My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
While in New York City I came across this young lady who was standing outside one of the theaters. She was handing out brochures for the upcoming shows and of course with her vibrant smile and personality she was catching everyones attention. When I asked her if I could take her photo she quickly agreed and gave me a beautiful smile and tipped her hat.
Near our hotel in Albany, NY is a small coffee shop called Professor Java’s Coffee Sanctuary. I’ve made two visits and enjoyed my experience both times. The coffee is good and the sandwiches are top-notch. The ambiance is what I liked the most. They have converted an older home into this sanctuary so we have three separate rooms, each with its own feel. I noticed these two gentlemen ordering their coffees and setting up a table to play their game. This was the image liked best. I had taken a couple of images and then just watched through the view finder in anticipation of one of the men to make his move. When he did I pressed the shutter. This was also taken at ISO 3200.
New York City offers some wonderful restaurants. While visiting a couple of days ago Kirsten and I discovered this great little Szechwan and Chinese cuisine restaurant called Ginger’s. We ordered two plates, a vegetarian dish of Shiitake Mushroom with Shanghai Bok Choy and the other was Chicken Pad Thai. Both were wonderful but the brown sauce on the mushrooms and Bok Choy was amazing. We found both of us licking the sauce without any embarrassment. I will need to return there for more.
New York City is also a great place for photography as it provides an amazing array of lights and colors vying for your attention. Somewhere near Times Square I found this stack of hats creating a rainbow of colors and patterns. Anyone for a new hat?
One of our overnights is in Rockville, New York. About a mile walk from the hotel is the Rockville town area where you can find small businesses. I like the quaintness of this area and feel it is a great place for photography. I spent most of my afternoon just roaming the streets and taking it all in. There are book stores, restaurants, coffee shops, and a fantastic European pastry shop. I enjoyed a rigatoni and sausage plate at a place called the Blue Moon Pizzeria. Wonderful ambiance and inexpensive so well worth it. On the way back to the hotel I noticed this woman as she sat on this bench taking in the late afternoon sunshine. It was her place of solitude in a bustling area.
A couple of my crew members and I took the train from Long Island, near Rockville Center, into Manhattan and spent most of Sunday afternoon watching people. New York has a few interesting people to watch. One of the interesting resident characters is the Naked Cowboy. He was a strumming his guitar and bellowing out his song, stopping every once in awhile to hug a woman or two and pocket the money. He draws a crowd while on the streets and has reportedly made as much a $1000 in a day. Wonder if he wears any socks.