New York - Central Park

I grew up in New York. I vaguely remember cold, snow, ice & windchill. I realize that it's been a long time since I've actually experienced it, but the reality of it literally took my breath away. It was cold enough that weekend in January that even the New Yorkers were complaining. The windchill was generally in the low digits all day long and none of my outerwear could protect my eyes from the stinging cold.

As soon as we arrived and checked into our hotel, we planned to go directly to the Museum of Natural History. That was our plan... but as soon as we walked up to the corner of 8th Ave and 59th St, I just had to walk through Central Park. Three hours later, we were still there. I felt like a little kid in a toy store. Everything was SO pretty and so different than what I see in South Florida. For a brief time I sort of forgot about the cold.

New York - from the "Top of the Rock"

We visited (very cold) New York a few weeks ago. It has been many years since I've visited the state where I grew up, and even longer since I saw snow (at least twenty years!). We suffered the sub-freezing temperatures and in exchange, I got some amazing shots.

Before we went to Rockefeller Center, I read somewhere that tripods and monopods were not allowed. Once the sun starts going down it makes it harder to get a clear shot without a tripod. After doing a little research, I saw someone post that you can bring one of those Gorillapods up there and put in on the railing.  So after searching through some of the camera stores I finally found one that didn't cost a fortune. Sadly, I was not able to visit either of the famous photography stores, B&H Photo or Adorama, as BOTH of these stores are closed on Saturdays! I was so looking forward to it... oh well. Anyway, the little tiny flexible tripod worked GREAT and I'm sure I'll find plenty of opportunities to use it now.

We went to the Top of the Rock for sunset. It cost quite a bit but it was worth it. I insisted on going up far in advance of the expected sunset time so I could secure the perfect location. I did get the perfect location, but I swear the sun never took so long to set. The 4 degree windchill factor was quite intense up there.

Thanks for sticking with me Gregg!

Las Vegas - The Palazzo / Venetian Hotels

The Palazzo in Las Vegas is clearly one of the most beautiful hotels there, both inside and out. I stayed there during a conference and Gregg met me out there on Friday night. As with many places in Vegas, I found a lot of enjoyment in simply walking around. The Palazzo is the newer add-on to the Venetian and they actually are connected with many stores and the extremely cool Venice style canals in between.

 The outside of both hotels is just incredibly beautiful.