Mural Monday -- Have you ever had a feeling that something is watching you?

Well I sure did. I turned around to see what was there and here it was cold as a stone, just watching me with this eye.... It could easily have been over shadowed by the huge wall of murals right behind it, but its intensity was too strong.   W Lexington St. & S Cicero Ave.  Chicago, Il.

Tasty Tuesday ... Blueberry Crepes

Please visit my food blog "Munchy Delight Adventure" where every week I will be posting images of yummy delights from my travels.

Mural Monday --- Ben Slow in Los Angeles

I happened to see this wall art tucked away next to the Mexican fast food restaurant at the corner of Sunset Blvd. & Sanborn St. in Los Angeles. At first glance this looked like a magazine advertisement, but with closer examination the careful placement of the Red layer, the way the collage like image was put together I felt that this was a very calculated art work.  

It turned out that this work was done by Ben Slow a Mural artist from London. Here is a link to his blog where he talks about this piece. .http://www.slowbenart.com/new-endings-on-paper/

Thames to blame

London Eye at Night.  London England 2013

I hate tripods. Yes, me who takes many night and nature photography at very slow shutter speed, hate using it. Tripods are heavy to carry, I can't be spontaneous, it slows me down and sometimes I can't get the angle that I want.  But I love the results, crisp sharp images, the silky water and the blending of the moving lights are just mesmerizing to me. 




During my recent trip to London I didn't take my tripod because of the above reasons, but also because of the weight restrictions of the airlines. So what do I do when I see a subject that requires a slow shutter speed with long exposure?  In this particular instances I put my camera on a stone wall, propped the lens up with my scarf and used the timer. This was a 20 second exposure at F-14, ISO 200.  I think it turned out pretty nicely...




I was so intent on capturing the London Eye that by the time I was satisfied with the image I was left all alone on the banks of the Thames River.  After putting my camera away I hurried to the Underground station and hopped on to the tube (London subway).  I felt relieved and tired and was looking forward to getting into a warm bed. 




After a few minutes the tube stopped. I mean dead stopped between two stations.  I tried to stay calm, and in about 15 minutes it started moving again.  After getting to the next station, the announcer came on the intercom and announced that this would be the end of the ride and that there will be no more tubes running until signal problems were fixed.  We were to find another way to get to our destinations. What? I had several more stations to go.  How was I going to get back to my hotel?  I had a pass for all day tube ride to get around the city but No Cash.




I ran out of the station to orient myself as to where I was. However, since I had been taking the underground in London the surface streets meant nothing to me.  To make it worse, the streets were deserted.  By this time it was close to 10 pm and I was getting little scared. So I walked around the station until I started seeing some cars.  I figured that whether I had money or not the only way to get back to my hotel was to hail a cab.  So I waited for a cab to come by and when I saw one I waived frantically but it did not stop.  Another cab came by.  Again I waived but it did not stop.  Why weren’t they stopping?  Couldn’t they see me? Or did they think this lunatic, funny looking lady was too scary looking that they didn’t want to stop?  Or did they secretly know that I didn’t have any cash?






But I had to get back to my hotel.  I didn’t know which direction my hotel was and I didn’t have a phone that I could use in London.  So I started jumping up and down (with my camera bag jumping up and down with me) waving my arms to get their attention. Finally one cab driver saw me or felt sorry for me and he stopped.  Thank goodness. I told him which hotel I was staying at and I asked the driver if he could take me to the hotel in under 10 pounds. Can you believe this? I was negotiating with the cab driver; me who didn't have any cash on me.  As the cab was getting closer to the hotel I had to come up with a plan.  I could ran out of the cab just as he drove up at the hotel then... well that wasn't going to work.  Maybe if I pleaded with the front desk, they could pay the driver and charge it to my room?  Well that was as good as it was going to get.  Just as the hotel came into my view it occurred to me that I had put 20 pounds into my wallet for an emergency.  I had forgotten all about it. Thank goodness I remembered.  I gave the driver a huge tip and I didn’t have to embarrass myself at the front desk. Soon I was back in my room.  phew..... 

All traffic on the Chicago River stops for the fountain.

We were all enjoying the beautiful evening on the dinner river cruise when suddenly we were stopped in the middle of the Chicago river.  As we looked toward the Trump Tower (building with the long blue antenna) we saw this huge fountain shooting from one side of the river to the other. It was all lite up with white light and we can see the trails of water coming down like a summer rain storm. There was one boat in  front of us also waiting for this beautiful show to be over.  It only lasted for 10 min. but what a sight, even though we were pretty far away, we could feel the spray of the water hitting us. The very next night, I decided to try photographing this scene with my camera this time on a tripod with very slow shutter speed. It turned out beautifully but I think this photo turned out better. Oh by the way, the next night I was shooting in the mist of thunder and lightning. I barely finished shooting right before the huge rain drops started coming down.  On top of that I was standing right next to the dark river at 11 pm alone.  I kept thinking if I missed a step and fell into the dark river no one would know....

Nicholas J. Melas Centennial Fountain,  North Bank of the Chicago River.  Chicago, Illinois

Landmark Mural

Until recently my nephew (just turned 9 yrs old) collected miniature models of famous landmarks from all over the world.  When I saw this mural I immediately thought of my nephew and had to stop and admire it. Because this mural seems to depict the twin towers of the World Trade Center I believe that this was probably painted before 2001.  If my assumption is correct, then it is amazing how the landmarks are still in tact compare to the top where the paints are flaking off.  But I think that this also adds to the charm of this piece; don't you think?  I also love that this has the monochromatic tone to it and everything is in a silhouette .... How many of the landmarks can you identify?

Start and End of the Route 66

The historic route 66 "BEGIN" sign stands at the corner of Michigan ave and Adams St. in Chicago Illinois. You can also find the "end 66" sign at the corner of Jackson and Michigan . Why not both on the same street? Well, Adams and Jackson are both one way streets where Adams runs to the west and Jackson runs to the east.  

At the end of the Route 66 is the Santa Monica Pier over the Pacific Ocean in California.   It is filled with amusement park rides and there is a small information booth dedicated to the end of the Route 66.  The actual end of the Route 66 is at Lincoln and Olympic, but there is no marker or anything special about the intersection. I am sure that if you have followed the true Rte 66 then it will be the place to end, but why not come and enjoy the festivities of the pier where Dan Rice was responsible for placing this "End of the Trail" sign at the pier.

I am hooked on old Rte 66. The Mother Road

As I travel Illinois Rte 66 this summer I am visiting many of the small towns on the route. I feel that this photograph represents many of them now. Once well traveled, the over 2,000 mile long road which starts at Chicago goes through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and to Santa Monica, California.  Now only the emptiness remains where once there was bustle and a busy road where people traveled with hopes and excitement.

Summer Sunset at Manhattan Beach, California

Happy St. Patrick's Day

A Bagpiper in front of the  Harrods in London, March 2013