Meet Me In St. Louis

Looking up at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (aka the Gateway Arch). Definitely very impressive from the outside. Also impressive? The line to get in. Depending on time of day, you could spend more time waiting in line than actually riding the elevator to the observation deck.

Inside Union Station. The station, repurposed as a hotel, is a grand space with a nightly light show. One of the more impressive public spaces in the City.

At Busch Stadium with a view of the Arch, Court House, and downtown.

A view from behind home plate.

One of the great things about St. Louis is all the public art and sculptures on display. This is part of a larger display along Market Street. 

Soulard Market is a hidden gem near the Budweiser brewery (and tours and free tastings). However, this is more likely to leave a lasting impression with a copious amount of fresh food, spices, teas, and other local delicacies. 

More of the fresh food on display.

From the top of the Gateway Arch looking West. There was a bit of haze plus the windows don't exactly give you the clearest views (and they're incredibly tiny - each one is less than a foot high and about 18 inches wide). Everyone gets wedged in tight up there trying to hunch over to get a view, let alone decent photos.

Fountains outside Union Station at night. 

More fountains outside Union Station.

The Lincoln home in Springfield, Illinois. It's where Lincoln accepted the nomination to lead the Republican Party in the 1861 presidential elections, which he won. 

We hit several stretches of Route 66 in and around St. Louis. This particular stretch was near the Lincoln National Historic Site.

Inside the State Capitol of Illinois.

Looking up at the State Capitol of Illinois.

St. Charles, Missouri. Home to the first state capitol and first capital of Missouri.

White Haven, the home owned by US Grant and where he lived prior to the Civil War. It's where he met his wife, who was from a family of slave holders. 

Inside the Budweiser Brewery.

Inside the Court House where the state's Dred Scott cases played out.

This space is recreating the look and feel of the court room at the time of the Dred Scott decision. The courtroom was originally several times larger than this.

Walking through the Old Courthouse, you could really feel the history around you. Hitting these historic sites really did give you a sense of the importance of the St. Louis environs and why events turned out the way they did - it was where US Grant got his first exposure to slavery (via his wife's family). It's where the infamous Dred Scott case worked its way through the courts on its way to an abominable decision by the Taney court, and where the nation was at a crossroads- literally and figuratively as a central point on the way West.

If you want to get a primer on civil rights and equal protection under the law, look no further than the courthouse downtown. The courtroom for Dred Scott leaves a lasting impression on those willing to learn - we are still a world away from truly having equal protection under the law, and minorities are still persecuted and not treated equally.

That goes for religious as well as ethnic minorities. So, when I hear about how Christian persecution in the US, I have to wonder what planet these people are talking about, because Christians aren’t being persecuted here - they’re being exposed to the limits of separation of church and state as the Founders wanted because no religion shall be established, which means that Christians can’t impose their views on everyone else through state acts (like legislation).

A few other observations about St. Louis in general. The food is pretty damned good. Had Imo's and Ted Drewes as well as great Italian food at a place off the beaten path. Square One distillery and brewery is a nice spot in the Lafayette neighborhood. The area's parks and recreation activities are quite nice, and there's plenty of distinctive architecture to take in.

But there was one thing I couldn't quite figure out. Why did local and state leaders think that every street, let alone highway needed more lanes of traffic? The place could have accommodated two or three times as much traffic and still had room for several times more. It's one of the most overbuilt areas for roads I've ever traveled. The area could definitely benefit from a road diet.

For these photos, I shot with my Canon 60D and either the Sigma 8-16mm, f4.5-5.6 or Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 lenses.

Branch Brook Park In Bloom

Branch Brook Park in Newark is one of the oldest county parks in the nation, and it also happens to have one of the world's largest and most diverse collection of cherry trees in the world. It's even larger than the cherry tree collection in Washington DC with more than 4,000 cherry trees. Many of them were blossoming this past weekend and this week looks to be the peak blooming period. Here's a small sample, and it's amazing to see this gem in the heart of Newark.

In fact, there are parts of the park that make one feel like you've entered a wilderness. It's truly a jewel of New Jersey.

Photos For Sale

I've been operating a small sales concession on Cafepress for the past couple of years, and this photo is the big seller:



It's the incomparable Eiffel Tower at night. Since it was built for the Paris Exposition of 1889, no structure in Paris has exceeded its height. It is a source of inspiration, romance, and the official symbol of France and Paris, despite the fact that it was widely reviled after its construction and some sought to demolish it early after its permit for operation expired in 1909. It always helps to get beautiful light to enhance an already majestic vista.

If you like it, or think you'd like to buy some of my other photos - either as wall art or as covers for your cellphones, check out my CafePress shop.

Make Custom Gifts at CafePress

Walkway Over the Hudson

The Walkway Over the Hudson is an adaptive reuse of a disused railroad trestle linking Poughkeepsie and Highland. It was originally built in 1888 as a rail link across the Hudson River - the only one between New York City and Albany, which more than 100 miles upstream. After a fire in 1974, the trestle was closed to rail traffic. It sat as a hulking ruin linking both sides of the river just upstream from the FDR Mid Hudson Bridge. It was decided to turn the railroad crossing into a tourist destination and park, along the lines of the High Line in Manhattan.

Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park is a linear walkway spanning the Hudson River. At 212 feet tall and 1.28 miles long, it is the longest, elevated pedestrian bridge in the world. 400,000 visitors come to the bridge annually since it opened in 2009.

These shots don't even begin to capture the grandeur of the surrounding landscape, which was ablaze in fall color and that have been captured successfully by the Hudson River school of artists whose work is world-renowned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2013 Festival of Ballooning

Sometimes, to get the shot, you need to go to extremes. Like waking at 4am, driving a couple of hours, and then waiting for things to come into view. These were shot earlier today at the 31st Annual Festival of Ballooning, at Solberg Airport in Readington, New Jersey where more than 100 balloonists participated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Yosemite Experience

Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir

The vista view from Tunnel View

A coyote chowing down on a squirrel outside Curry Village

Bridal Veil Falls and a rainbow nearing sunset

The lights of the Oakland Bay Bridge