New York City is, in a word, iconic.  The Empire State building, Central Park, Times Square – these are places that nearly everybody knows the name of and has seen in movies.  There is a magnetism in the city that draws people in and captures their imagination.

Although I am not a city person by nature – given the choice, I usually head away from population centers – I found myself back in the Big Apple this past weekend.  I say “back in,” although I have to use that term loosely; the last time I was in the city was over a decade ago when I went and stayed a week with an uncle.

So needless to say, things have changed since then, or at least aren’t quite as I remember them.  But back then we didn’t spend a lot of time walking through the city, so returning this weekend was like seeing it anew.  And there was a lot to see.

I’ll preface this right now by saying that this was not a photography trip, although I did come home with hundreds of images.  This was a trip down with Mandy to visit some friends on Long Island, who took us into Manhattan to play tourist for the day.  I left the DSLR and lenses at home and instead traveled light with the Powershot SX120.

I might as well admit that I was overwhelmed most of the day.  My photography lacked any clear purpose or direction – I wasn’t intent on photographing people on the streets, or making perfectly aligned shots of the architecture, or carefully composed images of, well, anything.  I spent most of the day slack-jawed, gawking up at the skyscrapers and trying not to walk into hotdog stands (which I think must spawn uncontrollably at night, and now proliferate on every single street corner).

We started the day with me driving everybody into Manhattan, which was frankly an adventure unto itself.  (Sorry, no photos, as I had both hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel.)  We left the car at a parking lot that – and I am not making this up – put the cars on lifts and stacked them vertically, like bottles in a vending machine.

On the streets of New York City

The New York City subway – a legend of its own, and the next experience added to a quickly growing list of firsts.  By this time I managed to actually get the camera out of my pocket and try shooting, compensating for the dim light by boosting the ISO and leaving the shutter speed slow, so the trains blurred as they came into the station.  A subway station is a gritty place, a quality which is easily accentuated in the photo.

NYC Subway

The Museum of Natural History has long been on my list of places to visit, and was out first stop of the day.  We didn’t get to see much of it, since you could easily spend an entire day there.  Although I usually don’t bother with museum photos, I actually shot a few – particularly of the life-size blue whale that dominated the Marine Animals exhibit.  The light was low and blue, as if you were underwater, and made shooting difficult.  Cranked the ISO back up and actually braced the camera against a railing for the exposure, since even with the IS it was too long to hand-hold.

Blue Whale in the Museum of Natural History

From the Museum we crossed Central Park, another place where you could easily spend an entire day roaming with a camera.  Unfortunately this was one of those points in the season where the greenery is dead or dormant, but there isn’t any snow, either.  But even in this bleak state, the park was lovely – I can only imagine what it’s like the rest of the year when it’s vibrantly alive (although I’m told that the crowds then are much larger).

Lunch occurred back in the city, at the Carnigie Deli, a place that is under the impression that a a sandwich, say for instance a turkey sandwich, should literally arrive with an entire turkey sliced and stacked between the bread.  It’s touristy, exorbitantly expensive, and a lot of fun – and if you leave hungry, you’re probably not human.

Photo Credit: Mike Ross

I submit that it’s hardly worth shooting in the city if you’re not going to bother heading up.  There’s no shortage of places where you can go up, and we went to the Top of the Rock.  Rockefeller Center, on the uppermost observation deck, where there is no plexiglass partition around the sides, offers an incredible view across the island and beyond.  The first inclination is of course to go wide, which I did, shooting a series that I stitched together in to a panorama.  Aperture at the max (f/8), ISO 80, with plenty of shutter speed at the very beginnings of sunset.

Looking north from the Top of the Rock

It’s an impressive site, the wide expanses of human construction, but I soon found myself drawn to the details.  Small bits of light amid the shadows, the geometry of the buildings below, wisps of steam trailing from air handlers – I put the full zoom range to good use.

NYC from the Top of the Rock

Steam in the sunset

Naturally you can’t visit Rockefeller Center without seeing the skating rink.  And although the giant Christmas tree was already gone, the rink itself more than made up for it.  This is another of those shots that I’ve always wanted to make, and I’m certain that I’ll go back to make it again.  We’re in the shadows of the buildings here, with the sun setting – the street lights can’t make up for it, so the shutter speed slows.  Shooting at the widest angle to take advantage of the f/2.8 aperture, ISO around 400, I once again braced the camera on a handrail and let the shutter drag.  The skaters in motion go soft and leave a trail, while those who are resting a moment stay sharp.  It’s a beautiful scene to watch, and made the images that are probably my favorite from the trip.

Ice Rink at Rockefeller Center

Trying to get home before too late an hour, we finished up with a stop at St. Patrick’s cathedral just prior to the evening mass.  This is not your ordinary church, and the sense of quiet reverence inside is incredible.  You feel like it’s an honor just to photograph in there, and you’re actually allowed to in all but a few places.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Finally, Times Square, a fitting place for the journey to end.  The New Year’s ball is overhead and the streets of overhung with giant glowing billboards and neon lights.  It’s Vegas with a windchill, baby.  Neon and music and people having what looks to be too good a time.  It’s entirely a tourist trap, I’m told, but who cares – it’s a fun place to be.

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Times Square after sunset

If you’ve stuck with me to the end, thank you.  This was a long one, but there’s no shorter way to share NYC.  I wasn’t sold on the place when I arrived, but I am now.  If you’ve never been, you should try to go – and if you haven’t been back for a while, perhaps it’s time.  I know that we’re already planning to return sometime in the spring.

Just be sure to bring extra cash for the tolls.