Corlears Hook / FDR Drive

This is the FDR Drive at Grand Street, just before it curves around Corlears Hook and heads towards South Ferry. The layer of clouds passing overhead was too good to pass up. This is one of the first photos I took while testing my new NEX camera. So far I've been pleased with the results I'm getting. I'm even more happy that it doesn't break my back carrying it plus a lens or two... a huge difference between this and the larger, heavier Canon gear that resulted in back, neck & shoulder pain and numbness in my hand whenever I carried it.

Kozy Korner at Night

This is the corner that most Lower East Siders know as Cozy Corner - where Grand, Madison and Lewis Streets meet up. Lower East Side, Manhattan

I'm testing Canon's new G15 camera, which I hope will complement my G1X in those situations where I need a faster lens and faster focus. I do a lot of shooting from moving taxis/car service and buses. I find, in too many cases, where the G1X auto-focus is too slow to grab a shot before the car or bus moves on. Also, while the G1X has superb image quality in low light, it's slow lens often requires a slow shutter speed. Between my aging/shaking hands and my aversion to carrying a tripod, this often results in wonderfully exposed but blurred photos. I'm hoping the G15 will fill in the gap in these situations

Last year I switched from using a T3i dSLR to the G1X because back problems made it painful and difficult for me to carry around the dSLR and lenses (which is also why I don't carry a tripod). I absolutely LOVE the results I've been getting with the G1X most cases. The addition of the G15 should help with the rest.

Grand Street

Eastern end of Grand Street, Lower East Side.

Corlears Hook Flags

Trying out a new camera at Corlears Hook Park, where the U.S. flag is flying above the flags of New York City and NYC Dept. of Parks & Recreation.

Slushfest

Today has been a miserable day, weather-wise. It started with a dusting of snow which put a fresh coating on top of the snow that still remains from the Dec 26 snowpocalypse (yeah, there's been snow on the ground for about 21 consecutive days). Snow turned to freezing rain, then rain. The good news is the temperature is now above freezing and the rain is slowly washing away the snow.

Blizzard Dig-Out

The Blizzard of Dec 26-27, 2010. It was a really intense storm that went on for over 18 hours and even included thundersnow (snow + thunder + lightning) for a while. It left just over 20 inches of snow that's been pushed around by snow plows and blown around by Mother Nature. It will take a while to dig out of this mess.

Schaefer Landing - Williamsburg Bridge

Yesterday's photo was taken about a month ago, from ground level at the river's edge. By coincidence, I was photographing a 10th floor apartment late yesterday afternoon and caught this view of the Williamsburg Bridge and Schaefer Landing.

Turning Green

It seems that with every passing hour, there's more green on the trees. They appear to follow some schedule, with some turning green sooner than others - just like in autumn, where some trees always manage to hang onto their leaves longer. I love watching the seasons change!

UPS Convention on Grand Street

Snowy New Year's Eve Morning

I woke up to find this outside my window this morning.

Across the River

Late afternoon sun reflecting off a building on the Brooklyn side of the East River.

Graffiti Truck

Parked on Grand Street near the FDR Drive.

Kozy Korner

Kozy Korner (or was it Cozy Corner?) is not the name of the convenience store that's there today. But, most of use long-time Grand Street east-enders still call the 24-Hr. convenience store and the corner on which it sits (really a triangle point formed by the intersection of Madison and Grand Streets), "Kozy Korner" - the name of the original store which occupied that spot since the late 50s. In its day, it was THE place to hang out in the 'hood.

Life at the Top

Balconies and terraces at the top of a Lower East Side apartment tower.

An almost ghost-like effect - the result of early morning sun shining through rising steam

Looking towards the eastern end of Grand Street, on the Lower East Side.

Shadows, light, and lots of color on the Lower East Side. I can't believe how quickly these trees filled out.