Saturday, November 5, 2011

Travelblog: The Great Nor'easter—Episode 6

We're still in Manhattan--only about halfway through my first day there...

SAY HELLO TO OUR GOOD FRIEND, DAVID LETTERMAN...
Here's the Ed Sullivan Theater, where they tape the Late Show With David Letterman.  I'm guessing there was no show that day because there's usually a line of people waiting for tickets in the afternoon.  Or so I thought, anyway...



                                                                          


WHERE'S THE VELVET ROPE?
The doorway to the left of the dude in the blue shirt was once the entrance to the infamous Studio 54.  The building still carries the name, but the club is long gone, of course.  I wouldn't be surprised if there's still some cocaine stashed away somewhere in there, tho...



"I'M YOUR FAIRY MANAGER--YOU SHALL PLAY AT CARNEGIE HALL..."
Seems like everything was being renovated in NYC during my visit, and Carnegie Hall was no exception.  I didn't even know what the place looked like on the outside before I got there—I was a tad disappointed.  I hope it's prettier on the inside, because the exterior ain't much to look at.

"WHAT HAPPENED HERE, AS THE NEW YORK SUNSET DISAPPEARED?"
I had to see this for myself, so I made it a point to walk by the Dakota at 72nd St. and Central Park West.  The entrance doesn't look like it's changed much since 12/8/80.  I was majorly disappointed with the Strawberry Fields thing in Central Park honoring Lennon just across the street, however.  I thought it was a bit more elaborate than just the mosaic in the sidewalk that reads "IMAGINE" with people sitting on it having their photos taken.  How 'bout a statue of John or something? 


HELL AIN'T A BAD PLACE TO BE
Or is it?  This is the Prudential Center (the "Prude"?) in downtown Newark, NJ, home of my beloved New Jersey Devils.  It's an oasis in an otherwise Hades-like town, as I was majorly unimpressed with what I saw in the area surrounding the arena, which stands out like a turd in a punchbowl in this dumpy downtown they call Newark.  I saw more low-lifes in the 20 minutes I spent in Newark than I did all day in Manhattan.  Go figure...


THAR SHE BLOWS!
Here was the view from the balcony of my hotel in the Meadowlands, some eight miles from Manhattan.  It amazed me how the Empire State Building just dominates the entire skyline of NY when viewed from any direction, even with all the other skyscrapers scattered about—it always seems to command your attention.  I stayed at the Red Roof Inn right across the river from the new Giants/Jets (Gi-ets?) Stadium, which was pretty handy for getting around the area.

 
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
Again, another example of the seeming omni-presence of the ESB in a shot I snapped while waiting for the morning train in Jersey, not far from my hotel.  It also gives a pretty good idea of how hazy it was that week.  How about that form and composition and the way I centered the building in the window there?  Brilliant!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I agree with your comments on the occupy thing...whatever it is and agree with you finger idea as well!