Tag: photography

Tall Ships Parade on the Hudson celebrating the US 250th

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New York City celebrated the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in several ways: the Times Square ball dropped multiple times (the first time that had been done other than on New Year’s Eve), the Statue of Liberty was a part of a laser light show, and of course there were fantastic fireworks at night (starting about 30 minutes earlier to avoid some thunderstorms!). My favorite part of this very special celebration happened in the morning and early afternoon of July 4th: initially, a spectacular aerial show over New York Harbor, flying over the Hudson River north; followed by a magnificent parade of tall ships along with some Class B sailing ships, tugboats, and NYFD water boats, all passing through the Harbor, sailing up the Hudson to the George Washington Bridge, and then circling back to return.

I decided to watch all of this from the lower portion of Riverside Park, at about West 68th Street. Because of the West Side Highway on an overpass just east of the park, I knew from experience that there was good shade to be had, at least until early afternoon. This turned out to be even more important than usual, as NYC was entering the fourth day of an oppressive heat wave. However, I was able to find a place to sit in the shade, later moving to a standing position next to a rail, moving again to sit on the grass, and finally standing on the sidewalk almost in a bed of plants – all to avoid the sun as it slowly rose higher in the sky behind us. Although there were those who stood out on piers to be closer to the ships, and certainly were able to get stunning photos because of the proximity, I was happy with the view I had, and stayed much longer than I would have been able to in the sun.

Starting at about 10:15 AM, there was a wonderful aerial show. I had never been to a show like this, and was amazed at how closely the airplanes flew to each other. From my perspective, at times it seemed they were almost on top of each other! Led by the Blue Angels, there were a variety of US and international fixed and rotary winged aircraft. I looked it up later and learned that I saw the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the U.S. Air Force “Bomber Trifecta” (B-1, B-2, B-52), F-15 and F-22 fighters, Marine F-35s, France’s Patrouille de France and the UK’s Royal Air Force. You can see a video compilation of some of it on my Instagram posts HERE and HERE.

With the tall ships parade scheduled to start at 9:30, I was expecting to see the tall ships around 10:30, but the parade actually started about 10, so they got to where I was viewing by about 11. First there was a pilot boat, and NYFD water boat, among others. It was exciting at this point because every now and then you could hear one of the ships sounding its horn farther south.

The tall ships were even more impressive than I had imagined! It was easy to tell which were the true tall ships versus the Class B sailing ships, which were scattered in with the tall ships. Often the ships would sound their horn as they passed by and everyone would cheer! You can see video of some of the ships on my Instagram reel HERE.

There were so many more ships than I had expected. Eventually some of the first ships were coming south again after turning around at the George Washington Bridge. I noticed that later in the parade more of the ships had their sails furled, perhaps to give them more control since they would be passing other ships coming south.

It was a lovely “Saturday in the park . . . I think it was the Fourth of July” (I made an Instagram reel using that song HERE haha). One of the things I loved about this was the international aspect of it – countries from all over the world here to celebrate our birthday, as we are reminded of our place alongside them. I doubt there will be another parade of tall ships like this for another 50 years, which I will not see. That knowledge made the experience all the more special, and I held a hope within my heart that those seeing the 300th birthday parade of tall ships will be doing so in a world and country that has improved in terms of peacefulness and quality of life for all.

Holiday Nostalgia Trains

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In December, there are so many wonderful things to do in New York City that it’s impossible to work them all in every year. But a special December event that can be enjoyed while you get to another of the festive displays or activities in the city, is the running of the holiday nostalgia trains by the MTA. The New York Transit Museum in collaboration with the MTA, runs Art Deco 1930’s subway trains on Sundays in December, and this is definitely the most delightful way to travel around the city! Eight subway cars from the 1930’s are brought back into service on a limited basis, and were considered state-of-the-art in their day.

Immaculately preserved by the Transit Museum, these R1/9s reflect the Depression-era Art Deco aesthetic, complete with rattan seats, paddle ceiling fans, incandescent light bulbs, and original period advertisements. You can see a video of the train arriving and leaving, and some of the interior details here.

These are the very trains said to have inspired Billy Strayhorn’s classic “Take the A Train.”

One of the fun aspects of this is that some people actually dress in period clothing to ride the trains!

The vintage signs are fun to see as well – and apparently subway crime has existed for quite a long time!

Here are the details for this year (2025). For future years, check the New York Transit Museum’s website.

  • The rides run every Sunday in December from 10am to 5pm,
  • The train depart from 2 Av–Houston St on the uptown F line and 96 St–2 Av on the Q line.
  • The rides can be accessed via a standard Subway fare using either OMNY or Metrocard
  • For stops between 2 Av–Houston St and Lexington Av–63 St, board on the F line platform.
  • For stops between Lexington Av–63 St and 96 St–2 Av, board on the Q line platform.
  • Accessible stations along the route include: Broadway–Lafayette St (D, 6), West 4 St–Washington Sq (A/C/E, D/F), 34 St–Herald Sq (D/F, N/Q/R) , 47–50 St–Rockefeller Center (D/F), Lexington Av–63 St (F, Q), 72 St–2 Av (Q), 86 St–2 Av (Q) and 96 St–2 Av (Q).

Here’s the schedule:

  • The train departs from 2 Av–Houston St on the uptown F line in lower Manhattan at 10am, 12pm, 2pm and 4pm.
  • The train departs from 96 St– 2 Av on the Q line at 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm.

Other times of the year there may be other ticketed special events using nostalgia trains (for instance, trips to Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn in October), but I highly recommend trying to experience the holiday trains in December for just the cost of a subway fare. This is the best time of the year in New York City, in my opinion, and if you plan it correctly even a subway ride can enhance the joy of the season.

Digital/Experiential Art in NYC

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A few years ago I wrote about my experience of going to the Van Gogh immersive visual art exhibit and since then I have noticed that more and more similar exhibitions have been popping up in NYC. There is even one, ARTECHOUSE (the name is a combination of art – tech – house) in Chelsea Market, that is a permanent space but with rotating shows (and it has other locations in Washington DC and Houston). I have been to a few of these and find them at their best to be a trippy and somewhat relaxing experience, but also occasionally (in my opinion) a regular visual documentary shoehorned into the concept of experiential art.

An exhibit I saw at ARTECHOUSE a few years ago (in 2023) was Beyond the Light, which visualized NASA data from the moon, heliophysics, the Mars rovers, climate science, and their technology transfer program. Set in their gigantic gallery space with projections on the floor in addition to wrapping around the walls, the experience was odd yet transporting.

More recently, though, I went back to see their exhibit in collaboration with Rolling Stone, AMPLIFIED, which described itself as an “50-minute immersive journey into the music, history, imagery and culture of rock ‘n’ roll, encompassing over 1,000 photographs, 200 videos, and 1,300 Rolling Stone covers.”

This one I thought I would adore, as I love music, but strangely it did not seem to fit the format. It was in one way too narrative (with a voice over from Keven Bacon), which led to a more seated/”let’s just look at things and listen” experience, compared to others where people are inspired to move around within the space. But the narrative itself was disjointed to me, and I had the feeling that Rolling Stone had just thrown things together in categories (hey, here’s a bunch of rockers with cars . . . posters are cool . . .now here’s a festival) rather than there being a clear narrative journey. Did I have a good time? Yes . . . but I would have enjoyed just as much just watching a 50 minute documentary on the subject matter – the immersive presentation didn’t add anything (at least for me).

This kind of experiential and digital art is not new. I recently wrote about Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy, which was first presented as an art installation/amusement park in 1987 in Germany. So why are there so many more of these happening now? I believe it is usually the kind of experience you can enjoy but can provide some cool photos and videos, usually to post (and I am guilty as charged on that front). There is an upcoming exhibit that I already have a ticket for that upps the ante by not only having immersive visual effects but also scent, light and sound in tandem (Eternal Nature at Artemuseum at Chelsea Piers). These immersive visual experiences aren’t inexpensive (usually $35-50) and aren’t that long (usually less than a hour). However, when these things work for me, I find them fun but also overwhelming in a positive way, and truly feel transported and immersed in a different world.