Photo Safari to NYC

[hlockwood]

Although I was born and raised in NYC, I haven't been back since 2001, right after 9/11.

I plan to go for about 4 days in early June, shoot as much as I can and be certain to get a proper pastrami sandwich, on proper Jewish rye, the crust of which should cause gum bleeding. (One of many things I dearly miss about the city. NY Speak: "City" always means Manhattan to natives.)

I do need some suggestions though. The Upper West Side is my old hunting ground, and I stayed at a hotel near B'way back in 2001. That hotel has now become a boutique hotel and is priced accordingly. So, any suggestions for a moderately priced hotel - almost anywhere in Manhattan, preferably not the East Side? A secret you wouldn't share except with a fellow RFFer?

Also, if there are any photo related events, exhibitions, etc., I'd like to hear about them.

I plan to take one camera, the M7 and one lens, the 50 Elmar-M, and I'll be shooting XP2 exclusively, as I do now.

Appreciate your input,

Harry

 

[Vic]

There was an article about small hotel rooms that are affordable:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/01/nyregion/01hotels.html?scp=1&sq=small space hotels in NY&st=cse


In addition, a lot of European tourists stay in New Jersey. The NJ Transit bus takes less than 10 minutes to the Port Authority.

Option 1: Secaucus. There are a lot of business motels in the Harmon Meadow complex. Bus #329.

http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T1124.PDF


Option 2: Take the NJ Transit 158 bus to the hotels in Weehawken

http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0158.PDF

Unless you party into the night, NJ is a lot cheaper, and the buses run till 1am.

Best of luck!

 

[matt335]

Harry, nice work on pbase. Enjoy your stay. One day I'd love to do that same trip. Never been. Have to go one day. RFF is great. Vic's response is wonderful. Well done.

 

[hlockwood]

There was an article about small hotel rooms that are affordable:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/01/nyregion/01hotels.html?scp=1&sq=small space hotels in NY&st=cse


In addition, a lot of European tourists stay in New Jersey. The NJ Transit bus takes less than 10 minutes to the Port Authority.

Option 1: Secaucus. There are a lot of business motels in the Harmon Meadow complex. Bus #329.

http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T1124.PDF


Option 2: Take the NJ Transit 158 bus to the hotels in Weehawken

http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/bus/T0158.PDF

Unless you party into the night, NJ is a lot cheaper, and the buses run till 1am.

Best of luck!

Thanks, Vic. I'll follow up on the recommendations in that Times article.

Harry

 

[hlockwood]

Harry, nice work on pbase. Enjoy your stay. One day I'd love to do that same trip. Never been. Have to go one day. RFF is great. Vic's response is wonderful. Well done.

Thanks, Matt, for the pbase comment. And yes, NY is wonderful. Like Mecca, one should visit at least once in a lifetime.

Harry

 

[Jamie123]

Like Mecca, one should visit at least once in a lifetime.

Although I think the waiting list for New York is considerably shorter than that of Mecca 🙂

 

[kermaier]

If you're considering staying in NJ, you could try Hoboken, which is a much hipper neighborhood than Secaucus or Weekhawken -- the PATH train runs from Hoboken to Penn Station.

For Weehawken or Edgewater, another transport option is the NY Waterways ferry service that runs to/from Pier 79 at 38th Street.

::Ari

 

[hlockwood]

PS. Harry,

If you are there on a Friday evening, the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) has free admission from 4pm to 8pm on Fridays, thanks to Target (otherwise they charge $20). The Henri Cartier-Bresson retrospective is on till June 28.

http://moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/968

We went last Friday. If you show up at 4pm, your wait time is zero, the line moves so fast. No need to show up early and be in a queue.

Best of luck with your trip!

Great lead, Vic. Thanks very much. It's been so long since I've been to MOMA.

Harry

 

[hlockwood]

If you're considering staying in NJ, you could try Hoboken, which is a much hipper neighborhood than Secaucus or Weekhawken -- the PATH train runs from Hoboken to Penn Station.

For Weehawken or Edgewater, another transport option is the NY Waterways ferry service that runs to/from Pier 79 at 38th Street.

::Ari

NJ? No, I don't think so. Too little time, so many things to do. But thanks for the info.

Harry

 

[Babylon]

Take a wide angle, you will miss a lot with only a 50mm!

 

[hlockwood]

Take a wide angle, you will miss a lot with only a 50mm!

Yes, I suppose toting the 35 cron asph wouldn't be much of a burden. Thanks for the suggestion.

Harry

 

[hlockwood]

Although I was born and raised in NYC, I haven't been back since 2001, right after 9/11.

I plan to go for about 4 days in early June, shoot as much as I can and be certain to get a proper pastrami sandwich, on proper Jewish rye, the crust of which should cause gum bleeding. (One of many things I dearly miss about the city. NY Speak: "City" always means Manhattan to natives.)

I do need some suggestions though. The Upper West Side is my old hunting ground, and I stayed at a hotel near B'way back in 2001. That hotel has now become a boutique hotel and is priced accordingly. So, any suggestions for a moderately priced hotel - almost anywhere in Manhattan, preferably not the East Side? A secret you wouldn't share except with a fellow RFFer?

Also, if there are any photo related events, exhibitions, etc., I'd like to hear about them.

I plan to take one camera, the M7 and one lens, the 50 Elmar-M, and I'll be shooting XP2 exclusively, as I do now.

Appreciate your input,

Harry

Well, I'm back from my long weekend in NY, and it was a revealing expedition.

I wasn't able to find a suitable low priced hotel, so I wound up mid-town at the New Yorker, 8th Ave. and 34 St. and just a block from Penn Station. More than satisfactory and not too expensive. But man, the crowds!

I bought a 7-day unlimited Metrocard, and I must have taken a couple of dozen buses up, down and across the city, taking pictures along the way. I shot 4 rolls of XP2 with the M7 and, almost exclusively, the 50mm Elmar-M. In looking at the results, I have to admit being disappointed with myself as a street photographer. Perhaps only 10% are worth printing, not because of technical flaws (the M7 meter never disappoints), but for lack of a focal point or consistent theme. I should have been more intimate, more involved with the subject. Lesson learned, more work ahead.

As for people interactions, it was a great experience; I (heart) NY, still! But I should have translated that into better shots. Next time.

Two interesting interactions with other photographers: I was shooting on a corner in mid-town when I heard a loud, "Hey, you're shooting with a Leica." Reuben Harley, or Big Rube, (google him; he does some great stuff) was behind me on the same corner doing the same thing that I was. But from the look of his blog, I'm betting he got far more keepers. He was shooting with a Sony dslr but was planning to get an M9 - soon. We had a great conversation and took snaps of each other.

At another time, I was again on a corner, shooting away, when I was approached by a gentleman who was obviously a pro. He was heavily adorned with Canon gear, here from London doing a shoot on environmental issues. He remarked that he had been watching my "discreet style". Well, that part comes with my discreet camera. He said he hadn't shot with his M6 in years. Back to London the next day.

All in all, the safari was a great idea, but next time I hope to do a better job as a photographer. I'll post some pics after I make up the jpegs.

Harry

P.S. I never get a pastrami sandwich. That alone is reason to do this again. 😀

 

[stompyq]

PICS!!!!! I'am planning to do NY with a 50mm as well (in july). Bad idea? good idea? or should i take my 15mm as well?

 

[hlockwood]

PICS!!!!! I'am planning to do NY with a 50mm as well (in july). Bad idea? good idea? or should i take my 15mm as well?

50mm worked for me because I was mostly interested in people shots, and I didn't want to get into peoples' faces with the 35mm 'cron. From my "perspective" a 15mm is like a fisheye.

Harry

 

[ElectroWNED]

did you leave out of fear of another attack?

 

[hlockwood]

did you leave out of fear of another attack?

Huh?

Harry

 

[hlockwood]

Well, I'm back from my long weekend in NY, and it was a revealing expedition.

BIG SNIP

All in all, the safari was a great idea, but next time I hope to do a better job as a photographer. I'll post some pics after I make up the jpegs.

Harry

P.S. I never get a pastrami sandwich. That alone is reason to do this again. 😀

I haven't gotten around to scanning but a few of the shots from NY, but I thought I'd post the first of them.

It looked like MOMA is doing more business than this guy.

And this poor young man is evidently exhausted from tending to his many ladies.

This shot has several problems (framing, focus...) but I love the content. Two different ways of getting around NY by taxi.

More to come when I get the time to do the scanning. The above were taken with the M7 and 50mm Elmar-M.

Harry

 

[hlockwood]

I haven't gotten around to scanning but a few of the shots from NY, but I thought I'd post the first of them.

It looked like MOMA is doing more business than this guy.

And this poor young man is evidently exhausted from tending to his many ladies.

This shot has several problems (framing, focus...) but I love the content. Two different ways of getting around NY by taxi.

More to come when I get the time to do the scanning. The above were taken with the M7 and 50mm Elmar-M.

Harry

Here are a few more:

A weekend biker

Big Reuben. A great guy and fellow street photographer,

This young lady just removed her T shirt and sat for a massage. Only in NY.

This is a shot from inside MOMA looking out into the garden. Note the reflection on the left.