New York City (Midtown East, Billionaires Row, Top of the Rock, Bryant Park)

[MayDay]

My first trip since all hell broke loose - we spent a few days (not enough ) in New York City and the Hamptons last week. Always a great time, even if we didn't get out to see as much as we'd hoped. Wish I could have packed some gear (tripod, etc.) for crisper pics but wasn't in the cards - ah well, just another reason to come back.

It's never a great pic (shooting from a taxi or bus) but I always love the view coming into the City from the east, in this case from the Hamptons Ambassador:



Our "home away from home" - the Lexington (48th and Lex); not the fanciest but great location to get where we wanted to go.



One piece of advice I give to any photographer when traveling - if you see an older and more ornate house of worship, see if it's open. I'm not a church-goer in the slightest but I can appreciate the workmanship in these structures (even if my skin blisters a little In this case, St. Thomas - a huge Gothic church on Fifth Avenue:















Next up, some nibbles and champagne at the Palm Court in the Plaza Hotel:






And a stroll around Billionaires Row:


Hampshire House (my favorite of the Central Park 'icons') and Central Park Tower.







I've been a member of SSP and skyscraper supergeek since the dawn of time, but even this spot made me a little dizzy





Proof my husband has good taste - one, he married me and two - he really likes the Hearst Building:











St. Patrick's Cathedral - last time we were here, this was all covered in scaffolding.















Construction site for the new Chase tower - still boggles my mind they demolished a building taller (and much larger, floorplate-wise) than Cleveland's Terminal Tower to rebuild something more than twice as high



Pics from Midtown and Hells Kitchen en route to Top of the Rock:




























































Back down to earth with some wise words.



Next up, Bryant Park and the Library



































Not that the Metlife/Pan Am Building is small but it's almost "cute" compared to some of the big beast buildings going up now.



But some of NYC's treasures are found in the small and unexpected places.







Next up in a new thread - Circle Line Ferry tour, Roosevelt Island and more.