Park Avenue siesta, a photo from New York, Northeast

Photographer's Note

Park Avenue in midtown Manhattan has an interesting history. It went from being one of the most polluted and undesirable streets, to being one of the most desirable and expensive ones.

In the early to mid 1800's, Park Avenue was called Fourth Avenue, and it was the main route for railroads going to Grand Central Terminal. The tracks were above-ground, and noise, steam, and smoke filled the air.

From the 1850's to the 1870's, the tracks were put underground and covered. This provided a large median that was covered with grass and flowers. The street name was changed to Park Avenue accordingly.

These days Park Avenue is synonymous with big business. It is a street of glass-box skyscrapers, where corporations have their headquarters or large branch offices. It is one of the streets in NYC with the highest rental costs and property values.

At lunch time businessmen stream outside to have some lunch, smoke a cigarette, and check their messages. I spotted this one sitting beside one of the fountain pools in front of the Seagram Building.

macjake, holmertz, PecoBud, bona, Kofman, weetrees, bukitgolfb301, AliMoein, kato, lakshmip1949, Graal, ulkuakyuz, chrislo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

macjake (39998) 2012-04-03 10:40

Hi Brenda
just logged on and noticed you posted a new photo :)
I'm trying to remember if i was here or not...you mentioned the tall sky scrapers, so i'm sure i was haha..

love the water, the pond and how its used in the frame. At first glance, i thought is was a marble floor of some sort.

an excellent post for te :)
still raining here in the suburbs of Vancouver :(
but its suppose to be sunny the next 4 days!
cheers
craig

rbassin (11381) 2012-04-03 10:47

Hello Brenda
Une superbe composition, j'aime beaucoup le cadage qui laisse place au plan d'eau avec les deux bande bleu en haut de l'image.
C'est bien vu.
Bonne soirée
Roland

holmertz (27216) 2012-04-03 10:59

Hello Brenda,
I like this elegant composition very much. You have placed the businessman very well and used the elements of the architecture perfectly. The dominating grey/green tone is mainly broken by the man's dark suit and the blue windows at the top.
Kind regards,
Gert

PecoBud (3778) 2012-04-03 11:34

What a beautiful photo of daily life. Love your POV with great detail to clarity and colors with excellent light management. Love you note Brenda, and still wondering if you were photo hunting or businessmen hunting........just kidding!! Have a great night Brenda!

TFS..............Buddy

weetrees (615) 2012-04-03 11:35

Thanks for posting this Brenda :-)
I wasn't sure it was granite or water till i read the note.
As already said an excellent composition.
Breaking some of the rules yet adhering to others.
Superb colours and clarity throughout the composition from front to back.
Thanks for sharing.
I have removed all my stuff from te now but it won't stop me enjoying the banter :-)
John

Turkoglu (0) 2012-04-03 12:44

Selam Brenda

Çok güzel bakış açısı ve güzel bir günlük yaşam fotoğrafı. notunuzda gayet güzel.Başarılar

bona (10224) 2012-04-03 16:42

Hi Brenda,

very curious photo. The floor seems made by a child drawing with a chalk on it. Nice point of view.
I like your note about the history of the area.
Thanks
Andre

emka (59010) 2012-04-03 23:29

Hi Brenda,

I was wondering what was this water. Nice quiet scene, pleasant composition. Even in the city that is so busy and never sleeps, you can find such nice places for relaxing.

Warm regrads

Malgo

batalay (32930) 2012-04-04 6:28

Hello Brenda,

Complemented by an informative note, this is an excellent shot. I like the manner in which the man is tucked away in the corner, preoccupied with his cell phone. Exaggerating pool of water is unusual and effective. Your note sheds some light on a perennial question, why there is no fourth avenue, but I also had another question. Why does Fifth Avenue run along Central Park, and not Park Avenue?

Warm regards,

Bulent

maxifred (2435) 2012-04-04 7:13

Hello Brenda,
Ok the trader and its nonchalance are pleasing to watch of course,but I like even more the reflects at the water surface,which are somehow like "hand-written"...
Just for the fun,"Citibank" (half-visible)captured by Worldcitizen...
Best regards from Chocolates Country,
Fred

mesutilgim (68620) 2012-04-04 14:20

Hello Brenda,
Very nice capture with perfect pov and perfect timing.
Mastery layout and nice framing.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

bukitgolfb301 (30401) 2012-04-09 0:10

Hello my dear Breanda

A great impressive shot!
Different thema as your usual ones, but still great!
Very well considered and perfect sequare framework.
So clear and sharp presentation is as usual.
Nice panfocus appraoch!
Thanks for your sharing with your good work and have a good new start of week,
best regards,

Takero in Tokyo

chrisvek (5675) 2012-04-09 18:42

Hi Brenda,

Very nice shoot of daily life.Splendid colors and tones.Very good POV.Great job

Regards,
Chris

AliMoein (780) 2012-04-11 12:51

Hi Brenda
Very nice and interesting shot
It has a very good composition and clarity
Best Regards
Ali

Tigerlily (2343) 2012-04-13 2:15

Hi Brenda,
I like the foreground. The colour, light and lines make a beautiful pattern, the people tell a story about our daily life.
BTW, Thank you for your comment on Pai Fang. I just had a look of your PF, you have a fantasitc collection. Great work.
Jasmine

kato (7086) 2012-04-13 4:58

Hello Brenda,

You're capturing well this daily life shot by a good composition and excellent tone/clarity, so it's interesting and impressive to see how to spend time a businessman at lunch time and the calm fountain pool. The whole is balanced and arranged well by some elements of pool, building and bussineeman. And, a note finishes with a good story.

Kind regards,
mikio

lakshmip1949 (19110) 2012-04-15 13:19

Hello Brenda,

A nice capture of this man in business suit engrossed in his own world. I thought it was some kind of flooring in the foreground until I read your note. It is the water from the fountain. Very cleverly captured. I like the sharpness and soft colors. I am in NJ and come to NYC for an hour or two. I was just waiting for the weather to get better. Will e mail you for our meeting.

Lakshmi

Graal (89434) 2012-05-07 22:34

Hello Brenda,
fine composition here, good idea. Amazing effect. Nice photo and well informations in note.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

ACL1978 (6103) 2012-08-08 8:37

Great shot, Brenda - a rare subject for downtown Manhattan, too. Having lived there myself for a couple years, it's amazing how fast you stop paying attention to the hustle of the city and instead try to find quiet spots like this one to catch your breath. I love how the marble benches mimic the pattern on the water, creating a nice complementary subject. The man is perfectly placed in the frame, a piece of the whole.

Andrew