‘Downtown is Where It’s At’ United States, New York, Empire State Building, View From the Top of the Rock
There’s no skyline like the New York skyline. That skyline is on the island of Manhattan, one of the most densely populated areas in the world. 1.6M people live within an area no bigger than 23 square miles. It’s also one of the most wealthy areas in the world. The average personal income per capita in Manhattan is over $100,000 as of 2005. With the entire island filled up with buildings, it’s no wonder that New Yorkers have taken to the sky. The view from the top of Rockefeller Center (shown... Read The Rest →
‘Marshmallow in the Sky’, New Zealand, Okahune Mountain Road
I went to see the movie Social Network tonight. For those who are unaware of this movie, it’s a Hollywood take on the interesting story of Facebook. Whether or not the story is completely accurate or not, I’m not entirely sure. It is however based on facts and not rumors (as the Facebook PR team claims). I’d recommend seeing it. I’m sure Mark Zuckerberg, who is not portrayed favorably, would recommend otherwise. The world of blogging is moving faster than light and without the proper insight into it you can be left behind. It is... Read The Rest →
‘Volcanic Ash’, Iceland, Reykjanesta, Coast
I took this photo, last February on my trip to Iceland. Not far from this black, lava covered beach is the site of Iceland’s Eyjafjallojokull Volcano. This volcano erupted with a fury of black ash last April, sending a plume of smoke across much of Europe. I know one of the biggest concerns after the blast happened is the volcano’s bigger sister Katla. The three times in recorded history that the Eyjafjallojokull volcano has erupted, Katla has followed suit. It’s still unclear as to whether or not the volcano will... Read The Rest →
‘A Natural Moat’, Scotland, Loch Laich, Castle Stalker
I’ve decided to continue posting photos as I get around to working on them. I have a lot of photos that I wasn’t able to post while traveling, such as this photo of Castle Stalker on Loch Laich, Scotland. This four story medieval house is one of the more picturesque castles in all of Scotland. A cousin of mine, and fan of my travels posted a great link on my facebook page a few days ago. It’s a designer/illustrator’s website where he maps out different stereotypes. It’s both creative and... Read The Rest →
‘A Chihuly’, England, London, Victoria & Albert Museum
As I mentioned before, I spent a good day at the Victoria and Albert Museum taking photos until my finger become tired of clicking the shutter. The entrance to the museum has an amazing chandelier made by the glass blowing sculptor, Dale Chihuly. What an amazing piece to have hanging in the entrance of this great museum. You are not allowed to take photos with a tripod in the museum. I need a tripod when taking my HDR photos. This was a problem until I realized the guards shift their... Read The Rest →
‘The V&A’, England, London, Victoria & Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (sometimes called the V&A) of London is by far the best museum I’ve ever experienced. I was so impressed with this place that I spent one full day here. There’s so much to see. What makes this place so special is the incredible building which houses its collection of over 4.6 million objects. It certainly rivals the Louvre in Paris and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Experiencing its collection from around the world was a wonderful recap to end my round-the-world trip.... Read The Rest →
‘A City of Museums’, England, London, Museum of Natural History
One of my last stops on my trip was London, England. I’ve been to London a few times and I decided to explore some other places in the city, aside from the main attractions. I had never been to the Kensington area, just south of Imperial College and Hyde Park. A few museums are in the area. I wandered over to the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. I’ve been to many museums, but the museums in Kensington are amazing. The British have artifacts from around the... Read The Rest →
‘Rome’s Reach’, England, Cumbria, Lanercost Priory, Hadrian’s Wall Remnants
In view of the difficulty in bridging the distance between the two, it’s amazing to think the Romans inhabited the island of England. Their northernmost extent was the border of Scotland and England. It was interesting comparing England’s Roman influence with that of the French Roman influence. The architecture in France (naturally being closer in proximity to the heart of the Roman empire) really takes on many more Roman characteristics than that of their Anglo-Saxon counterparts to the north. England’s architects never really emulated Roman architecture. Hadrian’s wall shown here is perhaps the... Read The Rest →
‘One of the Glens’, Scotland, Highlands, Glencoe
Scotland is everything I imagined it to be. Not to be stereotypical, but much of what was in my head about Scotland was a result of the movie Braveheart. Most of my friends know I have a fascination with William Wallace and the highlands of Scotland. The running joke is that most of my friends had a bet that I would buy a kilt and run through some random Scottish farmer’s field pretending I was William Wallace. I hope I didn’t let down too many of my friends in saying... Read The Rest →
‘Odd Formations’, England, The Peak District, Kinder Scout Hilltop
The top of Kinder Scout in the Peak District really provides some spectacular views. I was fortunate enough to enjoy some amazing weather while in England. England has had some recent newspaper headlines that read “4 Million households where no adults work”. This means that roughly 7 million Britons under-65-years-olds are currently living with no work experience. Britain even allocates over 36 billion pounds to ‘jobseekers’. In other words, if you’re out of a job, England will pay you to search for one. Being paid to ‘search’ for a job... Read The Rest →