Rhode Island & Boston: Summer 2021

My close friend Alyssa and I have had a variably ongoing tradition of visiting one another to get up to some kind of local adventures most Summers.  Most recently Alyssa stopped by DC in 2020 while traveling to take care of her grandparents who needed help during the height of the pandemic, and this past Summer of 2021, since everyone finally had access to a vaccine and cases were at a record low since the start, I visited Alyssa and Megan for 10 days in beautiful Rhode Island.

Since this trip was quite long, and included numerous locations and photoshoots, I am breaking this post up into days and major locations, and including highlights linking back to dedicated posts I’ve already posted.

Be sure to see my highlight video of selected clips from this trip, found at the end of this post or at this link on YouTube. Or see the full Vlog on YouTube.

Black Tom Island, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, & Manhattan

Like my last trip to Rhode Island in 2018, I chose to drive, both due to the safety risks of flying, and the logistical ease of having my car on hand.  With a new pair of Maui Jims in my signature color, a new dashcam installed, and Ginny, my plush Corgi Alyssa sent me earlier in the year, riding shotgun, I had my car freshly ceramic tinted the day before leaving, which made the Summer heat and sun much more bearable with the extended drive - a light smoky look, I regret not having my black car with black interior tinted the day I bought it in 2015.  Unfortunately, I was traveling on 4th of July weekend, which meant my ~7-8hr drive ended up being about 16hrs thanks to traffic the first half and severe weather from New York forward.

Approaching New York, I was driving on the border of a massive rainstorm the length of the Eastern seaboard, whose bands were spaced out like fingers but I somehow was able to outrun just enough to arrive at my traditional halfway stopping point of the Jersey shore overlooking Manhattan, this time at Black Tom Island.  The pavement was drenched from a band that had gone through probably not long before I arrived, and I knew from watching radar I didn’t have much time to go get a glimpse of The Statue of Liberty - this was my first time at this park, so while I knew I *should* be able to spot it, I wasn’t sure how great the view would be.

Black Tom Island’s park seemed very nice, or at least it would be when the facilities are open - I suspect the visitor center was a pandemic closure, but given the nasty weather the only people out and about were two couples dropping in to take a quick selfie with Lady Liberty like I was, and a runner so saturated he looked as though he’d just arisen from the Hudson.  Black Tom Island is a part of Liberty State Park I’d like to visit more in detail knowing a bit more of the history behind it - the site of the Black Tom Explosion in 1916, German spies set fire to the Lehigh Valley Munitions Depot housing 2,000,000 lbs of artillery shells and 100,000 lbs of TNT to be shipped to Russian and British allies during WWI.  The sabotaged stockpile detonated, destroying the manmade island, launching debris into the skin of The Statue of Liberty and buildings over a mile away, shattering windows up to 25mi away, registering 5.5 on the Richter Scale, being felt as far away as Philadelphia and heard as far as Baltimore.

The incident resulted in creation of The Espionage Act of 1917, and later would later be used by FDR as justification for the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.  Today the site of the explosion is marked with a circle of flags with Lady Liberty holding her damaged and now restored torch high above her head, perhaps peeking over her shoulder at blast site.

I hurried to the Hudson’s shore to get a peek at the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan, and maybe Ellis Island before the storm caught back up to me.  I was lucky; I got there just in time to see Manhattan become completely enveloped in a wall of rain reminiscent of a disaster movie in a matter of a minute.  Ellis Island was visible but not discernible.  I didn’t wait to see Lady Liberty, parallel to my unsheltered position, to also be consumed.  I had another traveler (apparently also from DC on their way up to New England) quickly take my picture, shot a few Polaroids, and sprinted the 1/4mi back to the car as heavy raindrops began pelting me - it had been drizzling the entire time, but it was about to get serious again.

By time I got to my car the rain was just picking up; I spent only 10min at the park.  This would be the weather I’d drive in for the next ~8 hours on a trip that would normally only require 4; a long day of driving non-stop without even eating anything more than my morning coffee that would result in a migraine the next day after finally arriving.

Alyssa, Megan, and myself all grumpily went straight to bed once I finally got there and collapsed from a long day of hurry up and wait.  Isla quickly became my new best friend and kept me cozy and cuddled on Megacouch™ that was my bed for the trip every night.  The next morning I met Nova, who I’d only Facetimed with up to this point, and once my migraine had subsided enough that light and sound weren’t cracking my skull open, Megan and I got weird in her new plague reaper outfit.  I also might have accidentally scared a few people wearing this mask while walking around in a few spots that required masks - Megan and I share a love of dark humor and literally morbid curiosities.  We had several ideas for photoshoots with this getup, but didn’t have the time to pursue them, and had higher photoshoot priorities.

Slatersville

I’ve learned over the years that the best trips only have loosely laid plans; you need to be able to follow your heart, not an itinerary.  Rhode Island, and all of New England for that matter, has rich and interesting history, whether local or regionally.  Most days on this trip I started like most days at home, by knocking out a run - I kept them short to only 5Ks on the road, and this time had a running buddy: Isla, who is a bundle of energy.  None of us were sure how she’d do running that long a distance; our first few times out I stopped variably to give her a check-in and rest, but over the course of a few days I’d worked her up to the full 5K distance non-stop, and she did great!  After just a few runs she had even learned the new commands, “let’s go” to speed up, “slow down,” and most critically “cross” for knowing when I was deeming it safe for us to cross roads and crosswalks - she’s a very smart pupper, and I miss my running buddy after coming back home!

Typical of New England Summers, there were numerous dreary days, which I of course enjoy my fair share of, and they work perfectly for some of the photoshoot ideas Megan and I had bouncing around.  Once my headache cleared more, we set out to go scouting for some of the steampunk and vintage shoot locations.  This actually would have been a perfect day to shoot on, but neither of us were in the mood for more than just some casual exploration.

Fun fact; I hint at it in the Victorian Trenchcoat Photoshoot’s post, but on the other side of this wall Megan climbed onto and lay atop was this piece of power gathering equipment leftover from the textile mill’s spillway - the water rushing through was very loud and very dangerous, so I’m still surprised she scaled up, laid down, and closed her eyes without hesitation.

On another day, I went walking with Alyssa, some of her neighbors, and the puppers on a play-date-walk around Slatersville; I’d seen much of the small village from my runs, but certainly not all of it, such as the nearby reservoir’s feed into the mill’s spillway above about ½mi away where Isla and the other puppers like to go swimming before the current picks up.

That evening Megan and I went out stormchasing, one of two times we rushed out to try and catch lightning.  This is something we both do in our respective hometowns during the thunderstormy Summer months, but was the first time we’ve had the chance to go do it together, not just frantically texting each other about storms in our area.  As it turns out, we both have very different methods of photographing storms and capturing lightning photography; although my method is more traditional, I have to give the aptly named “@thestorm_witch” the win here, because she routinely catches more lighting more aesthetically than I do.  Don’t tell her I admitted she’s better than me LOL.

Independence Day

On The 4th of July I went with Alyssa to her mom’s for a BBQ and birthday party for one of the kids; not only were most of Alyssa’s family who I’ve come to know over the years were there, but also quite a few of Alyssa’s friends, which was nice to see again after 3 years.  This was also my first time seeing Hennessy, her sister’s pit who fell in love with me in 2018 just as much as Isla this 2021 - I have a reputation of stealing the hearts of everyone else’s pets 💁🏼‍♂️  Between the two, it turned into a flight of who would be my lap dog during the picnic, but since Hennessy has gotten a bit older, chubby, and lazy, Isla won this fight.  Alyssa brought her albino bunny Ghost, who was fed by some of the fascinated kids when he wasn’t exploring her garden and nibbling on the veggies ready for harvest.

After the party, a group of us met up to make smores and drink around a firepit after a dip in the hottub as fireworks went off in different directions around us.

Megan: Steampunk Textile Mill

The next day Megan and I shot our first session together inside the textile mill, which had some equipment leftover and restored for display; perfect for the steampunk vibe we were after.  This was Megan’s first time modeling in over 5 years, and her first time in a corset, so I’m glad she was comfortable entrusting me with photographing her and jumping back into modeling with me.

A few highlights are below, but you can see the full set and a more detailed description of our concept on this post dedicated to the shoot.

Paddleboards and Kayaks

For several months Alyssa had been excited about the inflatable paddleboard she had gotten a deal on, and this day was a great opportunity to give it a shot.  I enjoyed some kayak time along Saunderstown’s Narrow River while Alyssa quickly got the hang of her board - she has the goal of getting Isla to be comfortable riding along with her, but her first time on a paddleboard isn’t the time for that - the pupper stayed home.  Even I gave the paddleboard a shot after Alyssa was done, though it was beginning to deflate and become a bit floppy, but I am still impressed at how similar to a fully rigid paddleboard it is.

Wickford

After a day on the water, it was time to head over to nearby Wickford for drinks and lobstah rolls at Wickford on the Water.  Most of the shops in downtown Wickford were already closed for the day so while I walked around and took pictures with my Canon, so I came back a few days later to do some shopping with only my Polaroid.

Newport

After Wickford, I head over to Newport solo in search of sunset and to see what the nightlife was like this time around - I parked in the same spot I did 3 years prior, and walked Thames Street like I did in 2018.  None of the boutiques were open; just the touristy oceanwear stores that don’t offer the individualized type of gifts I was on the hunt for.  I wanted dessert; perhaps a drink, but definitely ice cream - there was a gelato place I popped into as a nightcap in 2018, and to my delight it was still there and one of the few places also still open at this hour.  A fitting tradition I’ve come to develop in this city.

Megan: Victorian Trenchcoat

This day we’d awaited foggy weather, and jumped at the fog offered this morning before the sun rose enough to burn it off.  The fog provided the perfect atmosphere to match the damp ruins of the old textile mill, a setting matched to the Victorian trenchcoat Megan and timeless makeup Megan sported for this photoshoot.

Enjoy some highlights below, but be sure to visit the dedicated post for more of the images we created during this shoot.  For this shoot I also brought my Polaroid and captured some true beauty in imperfection.

Boston

One of the biggest plans I had for this trip was visiting Boston.  I technically had been before, back in 2000, the same trip that I shot my September, 2000 photo of the World Trade Center which I revisited and replicated in 2018 on my last roadtrip up to New England.  But my only memory of Boston besides seeing The Old North Church is riding my Razer scooter through a busy market, one I remember as being Chinatown, but after this trip I must wonder if it was the Boston Public Market I walked through first thing upon arriving in the city.

Immediately after wrapping the Victorian Trenchcoat shoot, only taking the time to offload the pictures, I zipped off solo the hour drive to Boston, dropping my car next to Quincy Market to grab a lobstah roll before starting my explorations.  Passing through the Boston Public Market, I spotted Union Oyster House, noting it as a possible dinner option for later.

After some chowdah and lobstah, I began my exploration.  Like how I explore most new cities, I didn’t have any firm destinations - I happened upon nearby Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park and took in Union Wharf on my way up to The North End, where The Old North Church is located among a number of cemeteries.

Entering The North End, I was drawn down down Hanover by the residential architecture, and stumbled upon the All Saints Way alleyway shrine in Boston’s little Italy.  Owned by resident Peter Baldassari, this little known odditiy is a collection of photos, statues, prayer cards, and holy objects collected throughout his life, and partially on display in the private alleyway outside his home.  2021 has unironically been my year for Atlas Obscura, because I visited Centralia, a Pennsylvania ghost town expected to burn for the next 250 years, just a few months prior to this trip, and here I am visiting another registry in the Atlas Obscura.

But wait, there’s more!  After walking through Paul Revere Mall and The Old North Church’s grounds, I, again accidentally, stumbled onto the Skinny House, AKA The Spite House, another Atlas Obscura entry.  This 10 foot wide, 30 foot deep 4 story rowhouse is the result of a feud between two brothers following an inheritance / land-rights dispute after the Civil War.  One brother, arriving home from the Civil War prior to his brother, built a home on the site; when his brother returned later and felt the land leftover in the inheritance had been disproportionally taken, the Skinny House was built out of spite to block the first brother’s access and daylight exposure to his home and business.  Today the Spite House remains the skinniest house in Boston; the historic building is privately owned and occupied, and not open to public.

I walked by The Old North Church, but without plans to actually tour it - I couldn’t have if I wanted to anyway; it was closed.

Unfortunately all the cemeteries in Boston had also just closed by this time; 4PM is very early, but my understanding is the time is set this way to deter vandalism of the gravestones dating back hundreds of years, so the graveyards always close at least an hour before sunset no matter the status of Daylight Savings Time - this reasoning needs a citation to confirm, however.

I was still able to see into the many cemeteries I passed by, and poke my camera through the fencing to get better views.

Continuing on, I made my way to Converse - Lovejoy Wharf and crossed the bridge with the intention of visiting The Charlestown Bells, but the entire dock this musical public art installation is located on was closed for construction.

Since that was a bust, I decided to check out Paul Revere Park.  I didn’t think this was really the type of thing I was looking for, but I was thinking of heading the general direction of Bunker Hill, so it was worth popping into.  I’m glad I did, because it offered a great view of the city, including TD Garden and Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge.

Since this was a bit of a breather and I was figuring out where to go from here, I found that Bunker Hill, like the cemeteries, was also closed for the day, and there wasn’t anything else in that direction I was drawn to - I’m sure I’d have found something fun that way on my exploration, but I like having a general direction in mind, even if I don’t necessarily make it to the destination I choose to head toward.  I shifted my focus toward MIT, Southwest of my current location, and figured it might be interesting to walk through.  This lead to my favorite happy accident of my entire trip.

Crossing the North Bank pedestrian bridge, I wasn’t sure I’d made the right call, but when I got to the other side of the water under I-93, I knew I’d accidentally made an even better call than I could have planned.  The Lynch Family Skatepark came into view, and it was hopping.  After watching from the bridge for a few minutes, I made my way over to get a closer look.

The skatepark is one of only a handful in all of Boston, and is the result of a non-profit that built it was part of a waterway restoration project 6 years ago.  The park clearly attracts skaters of all ages and skill levels, from kids on their first set of rollerblades to adults older than me tearing up the bowls on skateboards.  BMXers and scooters also dropped in for some action in the brightly graffitied bowls and ramps with street art applied.  Looking through historical photos, the park was totally barren of color and art until recently, and I’m glad they now allow, or at least don’t seem to enforce, graffiti rules or removal, if any.  Like Centralia’s Graffiti Highway, the colorful expression through art and messages is important, beautiful, and hurts nobody.  Here is provides a beautifully textured backdrop for skaters’ athleticism.

I perched myself in a visible, but out-of-the-way position on the lip of the largest and most skated bowls, and captured skaters as they dropped in and let ‘er rip.  Several even made sure to incorporate paths and tricks up close to my spot for me to catch, and even came by to check out what my results were.

I spent almost an hour hanging out, watching, seeing what I could see, and enjoying the chill vibe here.  It’s stumbling onto awesome spots and experiences like this, through pure accidental luck while, that I love about aimlessly exploring new cities like this.

At this point it was getting toward the golden hour, and I didn’t want to be *too* far from my starting point once night fell; I have no problem staying out in a new city after dark (I actually enjoy it), I just didn’t feel like needing to hail a cab to get back to my start like I did on one of my Chicago trips - another time.  I scrubbed MIT and decided to go see the original Cheers pub, but without intention of eating there; not only do I prefer to avoid obvious tourist traps, but also looking at their menu beforehand, all they serve is crappy, super basic bar food and light beers - not worth eating there, especially if there’s a wait, which of course there was a line waiting outside when I did eventually get there.

Making a loop, I skipped the West End entirely and cut through Massachusetts General Hospital, which I didn’t mind because I love medicine and beautiful architecture.

I made my way through Beacon Hill, which I’d have liked to have spent more time in shopping and dining, however, like my time in Wickford, all the shops I was interested in visiting were already closed for the day.  Instead, I started ducking down interesting looking sidestreets to take in the historic architecture and househunt in this expensive residential area.

Exiting onto the famed Beacon Street, I poked my head into Cheers to at least see the interior for myself, and snapped a few pictures of the exterior before crossing into the Boston Public Garden across the street.

Boston Public Garden was a non-rushed shortcut for me on my way back to Downtown for dinner.  I made my way generally toward the other side, enjoying the scenery along the way.

After passing by another (closed) cemetery, I was drawn by Emerson College’s pretty buildings, and followed some interesting looking sidestreets.  This ended up landing me in Boston’s theater district, which I didn’t even know existed.  As the sun was just setting, I was here at the perfect time to capture all the colorful blinking lights with dusk’s vibrance in the sky.

Quincy Market had far fewer people on the plaza by time I made it back, and after some casual looking at my dinner options, I decided Union Oyster House was my spot - I had been curious since I laid my eyes on it at the beginning of my day, and it offered some of my favorite foods: oysters, seafood, and cocktails.

Oof, it hit the spot.  At this point, I was pretty beat from the day, and done with exploring, but I wasn’t done with the city.  I decided to walk around and find bar to see what the Boston nightlife is like.  I found myself a few blocks away at Lucca, a fine Italian offering whose entire front was open to enjoy the nice weather and music from their bar illuminated a dim pink.  I had several sidecars with my oysters and seafood platter at dinner, and switched to martinis to round out my evening.

Chill Day: Bunny Grooming, Farmer’s Market, Wright’s Dairy Farm

Although I was busiest, touring Boston, the day prior, everyone was on board for a day of leisure.  Alyssa groomed Ghost al fresco while Megan and I poked around with our cameras.

Next we head over to pick up Alyssa’s order from her farmer’s market, and said hi to the goats before heading over to Wright’s Dairy Farm (which you can see pictures of from my 2018 trip) for fresh ice cream, and to pick up a cornucopia of treats.  On the way back, we picked up pizzas and played shuffleboard for the night.

Last Day, Departure, Darien

My last day in town was another workday for both Alyssa and Megan; I grabbed lunch with Megan, then head back to load my car and hang out with Alyssa and Isla for a few hours before needing to hit the road.  Isla made it *very* clear she wanted to come home with me, but alas, all I brought home were some paw prints, fur, and part of a bouquet Alyssa assembled and placed in my cupholder to deliver to my mom.

The drive back home was MUCH easier than the drive up a week prior; I hit no traffic and no weather.  Around dusk I was getting hungry and decided to pull off at a convenient exit in Connecticut.  I parked at a Starbucks and opened my phone to see what local flavors were around and open - I lucked out, because I was in the mood for a burger, and had parked across the street from Burgers, Shakes, & Fries, and it was one of the few places still open in this small town.  Walking over is when I realized exactly *where* I was - this was Darien, Connecticut, which wouldn’t normally be notable except one of my best friends grew up here.  After sitting down and ordering my cholesterol special with extra onions and a side of onion rings, I texted my friend Patrick to let him know where I was and get his childhood home’s address - it was only 5min away.

After inhaling that delicious burger, I went for a quick walk along Darien’s Main Street.  The sun was setting and everything was closed, but this I expected, and wasn’t set on shopping anyway.

After documenting a very patinaed Chevy across from my car, I head over to Patrick’s childhood home to document it as night fell, because I knew he’d appreciate seeing it and it wasn’t out of my way at all.

After this I set back on my way South to DC, with a mostly uneventful late-night drive the entire way; how I’m used to this trip going.  This time I skipped stopping to view Manhattan, as I counted Darien as my mid-trip stop this time around.

Highlight Vlog

See highlighted video clips in this video below, or watch the full Vlog on YouTube.

I don’t know when the next time I’ll be returning to New England will be, but I do want to make sure to get out to Salem next time around!

Rhode Island: Summer 2018

Foreward in 2021

As with the photos I recently posted from my 2017 trip to Rhode Island, the following is a collection of photos I’ve had in my personal backlog to edit and write about for several years.  I only recently finished editing the last of these photos and composing this post, because frankly, the sheer amount from the museum portions was so daunting (that, and I always put paid work first) - in fact there are so many from museums that I’ve given each museum their own post, and am only including a few highlights here with links to their respective full posts.  The non-museum photos were finished not long after the trip.

As always, I’m reiterating that these photos are from 2018, which was long before COVID-19 was ever a worry.  So, after two years of anticipation, here is my 2018 trip to Rhode Island, which includes recreating one of my earliest photographs, graveyards, fire stations, farms, bonsai, mansions, museums, street art, airports, and cars… lots of cars.

The New York City Empty Sky Memorial (Part 1)

Rather than flying this time, I made the 444mi journey by car because both Alyssa and I needed the scheduling flexibility having a car and no firm flight reservations would provide.  My plan for the trip up was to stop in New Jersey at the New York City Empty Sky Memorial, which is a part of Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey.  Unfortunately I got underway later than I’d hoped, finishing up a photoshoot that morning, and got stuck in rush hour traffic leaving the DC region and the tail end around Philadelphia.

I did make it to the Empty Sky Memorial, but after the sun had set, which didn’t meet my reason for stopping by.  As you likely saw in my post two years ago, I took a photo of the Manhattan skyline including the Twin Towers in September, 2000 from Liberty State Park, at age 12; it is one of my earliest photographs, and unbeknownst to me at the time, my own capture of history.  The purpose of my visit was to attempt to recreate this photo.  Because it was evening by time I arrived, I chose not to try to find the spot I stood 18 years prior, and simply captured the New York skyline at nighttime - something I’ve never done despite numerous trips to New York as an adult.

I would have to drive this route on my return trip home, so I still had another chance to make this work, weather permitting.  As it turns out, on the return leg at the end of my trip, I was able to reach the park well before sunset, and as it so happened, the weather was almost identically patchy foggy like that day in 2000.  You will see highlights from the second visit at the end of this post - this post is sequential, and for larger photo sets like this I am only including highlights, and linking to the larger dedicated posts.

You can see the full set of my The New York City Empty Sky Memorial photos by clicking here.

Rhode Island Cemeteries and Wright's Dairy Farm

I made it to Woonsocket, Rhode Island well after midnight and collapsed right away to sleep.  The next morning, in the appropriately spooky New England fog, Alyssa took me to several nearby cemeteries.  As with any graveyard, we spent a lot of time reading the headstones looking for the oldest dates and most interesting inscriptions.  Older headstones are often difficult or impossible to read not just because of age and older materials and construction methods, but also because of the effects of acid rain and pollution directly resulting from the industrial revolution, which of course in the United States was centralized in New England - this is part of deep-rooted history of Woonsocket and Northern Rhode Island we’ll address in detail later on in this post.

Some of the oldest headstones we spotted date back to the early 1700s, and one of the cemeteries we stopped at is resting place for Peleg Arnold, a lawyer and later State Supreme Court Chief Justice who represented Rhode Island as a delegate in the Continental Congress.  And those are just the ones we could read; many are so weathered they are indecipherable.

Next, we visited the church where Alyssa was baptized, and she goes to midnight mass every Christmas.

While driving back, we spotted an antique fire truck parked in front of a fire station; I had to stop and get some photos.  While checking it out, the owner came out of the fire station; turns out this fire truck is privately owned - it’s not owned by the fire department.  The owner is a firefighter who bought and restored the 1972 Maxim F ladder truck, which is an especially unusual sight today with its open cab.  In talking with the owner, it turns out he is stationed at T. F. Green Airport (PVD), so we had lots of aviation stuff to talk about.  In fact, keep reading, because this comes back into play later on in my trip.

Our next stop was Wright's Dairy Farm for Alyssa’s birthday cake… and maybe a ton of other incredible sweets as well.  Wright's Dairy Farm offers tours that shows their milking operation, but we were just there to buy milk and sweets well after milking time, but we still of course said hi to the moo-cows!

In the evening Alyssa had a “girls night” pre-birthday dinner and drinks that I attended despite not being one of the girls, and I enjoyed Rhode Island’s famous fried whole-belly clams while finally meeting some of Alyssa’s friends I’d only ever met over Facetime until now.

Downtown Woonsocket

The next morning, Alyssa and I drove the few miles over to downtown Woonsocket for an early lunch to introduce me to another Rhode Island cuisine staple I’d only heard about: Hot Wiener.  Alyssa had told me stories about how her dad would take her to the New York Lunch for hot wieners as a kid, and the cook would prepare the wieners by laying a row of them all the way up their arm, and the cook’s sweat would add salty flavor to the dogs while assembling the wieners; health code prevents this theatric today, but Rhode Island hot wieners differ from a standard hot dog in that they are made of beef, veal, and pork, served on a steamed bun, and topped with celery salt, mustard, onion, and meat sauce.  The first time Alyssa visited me in DC, I introduced her to DC’s famous Ben’s Chili Bowl Half-Smokes while at a Nats game; these two regional foods are distinctly different, but clearly in the same category.

We stopped by a nearby waterfall en route to our next major planned stop.  Rhode Island has lots of dams and waterfalls, a result of its Ocean State status and industrial revolution history.  Blackstone River and Canal is no exception.

New England Bonsai Gardens

So, I’m not as big a plant nerd as Alyssa, but I still enjoy certain varieties.  I have several orchids, and the previous year, Alyssa had gotten me a Willow Leaf Ficus bonsai for Christmas - Alyssa finds her zen in all plants, and discovered the art of bonsai the previous Fall.  Luckily for her, New England is host to the largest bonsai nursery on the East coast, just across the border in Massachusetts.  She visited often enough the owners know her by name, but it was finally my turn to see all their varieties in person.

We both selected new bonsai to take home.  I’ve always admired junipers, but sadly the one I picked up and brought home with me didn’t make it in the end, dying about a month later from some combination of too much sunlight or too much or too little water - I’m just not sure, but it’s the only plant I’ve ever lost, even with my experience raising temperamental plants.  I’ve been told by others that DC’s climate has too harsh fluctuations for junipers to thrive, but I find that a bit hard to believe if they can thrive with care in New England.  Beats me.

Interestingly, since returning from this trip I’ve discovered that the nursery I frequent here in Virginia sources all their bonsai from New England Bonsai Gardens; it was obvious to me when I noticed they don’t even take NEBG’s inventory tags off.  On top of that, since this trip, Alyssa has visited me here in DC, and while conversing with some of the staff here, they both actually know some of the same people at NEBG since they source their bonsai from there.  I know this is a pretty niche interest, but it’s still a small world.

I’ve included some highlights of New England Bonsai Gardens below, and you can see more in its own post here.

T. F. Green Airport

During my chance meeting the firefighter while checking out his antique ladder truck a few days prior, we’d discussed my connections to IAD and DCA, such as my multimedia roles, and interfacing with the airport police and fire departments for various projects.  Since then, we’d arranged time to meet up once again, while he was on-duty at PVD’s airfield rescue and firefighting station so he could give me a proper airfield tour from airside.  I love airports, and I love airport people!

I arrived at the ARFF station and met up with my new firefighter friend who was very eager to see me again.  Unfortunately part of our plan fell through, because due to other duties going on that day he was left without a service vehicle (beyond an ARFF truck, which you can’t exactly take out without a full crew in case there’s a call).  But no biggie; we still hung out airside for a few hours trading stories and watching aircraft taxi and take off.

T. F. Green’s airfield is interesting because its ATC tower and ARFF station are located on the opposite side of the passenger terminals; this is common (and normally necessitated by response time requirements) for ARFF stations, but although not unheard of for ATC, less common.  This location opposite the passenger terminals gave a much wider, different perspective of the airfield than one would normally get while simply catching their flight.

At mid-day, this was a slow time between banks, when most aircraft were in the sky between destinations; this was on purpose so the likelihood of a call was lowest.  Just after I arrived, one of the New England Patriots’ private aircraft landed after performing practice maneuvers in preparation for an upcoming aerial display; you can see it taxiing back to its hardstand.

Enjoy the highlights of my visit to T. F. Green’s airfield below, and visit its full post for more pictures.

Downtown Providence

Seeing as I had the rest of the day to myself, I decided to go explore nearby Providence, having never been there for any extended amount of time.  I was hungry and came across a Greek market and restaurant that was perfect for lunch.

I found a trail that lead to a waterfront which gave a great view of the windmills and sea industry.

Next I stopped by the Rhode Island State House.  It was closed, so I didn’t get to go inside, but I did explore the exterior.  Once night fell, the dome lights were rainbow colored to match the streetlight banners and other city decorations - for some reason Rhode Island Pride was in August, not June as is traditional.  Or perhaps they just left the lights and banners up for several months?  It’s not clear, because this was August, but everything I find says Rhode Island celebrates in June like everywhere else.

Next I explored more of Providence’s downtown, following the canal toward the Providence Biltmore, all the way to the beautiful and vacant art deco Industrial National Bank Building.

As the sun was setting, I stumbled across this 2015 mural entitled “She Never Came” created by Polish artist BEZT.

Off-Day with Alyssa

The next day was an off-day, and Alyssa and I decided to not make any plans and just do errands and generally relax.  We took Hennessy to a pond to play, PetSmart for some new toys, and dinner at a friend’s taco restaurant.

While stopping to check out a waterfall, we found a Vietnam war memorial.  Looking more closely, I found someone had laid a pillow with wedding rings tied to it.  The names of the fallen are on the memorial, but there was no indication for whom the rings were placed.

Newport Car Museum

The next day was another day all to myself, and since I’m into cars but Alyssa is not, this seemed like the best day to head to Newport and check out the Newport Car Museum which was highly recommended to me by numerous gearhead friends and car groups I’m in.

I’m sharing some highlights of the Newport Car Museum in this post.  To see a more complete posting of the cars on exhibit, click her to visit its own dedicated post.

I was a little confused at first because the museum shares an entrance with a Raytheon office complex, but I’d heard that the owner, Gunther Buerman, formerly worked for Raytheon, so this wasn’t entirely surprising to me; from what I’ve read there’s no indication whether this is actually true, but the building that houses the Newport Car Museum was formerly a missile manufacturing facility on the Raytheon campus.  When I saw the cars parked out front I knew I was in the right place - there wasn’t anything super rare, but the SL550, Fiata, and modded A4 grouped together aren’t your super common econobox traffic.  I parked in their cluster of more interesting cars by the NPT CAR MUS flag.

The most stunning thing about the museum besides the collection it contains is the architecture and interior design.  Opened in 2017, the museum was less than a year old when I was visiting, but it felt so well-established already with complete and modern designed exhibits and offerings from every era and genre of classic, exotic, and notable automotives available in the United States.  It’s a large museum filled with almost 100 cars and numerous pieces of art and furniture from names including Salvador Dali and Charles and Ray Eames, and it still has room for further buildout as the collection expands.

Upon walking in with my camera wearing a Porsche polo, the staff thought I was an automotive journalist on assignment and offered me a private tour; if I had played my hand differently I could have taken them up on it, but I was honest and said I was just vacationing, not wanting to waste anyone’s time.

The first stop when arriving is a room with Forza 6 driving simulators you can try once included with admissions if you’d like.  I was the only person there, and gave it a whirl, but the game crashed / froze less than a minute from it starting, and the attendant instead of resetting it said “you’re done” and wanted me to pay ~$25 to “go again.”  This was my first impression upon entering the museum mind you, and it left a bad taste in my mouth.  I politely told him that it’s a racket to expect me to pay for something of theirs that’s broken, and moved on.  Luckily being able to enjoy the rest of the museum uninterrupted helped me forget the bad first impression.

The Newport Car Museum has some of my all-time favorites, such as a Diablo VT Roadster, only the second Countach I’ve ever seen, each major iteration of the Viper, the only XJ220 I’ve ever seen, the first second-generation Ford GT I’ve seen, and my dream car, the Porsche 4S Targa, though I’d prefer Forest Green Metallic, Mamba Green Metallic, or Anthracite Brown Metallic over Viper Green as displayed, despite my shirt matching in color.

The museum is also home to cars with race and movie heritage in addition to the rare and limited models on display.  Needless to say, the Newport Car Museum has something for everyone from every vintage from the 40s forward.  The staff was extremely friendly, and helpful in even pointing me towards other Rhode Island car collections and invited me to a nearby cars and coffee that I was unfortunately unable to attend seeing as it was after I’d headed home to DC.  I’m very curious to visit again the next time I’m in Rhode Island to see what additions have been made since my first visit.

This museum is so vast that I’ve given it its own dedicated post which you can view here, but I’m including a few highlights below.

Evening in Newport

After the Newport Car Museum it was time for lunch, and I was craving a Newport lobstah roll - I hadn’t gotten a lobstah roll yet this trip, so I went to nearby Easton Beach to grab lunch on the beach.  After inhaling some chowda with my roll, I walked on the beach enjoying the waves rolling up on my feet before heading to the highly recommended Newport Cliff Walk.

On the way to the Cliff Walk I spotted another car museum I’d heard of, however this one wasn’t open the day I was there.

Over 100 years old, Newport’s Cliff Walk is a recreational nature trail along Rhode Island’s Eastern Shore that provides constant views of the ocean, and the historic mansions and oceanfront properties.  Many of these shoreline residences are now historic landmarks owned by non-profits, utilized as museums and event venues.  Others are still privately owned residences or have been converted to luxury hotels.  The Cliff Walk also take you past Salve Regina Univeristy, a private Catholic university with 2,000 undergraduates and 600 postgrad students founded in 1934.

Museum of Work and Culture

I had the next day to myself as well, and after hearing about The Museum of Work and Culture for years after multiple visits to Woonsocket, I’d planned to start my day giving it a full runthough.  This seemed to surprise the small staff there, as I was the only person there the entire time I went, and on my way out the door several hours later the front desk attendant commented, “Oh, wow, I thought you’d left already!”  It may not be the most popular, but this Smithsonian affiliate museum is home to a ton of Rhode Island and New England history.

The Museum of Work and Culture shares the history of French-Canadian and Québécois immigrants who traveled to New England in the late 19th century at the end of the industrial revolution, where Rhode Island had a large textile industry.  As a result of the mass migration to New England, Rhode Island still to this day has an abundant French heritage; in fact, to this day, Woonsocket, where the museum is located, has the largest concentration of French and French-Canadian population in the US, dubbing itself La ville la plus française aux États-Unis, meaning “the most French city in the United States.”

The museum has so much on display in such a small space that, like the Newport Car Museum, it deserves its own post.  You can view that post here, and enjoy some highlights below:

Visible through out the museum windows is the Blackstone River, one of the dams utilized by the surrounding textile industry, and some of the few remaining mill buildings that have mostly been converted into apartments.

Later that night, Alyssa and I went to an arcade bar in Providence and shaped our new junipers.  I was hoping to create a blended spiral shape with growth.  This night also marked the only time I’ve ever seen or played a TRON machine.  Alyssa spent most of her time on Frogger, which she used to play with her Dad, and I tried the various pinball machines, mostly sticking with The Simpsons.  We both spent over an hour playing air hockey against each other, and later teaming up against other challengers.

The New York City Empty Sky Memorial (Part 2)

The next day it was time for me to depart and head home.  I had two planned stops in New York (technically New Jersey); I was once again heading to The New York City Empty Sky Memorial to attempt to recreate the photo I’d taken at Liberty State Park of the New York skyline at age 12, and afterwards I had plans to meet up with my friend Natalie who lived a few miles away in Weehawken.  After spending over a week making Hennessy fall in love with me, I had to hit the road while the pupper was out for the day with Alyssa’s sister - I never got to properly tell the pupper goodbye :-(

This time around I made good time en route to New York, only hitting traffic in Fairfield and approaching the George Washington Bridge, with no rain this way.  As chance would have it, this route took me right past the Liberty Science Center and the locally renowned and beloved Liberty Park Diner which my family ate at every day for the few days in September of 2000 we “visited New York” (we never actually left New Jersey, and only saw New York from Jersey City, NJ).  A part of me wanted to stop in for a waffle after taking my pictures at Liberty State Park, but I had been invited to eat at Natalie’s.  Despite already having dinner plans, I now regret not at least popping in, because sadly, as of this writing, The Liberty Park Diner has now permanently closed; another small-business victim of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I pulled onto the brick road leading to Liberty State Park and knew I had succeeded in capturing something to match my film photo of the Twin Towers; remarkably, even the weather was visually similar to that day in 2000.  I quickly parked, and in my excitement that I was going to actually be able to capture this photo, I had to slow myself down and think, plan - grab my camera, think about what settings I want to use, clean and dry my hands, grab the print of my 2000 photo and be sure to keep it secure, clean, and undamaged on the way to the spot, and think about how best to locate the exact spot.

You can see the full set of my The New York City Empty Sky Memorial photos by clicking here.

My original photo from 2000:

Inspecting the original picture, I counted 12 light poles visible, which would give me a good starting point to get me close to the same spot for that matching perspective.  To my surprise, the park benches and even the trash cans hadn’t changed in all this time.  In order to fit all 12 light posts in-frame, I walked back parallel to 13th light post from the end, and incredibly the perspective aligned almost perfectly - even the park benches lined up, though some trash cans moved, as you’d expect they would over the course of 18 years.

To my amazement, it took me longer to walk to this spot from my car than it did to fight the wind and correctly line up my photograph in the shot.

And here are the photos, 2000 and 2018, side-by-side.  History in both pictures; the Twin Towers visible in 2000, and One World Trade Center erected adjacent to the empty sky where they once stood.  Many other buildings have also sprung up across the skyline, and the freshly planted trees in my original picture are all grown up today.

After capturing a variety of photos lining up my print with the skyline fighting the wind and eventual arm cramps, I head over to the Empty Sky Memorial to take in and shoot it and the NYC skyline in daylight, since i’d only seen it at night before.  I was about an hour from sunset, and I decided to stay here until dark and capture daylight and dusk photos of both memorial and city.

Once it had become as dark as it was when I’d been here just a week prior, I packed it up and head over to meet up with Natalie, who I hadn’t seen in several years.  A few miles away, I was greeted by an excited Sophie who was eager to show off the tricks Natalie has taught her over the years, and I of course grabbed a few selfies after scarfing down a huge salad, which Natalie told me she’s found is good roadtrip food because it counters any junk you’ve been tempted to eat - she was absolutely right and God did it hit the spot.

I’d only intended to stay an hour or so, but I should have known better, because any time the two of us get together the time flies, and it was past 1AM by time I head out.

As chance would have it, somewhere in the dark walking out to my car I stepped in something that smelled absolutely lovely, which I didn’t realize until I’d gotten back onto the New Jersey Turnpike and gotten a few miles away.  As everyone knows, New Jersey is known as “the armpit of America,” and it has a lot of industry serving New York along the I-95 / New Jersey Turnpike corridor.  It often smells, and it took me a few minutes to put together that the foul smell I was rapidly becoming overwhelmed by was coming from inside the car, not outside.  I pulled over at the next rest area, which was mercifully only a few miles away.

Quickly getting out into the fresh New Jersey air, I inspected the damage; yup, shoe covered in dog poo, and unfortunately it was also all over my clutch pedal - stepping in it with my left foot only was the only luck to be had, because it meant my brake and accelerator were safe.  I did my best to scrape off what was on my shoe, but it was the most concrete / adherent poo I’ve ever had the misfortune of dealing with, so inside the rest area I ordered a large coffee from the Starbucks stand and explained my situation to the barista, asking for trash bags and any cleaning supplies she had.  No joy on the cleaning supplies, but she gave me several Hefty trash bags.  With a bit more luck, the restroom didn’t limit you to blow dryers, so I grabbed a thick stack of paper towels from the restroom, wet them, and head out to my car.

I’d brought a second pair of shoes along, so I changed into them and threw my poo-shoes into one of the trash bags and tied it tight.  Next, I started trying to wipe down my poor, brown clutch pedal, holding my breath while leaning into the footwell by the source, but it wasn’t doing much - the poo was sandy concrete.  Regathering my plan, I went back inside and bought two large bottles of water - one to drink, the other to sacrifice.  With a thick stack of paper towels across my footwell, I poured water on the clutch pedal to try and loosen the concrete poo, then scrubbing away with an even thicker stack of wetted paper towels.

After several trips in and out to refill the water bottle, blatantly steal an obscene amount of paper towels, and repeat this process of drenching and scrubbing, over the course of over an hour I finally got the clutch pedal’s stainless steel and rubber pads exposed and all traces of poo eliminated.  All traces except for the smell, at least.  The smell was mostly gone, except for what had permeated the cabin itself, and whatever was left on the floormat.  I disposed of all the paper towels in one of the Hefty bags, and threw the floormat in another, tightly tying it shut with the poo-shoe-bag inside, and threw those in the trunk, hoping the smell wouldn’t penetrate the bags, but it was so pungent I truly was worried the bags might not contain it.

After sanitizing my entire arms inside, I finally sat back down in my driver’s seat, pushed the clutch in, and started my car back up at almost 2AM - remember, I still have ~4hrs driving ahead of me at this point, when I’d expected to already be home for several hours by now.  Sniff test: Only a whiff of poo-crete every here and there; I’d gotten it good enough to drive the rest of the journey home.

So off I went again - I was pretty much the only car on the road the entire 250mi home, and I finally arrived home as the sky was beginning to lighten as the sun approached the horizon.  Before I finally got to get some sleep, Alyssa Facetimed me as she was waking up and had me say goodbye to Hennessy since I hadn’t been able to in person - since I was gone by time she got back, she didn’t know where’d I’d gone and was depressed and looking around for me constantly, since I’d become her best friend and sleeping buddy from day one.  This would actually continue for several weeks, and she was so depressed I was gone she stopped eating.  A few days later I literally had to Facetime the dog to tell her to eat, at which point she began eating again.  But now, to this very day, she will look at me on Facetime, and then snort, flipping her head away in a pout when she sees me, because she still feels betrayed I didn’t say goodbye in person - I am not making this up.  Look pup, I tried to, I wanted to, I even delayed my departure thinking you’d be home sooner - you’re still my pupper.

Best of 2018

Each year I publish a year-in-review which shows the highlights of my year in photography.

2018 began by closing out 2017’s setbacks; as some of you may recall, I dislocated my kneecap and tore my MPFL in 2017, and underwent surgery to reconstruct my MPFL in October, 2017. This meant that by time 2018 rolled around, although I was back on my feet, I was still in a full-leg brace and only mid-way through physical therapy. The beginning of 2018 was slow, and felt even slower, but that wasn’t a bad thing since it helped me focus on making a full recovery. By February I was out of the leg brace, March I was jogging again, and April I completed physical therapy. By May I was running full-speed again, and June I was fully recovered, hiking Old Rag Mountain and running half-marathons again. Today, 15 months after surgery, I am happy to report that it is almost like nothing ever happened to my knee in 2017.

Fully recovering from knee surgery early allowed 2018 to become my biggest year for travel assignments, giving me back full confidence and ability to go and do anything anywhere that is needed or wanted. In 2018, after spending a week and a half in Rhode Island visiting friends and exploring parts of the state that I hadn’t gotten to in previous visits, this meant a whirlwind week and a half across the entire country, touring airports in cities from coast to coast. Traveling from Washington, DC to Atlanta, to Chicago, to San Francisco, and back to Washington, DC, then back to Chicago again before returning home to DC a few weeks ago, I’ve enjoyed five photoshoots across three cities, not counting photoshoots in the DC metro area. The travel allowed me to sample some cities I’d never visited before, and relish some experiences I’ve looked forward to for years.

2019 already has some more travel planned, and I’m very hopeful to continue taking my photography on the road (correction: in the skies). Although it’s not the first time I’ve travelled for a photoshoot, 2018’s trips have been the largest and most logistical travel assignments I’ve taken on, and I’ve loved every second of it.

Below you’ll see some highlights from 2018, including some photos which are unreleased to-date due to focusing on deliverables rather than personal photos.

Here’s to 2019 and hoping it shapes up to have all the opportunities from 2018 and more!

A driving instructor watches the autocross track during The Kia Stinger Experience Tour, Washington, DC, March 10th, 2018.

Portrait of Steve Mohyla CFP with podcasting microphone.

An aircraft on final approach to DCA’s R/W 19, photographed from Gravelly Point, Arlington, Virginia.

Equestrians during the 2018 Virginia Gold Cup.

A Summer thunderstorm photographed from beyond the rainfall.

The Honorable Elaine Chao, United States Secretary of Transportation, addresses guests at The Aero Club of Washington's "When Ingenuity and Innovation Come Together" luncheon, June, 2018.

Bayard proposes to Margaret upon her arrival and clearance through Customs at Washington Dulles International Airport.

Nighttime view of the former location of New York City’s World Trade Center Twin Towers through the Empty Sky Memorial in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Headstones in the fog, seen in Union Cemetery, North Smithfield, Rhode Island.

Historic Downtown Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

TF Green Airport ARFF Station as seen from airside.

Southern face of the Rhode Island State House, Providence, Rhode Island.

“She Never Came” by Bezt from Etam Cru and Natalia Rak; a mural in downtown Providence, Rhode Island.

The Providence Biltmore Hotel as seen in the film 27 Dresses.

Hennessy the pit bull playing in a river stream.

Easton Point, Newport, Rhode Island.

At the Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, a French-Candian immigrant worker tends to a loom.

My September, 2000 print of New York City’s World Trade Center Twin Towers held and photographed in the exact same spot in present-day Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey.

View of Manhattan from Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey.

View of Manhattan from Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey.

View from atop Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah, Virginia. This would mark the first time I hiked Old Rag since my knee injury over a year prior.

A stream in Shenandoah National Park.

The Shenandoah River with a thunderstorm rolling in in the distance. Shot and edited entirely on iPhone 6.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar speaking at The American Heart Association’s Value in Healthcare Initiative Meeting at Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Total Health in Washington, DC.

Nikon President and CEO Yasuyuki Okamoto welcomes guests to the Nikon Z 7 release event at the Newseum in Washington, DC.

Capital Area Photographers gather for a group photo at the Nikon Z 7 release event at the Newseum in Washington, DC. Shot and edited entirely on iPhone 6.

Food photography for a marketing campaign.

Bayard and Margaret stroll during their engagement session in Alexandria, Virginia.

Downtown Chicago, Illinois at night, aerial.

Alexander Calder’s Flamingo in Chicago, Illinois.

Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, colloquially known as “The Bean,” in Chicago, Illinois. Shot and edited entirely on iPhone XS.

Pacifica Beach, Pacifica, California at sunset. My first full West coast sunset. Shot and edited entirely on iPhone XS.

Cyclists biking down the chicanes of Lombard Street, San Francisco, California.

Aerial view of San Francisco, California from Christmas Tree Point, Twin Peaks, San Francisco, California.

Cabernet Franc grapes on the vine in Napa, California.

Myself atop the Panoramic peak above Muir Woods, Mill Valley, California. Shot and edited entirely on iPhone XS.

A bobcat crosses a road atop the Panoramic peak above Muir Woods, Mill Valley, California.

View of the Muir Woods canopy from midway above the forest floor.

San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge at sunset.

Aerial view of wildfire in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Composite image of the moon and Milky Way galaxy. Moon and stars are not to scale or sky position, but were photographed in the same night sky.

Myself standing in Willis Tower’s “Sky Deck Ledge,” the tallest point above Chicago, Illinois.

David and Tiffany during their engagement session in Shenandoah, Virginia.

David and Tiffany during their engagement session in Shenandoah, Virginia.

David and Tiffany during their engagement session in Shenandoah, Virginia.

And assortment of mannequins gathered for closeout sale in a liquidating Sears department store. Shot and edited entirely on iPhone XS.

Chicago O'Hare International Airport’s iconic Terminal 3 decorated for Christmas as seen in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

My first photoshoot with Canon’s new EOS R mirrorless full-frame camera, in Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Shot and edited entirely on iPhone XS.

Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, colloquially known as “The Bean,” in Chicago, Illinois, as seen from inside / below.

The Chicago, Illinois cityscape skyline at night as seen from atop 875 North Michigan Avenue, colloquially known as the John Hancock Center. Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears Tower) can be seen on the far left lit in red and blue uplighting.

The New York City Empty Sky Memorial

All photos from this post, and more, can be viewed fullscreen here.

View photos of my 2015 visit to The National September 11th Memorial & Museum here.

September, 2000

In September, 2000 my family had gone on a trip making its way North along the Eastern seaboard.  One of the stops was in Liberty, New Jersey to see The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island - we never went into Manhattan proper much to my disappointment.

This was WAY before I knew anything about photography - I just liked taking pictures on my little Kodak Advantix.

This is a picture I shot at age 12 in the year 2000 from the Northern side of Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey - now the current site of the Empty Sky Memorial.  I remember my parents bickering over whether "those two tall buildings are the Twin Towers or the World Trade Center."  I said I thought they were both; the same thing.  Fast forward a year, and everyone in the World knew the answer without a doubt.

It's incredible to me that I even have this picture, that I shot it myself.  I was 12.  The majority of my life has been post-9/11, working at IAD and DCA.  My entire aviation related career arc has directly resulted from that day in 2001.  This photo is a relic of a time before that; before the TSA and DHS existed, before all the post-9/11 security and societal changes that resulted.

Here is that photo I unwittingly took at age 12.

September, 2018

This August I travelled to Rhode Island to visit my friend Alyssa on her birthday, however due to a need for flexible scheduling, I made the journey by car rather than flying this time. It occurred to me by doing this I could make a quick stop at Liberty State Park in Liberty, New Jersey and see the Empty Sky memorial, which I’d only learned of its existence about a year prior thanks to my friend Natalie (who happens to live just 5mi away in Weehawken - I got to visit her on my stop as well :-D). I knew it was the same spot I’d taken that photo as a 12 year old, but it wasn’t until the night before leaving I realized I could try and replicate that photo and compare the New York City skyline across 18 years of history. Before going to bed, I printed a scale copy of my 18 year old photo of the New York skyline (the original print would stay safely at home).

Remarkably, the weather was visually similar to that day in 2000. Textured overcast, but no fog obscuring skyscrapers’ upper floors. Inspecting the original picture, I counted 12 light poles visible, which would give me a good starting point to get me close to the same spot for that matching perspective. To my surprise, the park benches and even the trash cans hadn’t changed in all this time. In order to fit all 12 light posts in-frame, I walked back parallel to 13th light post from the end, and incredibly the perspective aligned almost perfectly - even the park benches lined up, though some trash cans moved, as you’d expect they would over the course of 18 years.

I’d come here with a purpose, and to my surprise it took me longer to walk to this spot from my car than it did to fight the wind in correctly lining up my photograph in the shot. Next, I wanted to capture a modern view of the same angle. Taking these photos even required me a lower my camera a little bit to account for my shorter 12 year old stature.

And here are the photos, 2000 and 2018, side-by-side. History in both pictures; the Twin Towers visible in 2000, and One World Trade Center erected adjacent to the empty sky where they once stood. Many other buildings have also sprung up across the skyline, and the freshly planted trees in my original picture are all grown up today.

Continue reading for more views of the New York City skyline later in this post.

Empty Sky

Next stop was the Empty Sky memorial, just steps away, visible in the righthand side of the photos above. Empty Sky was dedicated on September 10, 2011, the day before 9/11’s 10th anniversary. Designed by Jessica Jamroz and Frederic Schwartz, Empty Sky is comprised of twin 30ft tall walls spanning 208ft 10in engraved with the names of all 746 victims of the September 11th attacks; on one side, I beams from the Twin Towers stand solemnly - on the other, directly across the Hudson, lies Ground Zero, and the empty sky in the New York skyline where the Twin Towers had stood. The memorial is impressive at all times of day.

New York City

New York’s sky today is still beautiful, just different. New buildings have sprung up, and One World Trade Center now watches over the city, with the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, and 432 Park Avenue all overlooking the city uptown. The last five times I’ve been to this city, I’ve been in the city, so this was also happened to be my first opportunity to photograph New York’s cityscape since I was here at age 12.

The National September 11th Memorial & Museum

On my recent trip to New York, I visited The National September 11th Memorial & Museum.  Each previous time I've been to New York I've passed through the World Trade Center, seeing the progress on One World Trade Center; this was my first time there in several years.  This was also the first time I've visited since the 9/11 Memorial and Museum has been open to the public; on my last visit, they were open only to family and friends of victims.

Alyssa and I spent most of our short time in NY here.  The rest of our trip can be viewed here; the September 11th Memorial and Museum comprised the majority of our trip, but it also is so important that it deserves its own blog post separate from anything else on our trip.

The September 11th Memorial

I will start out by saying that no memorial, no monument, no museum, no place has ever elicited any emotion from me... until the 9/11 Memorial, and later Museum, in NYC.  I've been to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial many times - it contains almost 58,000 names, and I didn't think visiting the 9/11 Memorial would be any different than my going into DC and visiting "The Wall."

I couldn't have been more wrong.

Just walking into the plaza, it started to hit me.  Then seeing the names, and the scale of the Twin Towers' site, knowing what took place here 14 years prior, was overwhelming.  It was dizzying.

After only a minute of the rapid onset of disorientation, I turned, and this is what I saw.  This is what made me lose it.  Seeing this is what broke me down into tears.  Everything hit me like a brick wall, all at once.  After several minutes staring at it, and the whole scene in awe, a bit shocked at my own reaction, I finally took this picture and could barely see through the viewfinder through damp eyes.

This picture is every emotion.

I don't think I've ever photographed something that has impacted me this much.

Jacquelyn P. Sanchez wasn't the only person with flowers, but hers is the one I saw first, and made such an impression upon me.

Quickly I also realized how grateful I was that my first visit to the 9/11 Memorial was also in a hurricane - the rain was exactly how I felt, and it was making the already somber atmosphere within the memorial beautifully dignified.

I didn't personally know any of the 2,977 victims who died on September 11th.  I do know people who had close calls, and I also know people who did lose loved ones on that day.

One of those people is a close friend of mine at Washington Dulles International Airport.  In 2001, he was American Airlines' Station Manager at Dulles; Flight 77, the flight that departed Dulles and ultimately struck the Pentagon, had several people on board that he knew very well, including the pilot, Captain Charles F. Burlingame III, and my friend's secretary and close friend, Mary Jane Booth.

MJ's story is remarkable, impacting, and will always be with me, even though I never knew her. I am keeping her full story private, respectfully for her and her family.  On an especially emotional anniversary of September 11th several years ago my close friend at Dulles confided in me MJ's haunting story - it will always stick with me.  Now, several years later, upon my first visit to the 9/11 Memorial, I felt compelled to find MJ and Captain Charles F. Burlingame III's (he knew both of them) names and pay my respects, and bring something back for our friend at Dulles.  These pictures are for everyone who knew MJ, Captain Burlingame, and anyone else on Flight 77.

I would later in the day find Mary Jane's entry in the 9/11 Museum, which falls just short of naming our friend at Dulles.  Upon returning from New York, I showed my Dulles friend these pictures along with MJ's entry in the Museum - he told me that the picture of MJ in the Museum database and wall is a picture of him and her standing together in the doorway of an MD-11 at Dulles - he has a copy of the full picture hanging in his home to this day.

Go visit MJ.  Give her a flower.  Know that she was remarkable.

The September 11th Memorial Museum

Alyssa and I explored the city a bit after visiting and paying our respects at the 9/11 Memorial, and at this point I had dropped her off at the Port Authority Bus Terminal - she just didn't have the time to see the Museum without being pressed for time and running the risk of missing her bus.

After a quick regroup coffee break at The Port Authority, I decided to finish what we'd started; I hopped back on the train downtown and returned to the World Trade Center.  It had gotten dark when I got there.

When I visit museums, I usually snap pictures the accompanying placards of artifacts and displays I photograph - I did so with the 9/11 Museum as well, but those captions go beyond the scope of this posting, so I am not including them here - if you'd like to see my full gallery of pictures, please visit my gallery here which contains all the pictures from the Memorial and Museum, along with all the informational placards I captured.  If you've visited the Museum before, you'll notice that most of the Museum is not represented in pictures - this is because the majority of the Museum (inexplicably in some cases) does not allow photography (areas like the Victims' Photo Wall make sense; others, like the main exhibit, do not).  Please visit the gallery here to see more information on the photos below.  And I of course encourage you to actually visit the Museum, devoting at least a half day to it, because no photo will ever do it justice - it really is something.

The September 11th Museum is underground, encompassing the site of both Twin Towers, with the main exhibit spaces on their foundations.  A ramp spirals downward, giving view to the cavernous size of the museum space from above.

To enter, guests first traverse a passageway housing a map of the four flights' flightpaths, then columns with projected text, also spoken aloud, of witnesses remembering what they saw and experienced that day.  Hearing the stories, along with the frailty and emotions assorted from sadness and fear in their voices, again hit me like a wall, which would stay with me for all the hours I spent inside.

The 9/11 Museum was a roller coaster of emotions.  I felt sadness, fear, anger, hope, pride.  Every combination and intensity.  I fought the tears my entire time there; I mostly lost the battle, and I was far from alone.  I've been to no other museum so moving.  I'm glad I went alone too - experiencing my thoughts and emotions in solitude without distraction was refreshing and provided clarity I'm not sure you could get another way.

The stop I found most fascinating on the ramp descending to the main exhibits was the precise epicenter of the 1993 Word Trade Center bombing.  I'm not sure why I didn't photograph that placcard - it was one of the most interesting ones outside of the main exhibit hall.

I'd actually never heard of the Survivors' Stairs, but it was the last artifact you passed before reaching the Main Floor on the Twin Towers' original foundation.

Also on display was part of the 2001 Times Square New Years' Eve Ball, constructed of Waterford Crystals engraved with memorials to the 9/11 victims and first-responders - numbers listed on the ball were still only estimates of the losses.  The National 9/11 Flag hung on the wall above.

One of the most remarkable items on exhibit was a collection of items: 2,983 watercolor drawings hung on the wall, painted by American artist Spencer Finch.  Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning is a bright blue art installation of blue watercolored paper canvases, of which no two are the same shade.  Combined, they create a bright blue ocean of a sky visible from most parts of the Museum.

The importance becomes even more apparent as you approach closely, to find a plaque:

Reposed behind this wall are the remains of many who perished at the World Trade Center site on September 11, 2001.

 It is an incredibly sobering reminder that hundreds of victims, who passed away in the very place you are standing, still have yet to be identified, in addition to hundreds of others whose remains will never be found.  The Repository is a private section of the Museum which is operated by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York (OCME).

No Day Shall Erase You From The Memory of Time.
-Virgil

Approaching the main exhibit, you are greeted with some items you may not be able to readily identify without the placards, they are so damaged.  Part of the TV antenna.  An elevator spindle.  The firetruck outright confused me for a few seconds - I thought it was more building wreckage until I came around the side to be surprised in finding that it was a mangled firetruck.

From the floor you could read some of the prayers left on The Last Column.

Mychal's Prayer
Lord
Take me where you want me to go
Let me meet who you want me to meet
Tell me what you want me to say
And
Keep me out of your way.

-Written by Father Mychal Judge
FDNY Chaplain who was fatally injured while giving the last rites to a fallen firefighter on September 11, 2001.

The main exhibit encompassed most of the Museum's offerings (not pictured).  An incredibly emotional journey spanning from that fateful September day to events today.  News reports, clips of Matt Lauer breaking the news on the Today show, greeted you upon entry.  The main exhibit follows a timeline.  Photographs and video of the second plane hitting.  Voicemails of confused victims trapped above the impacts play - those really got to me, reminding me of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, a fantastic film I've only had the fortitude to watch twice.

CCTV footage of the highjackers passing through airport security before boarding the four flights; symbolically the last passengers before the TSA was created.  I wasn't alone in watching this footage play and wanting to punch the highjackers through the little TV monitor.  Anger.  The rollercoaster continues on.

After this, I'd seen the entire museum except for one small display on the main floor, which I found housed a shirt and brick from the 2011 raid on Osama bin Laden, a challenge coin commemorating the successful kill of bin Laden, and Pete Souza's now iconic photograph from The White House.

Outside the Museum, I walked along the Memorial Pools again, now deserted in the rain.  With World Trade Center One towering above as a beacon of hope and Freedom, I paid Jacquelyn P. Sanchez and her rose one last visit, and departed.

The National September 11th Memorial and Museum is the most moving place I have ever visited, and I can't encourage you enough to go there yourself.  Words cannot describe.

My Own 9/11 Story

Everyone alive for 9/11 has a story.  It is this generation's watershed moment, joining the ranks of WWII and JFK.

I was young.  I was in middle school; 8th grade Spanish class.  The teacher had given my class a large amount of workbook assignments to do in class, and left the room - I took the opportunity to put in an earbud for a small radio I'd been sneaking to listen to on the bus.  I remember being annoyed that I couldn't find music - every single radio station was playing news, frantically talking in voices fueled by panicked adrenaline.  I didn't listen to the words though.  Not yet.  The teacher came back just in time to see us out the door at the bell, not bothering to take the pages from our workbooks.

My next class, English, had a similar vibe to it.  The teacher left the room after class began, leaving the TA, who didn't move from the TV - I now realize she was protecting it from being turned on.  Protecting the children from seeing images of the Pentagon in flames - in the DC area lots of kids' parents work at the Pentagon.  My Dad still had regular meetings there.  I'd later learn that he'd had a meeting scheduled at the Pentagon which was relocated to another building early that morning before the attacks even began - I didn't know it at the time, but my Dad dodged a bullet, and at this exact time was outside his evacuated building watching the smoke plume and sheets of paper fly from the Pentagon.  Although I was in the dark at that point, I knew at that point that something was going on.  Something wasn't right.

It wasn't until lunch time that I learned what was going on - the cafeteria workers had a radio on in the back kitchen louder than they probably should have.  I'd already heard the words "fire" and "crash" around my 9AM Spanish class, but hearing them again, and now paying attention to more of the accompanying story as I slid my pink tray and cardboard pizza down the line is when I learned the basics.  As I sat down in the squeaky cafeteria seat, I pulled out my little radio and started listening to all the voices.  "New York."  "Pentagon."  "Explosion."  "Attack."  "Who did this?"  There were no lunch monitors around to stop me.  The cafeteria was spotted with empty seats - a lot of kids must be out sick today.

My next class was half empty, and we were allowed to do anything we wanted.  Play paper football.  Do homework for other classes.  Anything but watch TV.  I listened to my radio - the teacher was probably so distracted about the attacks that he thought I was only listening to music and didn't process that I could get news... or couldn't get anything except news anyway.  I don't remember if we were released early that day or not.

On the bus ride home I found a few other kids who were talking loudly about how buildings in New York were being blown up with planes, and the Pentagon too - apparently their teacher had just outright spilled the beans, and turned on the TV.  Most of the kids, hearing this for the first time, didn't believe it.  One boy in the front was bawling uncontrollably - his Dad worked at the Pentagon he was mumbling.

When I stepped off the bus my Mom was waiting on the porch, clearly worried.  "What's going on?!?!" is all I said as I ran inside - she told me that the Twin Towers, the buildings we'd seen in person just one year earlier, and the Pentagon, had been struck by planes.  As she turned on the TV she told me that both buildings in New York, and that entire side of the Pentagon, had all collapsed.  Then I finally saw what I'd been hearing about all day; I joined the rest of America, gasping speechless with my jaw wide open as I saw the replays from every angle of the towers collapsing.

Until seeing the footage on TV, I didn't know which building in New York was hit - I thought it was just one, and I didn't know any of them had collapsed.  Certainly not to the extent the Twin Towers had.

My Dad arrived home late that afternoon.  He didn't say much; you could see the fear and anger on his face - he knew we were now at war.  He talked about everything he'd seen, heard; how his building evacuated, then un-evacuated, then evacuated again.  He made phone calls to find out who he knew at the Pentagon was safe, and who might not be.

September, 2000

My family had gone on a trip along the Eastern seaboard just one year earlier.  One of the stops was New Jersey to see The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island - we never went into Manhattan proper much to my disappointment.

This was WAY before I knew anything about photography - I just liked taking pictures on my little Kodak Advantix.

This is a picture I shot at age 12 in the year 2000 from the Northern side of Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey - now the current site of the Empty Sky Memorial.  I remember my parents bickering over whether "those two tall buildings are the Twin Towers or the World Trade Center."  I said I thought they were both; the same thing.  Fast forward a year, and everyone in the World knew the answer without a doubt.

It's incredible to me that I even have this picture, that I shot it myself.  I was 12.  The majority of my life has been post-9/11, working at IAD and DCA.  My entire aviation related career arc has directly resulted from that day in 2001.  This photo is a relic of a time before that.  

Take a look.

I have a piece of history, that I photographed as a kid, and I didn't even know it.  Plus, I didn't do too bad for a 12 year old kid with zero knowledge about photography - it's compositionally perfect - 14 years later and I'm shocked by that fact alone too.