Maine Lake #1065

Artist John Constable would have loved Maine. There's a new lake to paint every mile or so.

Mmmmm funghi

I couldn't resist biting a chunk out of this New Hampshire mushrooom.

Hitchcock Lighthouse

Here's the same lighthouse but in a more Hitchcock thriller style. Please try to imagine the scary soundtrack.

Cape Elizabeth, Maine

How pretty is the lighthouse at Cape Elizabeth, just outside Portland, Maine? I'd love to return midwinter in the midst of a storm, as the waves crash over it.

New Hampshire

It's poignant to think that that beautiful foliage has by now all fallen to the ground and is rotting underfoot.

Maine Lake

Here's an unknown lake I passed in the early morning, driving through Maine to Lake Sebago. Fog was shrouding the far bank, or was it an approaching cataclysmic death cloud?

Woodstock again

Did I boost the saturation enough?

Woodstock VT

There are numerous Woodstocks. The Vermont one must be the prettiest, especially in autumn.

White River Junction

Arriving in the Vermont town of White River Junction in darkness (in the midst of an awesome storm that spawned a tornado which hit New York), I was pleasantly surprised to see this gorgeous view out of the hotel the next morning.

Washington Irving

Among others, the following notable people are buried in Sleepy Hollow:

Elizabeth Arden; Brooke Astor; Walter Chrysler; Andrew Carnegie; William Rockefeller; and of course Washington Irving.

Sleepy Hollow

The first stop out of New York was Sleepy Hollow. This is the Old Dutch Graveyard. It was appropriate visiting here just before Halloween, although not having time to linger longer for the evening ghost tour was disappointing.

Plaza Hotel

Not being able to afford to stay at the Plaza, I still snuck inside for a peek at one of the most renowned New York hotels. I've been dreaming of this place since seeing Cary Grant visiting in Hitchcock's North by Northwest. It's also been featured in Crocodile Dundee, Scent of a Woman, Sleepless in Seattle and The Great Gatsby.

Before my next New York trip, I'll start saving early so I can finally spend a night there.

Lights of Broadway

Looking south down Broadway, the wattage of illumination is so powerful that the air is glowing in the distance.

Skating at Rockefeller

My favourite part of the Rockefeller Center is the skating rink. Visiting on the opening day of the season in late October, several professionals were showing off their fancy moves, but it's probably more entertaining watching less skilful proponents trying to stay upright.

Escaping from New York

You'd think that navigating through Manhattan would be simple. The grid pattern of conveniently numbered streets and avenues mean that in theory you should be able to find your way without the use of maps or a GPS. But if you look closely at the map below, you'll see that most streets are one-way. And when trying to plot an escape route upstate to Sleepy Hollow it became apparent that simply heading north wouldn't work because eventually you reach water, so a bridge or tunnel is needed, and you need to find the exact route onto the correct bridge or tunnel lest you end up in Brooklyn or the Bronx rather than on an expressway in the right direction. It took hours of planning the evening before but eventually I found a path, and the actual driving the next morning wasn't too tricky, but without the preparation it could have been a nightmare. One factor that does help is the dominance of pedestrians, who flood across streets, allowing you plenty of thinking time before you need to move.

Radio City Music Hall

It was exciting to see crowds gathering outside the Radio City Music Hall as I passed, and I imagined a famous entertainer was performing. But no. All enthusiasm evaporated when I saw the posters - Hill Song Church Conference.

More Rockefeller Center Art

There was so much nude art installed at the Rockefeller Center that the prudish John D. Rockefeller was so embarrassed, he would only enter via the one door that contained fully clothed art. Below is above the doors to the Radio City Music Hall.

30 Rock

30 Rock from another angle. The plants along the pools here are replaced every couple of weeks depending on the season. By now, this would be Christmasified.

Fakey HDR

I do love the fake HDR (high dynamic range) effect from the Camera+ app on the iPhone. Here's a particularly egregious example, from Madison Avenue I believe.

New York Atlas

At last I'm back. Thousands of photos are in the memory cards and I've tidied up a tiny fraction of them. Here's the first: Atlas in front of the Rockefeller Center. This pagan god is provocatively facing St Patrick's Cathedral, but to appease the church, he was designed to mirror Christ bearing the cross from the rear angle.