Category: Travel

Images from NYC 2020

Back when we were allowed to go out and about, my wife and I spent a few days in New York City so she could attend a conference. We explored a few of the art museum and I got some time to just hang around Central Park and take pictures. I had started to post this gallery a while back, but got distracted by life and didn’t finish. So as a reminder that there is a larger world out there, and we’ll get to go back to exploring it one day I figured I’d finally get this finished.

The first day we just wondered a bit, including taking the Station Island Ferry across and back to get a few classic pictures.

  • Classic image of the Statue of Liberty.
    Statue of Liberty from the Station Island Ferry, where we bumped into the sister of a good friend.
  • The main entrance to Ellis Island taken from the Station Island Ferry.
    Ellis Island from the Station Island Ferry.
  • An Irish hillside constructed in the middle of NYC.
    The memorial to the Irish Famine, which is a small Irish Hill side moved to Manhattan.
  • Ice skating at Rockefeller Center just before the tree came down.
  • People capturing their memories of the 9/11 memorial.
  • A group of white roses placed in one of the 9/11 memorial names.
    9/11 Memorial flowers
  • A single white rose in a name to mark the birthday of someone who died in the twin towers.
    9/11 Memorial Flower

A friend let us use her membership to the Met. So we spent a long day walking the exhibits. Since you can get better pictures of more or less all their art than most people are likely to take in the galleries (and no small number of people were taking pictures of whole works) I focused on the faces within larger works.

We also popped into MOMA on Free Friday and the Guggenheim on their give what you like Saturday evening. Those events were both about the art, and clearly for some in New York about being seen at those open chances to explore.

  • Jeannette (IV) by Henri Matisse
  • From watching this group for a few minutes, I think they considered simply going out to be performance art.
  • A pair of friends taking pictures at the top of the Guggenheim. A young muslim woman smiles as she poses for her friend.
    Lots of people were taking pictures of their friends as the explored the Guggenheim on their free evening visit.
  • Several levels of the Guggenheim's ramped walk ways around the building all filled with people.
    The Guggenheim does pay what you wish on Saturday evenings. So we made our contribution and joined the crowd.
  • People walking passed others take selfies
    As a photographer I find the craze in self-portraits hard to understand.
  • A wide variety of people were exploring the Guggenhiem’s collection.
  • My attempt at a classic image of people on Guggenhiem’s ramped walkways.
  • Untitled Brass wire piece by Ruth Asawa
  • Samples from Guggehiem’s Implicit Tensions: Mapplethorpe Now exhibit

We explored Central Park together and separately. I love getting a few hours to just stroll through a place with my camera. Trying to take a mix of classic pictures and few that are less common.

  • Gapstow Bridge
  • A jogger around JKF resevoir with the Gugenhiem in the background.
    Every day seemed to be a good day for joggers.
  • It wasn’t the best weather for ice skating, but plenty of people were still out.
  • Some skaters were taking lessons, others just having a good time.
  • Chess house on cold morning. I did pop inside for a game.
  • A couple playing Chess at the tables outside the Chess House.
    This couple was playing a careful if not serious game.
  • People making the best of the weather to get pictures and enjoy the park.
  • The Carousel
  • The Carousel wasn’t busy, but was open and moving.
  • A picture of park of JFK reservior in Central Park.
    NYC Park Ave Classics.
  • A girl walking through central park reading her book and looking around as she goes.
    And some kids are still happy to ignore their parents to read an actual print book.
  • A kid playing soccer with a Collie, both were playing goalie.
    This collie invited himself into playing defense against the buddy keeper.
  • A woman kneeling to look at a squirrel
    One of many people fascinated by the grey squirrels.
  • A black squirrel chacing a grey one.
    Lots of international tourists seemed to enjoy taking pictures of the grey squirrels. But I rather preferred the black ones.
  • I have no idea why these people were learning to fly fish in the middle of a lawn, but so be it.
  • She had pretty good instincts about when to wake up and play for a while, but bad weather makes for a slow day.
  • A man playing a classic chinese bowed intrstument playing for passers by.
    This musician had found a good spot where his music fit the setting and drew smiles from lots of people passing his way.
  • A NYC skyline picture taken with high contrast and lots of water in the foreground and buildings under construction featured.
    An ever growing city.

Before too long we can go back to having adventures and getting out. But in the meantime stay safe as best you can.

Pictures from Belize

For Christmas this year my wife and I took off and went to Belize. I took some 2,500 pictures and I’m working my way through them. The gallery below will get captions, alt-text, etc soon.

  • View out the window of an airplane showing the wing, ocean, and Belize coast line.
    First sighting of Belize on the flight in.
  • Small roadside restaurant with a porch, and a large Coca Cola sign
    GJ’s Restaurant picked by our driver on the way from Belize City to San Ignacio.
  • Small brown dog sitting waiting for food.
    His guy came running when he spotted customers.
  • Sign over the entrance to a parking lot reads Midas.
    We stayed at Midas Resort in San Ignacio, which we’d recommend.
  • A husky poppy playing with a toy.
    “Husky” the Midas office husky was an important part of our visit.
  • A large orange colored iguana on the ground.
    Midas has two large male green iguanas roaming the property.
  • Nice simple hotel room with bed and wall art shown.
    Our room at Midas
  • A pair of agouti snuffling through leaves.
    Midas was also home to several Agouti.
  • This hand powered ferry coveys everyone going to Xunantunich
  • A woman looking at a large Mayan stone temple at the edge of green grass.
    The main temple at Xunantunich from the main plaza
  • A black iguana at the edge of his hole.
    This Iguana spends the day watching tourists explore his home on the temple at Xuanatunich
  • The frieze on the side of the temple (larger version below).
  • People on the top of a large stone temple.
    People looking out from the top of the temple
  • The jungle creeping back into a manicured scene with Mayan temples.
    A view from the furthest building at Xunantunich back toward the temple.
  • A view of a few Mayan buildings and some jungle.
    A view from Belize from the top of the temple.
  • A monkey hanging from a branch eating.
    The Howler monkeys were yelling from tree tops when we arrived, but quietly feeding later in the morning.
  • A close view of a small Mayan temple.
    One of the buildings at Cahal Pach in San Ignasio.
  • An open public square surrounded by Mayan buildings and filled with trees.
    The central, but smaller, plaza at Cahal Pach.
  • My wife walking through one of the passages at Cahal Pach.
  • A bottle of Belikin beer with a napkin around the top.
    Belikin the beer of Belize served in standard style.
  • A gin and tonic with a light pink tint.
    The tonic was pink which threw me off at first.
  • Tables at an open air market.
    San Ignasio is home of a large and busy open air market.
  • Fuzzy picture of a Sixers game on a bar TV.
    All the way to Belize to watch my first Sixers game of the year.
  • Stone Mayan temple with flat top.
    The east temple from Complex Q at Tikal.
  • Woman walking down steep stone stairs
    My wife walking down from the top of the east temple.
  • Two people standing on the stone stairs.
    The two of us on the steps to the east temple.
  • The peak of a temple through the trees.
    First view we got of Temple I
  • The back of a large Mayan temple
    The back of Temple I
  • The buildings from the main plaza in Tikal.
  • Large Mayan temple front view with stairs and room at the top shown.
    Temple I from the plaza.
  • Stone temples sticking up over the jungle.
    The view from the top of Temple IV in Tikal.
  • Temples over the jungle used for Star Wars' Yavin base.
    All ships leaving Yavin base pass through this scene.
  • Several people sitting on stone steps with a weak fence behind them, but not in front.
    There were lots of people at the top, and that fence in the background was the only safety rail
  • Jumping spider monkey.
    The spider monkeys were one of the coolest things we saw.
  • Spider monkey on a branch
    This guy stopped to watch us for a bit.
  • Monkey sitting at an awkward angle with his hand over his mouth.
    He scooped water out of a hole in the and drank upside down.
  • Baby monkey riding on his mother's back.
    We got really lucky to see this mother and baby passing by.
  • Coati walking in the grass.
    This Coati was snuffling in the grass near the visitor center
  • Female green iguana with eyes closed.
    A green iguana from the rescue program in town.
  • Female green iguana with eyes open
    Another green iguana from the rescue program in town.
  • Male green iguana
    The males turn orange to show off.
  • two people with an iguana sitting on one's shoulder
    My wife and I with one of the rescued iguana.
  • Male iguana watching the camera
    This guy kept his distance and his eyes on us.
  • Canoes at the entrance to cave on a river.
    The entrance to Barton cave.
  • A river floating out of a cave.
    The view back out from the Barton creek cave.
  • A waterfall with large pool at the base.
    The Big Rock Waterfalls in the Pine Mountain reserve.
  • green and black butterfly
    Butterfly from the San Jose Succotz TrekStop
  • Man holding butterfly to show its wings.
    Butterfly caretaker from the San Jose Succotz TrekStop
  • Black butterfly with red
    Butterfly from the San Jose Succotz TrekStop
  • A fake christmas tree on a beach next to palm trees
    We spent Christmas itself in San Pedro
  • View of the ocean from hotel room balcony
    The view from our hotel room in San Pedro
  • Yellow chairs at the end of a dock on the ocean.
    There are some nice views on San Pedro beaches.
  • A woman and a dog watching people from a balcony.
    They were just enjoying people watching.
  • Man on a beach holding a carved manta ray
    This guy sells nice carvings like the ray he’s holding to visitors.
  • Santa and Ms. Clause in a golf cart
    Cause what else would Santa ride on a beach.
  • Woman cooking under a tent on a beach
    There was a party in the town square Christmas morning starting at Midnight. I didn’t stay for much.
  • Sign on a beach that reads Secret Beach
    Rode bikes out to Secret Beach which is anything but secret.
  • A waiter serving drinks on a beach
    There are at least two bars at Secret beach
  • Woman cutting a coconut with a machete.
    Machete, Coconut, and drinks. What could go wrong (nothing for her).
  • Two birds against a blue sky
  • Bird flying over the ocean
  • Rough wooden trail through a marsh.
    Took bikes down to Marco Gonzalez Mayan site. The path looked like something from Myst.
  • Mostly hidden Mayan ruins.
    Marco Gonzalez is mostly still covered in jungle.
  • A large collect of old Conch shells.
    Mayans here used Conch shells to build walls. They are kinda creepy 500 years later.
  • A black iguana sitting on a wooden path.
    Beatrice is one of three Black Iguanas with names at Marco Gonzalez
  • Early dawn with a bird over the ocean.
    Sun rise from our hotel room.
  • Sun rise over the ocean

These panoramic pictures were created with a combination of my iPhone in pano mode and some that are stitched together with Hugin.

Picture of Belize taken from the top of the temple at Xunantunich. Stitched with Hugin.
Same angle made with iPhone.
Picture of Guatemala from the other side of the temple at Xunantunich stitched with Hugin.
Another of Guatemala with the iPhone.
The frieze on the side of the temple. This is actually a cast created over the top of the original to protect it from weather.
The temple taken from the main plaza.
Taken from the side of the temple.
The main plaza at Cahal Pech ruins at the edge of San Ignacio
The main plaza at Tikal
Taken from the top of the observatory at Tikal.
Taken from the top of Temple IV at Tikal. Scenes from Yavin base in Star Wars were shot near this spot.
Another stitched image from Temple IV.
Dock on the beach in San Pedro.
A bit north of Secret Beach (which is anything but secret) we found a nice dock to enjoy our lunch.