pathways of the facility.  Ultimately, a new station will emerge designed by Santiago Calatrava which will feature rows of curved arches.

Two weeks ago, one of the wooden construction walls deep below was opened.  For years, I was unaware there was anything work going on at that spot.   Suddenly, a new tunnel was revealed with a design that matches what the roof will become.  

I took a walk through, and got this look at the new futuristic design.  

Underpass to the Future

Vanity

I have glasses that change to sunglasses when outside in the bright sun.  During this time of year, when looking towards the sun, I get an incredible glare that makes it difficult to see.  Through such a glaze, I spotted this pigeon by the Millenium Hotel.  I pointed in the direction of the glare towards some birds.  This one amused me as he looks at himself in the reflection of the window.  But, I wasn't shooting with any intent.  

The picture caught me by surprise when it became popular on Flickr.  It hit the appropriate qualifications determined by their secret algorithms to make their Explorer list.  It ended up being number 116 out of their daily selection of 500 selected photos.  (I only did better once when I got to number 38 with "Crossroads", a shot in Times Square.  As for the pigeon picture, I think the title, "Vanity", helped its popularity.  It's funny.  

Vanity

Cone of Silence

Who says phone booths are a thing of the past?

Cone of Silence

Water Meal

I assume these gentlemen were early in their meal as they only had water on their table.  That is unless they were primarily water-arigans.  Or, perhaps they sat outside, but because they were alone, the waiter was unaware of their presence.  No matter, they seemed to be fairly well engrossed in their conversation that the water was probably enough.  

Water Meal

Lost Starlet

I'm really not sure what is happening here.  I thought she was a bit overdressed for the street.  Apparently she needs to go somewhere down towards Wall Street according to the direction.  They are shooting a lot of movies in my neighborhood.  In particular, they are shooting a movie with the code name of "Moonquake" which I learned from the internet is a remake of Annie.  So, it seemed to me that she might have been a movie star or something.  

Lost Starlet

Fence View

This one is from the archives.  The end of an elevated train platform looking towards the train signal light.  Looks like the train should proceed with caution.

Fence View

Eye of the Tiger

This is an awesome painting on a firehouse door, although it doesn't seem that this woman was too comfortable with the image.  

Eye of the Tiger

Pigeonholed

"You're cornered, Pigeon.  There is no escape.  Walk slowly up the orange striped line with your wings up."  

Pigeonholed

Picture of What?

Walking through Chinatown, I liked the composition of the gates down on the store and the brightly painted fire escape above.  I was framing the camera when this woman came out of the doorway on the right.  I didn't move and continued working on composing the shot.  She was absolutely baffled as to why I was taking a picture here.  She stared at me all through her walk across the frame.  I thought her purple coat added a nice accent to the shot.  

Picture of What?

Point of No Return

It may appear that this shot was made black and white with the green line intentionally left untouched.  However, this is a true color picture.  

Point of No Return

End of the Bridge

I had to wait about 10 minutes to get a shot with no people in it.  

End of the Bridge

The Auto Bridges

Walking along the East River, there are three bridges right in a row that lead to Brooklyn.  When I was in high school, growing up on Long Island, we took a day trip into the city and rode on the Circle Line boat around Manhattan Island.  The tour guide said that you could remember the names of the bridges and their sequence because they started with the first initials of a type of car.  The bridges are the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge and the Williamsburgh Bridge.  I didn't get it, maybe because I never heard of a BMW car in those days.  

On this particularly gloomy day, I found the lack of sun added to the atmosphere.  This one looks to the first bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge.  

His Bridge to Brooklyn

This one looks in the other direction towards the Manhattan Bridge, you can just see a bit of the Williamsburgh beyond.  I was asked if I was on a boat when I took this picture, but no, the walkway curved at this point.  

Peeking Between Pillars

Again the Manhattan Bridge, with the a view from above the bench.  

Elevated Perspective

Outsider Women

Two shots taken of a small urban park.  The same woman is in both shots.  Seemed a bit odd that only women appear on the outside of the park.  This first one has the girl on the outside seemingly longing to join the party inside.  

Wallflower

Seems that this grouping is all women, as if they are in a playground riding on a merry-go-round.  

Women-Go-Round

Stuyvesant

The Tribeca Bridge crosses across West Street and leads to a direct entrance to Stuyvesant High School.  The school is one of a few "specialized" city schools that are available to high achievers.    

It can be challenging to students to meet the challenges of the school.  This particular shot suggest to me that this guy maybe didn't do his homework and is arriving unprepared.  

Unprepared