Hot Days-Cool Nights: Charleston, Savannah, New York

Hello from the Pacific Northwest! 

f.1 Fifth Avenue, NYC © 2010 Janie McRae

For 16 days in October, I experienced the heat in the
Carolinas and Georgia and the cool in New York City
 f.1. I'm back home now, and the Compact Flash Pro
disks have been loaded into Lightroom 3, and the fun
begins again.

The trip was great, and my friends were entertaining and fun. Each morning I loaded the camera gear into the backpack. Each day I scanned the tourist hotspots hoping to find my voice in the familiar scenes portrayed in  books, magazines, and movies.

Hey, it was a hard job, but we moved with the flow, and it didn't matter if we were in New York City with its glitz and crowds...walking the old streets of old Charleston, or loving sunny Savannah; we enjoyed the moments. 

The Glitz! New York City. © 2010 Janie McRae

f.2 The Great Live Oak, Drayton Hall, Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, SC, © 2010 Janie McRae

  

f.3 Greek Food-Olympia Cafe - Savannah's Historic River District, © 2010 Janie McRae

                                                             The good times started in Charleston f. 2 and Savannah f. 3.

Thank you JR for hosting the girlfriend group in Edisto Beach, SC and setting us up with a rocking Karaoke night. We may not have known all the words, but that didn't stop us from having fun.

And thank you JS for your hospitality and for showing me the New York City you know - long days and bright late nights. And hey, the South Hampton visit was interesting. We walked. We talked. We were lost. We laughed. We hailed a taxi. We shot the photos. But mostly we enjoyed our New York moment in this city of the world that never sleeps. 

visit: Gallery: New York New York  

f.4 The Battery, Evening at Pier A, NYC, © 2010 Janie McRae

   

f.5 The Vendors at The Battery, New York City, © 2010 Janie McRae

One of my favorite places to photograph in NYC was The Battery, Pier A.  In the photograph above, f.4, the early evening with stunning light and muted sounds created a surreal atmosphere.  A few steps away from us, f.5, the vendors were packing up their goods, the Statue of Liberty welcomed the travelers to New York City, and the day was closing. The photo opportunities were everywhere!

So, yes, it was a thrill to photograph on the East Coast, and when your passion for photography carries you forward, you never notice the weight of the backpack because you are immersed in the photo possibilities at each location.

The Canon 5D Mark II captured all the photographs. I used the Canon 70-300mm or the Canon 50mm, 1.8 + polarizer. I am comfortable shooting with the 70-300mm, and in fact I am so comfortable that I hope to upgrade it with the new Canon L series 70-300mm. 
To view New York City images in high-resolution, please visit  The Gallery: New York New York   

Well enough about tranquility and lazy evenings; New York City lives up to its reputation: it's FAST! The crowds are 24/7 and ON THE GO. Loved it! I was also pleased that my Canon could keep up with the fast action. Trouble did occur though when we were crossing the street after a tour of the UN Building. I suddenly realized I had left my backpack in the Security Room in the United Nations. If I had had wheels, you would have heard me screech! I made a quick turn around and dashed back across the street hoping to reach the entrance before it closed at 6:00pm. The time was 5:59 pm.  

 f.6 Life with Commercials, New York City   © 2010 Janie McRae

The good news: even though it was a few minutes after 6:00 when I reached the front entrance, the security guards were still there.  One of the three guards quietly reached over the security gate, took my token and returned with my backpack while the other two guards questioned me.  I was thankful, I thanked them, and I was back in the streets looking for J. She told me later that she had never traveled with anyone who had had more "encounters".  From retrieved train receipts to forgotten backpacks, that's me!

Actually, I had many helpful encounters with the people of NYC. The postal worker in Lower Manhattan made sure we understood the finer details of what happened on the day of 9/11, and the guard at the Empire State Building was patient as I took his picture. f.7 see The American Journey 

One survival technique you learn on the NYC streets: walk, walk fast.

f.7 The Guard at the Top, Empire State Building, NYC

In other words, keep up with the norm, because you "gotta get there really fast". We had slowed down a bit to get our bearings when a voice like a clap of thunder hit us from behind. "This is New York City, get a move on it!" As we moved to the side, I turned around and I saw a very attractive woman with a very stressed face. And just as quickly, I saw the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain.  I smiled and laughed and watched her as she took a right at the corner.  We were still in the same area when, the frantic woman with the fast clip reappeared on our right side. She was now completely relaxed and laughing. She looked at us, never losing her stride, and said, "I went the wrong way." So now we were all laughing, and without missing a beat, she crossed the street and disappeared.  Well, sometimes that happens when you're in a hurry!

Update on this post:
After I posted the comments about my walking experience in NYC, a reader,
(thanks, D), sent a link to an article about rage on the sidewalks of NYC. The article was by NYC street reporter, John Montone. Montone interviews "NYC walkers" and compares the comments of a sidewalk rager to those of the slow walkers. The experts have a name for this showdown, Sidewalk Rage. And I can tell you, it's alive and well in beautiful downtown NYC.
Also in the link above, you will find this interesting statiscians' report on the walking masses:

 "... the average speed of walkers in Lower Manhattan is 4.27 feet

per second – tourists clocked in at 3.79 ft/s, smokers at 4.17 ft/s,

cell phone users at 4.20 ft/s, men at 4.42 ft/s, and woman at 4.1 ft/s.

Of course, none of this info has changed my opinion about the people I encountered in NYC. I discovered that most of the people in New York were gracious, eager to help, and interesting people! Thanks New York.

Janie making her way through the financial district. Photo / 2010 Jeannine Sanzone.

have a great week - thanks for stopping by!  janie

 

Hey, it was a hard job, but we moved with the flow and it didn't matter if we were in New York City with its glitz and crowds...walking the old streets of Charleston, or loving sunny Savannah, we enjoyed the moments.