New York Main

New York was the very first city outside Canada that I chose to visit as a young lad in 1983, when I still lived in Ottawa and had only been to nearby cities like Toronto, Montreal and Quebec. I remember being somewhat overwhelmed at the time, and of course New York back in those days was in rougher shape than currently. Of course, there's nothing quite like New York and even all these years and cities later, it never fails to thrill in its gritty witty urbanity, all the more thrilling now for its familiarity.

I went to New York most recently in April 2012 with Yvon, as a sort of stopover on our way to Madrid and Seville. The photos below capture that relaxed and sunny sojourn in the city. Unlike most of my travel photos, I've left these ones more or less in the order they were taken, capturing each day as it happened. We went to Central Park three times during this visit, and so there are three sets of photos from each

Photo List (Total 854 Photos)

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New York with Yvon in 2012

Yvon and I stopped in New York on our way to Spain in the spring of 2012. We hadn't been in the city together since 1999, and it was kind of romantic to be there again. It was a relaxed meandering visit through the town, a highlight of which was the High Line park.

Day 1 - Friday (105 photos) - Arriving at LaGuardia, walking the High Line Park and seeing new and old buildings surrounding it, a bit of a foray into the West Village, walking through Times Square and up to Central Park, and a few late day shots on the Upper West Side.
Day 2 - Saturday (66 photos) - Breakfast, taking the subway to South Battery Park, walking around the financial district, and then into the East Village where we had lunch and wandered the busy commercial streets, also viewing a number of privately-run parks/gardens in what appear to be former empty lots.
Day 3 - Sunday (40 photos) - Up to Riverside Church in the morning to hear bells, hang out in Morningside Heights for a while, then drop into the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. Afterwards, cross Central Park from its northwest corner, passing the Guggenheim, down to the Frick. Supper in a Mexican Place on 6th near our hotel.
Day 4 - Monday (103 photos) - Grand Central Station, Bryant Park, the Public Library, MoMA, Central Park, Columbus Circle, South Street Seaport, Brooklyn Bridge and pizza!
Day 5 - Tuesday (40 photos) - Hanging out on the Bowery, the Cooper Union, and Canal Street.

New York with Andrew in 2007

I went to New York with my long time pal, Andrew, during my extensive travels in 2007. It was his first visit there, and I was so pleased to be with him for that. Seeing New York through his eyes was like seeing it all over again, especially since we went to several areas and did several things that were completely new for me.

Midtown Manhattan (133 photos) - Our hotel was not too far from Midtown, and this is where we first walked upon entering the city. Includes views of Times Square, the main branch of the NY Public Library, the UN Campus, views from the fabulous Rockefeller Center, the brand spanking new New York Times Tower, interior at the Museum of Modern Art, and other thrills too many to count.
Central Park (44 photos) - We (of course) visited Central Park almost immediately on landing in the city. It was hot and we were a bit exhausted, but lovely nonetheless.
Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine (36 photos) - Andrew and I went on a tour of this church, at the north-western tip of Central Park.
Chelsea and the Lower East Side (24 photos) - This is sort of a left over bit of photos, not really the village, but not really midtown either. Many shots here of Frank Gehry's new IAC building along the West Side Highway, and then down to the Lower East Side through Washington Square, for our tour in the New York Tenement Museum.
Village (21 photos) - Still a touchstone, especially for those of us who came out in the early 1980's, when Christopher Street was still a gay mecca.
Lower Manhattan (36 photos) - A walk around the promenades along the Hudson River, through Wall Street, with a few views of New Jersey and Brooklyn in the distance.
Coney Island (34 photos) - Andrew and I realized that we actually had enough time between scheduled events to make a sudden trip out to Coney Island. This was a special thrill, because I'd never been, and it allowed us to ride the historic Cyclone together, as well as some other rides.
Transit and water towers (11 photos) - A few subway shots, and a series of photos of water towers, that so frequently grace the top of New York's buildings.

Earlier trips

Gates (71 photos) - In 2005, I took a one-day trip to New York with Andrea to see the Gates, a show in Central Park by Christo. We left in the early morning, strolled through parts of the city, viewed the Gates, had supper, and returned to Toronto the same day. It was a whimsical and fabulous thing to do, and the warm and sunny weather was perfect. These photos are mostly of the Gates, many of you will have seen them before, but I thought I would include them again.
New York with Yvon (30 photos) - In 1999, Yvon's first trip to New York, featuring our walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and visits to the World Trade Center.
Pride in New York (35 photos) - In 1994, I went to Gay Pride in New York with a group of friends. It was the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, and we had a fabulous time.
First time in New York (25 photos) - My very first trip to a large city, with Jim, in 1983. Be forewarned - very short shorts in these photos, though I love myself in the old Body Politic t-shirt. Two interesting shots of the subway before they later cleaned it up considerably.