East Coast: Philadelphia by iPhone

Philadelphia is such a proud city. I could tell all the owners of the shops were happy to serve such a unique community. Red and blue lights lit up buildings to show off Philles colors and everywhere you looked were red caps. I walked out of the station in Philly and headed down Market Street.

I started seeing an older building fill my view and the street ahead of me. It was City Hall, a ghostly building because of the way it just glowed in the center of the road.  It was very dimly lit and I would spend a great amount of time over the next few days staring at this great building.

I stayed at the Ritz-Carlton with Steve, a friend of mine. He left a key with me downstairs and I made my way up to my room. Despite the fact that I'm not used to such high class amenities, I liked the hotel. It was definitely quite a change from my earlier street corners and grassy areas. Steve came home from work shortly after I arrived and we decided that we would kick my first night off right with some legendary Philly Cheesesteaks.

We took a taxi to "Pat's King of Steaks" and ordered a few cheesesteaks. I ordered one pizza steak and one pizza steak with prove and wiz. Not only was there apparently an art to making the steaks but also ordering. There were signs posted directing tourists how to do so correctly. I went over the top ordering and sadly, I waved my tourist flag.

I did a lot of walking in Philadelphia, and because of this I rarely felt full at anytime during the trip. After the two steaks I could have gone for another but I decided that it was probably best for my heart to wait a day.

We made it back home and I formed a bed out of chairs and an extra blanket. I slept like a baby and it felt good getting a full nights sleep after D.C. When I woke up, I grabbed my camera bag and headed out — it felt great not to have all that extra weight.

This was the first time on my trip that I was able to leave my house bag at home. I felt light as a feather, walked twice as fast and covered a lot more ground. It was more of the same, but Philly introduced me to something that would change my trip and lighten my wallet: her shops. I shot less and enjoyed myself more.

After being all about the photos of the trip, my first day in Philly was all about taking in the culture and the views. I snagged a few images but mainly walked about town. When I got home Steve and I went out to Marathon Grill for New York strip steaks.

The next day I spent it with Mr. Liam Lawlor (@llawlor) and we started off with breakfast at Marathon Grill. We ate and, as I said earlier, I have an appetite that cannot be tamed. I mentioned jokingly that I could do a steak over at Pats after barely  finishing breakfast. Next thing I knew we were at Pats ordering another epic steak.

We cruised north along the river and we discussed where he and sister could drop me off. We checked out Mount Pleasant and then headed to Strawberry Mansion. The mansion was being restored but they dropped me off there anyway and I ventured toward some abandoned buildings.

After being scared by the local wildlife (people), I headed to Fairmont Park. I walked next to the river and enjoyed the sun setting over the water. Before it set I made my way back to the mansion on Pleasant Hill. I walked behind the mansion and discovered some train tracks, I know they are cliche but these tracks were hidden in the bushes.

I made my way from the tracks and up to the mansion on Mount Pleasant. Up the hill, covered with autumn leaves, I spotted the place I had seen once before. The small road leading up the mansion had trees on both sides leaning over it. I started walking up the road looking all around and I noticed the sun bursting from behind the mansion. I made my way over there and spent a good deal of time laying in the grass snapping images. One thing I love is that in all these places I was the only one in sight so I could just sit and stare without interruption. I did this often, probably a bit too often.

After daydreaming for a while, I headed south toward the river once again. I enjoyed my walk home and the city over the water where the sun was still casting its golden light. I eventually arrived home and did nothing but rest. I wanted to do more but that day had been one of the longest walks yet.

My last day in Philadelphia was spent doing laundry and eating more pizza, well, for the most part. I didn't even pull my camera out until the sun was about set. Honestly, I was shopping and loving it. I'm sure I will regret this later but, oh well. I spent the night roaming the streets with my tripod and 24mm 2.8. I shot alleys, cobblestone streets, telephone booths and things I thought were interesting. I did this all while of course wearing my new fashionable jacket which a guy at Wendy's apparently liked a lot.

I made it home for my last night's sleep on a desk chair/ottoman/seat in the lovely city of Philadelphia. I woke up in the morning, packed my backs and headed to the station. The station was 15 blocks away and every block hurt with the new weight of my bag. But I love my new stuff so much, which will keep reminding myself.

New York City here I come!

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j323mdWL5cc

East Coast: Washington, D.C. by iPhone

Washington D.C. started off very bumpy. I missed my train and had to take a longer one to get there — 26 hours versus the original 18 hours.

I enjoyed a bed for the first time in days and woke up to a pretty view of the country side. Amtrak first class was quite a change to what I had gotten used to the nights before. Although it was nice on the train, I never felt like I belonged. I was easily half the age of everyone onboard and probably the only one who hadn't been married for 20 years. But I did enjoy a couple of good meals and took plenty of naps.

When I arrived in D.C. at 11pm I headed into the terminal. It was already late and I had no idea where I was going to for sleep the night. I started to exit the terminal when I noticed the statues and pretty, high ceiling.

I headed out and checked out a neighborhood near the station. I don't think I will ever get sick of those rows of houses. I went around a corner and saw the tip of the Capitol Building sticking out of the trees.

Then, I made my way over to the Capitol Building. When I arrived I couldn't stop staring. The building I had seen so many times in movies and history books was right in front of me. I could talk all night about the feeling but without being there it's really hard to explain. I ended up standing and staring at the Capitol till almost 3 am. I chatted with the police a few times because they were curious why I was just staring. I eventually started freezing my ass off and headed toward the Washington Monument.

The walk from the Capitol in the cold felt like a lifetime as the monument crept closer and closer. The closer I got the more shocked I was by the size of it. I arrived and circled the monument in awe. The thought of sleeping on a bench nearby crossed my mind but I decided that this night I would not sleep, at least not intentionally.

I crossed a street nearing the pool and I woke up about 30 minutes later crashed against something. I looked around and it was quite a bit brighter now. By the time I stumbled halfway down the pool, the sun was beginning to rise. With a good amount of distance to go I decided to set down my house bag and run to the far end of the pool to catch the sunrise in time. I underestimated the size of the pool and needed a longer lens. I shot a round of images but then ran back to retrieve my bag. I got back to my spot after a newfound burst of energy just in time and captured some beautiful images at sunrise.

Behind me stood the Lincoln Memorial. Behind was another one of those buildings like the Capitol building. I saw the building from far out so I knew which direction the pool was. At this point I had seen Lincoln, but I hadn't looked him in the face; I was oddly afraid to.

By the time I was done photographing the memorial building from the outside, and was ready to face Lincoln, the sun was just about up.

I shot a few series of images walking up the steps. I reached Lincoln and he was just as big as I would have guessed, but I was still in awe at how big of a piece of history this place was. I sat on the top step and fell asleep for a good 30 minutes under the single stream of sunlight available. I moved after waking to the base of the memorial and fell asleep for another hour or so. I woke up to someone throwing some change at me and moved on to the next destination, the Arlington National Cemetery.

The cemetery was probably the only thing I saw which did not surprise me. I knew about the sheer number of graves at this cemetery and it's history. I walked through and then onto the US Marine Corps War Memorial.

There was so much to this memorial. The images I have seen before of it were always silhouettes; I had never seen the expressions on the men's faces. They made me feel honored and proud to live in the United States. I sat once again and stared for a bit before moving on.

I walked straight from there to the Vietnam Memorial, photographed, awed and took the scene in once again. Afterward, I headed directly to the White House.

The White House was nothing like I expected. It was hidden and the tourists were kept caged far away like animals. It also wasn't close to the Capitol building in any way. It didn't have that "Oh my god, that's the White House" effect on me. More like, "Eh, oh hey Obama."

I checked out the Smithsonian Natural History Museum and enjoyed the large stuffed animals. I know I fell asleep during one of the informational movies for a bit. Tired and sleep deprived, I made it back to the train station to escape the night to Philadelphia.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nne_udYxOtw&feature=youtube_gdata

East Coast: Chicago w/ iPhone Pictures

Chicago. Oh Chicago. I stepped off the plane and was expecting it to feel freezing since everyone told me how cold it was going to be. I was wearing jeans / tshirt and it felt like home.

I spent some time at the airport charging my phone and plotting the first location. I took the orange line to state / lake. The whole time up and on the train I felt a little sketchy because the area was new to me. I eyed everyone and protected my bags. Everyone sermed nice and answered my questions.

I got off the train and I had no idea what to expect. I was looking out of the window the whole time looking for the place I wanted to go to first. It wasn't until I got off when I saw these massive skyscrapers surrounding me.

The feeling this place gave me right out of the box can't be explained with words. It was so massive, the reflections on the water were breathtaking and the fact that it seemed like I had it all to myself. See at this time it was really late in Chi Town and when it's late there is NO ONE in downtown.

I didn't rush to set up for pictures. I just walked around for a bit getting a feel for the place. Every night in Chicago I easily walked 5 or so miles. By the time I am ready to leave I will know downtown well and I do now.

The first night I happened to stumble upon one of the beaches. From here I shot so really pretty shots of the shoreline. I walked and walked, snapped photos here and there. I came with a crazy idea around 3am to sneak into the trump tower.

Remember I wasn't just walking with a camera... I am walking with about 50lbs of gear and clothes around my neck. I walked of the very steep parking structure ramp (was about 4 stories of ramp) and then hiked up the the 27th floor using the stairs. I would escape the stairs every few stories to check stuff out. I know I caused quite a bit of mischief but no one seemed to care or notice me. The search of a great view failed I would now have to find a place to sleep.

I stumbled out of the trump tower and out onto the street once again. I was so tired that I remember peering into an open dirt hole, stood there and really considered sleeping there. I moved on to only find the first small corner without wind. I chose one and layed down for the night.

I woke up an hour later and was litteraly in shock. I wasn't as cold as night two but I don't think all the exercise and lack of sleep mixed well. I am actually not sure what was wring with me. I stumbled into a starbucks and tried to order. All that seemed to come out of my mouth was mumbles, I couldn't speak. I then pointed at the food and started stuttering what I wanted. The guy who helped me must be an expert with kids w/ special needs because he translated what I said to English. I sat down and rested. That night I injured my hip, probably not only from the street but how I layed to protect my bags. It hurt for the next 24 hours.

I moved through the day seeing things that I saw at night but this time under the sun. I visited the John Hancock tower and gazed at the city through the observatory. No tripods were allowed but they didn't say anything about my gorilla pod. I was able to get all the HDR images I wanted.

I ate at a pizza place and had some deep dish pizza. It was good and had a good time with the people there. I showed the guy who served about a funny review on yelp.

Before I knew it, it was dark again. It was starting to get cold and I looked for a place to sleep. I climbed onto a wooden deck of a diner and layed down. Night one I forgot / too tired to remember about my blanket. I pulled it out and layed it over me. I watched an episode or two of it's always sunny. I layed down on one of my bags and clutched the other. Once again I woke up in about an hour. I was once again in shock and move around trying to warm up. What was really bad about this night was the fact that I went to bed 4 hours earlier than the night before, therefore I couldn't just run into a local starbucks. If you know the game the sims when on of the people don't get enough food / social / fun they wave their arms and freak out? Yea, that was me. I was walking in circles trying to warm up. I looked at the weather and it was 35 degrees. I ended up walking to a 7 eleven first and purchased some hot choclate. I proceeded to walk somewhere where I could step in for a few minutes to defrost. A couple of hotels let me stay for a few and then gave me the boot. I eneded up getting another hours sleep inside of a hotel that seemed close until they woke me up. I walked out and right back into the starbucks I stayed in the first morning. The same guy was there and I ordered in English. I explained myself and that I just woke up off of the streets when I first met him. He called me and my trip crazy like everyone else. I stayed for quite some time there unitil I was ready.

I had no plans set in stone for the day except have more pizza and shoot off the hancock tower at night. I ended up taking a cruise and learned a bit about Chicagos history. When I was done with the things I wanted to do I headed for the Amtrak station.

I was late because it was my first time there and I was so confused. After a long plea with the service desk it was either same train but tomorrow or longer route that leaves tonight.

I got on the train a few hours later where I am writing this from. I will write and blog about each destinations after I leave it.

PeterWPhoto.com update now Live!

I spent quite a bit of time being stubborn about the computer displays that I was going to support. I was building my website on my beautiful 24" iMac and always ignored how bad it looked on 13" computers.

1280x800 has always been the most popular screen resolution, therefore I decided it was time to support it. My goal was to redesign the site so that a 13" computer can see a full size image along with the thumbnails.

I started with a smaller header / top of the page because the old one was too big and didn't look so professional. I also added Hdr to the mix along with an actual Concert gallery. Hdr is highlighted in blue to represent that it is a new feature of the site.

I am very happy on how the site turned out. I added several of the new images to the mix and removed a lot of older images that no longer seemed to be at par with my current portfolio. I also added one new feature because I like my pictures big just like I like my music loud.

There is now a Full Screen button at the bottom of every gallery so those of use with larger screen can enjoy the images the size I want you to view them.

I have spent the good part of a weeks free time on the site and it is finally complete. If you do not know I redesign my website every year and relaunch it on my photo anniversary which is on Feb 14. Next February with be my fifth year of shooting and I am looking forward to the future. I really hope you all enjoy it :) Please give me feedback on the site and let me know if you run into any problems!

-Peter

This is Why I Shoot: Golden Gate Bridge.

This is Why I Shoot, seems simple enough but there are so so many reasons why I do what I do. I put myself by the elements to capture images to show the world. From the desert to glaciers I have been in all climates and love it.

San Fran was clear everywhere except the bridge like it was trying to hide under its cloudy cloak. Beams and cables showed themselves beneath the marine layer so I focused around them. Bikers and runners shook their heads at my tshirt and shorts as they seemed to try to escape the chill. I set up my tripod and started smiling. I had no idea why I was smiling and it surely was not because of the 40F degree cold wind or the cars zooming past at 60 mph a foot away from me. I must have been thinking this is why I shoot. I shoot in these strange conditions, typically alone for the hope of getting one amazing capture. Towards the end I couldnt move my hands, I decided it was time to start the walk back to the car.

All in all I do this for you. Yes I love capturing image but more so do I love to share my adventures with you. I hope you enjoy these.

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