Tustin Walk
Peter and I had a nice walk around the neighborhood today. It is very hot, but there is a bit of a breeze and there is always something interesting to see. Plants just grow out here, many of which I have never seen before. This round thing is about twice the size of a basketball.
This El Camino SS 396 is parked just down the street. We’ve been driving by it all week and I especially wanted to get some photos before we leave.
Hotel Room With a View (finally)
Cris and I are well used to having hotel rooms with crap views. Were were pleasantly surprised to enter our room and see this. It is especially nice to be able to open the window far enough to stick out the camera and get a clear shot. / I am really liking this city.
Clingstone story in Old House Journal
The Old House Journal with the Clingstone story is on the newsstands. It is the May 2011 issue. Click here to see the online version. Please click on the photos to see them in a pop-out window. And keep in mind that the volunteer weekend is coming up . It is a blast.
The Church of the Holy Cross
The Church of the Holy Cross in Troy, NY was built in two stages in the 1840s. The nave was built in 1844 from a design by Alexander Jackson Davis. It is a very beautiful building which sadly is no longer a church. When the congregation dropped below twenty, the writing was on the proverbial wall. It was decommissioned (if that is the correct word) about a year ago. RPI is in the process of purchasing the building, which I suppose is good. I have such mixed feelings about buildings being used for something other than their original purpose. I am sure RPI will treat it with respect, and I hear that there are covenants in the sale agreement to protect the integrity of the building (it is on the National Register of Historic Places). / After Craig Williams and the Museum crew left, Fred Cawley was kind enough to give me a bit of a tour. Craig had encouraged me to go up the bell tower, and after shooting the nave and chancel, Fred and I went through a very narrow door and made the climb.
Lots of dead pigeons on the way up, and there seemed to be lots of live ones up by the bells.
And those ones flew around like crazy when I pulled on the yellow ropes. I really had no idea that they were connected anymore, and it was quite a surprise to hear the sound of bells above me. / I am not sure what the purpose of this box is, but it might be part of the clock mechanism. Quite a magical morning.
Snow in NYC
New York City has gotten slammed with snow this year. On Thursday in the late afternoon when I was shooting outside of the Broadway Theatre, I saw a guy in a very late model 911 trying to park in about a foot of snow and slush. How sad. My first thought is that if you can afford a Porsche, you should also be able to own something that is suitable to drive in the snow. / This car was one of many on 96th Street somewhere between Columbus and Broadway. / On Tuesday, I am off to Tilghman Island to continue shooting the waterman story with Peter Carroll. Can’t wait.
Grand Central Station
I like taking Metro North into New York as opposed to Amtrak since the New Haven line goes into Grand Central and Amtrak goes into Penn Station. I know this shot is a bit of a cliché, but I love it anyway. What a place.
Waffle House
Cris, the Pearl and I left Pelham yesterday at about 4 pm and arrived at Kiawah at about 9 this morning. Driving through the night on I-95 is really the way to go. Very little traffic and it is really nice to be in the car at night with Cris. She slept on and off, Pearl was really chilled and I was jacked up with a combination of milky tea, Starbucks Frappucinos, and Sudafed. I have had this flu since the week before Christmas and am really tired of it. Just before 6 we stopped for gas and needed some breakfast. Waffle House can be a sketchy experience, but this one was decent. Lots of grease for the potatoes and eggs, and they must have thought we came from another planet, but all in all, fast and filling.
Fenway
Every year around this time, Peter and I drive into Boston. Our first stop is Fenway. We park on Yawkey Way (there is always a spot) and walk around the perimeter of the park. It is always a bit odd to be there in the off season, especially with lots of snow on the ground from the storm earlier this week. We start by heading East on Yawkey and then around to Lansdowne. This year we spotted the entrance to the Bleacher Bar, which is actually inside the building, just under the center field bleachers. It is a really nice smallish pub that was mostly empty. A nice time for an early Guinness for me and a lime and soda for Peter. It was a great day to be together.
Avon Meat Land
I picked up Peter at Union yesterday. Schenectady is interesting. Initially it seemed a hopeless kind of place, but like all Northeastern post-industrial cities, there is much to be appreciated. He and I have driven past Avon Meat Land on a few occasions, and I knew sooner or later we would check it out. For the longest time we remembered it as Amos’ Meat Shack, and in fact this time we drove past thinking that this place and Amos’ just had similar names and were competitors. So not finding the Meat Shack, we did a u-turn and went here. Apparently it has been in business for 70 years. I bought about a pound of Italian sausages (made in Schenectady) and was amazed when the guy at the counter rang me up and said it would be $3.00. Cooked ’em up tonight with some peppers and onions. Very tasty.
Clingstone 2
I finished the Clingstone shoot for Old House Journal and delivered it at the end of the week. The article will hit the newsstands in early March and should be worth a look. The annual volunteer weekend is sometime around the Memorial Day weekend, and anyone who wants to help out is usually welcome.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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