For years I have been riding by bike through Manhattan early on the weekend mornings. Many years ago I did this on a ten-speed Peugeot racer and carried a Leica M2 with me. The Peugeot is long gone, and the M2 now sits on a shelf in my office as a nostalgic reminder of all those early trips through the city. On one of those long ago trips I took the photo below of an ornate section of the old West Side Highway just before it was torn down.
This morning while once again riding a bike along the Hudson River, I happened upon a graveyard for some of the artifacts of the old highway and took these pictures:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivo39vrALkk1W-4M17XJwMWg0M7PShqUmzx3HcNN3qao-32SRmOb6CYwfU9xf5rYPL-HhVaeMeaA3qbufS6OO6nhRUAbjvPeUs_axIX5WxsBLNEZ2zIWS1GNFsW5D7Vrl4d_sAvylmQ8c/s400/ti0159038.jpg) |
The same ornament from the old West Side highway image above now sits an empty lot on the edge of the Hudson River, which is where I took this photo on my bike ride this morning. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimyR3lTIbfcMhyWxeitJbZ0Ue3tcKnxCTr2uWkI60aO_fmLN7n0iVBcG6p5jShaikdSrybkwJfWbKVRGdWnO57YIOFYymqw2HA1xBwbf8l-ZlbFDlIKNiF4kw8AzuWVEF_2XypvIvv9-c/s320/ti0159049.jpg) |
Rusted girders from the former highway also rest in the lot, as wild flowers grow around them. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_rhlpzOT02LApYCV2fChl2aI6QsK3gMWGqf6n_fXE-bMXYZ0Ffn7G3MhQ0XIlnITR4IhAgn_C2VgIiYnwZFf8IRMzmtztfmFtNBSwZpcKXwppy6aw0cAjijvkyeV2CX2Kc_u6ChLnZI/s400/ti0159051.jpg) |
This is the original Leica M2 I used to take the topmost black and white photo of the West Side Highway. The camera is shown here with an accessory Leica meter and a dual-range 50mm Summicron lens. I still use this camera occasionally for shooting with black and white film. |
No comments:
Post a Comment