I ventured to the Big Apple with some friends on April 22. The bus trip, to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Central PA, was my first venture to New York in over a decade. This year I wanted to travel to the city to capture the amazing and historic architecture, gritty streets, and big buildings.

After arriving, my sister, her husband, and my friend and I all venturing to Midtown Manhatten. Starting at Bryant Park, where the bus left us, as we went from street to street, we weaved around the busy city.

Our first official stop was at Grand Central Terminal. According to this website, the original 1871 building was Grand Central Depot. It became Grand Central Station after renovation and expansion in 1901. The new building unveiled in 1913—whose centennial we’re celebrating—is Grand Central Terminal. The idea of people going from place to place was why I wanted to photograph this space. I love the movement.

So once a long time ago (1999), I ended up in the Bronx because I didn’t understand the subway system. Hoping to not make a mistake like that again, while I’m sure it’s a nice place to visit, our group was wanting to head to Lower Manhatten. Once we figured out the rail system and changes of schdules and tracks, we were on our way heading to the World Trade Center.

Once we had taken in the view of the WTC Memorial we headed the Oculus, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub in Lower Manhattan, which opened up in 2016. THe glass-and-steel structure was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava to look like a dove in flight. If I hadn’t read that, I’m not sure I’d think that’s what I would’ve thought. But I like the concept. And I can appriciate the artist expression.

We headed back to the subway to get back to the spot where the bus would take us back to Central PA. The Fulton Center stop was especially visually stimulating. The station opened in November 2014, and was meant to unify five different subway stations with nine lines into one complex. The main draw is a glass oculus, with a 53-foot diameter, atop an atrium. The station is built in a steel and glass shell, has almost one thousand aluminum panels to capture daylight throughout the year and reflect sunlight deep into the station. The French Gothic-style Corbin Building on John Street was also restored. About 300,000 riders on weekdays use the new stop.

Lastly, and my most favorite space that we visited was the New York Public Library, which has been an essential provider of free books, information, ideas, and education for all New Yorkers for more than 100 years. Founded in 1895, NYPL is the nation’s largest public library system, featuring a unique combination of 88 neighborhood branches and four scholarly research centers, bringing together an extraordinary richness of resources and opportunities available to all.

Serving more than 17 million patrons a year, and millions more online, the Library holds more than 55 million items, from books, e-books, and DVDs to renowned research collections used by scholars from around the world. Housed in the iconic 42nd Street library and three other research centers, NYPL’s historical collections hold such treasures as Columbus’s 1493 letter announcing his discovery of the New World, George Washington’s original Farewell Address, and John Coltrane’s handwritten score of “Lover Man.”

To view all the images I created in NYC, click HERE 🙂