I was briefly in Toronto a few weeks ago and had an hour or two to roam around exploring. As with many cities, it was difficult to just jump in and out of the car while I was downtown, but as I edged away from the city center, I had a little more flexibility. I thought this was an interesting image – the contrast between the fancy downtown skyscrapers and the tatty transitional neighborhoods.
Toronto Contrasts
I love this city. Even the French Quarter, although I like the Quarter much better during the day than at night. I didn’t have nearly enough time to explore during my recent visit, but was able to get out for a couple of quick excursions. Here are a couple of images from those expeditions:
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I was recently in Richmond, visiting family for the holidays, and was able to spend the better part of one day exploring the city with my brother-in-law. Having previously only seen Richmond from the freeway as I passed through, I had no idea what a beautiful and interesting place it is. Here a coal train pauses on the banks of the James River just south of the Hollywood Cemetery.
Like a lot of the smaller towns and cities that make up the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, Gilbert is in transition between its agricultural past and its suburban future. It still has the funky vibe of an old Western farm town, but there are also some cool new community spaces, espresso bars and restaurants serving wood fired margherita pizzas. We went out to dinner at one of those new restaurants last night and I took the opportunity to grab a couple of images.
Gilbert Road
Liberty Market
Parking Ramada
Sculpture, Water Tower Plaza
Water Tower
This morning was a gorgeous – bright blue sky filled with drifting cumulus clouds. After a week filled with meetings and editing, I wanted to get outside and shoot, so I grabbed the camera early and wandered down to the new light rail station recently opened on the western edge of Mesa. I started shooting on the platform, but was quickly chased off by a security guard. What is it with this bizarre paranoia about photographers? In any case, I got a few shots on the platform and then started moving around to various vantage points around the station. I liked this image both because of the beautiful sky in the background, but also because the sleek, modern train and station provide a nice contrast to other images I have of the older, fustier Mesa.
