The Girth of New York..

I don't think you can really ever be prepared from a photography standpoint of what you will be taking pictures of in New York. I knew I didn't have room for a collection of gear, I was already packing 2 cameras. I had to make sure that my DSLR had the most versatile lens on it. One lens. I brought my 24-70mm. I hemmed and hawed over taking my 16-35 "superwide"..but the 24mm did great.. I was editing the images when I got home and I can't crop any of them. The entire frames are filled with goodness! Everything in NY is huge.

Examples of things that are huge in Manhattan:

Freedom Tower and St. Patrick's Cathedral

On our tour by car around WTC, she stopped me in my tracks. "Is that it?" Michelle said, "Yes." Everyone knows what "it" is. I felt an overwhelming sense of American pride and patriotism when I saw her on the skyline there. The Freedom Tower is already towering over all of the neighboring skyscrapers and she isn't finished yet. Knowing the history of the site, you can't help but stop and marvel at her and what she will be when finished.

We were in a hurry to meet up with JeriAnn at Grand Central when we ran into St. Patrick's on the way there. We were on foot. In New York, everything is so massive, that it is hard to tell what you are looking at from the curb. We took so many photographs from the curb, and then we noticed you can enter the cathedral- for free. More photos from St. Patrick's in it's own post coming up soon..

The view from the Empire State Building Observation Deck

They really know how to move you through the Empire State Building. Hundreds of thousands of people make the trip to the observation deck every year. Hurry up. Line up here. Line up there. Stand here. NEXT. Up here. And then...when you get out of the elevator on the 86th floor...boom. It hits you. It hits you how small you are in the scheme of things... every side of the deck is more spectacular than the last. I like this shot because you can see taxi cabs down below.

St. Patrick's from the street...

See what I mean? Doesn't look that impressive.....wait until I show you the interior. (Not impressive in size...because you can't see what is taller and behind the initial facade..you have to go across the street and down the block a little in order to see to the top of it.) I. Die.

The Met

We didn't have a chance to go into the Met, but just look at the size of the people compared to the girth of those buildings! I'm telling you. H.U.G.E.

Grand Central Station

I was praying..praying for a well choreographed flash mob to strike while we were in there. No such luck this trip..but the decor and massive size of the building was amazing. And to imagine how many trains and how many people come through there every day......