I had been in the city to see a screening of an Israeli film ” a Matter of Size” with people from two meet-up groups, the Film Culture Club and the Hebrew Speaking meet-up group. It was a cozy set up in a restaurant on 57th street. It was a beautiful, clear evening, I took the following shots on the trip back to Staten Island.

All the passengers have boarded and the entrance ramps have been lifted off of the ferry just before we departed.

Mates and police man were on the decks below. one mate gave the captain the all clear for departure sign.

The ferry pulls out.

I refer to this water as ‘Making Soup in the Slip’.

A view of the Brooklyn Bridges lit up on the East river.

Looking to the west  side of lower Manhattan.

The work lights on the World Trade Center Tower have been colored, probably for the upcoming  4th of July Holiday. I wisj they had made red and white bands with a blue top. then it would resemble our flag, this way it looks a lot more like the French Flag.

As the ferry progresses acros the harbor, the Empire state building makes appearances in the skyline,  first  a small appearance on the east and then a little longer on the west side of the tower.  On the west it look larger.

Using the telephoto as we begin to lose view of the Empire state building.

Passing the Statue of Liberty.

Another passenger shoots photos from a lower deck.

Our Dark Wake.

June

We were going into the city to have dinner with Anja and Austin in Queens.  Adi and Sabine were in New York then too.

The harbor is always hazy in summer.  I keep wanting it to be clear like it is in the Fall when the water and temperatures are closer to each other.  It is a little disappointing to have warm weather, nice to be outside after winter or a cold spring, and be in a perpetual fog.

This is the Norwegian Gem  leaving on a cruise.

Coming back from our dinner near midnight. The World Trade Center is growing in height.

July

There’s a summer sculpture in Madison Square. I don’t like it very much.

These are some large architectural elements on the upper East Side.

A view across the harbor from the platform  outside the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.

My new camera has an over the top zoom. It compresses space as it telescopes in on things. Here’s the golman Sachs building in New Jersey, a lighthouse and the Statue of Liberty all looking like they’re a stone’s throw away from each other.

One of the dredges  working constantly in the shipping channels.

Another dredge with a gantry and one of the Ferry gunboat escorts.

September

Heading back to  Staten Island on a sunny day after the 11th. The 9-11 Memorial has opened and the WTC #1 has a huge Flag draped on it above the memorial.

The towers rise at the rate of one floor a week.

The tower has begun to fill the space left empty by the Twin Towers on our skyline.

I went into the city  last evening just before sundown, when I arrived at the Manhattan-side Ferry Terminal the sun was going down and I saw, on the horizon, the place where clouds are made and released into the atmosphere. Never realized it was so close by.

The FIT Jewelry Club  participated in the annual sale  put on by the Bead  Society of Greater New York. We had a table where we could sell our collection of donated beads.  Here’s a shot of Cait and Kim, I was there with a few other JC members to help out. The table was mobbed most of the evening and we sold a ton of beads at great prices.

While visiting a neighbor this morning I took these photos of our newest snow fall which had only begun early this morning.  The first shot is out of Fay and Robert’s back door. It’s really wet snow, falling in huge clumps.  My friends on FaceBook are  taking pictures and movies.   I was just out there shoveling a path on our sidewalk. It’s wet and as a neighbor said “wicked heavy”.  Clumps falling out of trees hit you like a wet snowball.

And here’s the view of my side of the street, from a perspective I rarely get to see. Colman and I live in the yellow house.

Here’s a wider shot showing more of Tysen Street.

Yesterday I went into the city to deliver some work to a client. At the Ferry terminal, I noticed that a camera crew was setting up in front of the new subway entrance.

The barricades had been removed. I saw that Friday as I went to class. This is what the plaza looked like last week before the construction barricades were taken down.

By the time I was done  and had returned, the station was open and passengers were exploring the new space underground.  It really looks nice. beautiful murals, nice lighting and decorative metal barriers instead of the usual black bars.  There was a cellist playing  really interesting music. I made a short video as I headed for the ferry, you might be able to hear it in the video.

New South Ferry Station

I went into the city again today for class and got to use the new  #1 train platform.  It’s beautiful. Vaulted ceilings with what appears to be some sound proofing. I saw  something that looked like an air conditioner  over one of the tracks. The platforms are now long enough for the whole train.  No more announcements about having to be in the first 5 cars  to disembark at South Ferry. 

Here are a couple shots of the new mosaics.  The first one looks like one of my photos from the recent snow storm.  This seems to be the motif for the whole station’s decoration.

This one is a map of the “Then” Manhattan with a slate line overlay of what “Today’s” map looks like.

Here’re a couple composite shots of the underground passages above the  platforms.

A floor shot coming up the stairs by the Manhattan Map mosaic.

Another couple shots of the underground passage from other angles, it’s a big space down there. The big, glass tile murals are interesting, it looks like a new technology, the images seem to be on the backside of the glass and imbedded in it.

I don’t like this sycamore leaf,  it’s weak design next to all the other  elements.

As I got to the terminal today, St Patrick’s Day , this group of Red Bull kids was cheering their way through the crowd. Every one else was wearing a green something. 

I had to make a short trip into the city today. For about the last 6 months, in the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, there have been two enormous objects covered with blue drop cloths.  Today, one was uncovered,  it is salt water aquarium, filled and populated.  Here are a couple of shots, people were watching the fish with a barrier of construction debris and barricades in the way.

 I hate all the fake sponge and coral but the fish are beautiful. They are large, colorful and some are species I haven’t seen before.  Here’s a very short movie.