The second stop on our Saturday BioBlitz outing was the Cliff Park Trail. Even after hiking half way up the wrong trail, backtracking, and doing it all over again, the panoramic view from the top of the ridge was well worth the effort. The beautiful clear weather made for some amazing views.
Panoramic view of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
This past weekend, as part of a BioBlitz, I had the opportunity to spend some time on the Zimmerman Estate, a few miles south of Milford, PA. I was doing my part to help Heidi and the rest of the BioBlitz team… photographing a few plants, trees, insects and frogs. But my mission was to get some photos of the abandoned buildings on the property.
Area Closed
Sometimes the coolest places are right under our noses. My girlfriend Heidi and I are always on the lookout for the next great place to eat (and drink). When we are at my place, this calling leads us into NYC more often than not. After making her way the almost 2 hours from PA last Friday night, the last thing Heidi wanted to do was get back in the car and head into the city, so I sought out a place that was close to home. From the moment I read about the Popcorn cooked in bacon fat served at the bar, I knew The Tap House, in Tuckahoe was the answer to our problems. Less than 2 miles from my house, I have probably passed this place a few hundred times on my way to and from the gym over the last few years, but have never set foot inside.
After a short wait, 2 seats opened up at the bar and we sat right in front of a beautiful, shiny, chrome bar tap that I knew would make for some great photos. Whether for a self portrait…
Smile for the camera
The day started with a relatively easy drive to midtown, a brief hunt for a parking garage and a short walk to Vintage, our destination for the next couple of hours. Where better to kill some time, than an awesome little bar serving brunch and unlimited Bloody Mary’s and Mimosa’s?
The Bar at Vintage, NYC
It’s been 3 years, almost to the day, since I set foot in the abandoned Yonkers Power Station. My photography style has come quite a long way in the last three years, but some of my all time favorite photos were taken inside that massive crumbling plant, so I thought it was time to revisit some of those shots.
I read about the power plant on a urban exploring photography website and instantly knew that an opportunity like this, so close to home, could not be passed up. I had no idea how accessible it would be, but my friend Bill and I decided to give it a shot on a Sunday afternoon figuring there would be nobody around. We could not have been more wrong. The parking lot adjacent to the plant also happens to be the lot used by a nearby boat launch and the weather was perfect that day. We parked the car and casually walked towards the plant which appeared to be completely fenced off.
As we got closer, I spotted our way in through a large gap in a section of fence that had obviously been used as an entrance for quite a few people before us. The moment I saw it, I knew I was going to be in a photographers heaven. The scale of the plant has to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. Even the ultra wide angle of my 10mm lens could not capture the entire space in a single shot. Yonkers Power Station
It was my first weekend in Pennsylvania with Heidi. We had explored Yonkers the week before, and now it was her turn to show me around the woods of PA. With cameras in hand we set out to find some fun places to shoot. What could be a better location than some abandoned buildings on a long defunct farm?
I had the pleasure of attending and also being a part of this amazing fundraiser, hosted by the Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC), last weekend. From the unorthodox dress code (as the name implies), jalapeno infused tequila shooters, gazpacho which was slurped with a straw, all the way to the iced brownies topped with Pop Rocks, this was not your average boring dinner event.
A little peek behind the scenes.
