Best Photo of the Week

In 2015, Russ White and Michael Gray opened Sourland Cycles on Broad Street in Hopewell, New Jersey. Russ White is also the founder of Trenton Bike Exchange and Firehouse Cycles in Yardley. The full-service bicycle shop is located in a renovated house built in the 1860s.

Best Photo of the Week is personal photography project where I post the best image captured that week. The image will be posted at the end of the week. That will be a Sunday. I can take one or 100 photos for the week but I will post only one, the best one.

Bicycles

I walked around from the northern end of the Princeton University campus to the southern end. I parked on Moore Street, crossed Nassau Street, and headed south toward Thomas Sweets.

I intended to do some street photography, but I lost my confidence. I walked through the parking lot toward Williams Street. I crossed Williams Street and walked the footpath back toward Scudder Plaza.

I saw the bike in one of the Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building entrances. I liked the look of the bike sitting in the dark with a bit of light coming through the pillars.

The Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building and the Louis A. Simpson International Building (formally 20 Washington Road) renovation project will repurpose the former Frick Chemistry Laboratory and combine academic and administrative areas dispersed across the University campus.

Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building
Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR

I continued across Scudder Plaza, stopping for fifteen minutes to talk to and photograph some skateboarders.

While I waited at the cross-walk, some visitors from the UAE asked me to take a photo of their family. I happily obliged. I continued across Washington Road with no particular goal in mind.

I saw this bicycle outside of what I think is 1879 Hall or Marx Hall. Many of the buildings on campus are joined by hallways, and it can be challenging to tell which is which.

Outside 1879 Hall | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR

It was not until halfway through my walk that I realised I was taking photos of lonely bicycles. At this point, I decided I would continue my walk while keeping an eye out for bikes.

I continued across campus toward Nassau Hall. I crossed the diag and came upon Stanhope Hall. In all the years that I have walked across campus, this was my first time noticing this building.

Stanhope Hall
Stanhope Hall | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR

Stanhope Hall, the University’s third oldest building, was erected in 1803. It originally housed the college library, study halls, and the two literary societies, Whig and Clio, and was called the Library. Later it contained ~the geological cabinet and lecture rooms and was known as Geological Hall. Still, later it held the offices of the treasurer and the superintendent of Grounds and Buildings and, for a time, the meeting room of the Faculty and was called the College Offices and then the University Offices. In 1915 the trustees gave it its present name in honour of Samuel Stanhope Smith, president when it was built. In recent years Stanhope has housed the University’s communications and security offices.

Campbell Hall and Hobler Hall
The archway between Campbell Hall and Hobler Hall | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR

I walked around toward Blair Hall and found my way of walking through the arched corridors between the buildings of Rockefeller College.

The buildings of Rockefeller College include some of Princeton’s most beautiful landmarks. The dormitories are Holder Hall (completed in 1910), Witherspoon Hall (completed in 1877), a portion of Blair Hall (completed in 1897), and a portion of Campbell Hall (completed in 1909).

Holder Hall
Holder Hall | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR

My fingers were almost frostbitten by this time. It was time to go home. I’ll give my thoughts on the street photography I captured that afternoon in a follow-up post.

From Old Slip to Table Green

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Lift by jansenphotojansenphoto (Dutch goes the Photo!)

Bringing us up higher

On Tuesday I brought my camera to the office, and despite the 28ºC weather and 96% humidity, I took it out on a walk along South Street from Old Slip stopping at the lower end of Battery Park. I was feeling a bit down on my luck and had hopes that discovery would lift my spirit.

I stopped while this gentleman, Mark Derho, was taking a selfie with his bicycle. We got to talking and it turns out Mark is a successful businessman. He used to work in IT, but also built a successful bicycle shop business. Mark is looking to expand his work with bicycles. He has commissioned a bicycle, built by a friend, which he intends to use in a bicycle rental business in Puerto Rico. I offered to take some photos which he may use in his social media campaign.

FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 20 mm, f/5.6 , ISO 200
FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 55 mm, f/5.6 , ISO 200
FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 42.7 mm, f/5.6 , ISO 200
FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 44.1 mm, f/5.6 , ISO 200
Near South Ferry Station—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 37.6 mm, f/5.6 , ISO 200

Near South Ferry Station, passengers exiting the subway can take a lift up to the ground level.

Near South Ferry Station—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 55 mm, f/5.6 , ISO 200

I found a beer garden, The Beer Garden, which is about a ten-minute walk from Old Slip. Next time I'm in Manhattan (Tuesday or Thursday of next week), I think I'll check it out as well as the Battery Gardens.

The Beer Garden—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 16 mm, f/5.6 , ISO 200

Two years ago, when I turned 50, I wanted to wait for the spring (I’m a November baby) to have a picnic in the park with burgers, beers and brats — a growler of Troon (before the lines), a growler of Flounder, and a growler of Conclave, some quality sausage from the Polish market in Trenton Farmers’ Market. New Jersey laws do not allow the consumption of alcohol of any kind in public parks or beaches. I could not find a single park in Somerset, Mercer, or Hunterdon County that would allow beer. So ... I never had the party.

Table Green Café—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 55 mm, f/5.6 , ISO 200

As I walked through the park I noticed the sign offering beer and food at this little cafe. I walked over and talked to the cashier.

Me: Can I really order a beer here?
Cashier: Yes.

She explained that as long as I stayed within the confines — there are no walls or barricades at Table Green & Table Green Café — of the area I could drink my beer from the open container.

It seems in New York City the attitude is "Behave like an adult. Control yourself. If you can't, one of these armed folks in blue will help you out". Why can't we have this in New Jersey?

Table Green—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 23.4 mm, f/5.6 , ISO 200
Table Green—Table Green—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 55 mm, f/5.6 , ISO 200
FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 55 mm, f/5.6 , ISO 200
SeaGlass Carousel, State Street, New York, NY—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 24.2 mm, f/5.6 , ISO 200

I did not enter the SeaGlass Carousel. What caught my eye was the way the stripes in this person’s dress matched the stripes in the awning.

Statue Cruises—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 55 mm, f/5.6 , ISO 200

The young woman on the left, if you look closely you can see that her feet lifted off the ground completely. Just my guess but I assume they were running to catch one of the ferries.

Do you know where you\'re running to?—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 55 mm, f/5.6 , ISO 200