Did I take advantage of the perfect Spring weather to go out and take a shit load of photos today? No. No I did not. I suck. To make up for it, here’s another bunch of pics taken with my father’s Pentax K1000.
Note the matching t-shirts.
Not a horse’s ass, but…
We are home from New York. It was just a one day visit to the city but it was a blast. All we did was wander around 5th Avenue while freezing our asses off. I shot a whole roll of 35mm film through my father’s camera. Awesome.
Today is December 15th. Xmas is 10 days away. You know what that means. It means that today starts the final xmas push. The to-do list for today includes wrapping presents by the truck load. There are a few errands to run too, but today starts the wrapping bonanza.
Bring it on.
One day in Manhattan. Maybe better described as most of one day in Manhattan.
That’s the plan. Drive to someplace in Connecticut that has rail access to NYC. Stay overnight. Take a train into the city tomorrow morning, early. Stay for most of the day. Sometime in the late afternoon or early evening, take a train back to where we started and then drive home.
That leaves two questions. First, what do we do while we’re there. Second, which cameras do I bring?
To answer the first question, we’ll probably just go where the xmas decorations take us. This trip is an attempt at forcing some holiday spirit onto our grinchy, scroogy selves. To answer the second question… I am not sold on anything yet except that I will not be bringing my new medium format camera. I need to run a roll through it to make sure it works before I bring it anywhere of consequence. I just have to get off my ass and do it. So it’s down to the digital Nikon Z5, and the 35mm Pentax K1000, and Nikon FG-20. Both of the film cameras have partially shot rolls. The K1000 is down to the last handful of shits on a roll of Kentmere 400, which is Black and White, and the FG-20 has most of a roll of Kodak ColorPlus 200.
I think I want to bring the K1000 (my father’s camera) and a couple of rolls of color film. I have a handful of ColorPlus that I could bring. I would only bring one or two. I don’t want to spend all of my time fudging with film. At least… assuming I bring the digital camera too. My thought though… do I want to even bring the digital camera? I mean, I do. I want to bring it literally everywhere I go. On this occasion though? There’s a little part of me that is considering going film-only this time.
I don’t know… I am thinking about it.
We cut short our two days in Washington by one day and decided to spend that day in New York. We booked a hotel before we left DC, but otherwise had no plans.
We head North and Waze takes us into Manhattan through the Lincoln tunnel. The second we pull out of the tunnel a thunderstorm hits and the sky literally falls on us. Huge, massive downpour.
We get to the hotel, my wife runs inside to check us in and I wait for a valet. I’m double parked. A city bus comes up behind me. I have to move.
Around the block I hit monster traffic as everyone here (just like at home in Boston) equates rain with a suspension of all driving laws. Idiots everywhere. It took me about 10 minutes to get around the block. When I got back I double parked again. No one from the valet paying any attention. The rain continues to pour. Again, a city bus starts honking.
Screw you, bus driver!
I pulled up a little and blocked a driveway. Someone from the hotel comes out with an umbrella. Do I give you my key? No. Damn it. I get all discombobulated trying to hurry up and get the bags and get inside out of the rain and figure out who the hell gets my car key and who gives me a receipt…
…and I forgot my iPhone in the fucking car.
Looks like no Pokemon Go at the Empire State Building for me.
We had a busy morning so we are taking a short break back at our hotel room.
The room has a balcony! It’s not quite useable at the moment.
The view is pretty good though.
Let the rumors begin.
Word on the street yesterday was that Rush is about to release the dates of the second leg of the Clockwork Angels North American tour. It’s supposed to take place in March and April, just prior to the band going to Europe in May. There are no definite dates yet. There was a leaked itinerary that was pretty clearly fake. It featured three separate stops at one venue. That seemed very unlikely and it removed any possible credibility from the “leak”.
Still, the rumors suggest that there will be another stop at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. I remember back in 1983, reading in some lame rock magazine (Circus? Maybe?) that Rush had booked six nights at Radio City. Back then, that sounded like the most amazing example of success. To book six consecutive nights in one of the most famous of all US venues. It was hard to believe. The 13 year old me decided that someday, he would see Rush at Radio City.
I am still waiting for a chance. I have seen them in Manhattan twice. Both times at Madison Square Garden. As unbelievably awesome as those experiences were, they still weren’t Radio City.
I have been inside Radio City Music Hall once. My wife and I took the tour on one of our visits to the city. Hopefully the next time we’re there it will be to see the Holy Triumvirate of Prog Rock.
Inside the Red Head's Head 