Lights Are Bright on Broadway

Ah, another day of walking my feet off! The blisters and shin splints are cursing my name, but they are also gradually getting quieter. I think this is primary evidence that I have not walked nearly enough lately. Granted one doesn’t have to go from zero to sixty… Oh well!

I don’t have a ton of interesting news. There’s only so many ways to describe ambling from one location to another or wandering aimlessly. I guess I had a couple of targets. I went back down to the Flatiron Building. I did say I was obsessed with it, didn’t I? I had a thought to take some long exposures of it with my neutral density lens. Only the photo geeks got past that sentence, so suffice it to say I took more photos, and then I wandered up Broadway.

I went across 42 street to The Chrysler Building and tried several different angles on it. I think I may have gotten some I’m happy with, but today also reminded me of how challenging I find taking photographs in concrete canyons. Unless the street you’re on is very lucky, the light never makes it to the bottom of said canyons. That challenge is what made wandering around and seeking out various angles necessary. I suspect it would be a more satisfying hunt if I had more time here, but this isn’t like being at home where you can always go back and try another angle or strategy.

Anyway, after that, it was close to dusk (ah winter, where the sun sets so early!), so I decided tonight would be my wander through Times Square with camera. The lights as always are simply dazzling.

After a long wander there, dusk had passed and my feet said let’s go sit. I wandered briefly past the Ed Sullivan Theater to see where David Letterman’s Late Show is taped. I had in the back of my mind that I might see a taping while I was here, but with only tomorrow left, I was doubtful. I got there and there was a line?! Strange, I’d been lead to believe the show is taped in the afternoon and broadcast later. Turns out on this particular night they were doing a show with Snow Patrol this evening. Snow Patrol is a band that although I’m not a rabid fan, I do like them. I got in line briefly before discovering it was in fact tonight. At that point, I still thought maybe it was for tickets tomorrow. When I found out it was tonight, I shoved off for a couple of reasons. First, I had my camera bag with me, which I doubt I could get in with, but mostly I was just so tired I didn’t think I’d enjoy it. Some other time, Mr. Letterman!

I headed back to the hotel and on the way discovered that I’m less than a mile from Rockefeller Center. Oh, maybe I will go back for ice skating photos yet. I had no idea I was that near. I’ve practically walked past it a couple of times but always a block or two over so never realizing how near. I’m really liking the location of this trip’s hotel. It’s not as cheap as the hostel I used before but so much closer. I still probably would have used the same hostel if I could have but for some reason they’ve changed to requiring a week’s reservation!? Weird, usually if there’s any time requirement at a hostel, it’s a limit, not a required amount of time. At any rate, that weird change wasn’t a bad thing, although my feet might wish I wasn’t within walking distance of anything.

One day to go, anyone want to bet on more walking tomorrow?