November 2023

The early morning horizon was starting to blaze a deep red glow as I stepped onto the floating dock. This was my second light show this morning, having been treated to the lunar eclipse on my drive up to the Highlands. It was a crisp morning with winds blowing off Sandy Hook Bay, which brought the temps down close to freezing, plus made the footing on the floating dock feel like I had a few shots of Southern in me. I felt like I wanted a change of scenery, like a drastic change, far removed from the forests and ridge lines where I had more frequently been found lately. I was on my way to Manhattan.

Back when I used to shoot more assignments in Manhattan it was almost always in Midtown. Today I was on my way to Lower Manhattan, around the Financial District and World Trade Center, an area I had never really explored too much. First things first - SeaStreak! I took the SeaStreak ferry from NJ to NYC - do it, that’s all I’m gonna say! Comfortable (almost luxurious, in fact!), convenient, no turnpike traffic, free parking, and, whoa, the view of New York City on the way back to NJ in the evening!!

This was a film day, so the F5 was with me, along with a few different stocks of Kodak film. Three prime lenses were in my shoulder bag, including the newly acquired 14mm f 2.8, getting a chance to show off its unique talents. I was in the city by 7am, the ferry arriving at Pier 11 after cruising across the bays, under the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, and past the Statue of Liberty. From there I was on foot for the whole day, exploring the big sites and finding little bits of NYC character…