Monday, October 20, 2008

Travel: New York City - Lower Manhattan

B got invited to come out to NYC and, so, we did the quickest trip ever.
Itinerary:
  • Day 1: Took the red eye out LAX >> JFK.
  • Day 2: Arrived in New York City, checked into an executive suite at Club Quarters. The hotel is kind of interesting because it serves purified water on every floor, complete with provided water bottles. Other than that, it's your standard business hotel. Because we were located 2 blocks away from the New York Stock Exchange, we decided to check out the Lower Manhattan: NYSE, Federal Hall, Trinity Church, Battery Park, City Hall, and the World Trade Center Site. We then went to the NYU area and saw the Washington Square Arch. We walked from NYU all the way back to our hotel to see sights along the way.
  • Day 3: We checked out of our hotel, and went to Grand Central Station. We explored Times Square, ultimately having lunch there. We then strolled through lower Central Park before our return flight JFK >> LAX.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

LA: UCLA Hanna Carter Japanese Garden

The UCLA Japanese Garden is actually off the main campus and in the hills of Bel Air. I had to make a reservation to go because of how tiny the parking lot is and they attempt to maintain the tranquility of the garden with as few people as possible.  There are so many elements to this small space that it actually feels much larger than it really is. With a pond (with koi fish!), gentle mini waterfalls/streams, a garden house, a shrine, and of course the garden itself, there were plenty of things to photograph within the 1 hour I spent there.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

LA: The Getty Center - Revisited

I knew it was too soon to post a Getty entry this year. Lo, and behold, I had a photo assignment to shoot the architectural features of the Getty. Above is the main waterfall and garden at the Getty. Below is the inside the main building.