Disney California Adventure Park

Cozy Cone Motel
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/8, 1/1000sec, 640ISO, 24mm

Last week, my family took a trip to Los Angeles area for a Spring Break vacation. The first part of the trip was visiting friends, relaxing with them in Burbank, and checking out some of the sites in Griffith Park. But last weekend, we moved down to Anaheim, and spent some time with my parents, and my sister's family. Friday was our first days in the parks, and California Adventure was the park that was first up.

Cars Land
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/10, 1/640sec, 640ISO, 24mm

 I have not been to Disney California Adventure Park since it first opened up 17 years ago. They have revamped it in that time, and they were doing some construction while we were there as well. Pixar is invading the park, but one of my favorite areas of any Disney park is Pixar themed already, Cars Land. 

Flo's V8 Cafe during the day
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/8, 1/1000sec, 640ISO, 24mm

We had stayed at the Art of Animation at Walt Disney World Resort, so had already experienced some of the theming that you would see at Cars Land. The Radiator Springs Racers is one of the best Disney Rides. It uses the same technology as the Test Track at Epcot, but you do race against another car at the same time (seems like the right lane always wins, at least the two times I rode). 

Stanley, Our Founder
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/10, 1/800sec, 640ISO, 65mm

Gasoline Pumps
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/8, 1/1000sec, 640ISO, 35mm

Some of the Cars characters are also available for meet and greet time, I saw the Fire Truck (forgot his name), Mater, and Lightning McQueen (visible in the first photo), as well as one of the flashy cars from Cars 3 (one with a sound system, the first nighttime shot below). Flo's V8 Cafe is impressive, but once night falls, the whole area lights up with neon. I am ashamed to say I missed the subtle touch of the pistons holding up the canopies of Flo's V8 Cafe: They glow red, as if the spark plugs have fired. I wish I would have watched it to see if it was in a correct firing sequence for a V8, as there are 4 pistons on each side. 

Dance Party!
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/5.6, 1/15sec, 640ISO, 24mm

Cozy Cone Motel
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/5.6, 1/50sec, 3200ISO, 24mm

Flo's V8 Cafe
Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4, f/5.6, 1/80sec, 3200ISO, 24mm

New York State Pavilion Open Gate on Opening Day 50th Anniversary

Springtime in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/500sec, 100ISO, 40mm

Wednesday I posted photos from April 22nd of this year through the wide angle lens (World's Fair Wide Angle Wednesday). Today, I am adding some of the photos that were captured through my shorty forty (EF 40mm f/2.8 STM), and one from an old zoom lens I inherited (EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 USM). 

There is a Long Island Railroad station that serves Flushing-Meadows. It opened for the first World's Fair in 1939. When I first moved to Queens, it was the Shea Stadium stop, but now it is called Mets-Willets Point. This station is only operational during the US Open, and during Mets home games. Since the fall, the LIRR has been utilizing tracks 3 through 4 as a parking lot for some of the trains during the afternoons. 

Red Bird in the wild
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/10, 1/500sec, 100ISO, 40mm

I spotted a Red Bird (9343) in the Corona Yard, the storage facility for the MTA's New York City Transit's 7 Trains. Though referred to as Red Birds, the R33 World's Fair cars were originally light turquoise and white. This car was delivered by the St. Louis Car Company in October of 1963. These cars were taken out of revenue service in November of 2003, so I did get a chance to ride the Red Birds after I moved to NYC. Some of them now serve as artificial reefs down the Atlantic Cost, a few are being preserved, and some, such as this one, serve as work cars.

Also visible in that photograph are the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where the US Open is held, and the Unisphere, and the Observation Towers of the New York State Pavilion. The larger stadium is Arthur Ashe Stadium, which is the world's largest tennis specific stadium. It opened in 1997. The smaller stadium is Louis Armstrong Stadium, named after the jazz musician who lived close by in Corona, Queens. It served as the main stadium from 1978 until 1997 when Arthur Ashe Stadium opened.

Silver, silver, black and yellow
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/200sec, 100ISO, 40mm

I walked further south making my way to the Pavilion and took a quick shot of a work train at rest. It is never a good sign when you see one of these barreling through a station at night, so I prefer to observe a work train in these conditions.

Unisphere looking North towards Arthur Ashe Stadium in Springtime
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/9, 1/250sec, 125ISO, 40mm

The Unisphere is one of the most iconic images of Queens, if not New York City as well. It was built on top of the Perisphere's foundation from the previous World's Fair, and was a gift from United States Steel Corporation. It features three rings, one to represent the orbit of Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space (Russian Cosmonaut), John Glenn, the first American in space, and Telstar, the first active communications satellite. 

Dry Unisphere and Queens Museum
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/400sec, 320ISO, 40mm

The Unisphere is located just outside of the Queens Museum, where I spent some of the time waiting. The thing is massive! The people in the above photograph give you a sense of the scale. It is 140' tall, and weighs 700,000lbs with a 100ton inverted tripod. 

LGA, Riker's Island, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, College Point from the "air"
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/3.5, 1/80sec, 1600ISO, 40mm

As I wrote previously, the Panorama of the City of New York is where I spent some of my time waiting. The following are some more detail shots, since they weren't taken with the wide angle lens. 

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park from the South looking North
Canon 60D, EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 USM, f/4.5, 1/320sec, 6400ISO, 40mm

When the Fair closed, the Panorama remained open to the public, and the map was updated regularly until 1970. It wasn't updated from 1970 until 1992, when 60,000 structures were added. Beginning in 2009, the Museum decided to try to keep it updated more regularly. People and organizations can donate money to adopt an accurate scale model of their building. The first updated model was the Mets' CitiField, which replaced Shea Stadium in 2009.

Downtown Manhattan
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/3.5, 1/125sec, 1600ISO, 40mm

One of the buildings that no longer exist in the skyline, the World Trade Center's Twin Towers, still remain on the map. They will be replaced when construction at the site is finished and the new buildings are complete, rather than a hole in the map.

Waiting...
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/5, 1/320sec, 125ISO, 40mm

After heading back to the gates of the Tent of Tomorrow, I waited outside for our number to be called. Hardhats were required once inside. I noticed they had placed blue decorative balls ontop of the rods just above the entrance, as it looked 50 years prior. And a flag was hung there as well.

Towers through the Tent
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/1000sec, 125ISO, 40mm

I finally made it inside! We were told we had 10 minutes, so I tried to make the most of it, capturing some images with my shorty forty and switching to the wide angle lens. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.

West Entrance with Texaco
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/250sec, 125ISO, 40mm

They had restored some of the signage, such as the Texaco sign.

 

Planters
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/250sec, 125ISO, 40mm

And the Restaurant sign as well...

Stitched Together
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/250sec, 125ISO, 40mm

I took several photos and used Microsoft's Image Composite Editor to create this large image above. 15 images were combined to create the final product.

My time was up, I left and headed back to the LIRR to head home to Northeastern Queens. As I passed the Unisphere, I turned around and captured one final image of the Pavilion. One final image that day, as I have returned multiple times since April to the park and always seem to photograph it. 

Remnants of the World's Fair in Spring
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/400sec, 320ISO, 40mm

World's Fair Wide Angle Wednesday

Tent of Tomorrow
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/500sec, 100ISO, 11mm

This Sunday, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park will have a celebration for the closing of the World's Fairs from 1939 and 1964, the 75th and 50th Anniversaries. Back on April 22nd of this year, I got the chance to go inside the New York State Pavilion for a one day opening to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the 1964 World's Fair. The opening of the Pavilion was presented by the People for the Pavilion, the organization responsible for helping the process of the restoration.

Still a long wait ahead
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/320sec, 100ISO, 11mm

This is going to be a long post, as I have been meaning to do it for quite sometime. Tomorrow will feature the shots taken with another lens, but since today is Wide Angle Wednesday, all of today's shots will be wide angle!

Boro Taxi
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/800sec, 100ISO, 12mm

I am not a fan of standing in lines, of waiting around. That day, I waited for over three hours to obtain a ticket and was told to return 90 minutes later for access inside. A coworker of mine had also made the trek out, so I had some company while I waited, otherwise I probably would have headed home. If you are familiar with the park, the line wrapped around the pavilion, then headed down the overpass of the Grand Central and started near the carousel, which was assembled from two former carousels from Coney Island for the Fair, though it was in a different location until 1968.

After obtaining our tickets, we headed to the Queens Zoo, since I am a member and it is located just across the Grand Central Parkway from the Pavilion. The aviary in the Queens Zoo is another vestige of the 1964 World's Fair. The aviary is a geodesic dome that had served as the indoor meeting assembly hall. 

The Queens Museum, though normally closed on Tuesdays, had opened its doors for visitors to see the Panorama of the City of New York, which was commissioned by Robert Moses for the 1964 World's Fair. The building itself dates back to the 1939 World's Fair and has seen many uses through the years; it hosted the United Nations from 1946 through 1950. The museum was recently renovated as well.

Queens Museum Lobby
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/9, 1/200sec, 640ISO, 11mm

The Panorama is one of the gems of Queens that I love. I have always loved scale models, and to see the entire five boroughs in miniature form is pretty impressive. As I do when flying into LaGuardia, I enjoy finding places I have lived, places I have worked, places I love to frequent. It was a nice distraction from the waiting. I love that they even have little planes flying into and out of LGA.

Panorama of the City of New York Stitched up
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/2.8, 1/40sec, 640ISO, 11mm

The time was up for us to finally gain access to the interior of the New York State Pavilion, the Tent of Tomorrow. But this wasn't the first time I had seen the inside. Back in February of 2005, I had designed lighting for an Off Off Broadway show called Taxi to Jannah, that had a performance at Queens Theatre In The Park, or QTIP. QTIP occupies the Theaterama portion of the Pavilion. The scene shop was a little utility closet located in the outer ring of the Tent of Tomorrow, so I had a chance to glimpse the map that was the floor. Well, the parts of the map that weren't covered by snow.

Almost in!
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/320sec, 125ISO, 11mm

Since 2005, an effort has been made to restore the Pavilion. It has received a fresh coat of paint. And unfortunately, the map has been covered over with gravel to protect it from the elements.

To the Mezzanine Level
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 125ISO, 11mm

I wish I could have seen the Pavilion in its grandeur. The ceiling of the Tent of Tomorrow used to be covered with stained glass. At one point in time, it used to be the world's largest cable suspension ceiling.

Moriches
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/400sec, 125ISO, 16mm

Montauk
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/400sec, 125ISO, 16mm

The Pavilion was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. In July of this year, $5.8 million dollars had been raised the restoration, and The New York Mets had also donated some funds. Unfortunately, July also saw vandals break portions of the map and set a fire to the tarp covering the same relief map.

Restaurant
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/200sec, 125ISO, 11mm

Portions of this post that I didn't already know have been researched via Wikipedia.org. Links have been embedded in the above post where relevant.

Tent of Tomorrow Towards Observation Towers
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/200sec, 125ISO, 16mm

If you enjoyed this post, and you wish to help out with the restoration efforts of the Pavilion, visit http://nyspavilion.org/ to learn what the People for the Pavilion are doing in their efforts.

Lines and Circles
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/500sec, 125ISO, 11mm

Autumn's Arrival

Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/800sec, 160ISO, 40mm

I think my favorite time of year is autumn. The weather cools off a bit, the trees change color, the food in season is great, and my favorite holidays are in the fall: Halloween and Thanksgiving! A few of the activities that I look forward to is road trips up the Hudson or north to Connecticut for apple picking.

Central Park at the beginning of Autumn
Canon 60D, EF40mm f/2.8, f/10, 1/200sec, 640ISO, 40mm

Even New York City is transformed by the change of the seasons. The parks take on a magical feeling. The brisk air changes your wardrobe. The food available changes, soups and oven baked goodness become standard fare. 

Connecticut Views
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/8, 1/160s, 320ISO, 135mm

These are a few of my favorite photos from autumn.

Pumpkins
Canon 60D, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, f/8, 1/320s, 320ISO, 113mm

Hitchhiker
Sony DSC-P200, f/6.3, 1/80s, 100ISO, 11mm