Posts tagged ‘Central Park’
2013 New York City Marathon
Earlier this month I covered the 2013 ING New York City Marathon for the NY Times. It was nice to cover the official race again as last year it was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy. This year I was assigned to cover the 1-mile stretch of the course in The Bronx at about Mile-20 as runners crossed the Willis Avenue Bridge from 1st Avenue in Manhattan and back over the Madison Ave Bridge into Manhattan.
It was clear security was much heavier this year as the course was guarded from blocks away from the actual course. Luckily, I was on a scooter and was able to snake through the snarled NYC traffic. I parked my scooter near the Madison Avenue Bridge and walked across the bridge into The Bronx. As it turned out I’d arrived quite early as I had to wait about an hour for the leaders to pass.
It was fun to chat with and see all the various supporters from local cheerleaders, a Japanese drumming team, bands, firefighters, and local residents cheer on the runners as they passed.
I made my way to the Willis Avenue Bridge and eventually spotted a building that gave me a great vantage point to make an overall shot and transmit my photos to the paper. It was worth the hike to the roof as the photo quickly made it to the NYTimes.com homepage!
I made my way back to my scooter over the first bridge and got back home to the Upper West Side where I transmitted once more before hitting Central Park as evening approached. I entered the park around 90th Street and walked toward the finish line at around 67th Street. As I made my way closer I was swarmed by Marathon finishers attempting to find their belongings and way out of the park.
One of my favorite parts of covering the Marathon is seeing the runners cross the finish line as it’s a very emotional moment for them. Overall, I had a great time covering this year’s race!
$95,000,000 Will Get You a Hell of a View!
Looking northwest from the west-facing terrace.
Funny story…last week I had an assignment to photograph the CEO of Estée Lauder from the 47th floor of the General Motors Building. As I do whenever I find myself in an office with a view, I went to the window and took some photos. The view looked northwest and the only building in the foreground was the Sherry-Netherland Hotel. I mentioned to the publicist how amazing it would be to check out the balconies on that building. Well, fast forward 18 hours, I got a call from the real estate editor of the NY Times asking me to take pictures of a co-op that just hit the market at $95 million. Unbelievably, I was assigned to shoot a residence in the very same hotel I’d photographed a day prior from that office window. What are the odds?!
View of the Sherry-Netherland Hotel from the General Motors Building.
I made my way across the park from my apartment on the Upper West Side and down 5th Avenue to the southeast corner of Central Park. The Sherry-Netherland Hotel is located on 59th street directly across from the Fifth Avenue Apple Store, catty-cornered from the infamous Plaza Hotel, and across Fifth Avenue from the southeast corner of Central Park. When I arrived multiple doormen greeted me graciously and showed me to the front desk. I was pointed to the elevators where I had the choice of 3 luxurious lifts with operators smiling at me attentively.
Lift operator in the luxurious elevators.
Elegant elevator lobby in the residence.
Once on the 18th floor, I opened a door to another world. Each of the three elevators open to a set of private entrances within a hallway of gold fixtures. Take a left and you’re headed to the professionally-equipped kitchen and dining room, or take a right and you’re headed toward a room with a wet bar made of solid mahogany.
Professional grade kitchen.
Dining room and solarium in the background.
Mahogany wet bar.
Though luxurious, the interior wasn’t quite my cup of tea. I’m sure every piece of furniture was an antique, beautifully crafted, and expensive, but a bit out-of-date for my taste. What I was truly taken by were the sweeping views from west-facing terrace of Central Park stretching as far north as the eye could see and, with one sweep of the head, you can see straight down Fifth Avenue to the Empire State Building. There are two identical terraces both spanning the south and west lengths of the building at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street (Central Park South).
West terrace panorama. Click to enlarge.
South terrace panorama. Click to enlarge.
Looking south down 5th Avenue with Empire State in the distance.
The listing boasts over 7,000 square feet of interior space and over 2,000 square feet of outdoor space. There is a third smaller, but substantial north-facing terrace located off of the master bedroom suite. The master suite also has his-and-hers private baths and walk-in closets.
Master suite terrace facing north.
Master bedroom
Walk-in closet and vanity.
On top of what I mentioned above, there is a solarium, a hallway of closets leading to the west wing of the apartment with a guest suite with two bedrooms, two baths and a small kitchen, various other bedrooms, offices, bathroom, and two maids quarters on a separate floor.
After my tour I was invited to come back in the early-evening if I wanted to take some photos from the terraces at dusk. You see, I have a rule that I always take up an offer when invited to shoot from a $95 million terrace…it’s just common sense.
So I went back to my office to file the photos to the NY Times as they were promptly closing the section. I relaxed a few hours and scooted back down to my new oasis in the sky.
View of the Plaza Hotel looking west on the south-facing terrace.
I spent about 30 minutes snapping away as the day turned into night and the glow of the city was able to burn into my images. Standing on the south-facing terrace you’re able to look straight down on the Fifth Avenue Apple Store which is actually a massive glass skylight for the underground store. It just so happened to be the day before the new iPhone 5 went on sale, so if you look closely, you’ll see a queue of people waiting overnight to be the first owners.
Great view of the Fifth Avenue Apple Store across the street.
Bergdorf Goodman, left, and Plaza Hotel, right.
View looking west down Central Park South at Columbus Circle and the Time Warner Center.
Simply put, the view is what makes this listing so unbelievably amazing, rare, and pricy. Granted, having an entire floor of an old-school luxury hotel isn’t bad…but nothing beats 2,000 square feet of outdoor space and the breathtaking views of this dream home.
I’m just happy I got to live that fantasy world…if ever so briefly.
Covering the Central Park Rape
There are times as a news photographer that I cringe when I get an assignment from an editor…and this was one of them. Let me back up….a few days ago I received an email from my mother linking me to a news report about the awful rape and brutal beating of a 73-year-old birdwatcher in a secluded area in Strawberry Fields in New York. Truly horrible, especially being my neighborhood and the fact that it took place in broad daylight near a very popular tourist attraction, the John Lennon Imagine Memorial.
The next morning I got a call from the NY Times asking me to head into the park to take pictures in the more secluded areas known as The Rambles, which are especially popular among birders and nature photographers….and apparently shady sexual encounters according to the article.
I arrived at the entrance of Strawberry Fields where the rape happened and found police tape marking a wide parameter around the popular tourist destination. I made some pictures of the detectives and crime scene unit working before I walked around the entire parameter in search of photos to illustrate the story.
Now, I’m quite familiar with The Rambles in Central Park as I’m and avid walker/jogger and even got married on the north side of The Lake. Normally I hike the paths with enthusiasm, but as I walked the paths on this day, it was a bit haunting given the events of the previous day.
After making some pictures of folks walking through the most isolated areas, I made my way back to my apartment to transmit the photos.
Soon after filing my pictures from Central Park, my editor gave me a call to see if I could rush up to the Special Victims Unit in East Harlem to take pictures of the rapist who was arrested hours earlier. It’s typical for high profile cases that police departments arrange a “perp walk” in order to show off their arrest to the media.
I arrived on the scene and there were already numerous news crews, both stills and video, network satellite trucks, reporters, and many locals (including school kids) waiting for a glimpse of the rapist. There was a lot of anger building among the locals…and they all yelled at him as he was led from the SVU to the awaiting patrol car. I took some audio of the crowd reacting to the man.
As he was led out, he immediately looked like one scary dude. He quickly glared at the news media waiting to take is pictures and spit in our direction before being promptly placed in the car. Locals cursed and jeered at him as he was driven off…
Such is a day in the life of a NYC photographer…
NYC Triathlon Underwear Run
Early this morning I had a NY Times assignment to photograph a lady named Caroline Gaynor who is a triathlete who helps blind athletes compete in triathlons. I always love an assignment in Central Park, so I decided to take an early walk before the heat of the day hit…it’s been in the upper 90’s and humid lately. While in the park I was passing the Turtle Pond and even came across a turtle laying eggs in the mud.
Anyhow, my shoot went well and Caroline told me about an Underwear Run that she was participating in later in the evening and I knew I had to witness it. I showed up at the 72nd Street Traverse and found a couple hundred men and women wearing next-to-nothing ready to to jog in the 90+ degree heat. Even the Naked Cowboy was on hand to be an official cheerleader. Next year if you’re around, I’d recommend checking out the Underwear Run….good times!
More photos from the Underwear Run in my archives.
Bad, Icky, Nasty, Creepy Elmo. Parents Beware!
Every so often I’ll get a call from an editor asking me to shoot an assignment that just makes me laugh. Tuesday was one of those days. Fresh off a plane from a two-week shoot in Hawaii, a metro editor at the NY Times rang me asking me to hop into Central Park (always my favorite assignment location) to photograph a “Bad Elmo”. Since I was off the grid from a full day of travel, I hadn’t heard about the recent news of a hate-spewing Elmo who was yelling at people the day prior. I’m talking about the silly people who dress up like characters and pose with tourists for money. Think Times Square or Hollywood Boulevard in LA.
Since I live right on Central Park West, I often get called for last minute assignments in the park, like this one. Apparently the reporter was doing some investigating and found the Bad Elmo in the same spot he was the day prior, posting with tourists and collecting $1 and $5 bills for his talent. Turns out these guys can make a pretty decent living doing this. He said his suit cost $300 off the internet and he can make around $200/day.
As he continued to speak with the reporter the story turned more and more disturbing and I was shocked to hear him be so candid, explaining that he was just let out of a psychiatric ward at the local hospital where he’d been held since the altercation that put him there a day earlier. He went on to give the reporter his background which involved both running and being an actor in a PORNOGRAPHY website based out of Cambodia he created called “Rape Camp”. That’s right parents, the Elmo that is on his knees embracing your children ran and acted in a website called Rape Camp.
So anyway…I just found it amazing how this creepy dude who was candidly talking about his disturbing past to a reporter was continually interrupted by parents so that he could be paid to hold their innocent little children. Hopefully the NY Times article gives you pause next time you see a random person waltzing down the street cloaked in a furry costume.
Parents Beware!
More Photos of Bad Elmo can be found in my archives.
Happy Holidays To All!
Happy Holidays Everyone!
I thought it’d be a good time to share some photos from my walk through Central Park during the blizzard last weekend in NYC.
Snow – Blog – Images by Robert Caplin
“Weekend” Column Comes to a Close
Over the past 2-3 years I’ve had the good fortune to work regularly with the NY Times Travel Section and writer Seth Kugel for his weekly column “Weekend In New York”. Seth decided to give up the column to set up shop in Brazil and try something new.
In today’s Sunday NY Times is Seth’s final Weekend column and I found working on it bittersweet. The column’s purpose was to give readers a themed itinerary of things to do if they visited to NYC for a weekend. Everything ranging from the best bakeries to ethnic themed adventures. The column regularly brought me to very cool hidden NYC bars, restaurants, specialty shops, tourist sites, vast cemeteries, sailing, and so on.
The final Weekend column which is in today’s paper, it was an ode to the column’s writer Seth Kugel. He reminisced on his 15 years living in the Big Apple and how even he, a reporter paid to explore and experience the city, has not even come close to experiencing all NYC has to offer.
For the first time working on the column, I was given a handful of days to photograph the finale which had Seth checking out and doing those activities he’s always wanted to do, but never ended up having the chance. This ended up having us waiting in line outside at David Letterman, at mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, to the Opera, chowing down of expensive steak at the world-renowned Peter Lugar’s Steakhouse, taking in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and jogging through Central Park.
As I look back, I realize I got to be Seth’s eyes and really get a explore my city….I LOVE NYC!
Some favorites:
To the Trained Eye, Museum Pieces Lurk Everywhere
From the Days When New York Was Actually New
People-Watching: Here’s Looking at You
You May Now Kiss the Clerk
From Bi Bim Bop to a Huge Spa
Where River Views Are From the River
You Can Come and Go. They’re Staying Awhile.
Check out a whole slue of the columns I worked on here.
Seth snagged this shot of me shooting for THIS column
Seth shows up to my apartment unannounced with sweets purchased from bakeries all over the city for THIS assignment. That was a nice surprise!
