Tag Archives: Air Flight

Travel Theme: Height

Posted on October 7, 2013 by | 27 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

Ailsa’s travel-themed photo challenge this week is Height.

When returning to New York City by plane, I always try to sit in a window seat. And these days, I look not so much at the land below, but at the water. One of the great pleasures of landing in New York is recognizing from above all the waters where we kayak, the bays and islands that we now know so intimately.

From a kayak, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge appears gigantic—look how it dwarfs Fort Wadsworth to the right of it, itself a massive structure…

Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, from a kayak

… but from the air it is just a toy.

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Here’s the southwestern tip of Staten Island…

The Outerbridge Bridge, from a kayakDSC_0524 cropped small

… Gowanus Bay with the Loujaine

The Loujaine and the grain elevator in Gowanus Bay, from a kayakDSC_0537 cropped small

… and finally, the East River and its bridges!

IMGP6086 cropped smallDSC_0548 cropped smallDSC_0557 cropped small

27 Comments

Posted in Kayaking, New York City, Photography

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In Preparation for Landing, Please Return Your Seat Backs to Their Full Upright Position… and Take Out Your Cameras!

Posted on February 27, 2012 by | 22 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

Like everyone who travels often enough by airplane, I’ve seen breathtaking things from the plane’s window: towering cloud formations, lightning storms, the brilliant colors of sunrise and sunset, and the map-like pattern of land and water sliding into view below.

But until yesterday, I’ve never taken out my camera. Looking out through a misted, scratched window at a cramped angle not under my control, the photographic situation didn’t seem too promising.

Still, I’ve always been tempted in one case—when landing in New York City. When landing at LaGuardia Airport, especially, if the wind is right the plane flies along the length of Manhattan, offering spectacular low-altitude views of the city.

So yesterday, when it looked like we were following that flight path once again, I got out my camera. And I was not disappointed!

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22 Comments

Posted in New York City, Photography, Travel

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