[mis]Adventures in New York
Recently, Mr. Misadventures and I spent a week in New York City. I was there for work and a conference and the hubby came along for the trip (despite still recovering from a badly sprained ankle). Due to the proximity to my office and the conference venue, most of the week we stayed in the Times Square area, which is not my favorite part of the city, but we made the best of it.
One of the highlights of the week was a sunset visit to the Top of the Rock, the rooftop terrace at Rockefeller Center. While I froze my ass off and enjoyed the view, Mr. Misadventures spent close to three hours hanging out with a bunch of professional photographers capturing pre and post-sunset. They had paid $10,000 to reserve the best spot on the roof for some special project and after seeing my hubby’s equipment, they invited him into their taped-off area.
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The result?
Fantastic photos like these:
You can see the progression of the light as the sun sets…
Here is a vertical shot which allows you to see a bit more:
The hubby hasn't completed his New York portfolio for his site, but as soon as he does, I'll link you to it. That way you can see the photos in a much larger format.
He also took a couple of picks from the park side:
So many people go to the Empire State Building, which is super crowded, and while I won’t say that Top of the Rock was desolate, the crowds were very manageable.
We did a quick stop at The Met on Wednesday morning before my conference started so that Mr. Misadventures could capture the city line from the 5th-floor rooftop terrace. We checked out a few exhibits while waiting for the terrace to open.
You know Mr. Misadventures and his fascination with statues:
I loved this wall from Sol LeWitt:
Once the terrace opened it was worth the wait to get views like this
We also did a couple of trips to the Brooklyn Bridge during the day and at sunset. Given Mr. Misadventures sprained ankle, we were cautious about distance and exertion, but we made our way slowly over the bridge Friday afternoon and captured the following shots:
Of course, it was discouraging to see that love locks were making a presence on this bridge. There aren’t as many as some European bridges (say Paris for example) but if they aren’t managed now, they could become a problem.
We moved to SoHo on Friday afternoon. Given it was Memorial Day weekend this area of town was like a ghost town and it was a relief after the chaotic nature of Times Square. We had a great view of the Freedom Tower and other parts of Silicon Alley from our hotel room window:
And even got a rainstorm passing through.
We did a quick visit to Grand Central Station, it is difficult to capture because it is never empty, if you go too early or too late, you won’t get enough light. This is what the hubby captured.
We also spent several hours at the High Line, which is an adorable park built on nearly 2 miles of an elevated section of the abandoned New York Central Railroad track called the West Side Line. You can literally spend all day here walking, resting, shopping, eating, and of course taking photographs.
Lots of nooks and crannies, alleys, and architecture.
It is great for sunset photography as well, but we didn't stay instead we headed back to the Brooklyn Bridge area and got these shots:
A couple of food highlights. It was a disappointing week when it came to food. I know New York has lots of good food but given our logistics, a sprained ankle that prevented us from being very mobile, and budgetary constraints, we didn’t have a great food week.
I had an amazing lunch in Hell’s Kitchen at Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns & Ramen where I devoured some of the best soup dumplings I’ve ever had.
I fulfilled a Halal Guys chicken and rice craving, my hotel was right around the corner from what is considered by many to be the best cart near the Hilton Garden Inn on 53rd and 6th Avenue. It ain't pretty but damn is it good! (P.S. I like spicy food, but I cannot eat that red sauce! Every single trip I forget how hot it is and get it by mistake and then I end up having to scrape it off!
And in SoHo, we had two meals and an afternoon snack at Hudson Westville which had a really amazing selection of market vegetables and a very delicious NY strip steak sandwich.
On my next trip, I will be vindicated on the food side if it kills me.
Those are the highlights from my week in New York. We got to see a lot, but yet there is so much more to see (although I did manage to cross off most of these 5 things to do in New York!). I'm not talking about the classic stuff either. I'm more interested in New York off the beaten path. The non-touristy things that make New York, well New York!
How about you? Have you been to New York? What are your favorite highlights?
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Amazing! I know where to go next time I need New York stock photography for a client!
@Tamara, the hubby would love that!
What stunning photos! How cool you got those views from Top of the Rock. I was just in NYC and it poured rain the entire time but I still had a great time. I finally got to the 911 Memorial. It was very moving. Glad I saw it.
@Kelly, thanks, we got lucky with the weather not too hot, not too cold.
What a fun time! And I love your husband’s photos. My husband is going to NYC soon; I’m so jealous!
@Jenna, we made the best of it! I hope has a good time, tell to stay away from Times Square!
i have a love hate relationship with new york.. but these photos are making me love nyc today! 🙂
@Esther, me too! It is mostly hate, I am not a huge fan but it does have its moments.
Oh my goodness. There just aren’t enough words to describe how beautiful your pictures are. As a photographer myself, I haven’t taken any pictures of a big city yet. You have truly inspired me!!
@Tammy, so pleased to hear and glad you enjoyed it!
I could spend all day just pinning your image breath taken & lovely and then I got homesick. You inspired me.
@Patrice, glad we could bring a little piece of home to you!
I think I have been to NYC at least fifty times (I travel a lot for work). And this was like being back there. What beautiful photographs.
@Heather, thanks! Do you ever get to explore while you are there on business?
I have never been to NY. I would absolutely love to go one day. These photos are amazing!
Those photos are so awesome! I have never been to NYC but I feel like this captured so much of the area, love it!
I love NYC. I will be back again this summer and I am really looking forward to it. NYC never gets old.
I live just ten miles from NYC and feel very lucky I get to experience this on the almost daily because I commute to Manhattan for work. You had a lovely time, good for you!
@Norah, how great, living that NYC lifestyle!
I would love to go on another recreational trip to New York. Finding new restaurants and shops is so fun!
oh, my! all these photos are breath taking….pretty impressive results!
Your pictures are amazing and it looks like you had a wonderful time. Sorry to hear about the sprained ankle, though and I hope you’re feeling better now. Thanks for the tour!
@MyKidsGuide, the ankle is all better now, thanks for asking! And thanks for the compliments.
Lovely photos! I haven’t been to New York, but it sounds like an amazing city. I would love to visit it one day.
Your husbands photos are absolutely amazing! How lucky that he got that spot! I think they are taking all the love locks away in Paris now as its causing damage to the bridge.
@Catherine, yes they finally are, they have cleared them out before and let them come back, but now I think they are removing them permanently.
I used to love when we lived close enough to go right to NYC. We live too far now but I bet we’ll make it again some day. 🙂
@Rosey, what was your favorite thing to do?
Andy, i totally dislike Times square too. (cant believe how much time we spent there as new tourists to the City years ago.) we live in boston and visit NY for a day or two couple of times a year- trying to stay away from Times sq now! We were in Washington sq Park in Greenwich for a NYU tour this past weekend- it was a gorgeous weekend to spend around this Park! (what a vibe!)! Another fav is Central Park- never grows old on us.
There is much to love and hate about staying in the Times Square area of NYC. It was great that you managed to get invited in for those great sunset shots from the Top of The Rock! That progression of light was stunning. And you got such a classic shot of the Brooklyn Bridge on your visit too! The High Line is definitely on our list for the next time we make it to NYC. Some great highlights from your trip.
Stunning shots! Now I know where to go to get good sunset skyline pictures when I visit NYC next. That’s a great shot with the sun shining through the buildings just before sunset! 🙂
These are some of my favourite spots in New York, although I’ve not been for many years. Fantastic photos! Sunset on Top of the Rock looks amazing & I agree with your comments about the Empire State building, I think you do have to do it once but when you’re up it, your photos don’t show it & therefore miss an icon of NY! I also hate the craze for love locks – I don’t understand why we feel the need to mark everything nowadays in this way. The Highline is a fave too.
WOW, many impressive and beautiful photos. I’m less fond of big cities, however you’ve certainly captured an essence of this iconic city with some great locations. It’s a crazy fad, seeing a bridge railing chocked with love locks – I certainly hope the local city council can put a stop.