Irene!

Although Hurricane Irene lost some of her punch just before hitting NYC, she still managed to cause significant damage which included at least 650 uprooted trees in NYC. About 7 of those were at Grand Street & FDR Drive, where one tree swallowed up and destroyed a bus stop shelter.

Grand Street

Eastern end of Grand Street, Lower East Side.

World Financial Center

World Financial Center at Battery Park City.

Water Taxi

The New York Water Taxi sailing down the Hudson River, between Manhattan and Jersey City. It seems like a fun way to see the sights.

Midtown Peek

Peek at the Empire State Building and the midtown skyline between two Lower East Side apartment towers

Under the Willy-B

Underneath the Williamsburg Bridge, taken from the Manhattan Side of the East River.

Old Railroad Bridge

I recently came across what remains of this old railroad bridge in the Hudson River at Riverside Park near W. 69th Street. The bridge was formerly a transfer bridge on the New York Central Railroad, allowing rail cars to transfer onto barges to cross the river. This site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

No. 1 Train

Southbound #1 subway train leaving the 125th Street & Broadway station in Harlem. The train comes up for air at this one station, then quickly heads back underground. According to the folks at NYC Subway.org, "Broadway at this point is in a deep valley and the transit designers had a choice of a viaduct or deep tunnel with steep grades at either end. They chose a viaduct to allow the subway to remain relatively level."

Sunset & Moonrise

View from the East River Promenade (Lower East Side) around sunset on Friday. The hi-rise buildings across the river are Northside Piers and The Edge in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Old Pier

Abandoned pier near the Brooklyn Bridge, adjacent to the old Fulton Fish Market.

Civic Center Skyline

Civic Center buildings framed by Frank Gehry's 76-story apartment tower (left) and the seemingly windowless Verizon building (right). There are some windows in those black recessed strips running up and down the sides of the Verizon Building. The Gehry tower (8 Spruce Street, aka Beekman Tower) is now renting and is the tallest residential building in Manhattan - in fact, tallest in the western hemisphere.

Red

An eye-catchng building in Williamsburg - South, Brooklyn

Gretsch Building

Another shot from the Williamsburg Bridge - Brooklyn Side. The graffiti on the nearby rooftop caught my eye. It's big and bold and I like it! But, There's another story here. The large building in the background looks a lot different than it did 20 years ago, when it was a rundown old former factory of the Gretsch Musical Instruments Company. Like other companies, Gretsch abandoned Williamsburg and moved elsewhere. But, Williamsburg has seen a renaissance recently with an influx of young, affluent residents. The Gretsch Building, which still has "Gretsch Building No. 4" painted at the top, has been converted to luxury apartments.

Subway Tracks

Two views of of subway tracks from above. First: way below ground at 168th Street, Washington Heights, Manhattan (where you need to use an elevator to get to the platform). Second: high above the East River on the Williamsburg Bridge, between Manhattan and Brooklyn [click photo to enlarge]

East River - Downtown Skyline

A view of the East River from Corlears Hook to the downtown Manhattan skyline. The green area in the foreground is the southern end of East River Park at Corlears Hook, where the river makes an almost 90 degree turn. The building that looks like it has a rabbit ears antenna on top (far right skyline) is One World Trade Center (aka Freedom Tower) under construction.
[click photo to enlarge]