Shadow Shot Sunday - Freedom on the East River

It is July 4th, the birthday of the USA as a free land in 1776. A day to celebrate our freedoms, and if they have shadows in then, all the better for Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

These late-2013 captures from the Brooklyn side of New York City's East River show that free minds allow us to flourish as a people. The Freedom Tower, the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and the modern skyline of Lower Manhattan showcase the creativity and drive of free populace...Happy Independence Day

Wordless Wednesday - Crossing the Eras

A beautiful shot by the always lovely Patti - the Iconic Brooklyn Bridge (1883), taken by chance along the Brooklyn side of the East River - the modern skyline will never dwarf the most beautiful bridge ever...see WW and WW

Ruby Tuesday Too - Canyon Crossing

For this installment of Ruby Tuesday Too, I go back to a recent visit to see our software developer son who lives in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and it was a nice visit it was. 

On the way home, always lovely passenger Patti captured this ruby view with her phone - we were traversing north on the I-278 BQE, and I thing the setting sun to our left added to the red, the church and building above complete the ruby trifecta today...

Whimsical Windows - Gotham skyline

I have two more pictures from our foray to visit our son last week in Brooklyn NY for Toby's meme Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors. 'Here' is heading south on the I-278 Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) before entering Kings County. It looks like a dilapidated industrial area as we peer over or through the cast iron guardrails. Looking toward Manhattan, on top we see old and modern buildings and a view of the famous 59th Street/Quensboro/Ed Koch Bridge (bridge name changes happen a lot in NYC), the bottom pic a look at the older styles of the city, old industrial and financial, Again, thanks to Patti for capturing this mere essence of a great city...

Whimsical Windows - Spectacular Skyline along the BQE

Toby most graciously hosts the architectural meme Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors. We visited our son in New York's Kings County yesterday, and the software developer scion really likes urban living in the borough of Brooklyn. After lunch, we headed back to CT, and passenger Patti used her phone to capture this view of Manhattan and the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, This was taken from a northbound lane of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The soft pastel sunset falls gracefully over the skyline of the city, a soft look that mutes the mighty city...

Whimsical Windows - Empire skyline

The 1931 Empire State Building, taken along the BQE from the Brooklyn side of the East River, Captured by Patti

I am back for this week's architectural meme, Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors, hosted by Toby. Today is is from the series of NYC pictures Patti captured from the passenger seat. Without prompting, I am sure most could identify the landmark in the distance as the Empire State Building - iconic in style, it stands apart from the surrounding modern buildings. The day was a bit murky, so an edit to B&W ages the view a bit, and allows a the tiered and straight edges of the profile to jump at us.

Interestingly, Patti's mom actually worked in the building on the 70th floor during the late 1940s. We need to get her memoirs of the Empire State in book form at the earliest, as the B&W world should have many a tale to tell...

Whimsical Windows - A vertical vantage

Patti captured a quintessential shot of lower Manhattan skyline from the BQE 

Toby hosts the fun architectural meme Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors where we showcase windows, doors and more..I have another capture of Manhattan from across the East River taken by Patti in December. She was taking in the scenery as I drove, navigating the very badly designed 1-278 BQE. 

This is a great view of the island, the vertical and modern glass and steel towers highlighting the skyline of lower Manhattan. I did notice the words POP UP on a structure below us - and it appears that the buildings did. A fine capture of a quiet Sunday in NYC...

Shadow Shot Sunday - East River Classic

The iconic Brooklyn Bridge, facing Manhattan across the East River. Photo captured by Patti

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 is back, and this week I am ready! This was taken by the lovely Patti as we helped our son move to his new residence in Brooklyn NY in December. This is I what she captured as we moved south on the I-278 Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in the city - a 1930s relic of danger that requires the driver to pay close attention to the large crowds of maniacal NYC taxis and drivers - best to leave the photo taking to the co-pilot/first officer...

This is of course is the iconic and stunningly beautiful Brooklyn Bridge. The stone arches are works of art, and despite its size and age (opened in 1883), it still stands as a strong and stylish gateway to Manhattan. Shadows included.

Whimsical Windows - Freedom

Patti's fabulous capture of the Freedom Tower in Manhattan, from the BQE in Brooklyn.

Toby is the host of the fun meme Whimsical Windows/Delirious Doors - and I hope you have been able to dig out from your monstrous snowfall :)

Today, our son cameron who has landed a great job in New York City has moved to his new apartment today and three vehicles filled with belongings make the trek to his place for his move. 

In our van, I was the driver and the lovely Patti chronicled our trip in pictures. Along the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (I-278), there are some great views across the East River toward Manhattan - and she captured this fantastic view of the almost completed Freedom Tower. From that worst of days in 2001, the new tower shows us that despite the evil that surrounds can never impact us if we have both resilience and hope. It seems to have a glow as it rises toward the heavens...