We'll Have What She's Having

Catering Sign, New York City, New York, USA

This is the catering and party sign in the famous Katz's Delicatessen.  Open since 1888, Katz's has served generations.  Marc's family has been eating there for decades.  His parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and perhaps even his great-great grandparents ate there.  Katz's is also the site of the famous scene in When Harry Met Sally where Estelle Reiner says "I'll have what she's having".  Meg Ryan's order was too complicated for us, so we stuck to hot pastrami on rye.

A Big Splash

Aqua Tower, Chicago, Illinois, USA

With its wave-like balconies, the eighty-two story Aqua makes a big splash on the Chicago skyline.

Studying the Heavens

Adler Planetarium on Lake Michigan, Chicago, Illinois, USA

When we arrived at the Adler Planetarium, it was raining cats and dogs.  The rain just wouldn't stop.  While we were studying the heavens inside, the rain poured from the heavens outside.  Just as we finished our visit, the sky cleared and it became a spectacular summer afternoon on Lake Michigan.

A Guide for the Golden Gate

Point Bonita Lighthouse, Point Bonita, California, USA

Since 1877, the Point Bonita Lighthouse has warned ship captains away from treacherous cliffs and rocks as they passed through the Golden Gate into and out of San Francisco Bay.  Reachable only by a narrow suspension bridge, the lighthouse had to be relocated in the 19th century so it could be seen in the famously thick fog.

Holding Back Colorado at Nevada and Arizona

Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, and the Colorado River, Nevada and Arizona, USA

Hoover Dam is an incredible structure which holds back the Colorado River to form Lake Mead and provide hydroelectric power and water to millions of citizens in the Southwestern United States.

In this photo you can clearly see the dam, penstock towers, a spillway, Lake Mead, the Colorado River, and the bypass bridge.

This photo was taken near the end of the same flight from which we snapped yesterday's photo of Emory University and the CDC.  Like yesterday's photo, the plane was turning, but instead of climbing, it was descending.  This required being prepared and taking many shots in rapid succession.

We were lucky that there was no cloud cover and that our flight path flew past Hoover Dam where we could see it from our side of the plane.

On Top of the Class

Emory University and the CDC, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

This photo was snapped shortly after take-off as we were making a slow, climbing turn over Atlanta.  Photography from commercial airliners is often difficult because of the aircraft movement, cabin turbulence, window clarity (smudges, scratches, frost), the sun, and our ability to lock in and focus on the subject.

Somehow everything was lined up to get this photo of Emory University and the CDC.  As we often do with our aerial photos, we darkened the photo slightly to reduce atmospheric noise.  For this photo, we also cropped the wing out since it wasn't integral to the photo.

After The Climb

The "Rocky Steps", Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

The steps at the entrance to the Philadelphia Museum of Art have been immortalized in the Rocky movies.

After you reenact Rocky's ascent while listening to Gonna Fly Now on your MP3, take a moment to check out the beautiful park and cityscape behind you.  Be sure to also tour the spectacular Philadelphia Museum of Art.

A Grand for Around $400

The Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

Overflying the Grand Canyon in a Delta Airlines Boeing 757 cost us about $400 each, but the view was priceless.

Night Lights

City Lights, Vancouver, British Columbia, USA

In many a city there is a tall building which affords panoramic views.  Seattle has the Space Needle, Chicago has the John Hancock Center, New York has the Empire State Building, Atlanta has the Westin Peachtree Plaza, and Vancouver has the Lookout.

We visited the Vancouver Lookout during the day and night for some cool views of Vancouver.

In this night view looking south, we love how the lights of Gastown and the Olympic Stadium (aka BC Place) are brightened and how the freeway looks like a river of light bulbs.  We also love the various colors illuminating the buildings, streets and False Creek.

To take this photo, we set a shutter delay (10 seconds) to allow the camera to stabilize and then held the lens open for a slightly longer period than normal (perhaps 4 seconds).

Save Me A River

The Everglades, Florida, USA

This was the Florida Everglades back in 2008, looking more wet and lush than it had in years.  A critical part of the ecosystem, The Everglades (aka River of Grass) have suffered from many ailments over the past decades.  Many of these issues were man-made, and it was nice to see that the efforts to fix what we caused were working.

Cities by the Bay

Miami and Miami Beach, Florida, USA

When you hear the phrase City by the Bay, you likely think of San Francisco.  Miami and Miami Beach are also on a famous bay, Biscayne Bay.  We took this shot during a scenic approach to Miami International Airport.  From the west, we overflew the Everglades, came south past the airport over Dinner Key and Coconut Grove, and then circled through Miami to land.

In this photo you can see Biscayne Bay, downtown Miami, Miami Beach, the cruise ships at Dodge Island, US 1 and Interstate 95, as well as the Rickenbacker, MacArthur, Venetian, and Julia Tuttle Causeways.

Barn Find

See Rock City Barn, Gainesville, Georgia, USA

At one time, there were almost 900 "See Rock City" barns spread across 19 states from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes.  Now, fewer than 100 remain.  We spotted this old barn near Gainesville, Georgia while meandering down Old Cornelia Highway.  The new Cornelia Highway, U.S. 23, is a high speed extension of Interstate 85.  Surely, this barn and the sign are from another time.  When we drive the older roads, we're often rewarded with surprises like this historic structure.

On a side note, we took all sorts of shots of this with our Canon Powershot SX40, but our Apple iPhone 4 tracking shot (for GPS) was the best.

Celebrity Convenience

Men's Bathroom, Los Angeles, California, USA

This bathroom at the historic Los Angeles Athletic Club is a real throwback to a different era.  The building dates back to 1912, but we suspect this bathroom has been renovated many times since.

Over the years, many movie stars and famous athletes (many Olympians) have belonged to the club.  In this room, Harold Lloyd, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, and Johnny Weissmuller may have discussed their next picture or stunt.

Weissmuller, like fellow club member Esther Williams, was an award winning swimmer who parlayed athletic prowess into a movie career.

Ted's Happier Days

Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Turner Field (aka The Ted) is the home of the Atlanta Braves.  The baseball stadium began life as Centennial Olympic Stadium for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.  It was later reduced and remodeled to serve The Braves.

This is what The Ted looked like back in January 1999.  We took this photo during a site-seeing flight.  At that time, Turner Field was the pride of Atlanta.  Visitors and residents alike admired it inside and out.

The Braves have announced that they are moving north of Atlanta and will demolish Turner Field once their new stadium is built.

The Braves are reportedly moving to be closer to their fan base, but their move and promise to demolish Turner Field brings a sad and undignified end to an important part of Atlanta's history.  This, in our opinion, is another example of Atlanta's shortsighted outlook on historic sites, buildings, streets, etc.

Echoes of the Past

Ruins, Sweetwater Creek State Park, Lithia Springs, Georgia, USA

While touring Sweetwater Creek State Park, we visited the ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Company textile mill.  The mill was built before the U.S. Civil War and was powered by Sweetwater Creek (the creek is more like a river).  The Union Army shut down and burned the mill and then arrested all of the employees.  The ruins are now a reminder of times and struggles long ago.

A Big Compact

Mayflower Compact Monument, Provincetown, Massachusetts, USA

The Mayflower Compact Monument commemorates the first governing document by the Pilgrims in North America.  The compact was signed in Provincetown Harbor in November 1620, a year before the Pilgrims celebrated their first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts.  The next time you're in Provincetown, check it out.

What Time is It?

Clock Tower, Bartow County Courthouse, Catersville, Georgia, USA

Citizens of Cartersville have been able to set their watches since 1902 using the clock tower of the Bartow County Courthouse.  In the days before atomic clocks, cell phones, and telephone time and temperature numbers, citizens used local clock towers and church bells to synchronize their watches.

Jefferson's Capitol

State Capitol, Jefferson City, Missouri, USA

Built in 1917, the Missouri State Capitol is a glorious building, inside and out.  Next time you're in Jeff City, we encourage you to take a leisurely tour of this grand structure and the surrounding grounds.

We took this picture on a summer evening around sunset.

Rome If You Want To

Downtown, Rome, Georgia, USA

When we travel, we enjoy seeing old buildings, signs, and facades.  We loved the front of the Partridge Restaurant, which has been a fixture in downtown Rome since 1933.  Although we didn't get to eat there during our brief visit, we figure it's probably good since it's been there so long!  Maybe we'll drop in during our next visit.

Golden Arch

Golden, Colorado, USA

Golden greeted us with a warm welcome, but we still needed winter coats.  Golden was a cute town where he had fun shopping in quaint shops, walking down the main drag, and staying and dining at the cute Table Mountain Inn.