Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts

New York is special

Location: Time Square, New York City, USA (40� 45' 27.83? N, 73� 59' 8.55? W)
Date: 9 February 2006; 8.15pm
Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

Generally I dislike visiting cities when I travel. I only stay in cities when I cannot avoid it; exceptions are historical cities with immense history and heritage such as Beijing, Delhi, Rome, Florence, Paris and so on. However I enjoyed my time tremendously in one city with lesser historical heritage- (by comparison) New York. I guessed I felt familiar with the city due to seeing some of its sights while watching American TV programs and movies. However the city is so vibrant and full of life that it is absolutely fun to wonder around. In fact it is very unique with its rich blend of variety of peoples, languages and cultures. One observation that really struck me when I visited the city about 5 years ago was the prevalence of Spanish language and the influence of the Latino culture. I mean, I realize that there is now a huge Latino population in America, but I was absolutely unprepared by the reality and extent of the demographic shift of the country (I saw the same while visiting San Francisco). I have been following the TV program, CSI New York and saw many more interesting bits of New York that I did not see the last time. I want to go back there again!

Glacier Point is the place to watch sunset on Half Dome, Yosemite NP, USA

Location: Half Dome from Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, California, USA (37� 43' 50.99? N, 119� 34' 22.01? W)
Date: 15 September 2006; 6.25pm
Camera: Canon Canon 300D with kit lens

I guess I did not spend enough days at Yosemite during my visit and so was not as impressed by the National Park as I would have thought. I may have a total different experience and impression if I had few more days to explore and trek into the woods, away from the crowd. Anyway it was a great place to spend a few days to be with nature again. One of the spot I enjoyed most during my Yosemite visit is Glacier Point, a viewpoint at a height of 2,199m. From here, one could see the various highlights of Yosemite National Park including Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, Nevada Fall and so on. It is especially lovely during sunset. Unfortunately it was dry season when I visited and so there were no waterfalls to be seen.

Technorati Tags: Yosemite,Glacier Point,Half Dome

Amazing hand-blown �flowers� of Bellagio- a must-see of Vegas

Location: Lobby ceiling of Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (36� 6' 47? N, 115� 10' 35? W)
Date: 8 September 2006; 4.15pm
Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

Las Vegas is really a fun place to go especially for gamblers. Even for non-gamblers like me, it is just fun to hop from hotel to hotel to see the free performances and enjoy the �freak show� so to speak. Amongst other things ,one could see Eiffel Tower and the Pyramid here as well as the most glittering of lights. All the hotels on the Strip of Vegas seem to try to outdo one another all the time, with different themes and attractions. One of the highlights for any Vegas visitors must be the Bellagio Hotel. It has an 8-acre (3.2 ha) man-made lake outside the building which houses the Fountains of Bellagio, a huge dancing fountain with performances synchronized to music and light. Its lobby� s ceiling is adorned by the �Fiori Di Como� chandelier which comprises of 2,000 hand-blown multi-colored glass blossoms.

Notes in memory of 9-11 victims, New York, USA

Location: New York City, USA (40� 43' 0? N, 74� 0' 0? W)
Date: 10 February 2006; 4.15pm
Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

This year�s 9-11 commemoration had become a little more controversial with the stupidity of some obscure pastor trying to make a name for himself and his (very small following) church. Furthermore the issue of the Islamic Centre near the 9-11 site had been politicized by politician unnecessarily. This is a far cry from the spirit, unity and general outpour of goodwill towards USA after the 9-11 bombing. I just hope that future commemorations are not hijacked by such divisive issues again.

San Francisco�s famed cable cars

Location: Filimore Street, San Francisco, California, USA (37�48'18.18"N 122�25'31.58"W)
Date: 19 September 2006; 2.20pm
Camera: Canon Canon 300D with kit lens

3 things come to my mind when it comes to San Francisco (SanFran)- Silicon Valley, Golden Gate Bridge and Cable Cars. At first sight, it seems that the cable cars of SanFran are made for tourist, but in fact they are built as a matter of necessity. The streets of SanFran are so steep that it is often a struggle for smaller cars and a tram is not likely to be able to make it. That�s why cable cars are used for city transport. Currently there are 3 operating lines criss-crossing the city- they are a convenient and not-too-expensive means of transport. The cable cars are well-known as they are prominently featured in many movies which use SanFran as the setting.

Technorati Tags: San Francisco,Califronia,cable cars

The world�s largest train station, the Grand Central Terminal, New York, USA

Location: Grand Central Terminal , New York City, USA (40� 45' 10.08? N, 73� 58' 35.48? W)
Date: 18 February 2006; 4.25pm
Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

The Grand Central Terminal, more popularly referred to as simply, The Grand Central is a major landmark in New York. It has been made popular by appearance in innumerable movies and was one of the �must-go� places on my New York visit. It is supposedly the largest train station in the world by the number of platforms. It certainly does not feel that huge, compared to those of India and China. However I guessed the main reason for that is that the most visible part of the station is the concourse where the ticketing booths and cafes cafe located. The platforms and tracks are actually �hidden� away on different levels and by doors; whereas tracks and platforms in India are all visible. There are now so many buildings around the station that one can easily missed the station unless one specifically looks for it. These days, one of the most distinguishing sights in the station (concourse) is the huge American flag hanging from its ceiling- this was hung a few days after 9-11.

Technorati Tags: Grand Central Station,Grand Central Terminal,New York

Tequila sunset at Santa Monica, California

Location: Santa Monica beach, California, USA (34� 1' 5.99? N, 18� 29' 25.01? W)
Date: 3 September 2006; 7.15pm
Camera: Canon Canon 300D with kit lens

Just another nice sunset shot in addition to this previous post/photo.

The current mood on Wall Street- Charging Bull

Location: Charging Bull, Bowling Green, New York City, USA (40� 42' 19.48? N, 74� 0' 48.53? W)
Date: 9 February 2006; 1.20pm
Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

This statue of the charging bull representing a bull market is apparently one of the major tourist attraction in New York. Well, the stock markets around the world is certainly experiencing a bull run currently with the Dow Jones at its highest for a year (since the mortgage and credit crisis) and most stock markets around the world elevating towards the stratosphere. However, the enthusiasm on the various stock markets had yet to filter down to the real market and the economies around the world are still struggling along. In fact one of the reasons for the bull run is that company earnings are improving due to costs and staff cutting- which by itself feed negatively into the real economy by increasing unemployment. That said, the financial institutions are reaping in the benefits, paying its staff and management even higher pay and bonuses pre-crisis! Such short memories and greed must be plugged before another major crisis developed and ending with taxpayers paying these fat cats.

Location: Paris Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (36� 6' 45? N, 115� 10' 20? W)
Date: 9 September 2006; 1.15pm
Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

Paris Las Vegas is one of many replicas one sees in Vegas, along the Strip. It is actually a hotel and casino- as its name suggests, it is Paris-themed. It has many replicas of Paris� landmarks. These include those in the photo- a 165m replica of the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the La Fontaine des Mers. It is one of the older complex, completed in 1997. Vegas had transformed into a more family-oriented destination in the last few years after losing out as the biggest gambling enclave to Macau.

Technorati Tags: Las Vegas,Paris Las Vegas

Location: Rockefeller Centre, 5th Avenue east between 50th and 51st Street , New York City, USA (40� 45' 30.96? MN, 73� 58' 34.68? NW)
Date: 20 February 2006; 1.25pm
Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

I just enjoy taking pictures of people and buildings of New York. I have seen so many of the city's landmarks on TV that I was really excited to finally see them personally. The Atlas statue at Rockefeller Center is one of my favourite. This is a different angle to an earlier photo I posted before.

Location: Grand Canyon, USA (36.05335� N, 112.08344� W)
Date: 5 September 2006; 8.35am
Camera: Canon EOS 300D with Sigma 70-200/f2.8

The Grand Canyon must be one of the most recognisable canyon systems in the world. Though it is mo longer "the most" in many perspectives, it is still used as a yardstick for comparison purposes when other canyons are mentioned. For example, I often read that the Yarlung Tsangpo (deepest canyons in the world) is how many times deeper than the Grand Canyon and the longest canyon system, the Nujiang Gorge is how many times the total length of the Grand Canyon etc etc. I guess one of the reasons has to be the Western world is more familiar with the Grand Canyon and so using it as a comparison gives the readers both a sense of scale as well as a sense of identification.

Location: Yosemite National Park, California, USA (37�43'18?N 119�38'47?W)
Date: 14 September 2006; 7.15pm
Camera: Canon Canon 300D with kit lens

I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed with Yosemite. I have read and seen many photos of the Park but when I was there, I was not exactly impressed by what I saw. I am a bit of a "mountain person" and so was expecting to see some relatively impressive mountain sceneries. The Half Dome and El Kapitan are not quite as majestic as the mountains I used to see in Asia. I guessed I was not used to the fact that a National Park such as Yosemite is so crowded, like an urban park.

Location: New York City, USA (40� 43' 0? N, 74� 0' 0? W)
Date: 12 February 2006; 8.15am
Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

This is not the current Big Chill that is sweeping Europe and USA. This was the biggest winter storm in New York City history- lionization as the Blizzard of '06- that dumped a record 26.9 inches of snow overnight in New York City. An awesome storm transformed the city milk-white that morning, exceeding all forecasts. It was really quite amazing as it was still pretty drab and just chill as I walked back to my hostel around 10pm the previous night. The whole landscape was just totally transformed when I looked out the windows in the morning. It was a very cold day but was rather fun to witness and experience such a transformation.

Glittering Lights of Vegas

Location: Plaza Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (36�10'17"N 115�8'50"W)
Date: 10 September 2006; 6.15pm
Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

Las Vegas is like a city of lights- neon's and all sorts of lights everywhere. This city must be consuming a tremendous amount of electricity, just for the lights outside all the casinos and resorts. Vegas is not as sleazy and crime-ridden as it used to be. Apparently it has transformed itself into a top family and convention destination. Apart from all the free shows and displays at the various casinos, what I like most is the casual dress code standard. One can go into any of the casinos wearing just a pair of shorts and singlet/tank top; unlike most of the casinos in Asia where a certain minimum standard of dress code- casual smart meaning longs with shoes etc- is required for entrance.

The Seat of Power- Washington D.C., USA

Location: Sunset behind Washington Memorial, Washington D.C., USA (38� 53' 22? N, 77� 2' 7? W)
Date: 7 March 2006; 5.30pm
Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

One cannot escape the sense that Washington D.C. is a planned city with its neat broad avenues in tidy blocks, open spaces and landscaping. It is a city packed full of historical monuments, memorials and official buildings. Everywhere one turns, it oozes with the feel of officialdom and somewhat overwhelming security. However it is a pleasant place to spend a day or two visiting the well-known museums, institutions of arts and education.

Beautiful Sunset over the Pacific at Santa Monica, USA

Location: Santa Monica beach, California, USA (34� 1' 5.99? N, 18� 29' 25.01? W)
Date: 3 September 2006; 7.25pm
Camera: Canon Canon 300D with kit lens

Santa Monica is probably considered as part of Los Angeles. Anyway LA itself is so huge that I believed SaMo is probably regarded as a city of LA County. Whatever it is, LA is so huge that it is rather difficult to see the place at all; so my visit there was mainly concentrated in SaMo. I have to say that it is a very pleasant place to spend a couple of days with some nice beaches and fabulous sunsets. It is also a fun place to hang out with great holiday atmosphere.

Technorati Tags: Los Angeles,Santa Monica

The Incredible Hulk, Universal City, Los Angeles

Location: Universal City, Los Angeles, California, USA (34� 8' 20? N, 118� 21' 9? W)
Date: 4 September 2006; 11.45am
Camera: Canon EOS 300D with kit lens

The new movie version of "The Incredible Hulk" had just been r4leased worldwide. I believed this is the second movie version. I have not seen it but I hope it is better than the disaster previous version done by director Ang Lee. I also wonder if the current version of The Hulk is anything like the look of Lee's version which is conspicuously displayed at the Universal City.

Reflections near Stoneman Bridge, Yosemite

Location: Stoneman Bridge and Merced River, Yosemite, California, USA (37�44'25.80"N,119�34'25.68"W)
Date: 14 September 2006; 7.40am
Camera: Canon EOS 300D with kit lens

Yosemite is one of the most popular National Parks in USA. I think one of the main reasons for its popularity is its proximity to the major population centres and its easy accessibility. However it is also a beautiful place to spend a few days. Like most temperate locations, it presents different colours and beauty in different seasons.

Technorati Tags: yosemite,Stoneman Bridge,Merced River

Blazing Sunset at Grand Canyon, USA

Location: South Rim, Grand Canyon, USA (36.05335� N, 112.08344� W)
Date: 5 September 2006; 6.45pm
Camera: Canon Ixus iZoom

Grand Canyon is great for weather shots- I have seen many beautiful photos of thunderstorms at the Canyon. Sunsets are also popular.

Late afternoon Canyon, USA

Location: South Rim, Grand Canyon, USA (36.05335� N, 112.08344� W)
Date: 5 September 2006; 4.35pm
Camera: Canon EOS 300D with Sigma 70-200/f2.8

The Grand Canyon looks nice from the rim, which is what most visitors spend most of their time. But I bet the Canyon looks different and more majestic from the canyon floor. However to do so, one need to make preparations to hike, have supplies and equipment and so on. I loved to have done that but could not bring the necessary with me as the trip was an appendage to a business trip. Maybe I can do better next time.

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