Tag: Caribbean

Park Police Escort – The Dilemma of the Capture

On By mvschulzeIn Buildings, Daytrip, Explore, New York, Photo, Photography, Travel, Weather11 Comments

This Post Contains Four Images

Two images captured of the New York skyline were featured on my previous post. To change perspective, I  drove closer to the George Washington Bridge, now 1/2 mile (.8 km) south, for this view from the edge of the Hudson River as twilight was approaching.

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ABOVE, Left to right;                                                                                                     CitiCorp Center, 7.1 mi. (11.4 km,) Height 915′ (279 m) opened 1977

432 Park Residential Building, 6.9 mi. (11.1 km) – 1396′ (426 m); 2015

Chrysler Building, 7.6 mi. (12.2 km); 1046′ (319 m); 1930

Met Life Building (Pan Am), 7.1 mi. (11.9 km); 808′ (246 m); 1963  

Riverside Church, 3.3 mi. (5.3 km), 392′ (111 m); 1930 with Grant’s Tomb, 1897

Comcast (GE, 30 Rock, RCA) Building, 7.1 mi. (11.9 km); 850′ (260 m); 1933 (far right) 

North River Treatment Plant, 2.3 mi. (3.7  km); 1985 (on river)

George Washington Bridge, 0.5 mi. (0.8 km); road: 212′ above Hudson; 1931

To keep from dying (the wickedly cold wind chill was brutal,) I was now shooting from my car, with the telephoto extending out the window for support.  Since I thought no one else was in the area, I had driven off  the road to a snow covered grassy area near the water.

Busily shooting away, I didn’t notice the Palisades Interstate Park Police cruiser,  headlights on, approaching slowly from the road. It was now well after sunset, and the park was officially closed – a fact that had escaped me. For several reasons I was grateful for their leniency and appropriate scrutiny followed by a cordially-offered wave of approval. I’m sure the barrel of my lens pointed at the GWB could have been likened to something a little more threatening.

Giving me a few more minutes as the skyline grew increasingly more impressive, they eventully escorted me up to the top of the switchbacks where I drove to the Rockefeller Lookout, 2.3 miles further north and 400 feet (122 m) higher, on top of the cliffs. 

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ABOVE: The GW bridge cable and roadway lights are now visible in the lower part of this image, as seen from on top of the Palisades.

731 Lexington, 9.0 mi (14.5 km) from lookout, 806′ (246 m);  1985, is lit on top.

Trump World Tower, 9.8 mi. (15.7 km); 861′ (262 m); 2001, at far left.

BELOW: Centered                                                                                                          Empire State Bldg., 10.2 miles (16.4 km)  from lookout, 1220′ (372 m); 1931        

One 57,  to it’s left, 9.0 mi. (14.5 km), 1005′ (306m); 2014

BOA Tower, right of Empire State Bldg. 9.7 mi. (15.6 km), 1046′ (319 m); 2007

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BELOW: a wide shot (as my fingers turned to ice,) 

One World Trade Center -Freedom Tower, seen at the far right., 13.1 miles (21 km) from the Rockefeller Lookout, standing  1776 feet high (541 m), and listed as a 2014 completion. 

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Click or stretch images to see at wonderfully higher resolution.

Acknowledgement  to Wikipedia for info and data

Thanks for visiting, and as usual, comments are always welcome – M 🙂

Traffic Jam in the Caribbean – Allure of the Seas, Part Two

On By mvschulzeIn Boats, Cruise ship, Photo, Pondering, Technology, Travel5 Comments

Short on time? Just browse the images.         There are six in this post.         Click on any to show its full resolution. 

 Morning, a few years back, we were  approaching our slip assignment for Saint Martin, closely followed by… traffic.1-27-11 St. Maartens, Allure Vac., Day 9 (10)_edited-1

 No, wait! There’s MORE! Five cruse ships in total!1-27-11 St. Maartens, Allure Vac., Day 9 (9)_edited-1

We were on Royal Caribbean’s “Allure of the Seas,” first to dock in Philipsburg, closely followed by a Celebrity, and last, this MSC Italian ship.1-27-11 St. Maartens, Allure Vac., Day 9 (17)_edited-1

 From our ships vantage,  the town looks like a dream…1-27-11 St. Maartens, Allure Vac., Day 9 (19)_edited-1

A short while later we were walking among the beach bars and restaurants, “Two beach lounges, one umbrella and 4 beers: $24.” 1-27-11 St. Maartens, Allure Vac., Day 9 (39)_edited-1

Considering about 15,000 people were on those five ships, this  beautiful beach front was not crowded.1-27-11 St. Maartens, Allure Vac., Day 9 (33)_edited-1

 

Thanks for visiting, and as usual comments are always welcome.

Aboard the Largest Cruise Ship in the World: The Allure of the Seas

On By mvschulzeIn Boats, Cruise ship, Photo, Pondering, Technology, Travel17 Comments

Short on time? Just browse the images.  There are fifteen in this post.         Click on any to show its full resolution. 

In 2011, we had the privilege of spending a week on this newly commissioned Royal Caribbean mega-ship as a few tropical islands sailed by….or at least it seemed that way. It was difficult to tell that we were in fact the ones moving.                                            Here are some images from that cruise.

At 1,187’ (362m) long;     up to 198’ (60m) wide;       and 236’ (72m) high,   the Allure of the Seas dwarfs conventional cruise ships, as seen here in St Thomas.1-26-11 St. Thomas, Allure Vac., Day 8 (25)_edited-1 - 2011-01-26 at 10-58-08

 

 Below: The exclusive adults only solarium was one of our favorites, with its own pools, bars, café, palm trees (?) and, (not shown,) cantilevered whirlpools actually hanging over the ocean. Nice!1-28-11 At Sea, Allure Vac., Day 10 L (3)_edited-1 - 2011-01-28 at 12-41-49

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With the “Boardwalk” and “Central Park” below, the center of the ship is lined with unique inside cabins.1-23-11 Ft. Lauderdale, Allure Vac, Day 5 (17)_edited-1 - 2011-01-23 at 20-16-58

 

And overhead – the zip line, with me, …9 decks above!1-28-11 At Sea, Allure Vac., Day 10 (56)_edited-1 - 2011-01-28 at 14-55-16

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There are two, 10m climbing walls overlooking the stern, and Aqua Theater.1-25-11 At Sea, Allure Vac. Day 7 L (32)_edited-1 - 2011-01-25 at 13-09-45

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Our friend Judy is winning the challenge.1-29-11 At Sea, Allure Vac. Day 11 (37)_edited-1 - 2011-01-29 at 21-25-08

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The sun is no different from this ship than from other ships, except maybe it SETS a few seconds later from this height!!! Rich, Ray and Fred join me with recording the event.1-29-11 At Sea, Allure Vac. Day 11 (48)_edited-1 - 2011-01-29 at 22-43-481-29-11 At Sea, Allure Vac. Day 11 (49)_edited-1 - 2011-01-29 at 22-44-07

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“Central Park” is a meandering outdoor garden lined with bars, and shops – really awesome.1-29-11 At Sea, Allure Vac. Day 11 (77)_edited-1 - 2011-01-30 at 01-13-38

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On the same level, the Boardwalk features more informal shops and eateries, and a carousel!
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One deck down is the Royal Promenade with more shops, restaurants, a jazz club and other diversions. Between the two is the Tide Bar, shown here, (center about 10′  (3m) up and rising, bartender in center) which like an elevator moves between these two decks… with the bar, patrons and their drinks, up and down, up and down.1-25-11 At Sea, Allure Vac., Day 7 (28)_edited-1 - 2011-01-26 at 04-04-26 (1)

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Of course there is a 1,380 seat theater –  the Broadway play “Chicago” on stage during our cruise. In addition there is an ice skating rink, clubs, etc., etc.1-26-11 St. Thomas, Allure Vac., Day 8 (44)_edited-1 - 2011-01-27 at 01-10-12

 

The enormous smokestacks of this ship were built to telescope down to clear a suspension bridge in Amsterdam, where the ship was built. For perspective, it would need to do this to pass under the George Washington Bridge!1-28-11 At Sea, Allure Vac., Day 10 (17)_edited-1 - 2011-01-28 at 11-10-27

 

Sunrise at sea, heading back from St. Maarten to Fort Lauderdale on an itinerary which besides St. Thomas, also included Nassau in the Bahamas.1-28-11 At Sea, Allure Vac., Day 10 (8)_edited-1 - 2011-01-28 at 11-07-06

Thanks for visiting, and as usual comments are always welcome.

Did Someone Say PARADISE?

On By mvschulzeIn Photo, Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Speaking of the BVI’s (see previous post,) I can’t help but throw in a few more pictures of this idyllic place of warm sunshine; beautiful soft beaches; tall palm trees; pristine clear water ripe for snorkeling; boulders to climb on, under and over; grottos; stunning light plays; and an incredible “trail” leading to one of the worlds most impressive natural places – Devil’s Bay. Coming across it for the first time leaves the senses stunned. As part of the BVI National Park, the area is well preserved and protected, but a visitors warning is the potential for excessive visitors. Planning an early morning, or late afternoon time is best. Better yet, is spending the day “on the ball” on a surprisingly reasonable-cost sailboat chartered by the week, and shuttling in by dinghy. When we were there, the marine life was beautiful and plentiful, but thankfully, there were no gigantic LADY BUGS!

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