see, i told you... buildings and sky! in the hopes of not completely overwhelming you with such images, i've decided to upload my vacation pics in smaller groups.... part one now available in here
i'm still having some trouble finding words, but this trip was a bit different than my usual east coast / NY trip. for starters i spent the LEAST amount of time in manhattan proper ever... i did get to go - more on this later, but ultimately this was more of a suburban trip.... i spent time in bergenfied, NJ; long island city, williamsburg and cony island, peekskill, NY; and holden, MA [although we did spend 1.5 days in boston....] it is interesting to see how people push themselves out of populated areas and how once boondock towns now flourish as the masses leave to claim a stake of land as their own [oh and whole foods follows... yup!]
the other thing that was really strange was that we spent a lot of time in a CAR.... in NY - which just seems CRAZY to me, but it was how it all ended up happening. not only just riding in a car as a passenger, but also driving !! yes !! it was a bit nervewracking, but also exhilerating![is this why people jump out of planes?] the thing about being in a car is that the landscape looks so different - don't you think? maybe that's why i kept pointing the camera at the passing scenery. it's different than walking because it's stationary, but moving simultaneously. the trees and anything in fron of you wizzes by, but you have moments to stare at things in the distance. i think i'm like a dog when i'm in a car. if i thought it was safe i would probably hang my head way out the window, squint my eyes and take it all in - the smells, the sounds, the rush of moving [or not if you are stuck in traffic. that happened too]
so granted i am lucky to live in an area that has older architecture [they just don't build em like they used to], but there is something so amazing about how much older some things are on the east coast [esp. in boston - where you definitely feel the "founding fathers"]. the infrastructure is different, the fire hydrants are cooler....
the air, the breeze, the sky the clouds... although similar also are different. we ran into a dumping thunder storm one night. the streets looked like rivers - in the span of 1 hour it had come and gone. it sounded louder than rain near my house [and believe me we experienced rain this spring]. so all of this got me to thinking.... what is it about being out of your element that makes you look more? what determines a sense of place? is it the people? the architecture? both? if you were blindfolded and dropped somewhere, how would you know where you were? and light. how can it be that it feels so different in different places? it can get warmer in tone as well as temperature. it can illuminate or blind you. it can be flitered through clouds, it moves, it tracks time for us... none of this is new information of course, but it's definitely what i was thinking about as i walked and drove around.... any thoughts????
a few more of my favorite pics of round 1:
best corn muffins i have EVER tasted. worth a trip back.
we played croquet!
from the westside highway.
tomorrow i go to see lisa c's show with her... excited much? YES! so that report, plus more vacation pics [it's OK you can groan - at least i'm not forcing you to watch a slide show of my trip] and a catch up on mail goodies [i'm dreadfully behind here] hopefully all this week. [did i just type that?]
Yaay your back. Good to see and look forward to MORE holiday pics and wish I was hanging out with you and Lisa tomorrow :(
have fun with my sister and i'd love to see a slide show of your trip, bring on the photos!
I would love to see a slide show ;)
gorgeous travel photos!!! I´m the worst driver and could never drive in NY, I guess I´d suffer a heartattack :)
I'd probably enjoy that slideshow, too. Having never been to the east coast (yet!) I love reading about and seeing photos from other peoples' travels.
Oh lovely lovely girl! Have I mentioned how happy I am that you are back? I have? Well, I am really really glad! When we were living in SFO and visited Boston one of the things we noticed first was how clean it was in comparison. Oh I just miss San Francisco soooo much! Almost as much as I missed you *smile*
amazing shots! couldn't comment on all of them (time) but gorgeous!
buildings and sky! i love it! can never get enough. i enjoyed reading your thoughts/questions about place. still thinking....xo! shari
I'll have to see the photo's later but I look forward to it :)
oh so so lovely...the photos the thoughts...I think light and sound and color are so different everywhere...which is maybe why people are attracted to travel...and croquet...just thinking about the game, how I loved to play as a girl!!
Corn muffins, ahh! No fair as I sit in a house with an empty kitchen... a trip to the supermarket calls, but alas, that means getting out of these pj's.
Wonderful pics and words, as always...
take care, grache
i can't get past the corn muffin photograph to even make a comment on anything else. where can i get some of those?!?! xx! mav
The sense of place...where does it come from?
I just got back from a trip to San Francisco. I felt like I really belonged there. Loved the artsy big city thing. But why do I feel belonging there more than say, in New York? Was it a western thing, having grown up in Idaho? I don't know, but that sense of place thing has got me thinking too. People definitely play a big part-- maybe even define it because they create the place. Or does the place create them?
Again - Glad you are back!
Your corn muffin photo instantly made me devour a waffle...help, I'm living proof of Pawlow! (Strange that pictures of houses don't make me want to build one though.)
Caught a glimpse of your photos on flickr and will click through the whole thing a little later today...but what I saw so far was great!
Hugs!
I miss NY so much when I see photos like these.
Sigh.
CORN MUFFINS!!!!
nicole... i wish you could have come too!
ok stephanie... you are unleashing the dragon! :)
maditi... i'm sure you aren't that bad of a driver :D
marielle.... oh you'll have to go sometime soon. it's really fun to go to NY [and anywhere else]
christine... SF is here for you anytime! you are so so sweet!! i almost can't stand it....
thanks jan!
hi shari.... i think we both have a thing for the buildings/sky theme! :D
hi camilla!
wendy - i think you are right.... and i wish we could play croquet. it was fun.
hi gracia... i hate empty kitchens :)
mav... some german deli in new jersey.... i guess they are made by a lithuanian bakery [not sure if they have a store. you really ought to try them. they practically changed my life]
hi sweet anke.... now i want to test the limits... will photos of water make you want to swim? :)
eirann... i know what you mean....
jessica... you are reading my mind... place and people. how exactly does it all work??
Gosh have I missed so much of your posts?!
Fantastic trip...the most amazing pics and the look of those muffins...hummmmm :9...I never try one but they look so good I feel like going to the states just for it.
I'm going back to you flickr pics can stop looking at them...see ya.
bjs
paula :)
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
now that
i have lived
on each coast
i am amazed
at
how
different
the feel
the light
the architecture
is
between coasts
and how
it comes through
what feel
how i
perceive
a place.
my photos from
my years in the nw
compared
to
north carlolina
and
now
to dc
have a completely
different
light
and
composition...
i focus on
different things...
i guess
that's
how i interpret
a sense of place-
how it
transforms
me...
while i am there...
however
long
or
short
my stay.