Our last and final day in New York was to be a low key day walking around Central Park, a meal, and a flight home in the afternoon.  We started with a coffee stop and our normal ride on a subway, this time to the Upper West Side to start our walk through Central Park.  As we started our walk Sue noticed a couple getting engaged as we were walking over one of the many bridges in the park.  The couple hired a photographer to capture the moment, and I was able to capture the entire moment, including Sue.  It was my first walk through Central Park and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  There were bikes, boats, random street performers, and beautiful views of the city.

As we made our way back to Central Park South, we decided to make a quick trip down to Rockefeller Center, so Sue could do some last minute shopping.  I took the opportunity for some more street photography and enjoy the day in the sun.  We had some lunch and then headed back to the hotel to grab the bags and a cab.

At the airport we had some beers and reflected on a great trip to New York.  I started to make some quick notes of our trip that I used as an outline for this series of posts.  There were a couple more photos and then home.

In the end I determined that the Fujifilm X-Series cameras are my new travel kit.  My confidence grew knowing that I didn't have to sacrifice image composition or quality.  Fuji has a winner in this series of bodies and lenses and I am excited for the future and my decision to move to the X-Series line.  Look for more of my adventures with the Fujifilm X-Series cameras in upcoming posts.

It was so nice out over the weekend that the whole family went for a bike ride.  Jonah wanted to ride over the river so we took the North Shore Trail, crossed the river, and landed at Point State Park.  The Block House was open so the kids went inside to check it out and listen to the local historian explain its significance.  While Sue and I were outside waiting, I noticed the Daughters of the American Revolution  (D.A.R.) emblem above the entrance and had Harper pose for a photo.

If Harper should decide to apply when she is old enough she could be a member of D.A.R.  My post here (http://www.theyellowbelt.com/2013/03/genealogy-surprises.html) highlights briefly how Harper is a family name.

Our third day in NYC began with a subway ride to NYU and a walk to a local coffee shop.  We grabbed some coffee and breakfast, and walked to Washington Square Park to enjoy some people watching while we ate.  After "loosely" planning our adventure for the day I took a few pictures at the park, and we continued on our walk to the Greenwich Village area, specifically Bleecker Street.

Sue shopped and I took the time to capture more street shots.  The Village has some really cool local shops and some touristy places too.  Amy's Bread and Murray's Cheese would be classified as the touristy places, and they were packed.  Another round of coffee, and it was off to the subway
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I didn't tell Sue where we were headed because based on earlier conversations I knew she was not interested in the particular area of New York City.  However, since this was my "photo walk," I figured it would be worth a quick stop in China Town and Little Italy, walk around, grab a drink, take some photos, and back on the subway.  Well, that is pretty much exactly what we did, and it produced an accidental favorite from the trip.  As we walked the streets there was an open fish market, I stopped took a shot and moved along.  It wasn't until I uploaded the image that I saw the sign on the scale, which makes me like this image even more.  Next stop….Brooklyn.

The plan for Brooklyn, was to subway over to Brooklyn, find a pizza place that Sue remembered from a previous trip, eat, and then walk the Brooklyn Bridge back to Lower Manhattan.  The plan was executed to perfection.  I will also give my directionally challenged wife credit for locating Juliana's Pizza.  The entire Brooklyn Bridge experience was one of my highlights of the entire trip.  It was my first time, so I had built it up in my mind, and it delivered.  My only recommendation would be to try and plan your trip for a week day.  We went on the weekend and the bridge was wall to wall people, and I am told the week days are less crowded.

The day was done and we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and head out for the evening.  During our trip we specifically didn't make pre-determine plans, other than one dinner reservation (Peter Luger on Day 2) and this evenings trip to The Top of The Rock.  Neither of us have been to the top, so we thought it would be a nice thing to experience together.  I booked our tickets based on the time the sun would be setting, so that I could capture NYC at night.  The whole experience lasted about an hour, and according to Sue is a much better experience and view than The Empire State Building.

We walked around Time Square for a few minutes, and walked back to the hotel for some drinks.  Day 3 was in the books and we were excited to spend Day 4 in Central Park and head home that evening.  More to come on Day 4...
 

During the wedding we were at last Saturday I stepped outside and snapped a few images of the Pittsburgh skyline.

I was a little nervous before arriving in New York that I had only brought my Fuji cameras, leaving my Canon 5D MkII and lenses at home.  The part the made me nervous was not being able to get extra wide angle shots of street scenes and skyscrapers.  I had to think through my shots a little bit more, some times walk a little further, and know that I may have to sacrifice a few shots along the way.  What I gained was a new perspective on travel photography, more thoughtful and composed images, and a back that wasn't sore at the end of the day.  Below is how our day progressed and some of my favorite images I captured along the way.

We decided to fly in on Thursday morning, drops the bags at the hotel, and then hit the subway to start our "photo walk."  Our first stop was the World Trade Center Memorial, and if you ever get the opportunity you should definitely go.  There was a line, which moved quickly, and we were in the memorial in no time at all.

After the memorial, we hopped on the subway and it was off to SOHO to shop, view the architecture, and check out the streets.  SOHO was great and it offered Sue and I both something we wanted.  She went shopping and I stood out on the sidewalk shooting random people or scenes that I found interesting.

We made our way to the Flatiron District, which was on my list to photograph.  After I took a few shots, we spotted a park with a Burger and Shake place.  Seemed like a great place for a break for our feet and some beers.

It was finally time to go check-in at the hotel and with the kids to see how grandma and pappy were managing, clean up for dinner, eat,  and then a little walk to dessert.  The image of the skyline at night was captured on our way to dessert, and is somewhere around Dylan's Candy Bar, maybe a few blocks south.

That was our first day and I am currently reviewing and editing Day 2, more to come.

Sue and I were lucky enough to be invited to a wedding celebration yesterday.  I used this as an opportunity to document the day from my point of view using my X100s.  This is the perfect camera for documenting a wedding, setting the camera to silent mode, there was no sound as I snapped away.  Below are some of my favorite moments from the day, at the church and the reception that followed.

Congratulations Amy and Lou!