Lamp & Tiles

This photo shows the base of the Queensborough Bridge on the Manhattan side. The tile work was what caught my eyes when I walked along 1st Avenue and 60th Street. The lamp provides an interesting dimension to the photo.

So how is your weekend so far?

Kayaking on the East River

This photo was taken from the pier at Long Island City two Saturdays ago at about 8:15 AM. I noticed this guy kayaking alone on the East River. Who on earth wakes up that early to go kayaking on a Saturday morning?!?!?!

In the background of the photo, you can see the Queensborough Bridge that links Queens to Manhattan. You can also notice some weird splotches in the sky. Those are dust particles from the INSIDE of my camera lense. ARGH!! It's an old camera so I think it's time for me to get a new one.

So what time do you usually wake up on Saturday morning?

Theme Photo: Bridge

This month theme photo is a bridge. This photo was taken on the paestrian and bicycle path on Queensborough Bridge, which connects Queens to Manhattan. You can see the new metal and the old concrete structures of the bridge here.

Here are the other photo bloggers who are participating in the monthly theme photo: Boston (MA), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Stayton (OR), USA - New York City (NY), USA - Portland (OR), USA - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Inverness (IL), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Stockholm, Sweden - Setúbal, Portugal - Brussels, Belgium - Phoenix (AZ), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Hyde, UK - Manila, Philippines - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - London, England - Austin (TX), USA - Toulouse, France - Weston (FL), USA - Sesimbra, Portugal - Selma (AL), USA - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Saarbrücken, Germany - Cleveland (OH), USA - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - American Fork (UT), USA - Seoul, South Korea - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - North Bay (ON), Canada - Arradon, France - Paderborn, Germany - Durban, South Africa - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - http://www.blogger.com/" target="_new">Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - Portland (OR), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Wichita (Ks), USA - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Petaling Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Grenoble, France - New York City (NY), USA - Nottingham, UK - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Arlington (VA), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Miami (FL), USA - Cheltenham, UK - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Saratoga Spgs. (NY), USA - Las Vegas (NV), USA - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Nashville (TN), USA - Toruń, Poland - New Orleans (LA), USA - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Melbourne, Australia - Moscow, Russia - Trujillo, Peru - Château-Gontier, France - Quincy (MA), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Joplin (MO), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Brookville (OH), USA - Chateaubriant, France - Chandler (AZ), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Baziège, France - Auckland, New Zealand - Wellington, New Zealand - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Subang Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Detroit (MI), USA - Riga, Latvia - Nelson, New Zealand - Budapest, Hungary - Cape Town, South Africa - Sydney, Australia - Dunedin (FL), USA - Sofia, Bulgaria - Radonvilliers, France - Turin, Italy - Montpellier, France - Kansas City (MO), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Wailea (HI), USA - Lubbock (TX), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Terrell (TX), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Budapest, Hungary - Montréal (QC), Canada - Sharon (CT), USA - Le Guilvinec, France - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Saigon, Vietnam - London, UK - Crepy-en-Valois, France - Orlando (FL), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Paris, France - Mainz, Germany - Newcastle (NSW), Australia - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Darmstadt, Germany - Naples (FL), USA - Torino, Italy - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Bogor, Indonesia - The Hague, Netherlands - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - Melbourne (VIC), Australia - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Christchurch, New Zealand

Accident of Nature

I was hoping to get a photo of the baseball diamond in Long Island City (in the background) from where I was standing (on the Queensborough Bridge) but the camera automatically focused on the fence instead. When I loaded the photos onto the computer, I realized this "accidental photo" turned out quite nicely. Yes, it is a wee bit strange but somewhat artistic.

Have you ever taken an accidental photo that turned out better than you expected?

Welcome to Manhattan

This is the exit ramp of the Queensborough Bridge onto 59th and 60th Street in Manhattan. The bridge connects Long Island City in Queens to Manhattan across the East River. This photo was taken from a cable car suspended hundreds of feet above the river. You can see the pair of double steel cables that hold up the car in the top right of the photo.

Last year, two cable cars were stuck for over 5 hours midway through the journey after the stations lost power. Emergency generator power did not kick in and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) had to fly a specialist in from upstate NY to fix the problem. The cable car service was subsequently shut down for months. It was returned to service only recently.

So do you have a fear of height? OR do you have any phobia?

Queensborough Bridge

Fabrizio from Torino Daily Photo asked about the bridge seen in Woody Allen's movie, Manhattan (1979) and I promised I would post a photo of it this week.

Here is the Queensborough Bridge that connects Manhattan to Queens across the East River. Roosevelt Island is located right beneath the bridge. A cable car/tram runs parallel to the bridge but it reaches only halfway to Queens. It connects Manhattan to Roosevelt Island.

This photo shows the pedestrian and bicycle lanes on the bi-level bridge. There are 5 lanes for automobile traffic on the left behind the guard rails and an additional 4 lanes on the second level.

In the photo, you can see the original concrete structure (right) built in 1909 and the iron support structure added later in the century.

Under The Boardwalk II

This photo, taken at the base of the Queensborough Bridge, shows The Food Emporium on the left and The Terence Conran Store on the right. The beginning of the Queensborough Bridge can be seen in the background of the photo.

The Terence Conran Store is a British departmental store that specializes in contemporary furniture and housewares. The store also houses a small florist and carries a small selection of books and music.

Under The Boardwalk

The Queensborough Bridge, completed in 1909, connects Manhattan at 59th Street to Long Island City in Queens. The bi-level bridge has 11 traffic lanes dedicated to automobiles and a separate lane each for bicycles and pedestrians. Interestingly, the bridge was built directly over Roosevelt Island without an exit route onto the island. There is another bridge that connects Roosevelt Island to Queens.

The base of the Queensborough Bridge on Manhattan's side are homes to The Food Emporium, a high-end supermarket and Guastavino's, a comtemporary restaurant. Both the supermarket and restaurant are carved into the foundation of the bridge and therefore, have spectacular granite arches with tiled ceilings.

This photo, taken inside The Food Emporium, illustrates the beautiful vaulted ceiling and tiles located directly beneath the bridge.

Roosevelt Island Tram

Roosevelt Island is a narrow little island that sits in the middle of the East River between Manhattan and Queens. It is approximately 3 miles (1 km) long and 800 feet (240 m) across at its widest end.

There are a number of ways to get from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island, but none is as exciting as the cable car/tram that floats 250 feet (76 m) above the East River. The view from the tram is breathtaking but it is definitely not for one who has an extreme fear of height. Last summer, mechanical problems caused two trams to stop midair, and 69 people were stranded for over 5 hours.

This photo was taken from the pedestrian and bicycle lanes of the Queensborough Bridge, which connects Manhattan to Queens. The neighborhood on the left is the Upper East Side.