An Englishman in New York..& Vegas..& Boston

[kuvvy]

My wife and I are celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary this year (November 29th) and we are planning to spend it in the US, namely Vegas, NYC and Boston. Possibly over 3 weeks. While in Vegas we hope to renew our wedding vows, nothing tacky, no Elvis look-alike. Although if the real Elvis does show up you can bet I’ll have a camera with me.

Can you guys recommend the ‘must see’ sights for a keen photographer? Any info is welcome from tourist sights, to good photography galleries, to the best photo dealers (that’s if you lot haven’t snapped up all the best deals before I get there!). Any events, festivals etc around this time?
Even recommendations on your favourite bars and restaurants are welcome.

Yes I know I could ask the tour operator or read travel guides, but we all know that the best and sometimes the cheapest places are the ones where the locals hang out. Any help appreciated.

Paul

 

[RML]

Are you sure your wife will allow you time to do all these photography related things? Seems you have your three weeks completely planned already. 🙂

 

[peter_n]

Paul I live in Boston and I'll be happy to recommend places to go and things to see/eat drink! 🙂 There are so many things to do here its hard to know where to make a start; the Freedom Trail, Museum of Fine Arts, Kennedy Library, Quincy Market, Harvard University, a meal in the North End, the Black Rose pub... If I get the chance also I'll take you to E.P. Levine's - a big old-fashioned camera dealer in the docks area of Boston - hard to get to unless you have a car.

You've chosen three great places to visit, I used to live in NYC (loved it) and I've been to Las Vegas on a number of occasions on business trips. Its an amazing place unlike anything else I've ever seen! Enjoy your planning! 🙂

 

[rover]

I haven't been to Vegas, but you can't go wrong in NYC or Boston. There is so much to do I would recommend that you not stress over what "should" be done or what you might miss. Make sure to enjoy both cities, you will not be at a loss for activities. A nice inexpensive day in Boston that is photography friendly is to walk the Freedom Trail. It will take you along many historic sites in the city and give you a good flavor for Boston. New York is much bigger and intimidating, but the people can be very engaging and friendly when you get a minute with them. For me this is the capital of all people watching. When in Manhattan I either walk or take taxis, in Boston I walk or take the T (subway).

 

[gns]

When in Vegas you could drive out to Lake Havasu on the Colorado River and see the...
... London Bridge!

 

[kuvvy]

Are you sure your wife will allow you time to do all these photography related things? Seems you have your three weeks completely planned already. 🙂

Of course I will have to keep my other half happy and wherever we go you know I'll have a camera of some kind, so wherever we go I'll get some shooting done. I don't expect I'll be able to fit in everything else that you guys suggest, but I'd like to see some 'real' places apart from the major tourist sights.

Paul

 

[dmr]

namely Vegas, NYC and Boston.

Las Vegas is my favorite place to vacation, and one of my favorite to photograph.

A few ideas I might suggest:

1. The Strip and downtown areas at night.

2. Any night shots from a way-up vantage point, such as a parking garage or hotel tower.

3. The architecture of the casinos and such during the day.

4. The nearby scenic areas such as Death Valley, Valley Of Fire, Lake Mead, etc.

I wish I felt more free to photograph inside the casinos, but that's a touchy subject under the best of circumstances. Many of them prohibit it entirely, and most of the others have restrictions. I can post my list of those which allow what if you want.

I'm an avid people-watcher, and I'm tempted to take more of the people I see there, but I'm inclined to respect their privacy and not point a camera at them while they are on vacation.

Here are some collections of some of my photos of Las Vegas over the past 10 years or so. These are mostly touristy type shots as opposed to serious photography, but you'll get some ideas I'm sure:

http://www.letis.com/dmr/pics/vegas1.html

http://www.letis.com/dmr/pics/vegas/vegas2/

Most of these were taken with an Olympus Stylus point-and-shoot, and not with a rangefinder.

Even recommendations on your favourite bars and restaurants are welcome.

Bars and restaurants are very subjective, but I might recommend two other forums (fora?) for Las Vegas information, where you can get all kinds of discussion on things like those.

First, the Las Vegas Talk forum:

http://www.lasvegastalk.com/

Second, the alt.vacation.las-vegas newsgroup, via usenet or Google:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.vacation.las-vegas

This one does get a fair share of nonsense, but there's some real good information and discussion if you ignore the drek.

 

[Honu-Hugger]

International Center of Photography, NYC
Frick Gallery, NYC (excellent fine art gallery, not photographic)
Karl Heitz, NYC (North American Alpa Distributor) It's where I always go😀
CBGB, NYC -- for a sweatshirt, if nothing else

It's been a while since I've spent time in Boston. I'm in Vegas frequently but have nothing to add that has not already been mentioned. Vegas is Vegas and a sight within itself; the surrounding area, if you have the time is astonishing. The Grand Canyon is not far -- my first trip to the Canyon was going to be a "drive-by" and I ended up spending five days there. Hiked to the bottom and in total took more than forty rolls of slides -- not during the trip, but of the Canyon alone. As mentioned, Death Valley is also incredible and November is a good time to visit; the temperature will be very nice. Enjoy your trip, it will be wonderful!

 

[RayPA]

What Happens there, stays there

What Happens there, stays there

I LOVE Vegas too. You'll have no problem finding stuff to photograph there. Most of my photos from Vegas are the vacation type, wife in front of Eiffel Tower, wife touching Ceasar's finger (you'll know what I mean when you get there), me inappropriately touching nude brass statue in the Mirage. There are so many people on the street, and with cameras, that you could probably spend a quick hour doing some really fun street shooting (& not looking suspicious) while the wife naps, shops, gambles, or lays by the pool.
You might want to try to get to the old part of town, the old strip, for a couple of hours. It's a different feel from the "Strip". Last time I was there I went to Binions and watched the final round of the World Series of Poker. I've never ventured outside of Vegas proper. I've always been there for work, conventions or quick weekend gambling trips, but Hoover Dam is nearby. There is also a red rock desert park, I forget the exact name and of course the Grand Canyon, that's a little ways out, though. Don't know when you are going, but it can get freaking hot, like 104F at 10AM hot. You'll have a blast. Remember: "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" 😉

 

[Honu-Hugger]

P. S. Send your cameras, jewelry, credit cards, and most of your cash back to the UK before you start gambling; or leave them in a bank vault somewhere outside the state of Nevada to retrieve later -- afterall, it is Vegas 😀 !!!

 

[Roman]

Another vote for Death Valley while you're in Vegas - you might go there via Rhyolite, a ghost town north of Vegas and located on a route that leads into Death Valley; lots of abandoned buildings there, very photogenic if you like photos of decay... 😉
Oh, and bring lots of Agfa Ultra 100 (or Velvia, if you are a slide-shooter) - Vegas is so tacky that you have to use an extremely saturated color film to really capture the experience.

Roman

 

[dmr]

Another vote for Death Valley while you're in Vegas - you might go there via Rhyolite, a ghost town north of Vegas and located on a route that leads into Death Valley; lots of abandoned buildings there, very photogenic if you like photos of decay... 😉

I would second the nomination for Rhyolite. It's a few hours north of Las Vegas by car. There are several Rhyolite photos in the first URL in my last message in this thread.

There are also some other ruins just a few miles south of Beatty on the trip up to Rhyolite. The old abandoned cement plant is obvious on the right side of the highway.

 

[RObert Budding]

Well, I live in a Boston suburb and work in the city. And I would recommend a trip to Walden Pond. It's best early in the morning. And watch out for summer weekends when it gets very crowded. There are also some nice nature sanctuaries in the area.

Let's see . . . Concord and Lexington if you are interested in American history. A cruise on the Charles. Maybe even rent a kayak or canoe. Walk along the Esplanade. Catch an outdoor Boston Pops concert.

Maybe you could watch my kids for a few hours so that I can do some of these things, too!

Robert

 

[RObert Budding]

Just reread your post. You won't find an outdoor concert here in November. The other suggestions still work, though.