inthedistance // photoblog

Red Light, Dark Sky

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:37 -0500

After two weeks in east Africa, an unexpected 30 hours in the Netherlands was a world of nearly polar opposites. A walk around Amsterdam, a train to Maastricht, carnival celebrations and snow. This was taken in the all-to-brief minutes between changing trains, bound for Schiphol on a Sunday afternoon.

The Newest Bridge

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:02 -0500

On the eastern side of Paris, near the Gare de Austerlitz, is Paris' newest bridge. Named the Passerelle Simone-de-Beauvoir, in honour of the French existentialist author, philosopher and theorist, the award-winning 190m bridge spans the Seine at the site of the new national library.

Night Trains

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:16 -0500

For my first photoblog post of 2012, a return to familiar and loved subjects: train stations, train travel, Paris and, more broadly, Europe. I've returned to Paris after a 6 year absence from the city, and although I now have digital photo gear, I'm resisting temptation to reshoot old favourites. Well, mostly resisting.

Paris' Gare du Nord is the rail gateway to London, Brussels, Amsterdam and beyond, but the only movement at midnight are cleaning crews.

This was taken about an hour and a half before posting.

Remembering George

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:53 -0500

On a cloudy February day in Paris almost 12 years ago, I walked into the cramped store on the Left Bank and was awed. It was a scene of wall to wall books. Floor to ceiling, piled on tables and shelves, stacked on the floor, spilling out onto the sidewalk, where tattered and used titles were in a box marked '15f' (about $3). I had never seen anything like it. Or smelled anything like it. It was a pure, unadulterated literary paradise. The famous bookstore had been a beacon to writers, aspiring and successful, for decades.

Having just finished Keroac's 'Satori in Paris,' I'd come to the store to experience the magnetic pull that drew in the Beats and countless other icons of literature. It was rarified air. And behind the counter was the man I'd read about. He had run the store since its reincarnation in 1951, carrying on the strong tradition that its founder, Sylvia Beach, had established. Fitzgerald. Joyce. Hemingway. Ginsberg. Stein — their trajectories had all run through those walls. The man behind the counter was talking about the history of the store with another visitor and he welcomed me to listen and chat. He showed me an autographed copy of James Joyce's 'Ulysses,' published by the store. There was a twinkle in his eye as he related some of the store's extraordinary history, and I was lucky enough to be hearing it from the man who made it happen.

I don't remember exactly how long I explored the shelves and corners of Shakespeare and Company. But I loved every second of it, and thanked the man behind the counter on the way out. That man, George Whitman, died today in Paris at age 98. He will be buried in the city's Pere Lachaise cemetery, where he'll take his rightful place among other literary giants like Wilde and Balzac.

This photo was taken that day.
Read more about George Whitman in today's NY Times.

Stairs and Windows

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:19 -0500

Seen looking east from the High Line Park, somewhere near 18th Street.

Savage Lineup

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 23:05 -0500

The lineup started outside. Way outside. One line came from the north, snaking around the fountain and up Fifth Avenue. The other wound south. But they converged at the top of the steps and reformed inside the Museum of Metropolitan Art, winding through the galleries and balconies of the second floor. This photo was taken near the "2 Hours From This Point" sign, having been through the left side (down and back) and half of the right side, but heading back up the right side to the far end of the photo (the 1h mark). Four hours in total. And it was worth every second. A masterful collection from a masterful couturier.
More than 660,000 people saw Savage Beauty, the extraordinary exhibit of the work of the late designer Alexander McQueen, making it the 8th best-attended exhibit in the museum's 141 year history. More than 15,000 saw it on this day alone, its second from final day. When I left at 9pm, there were still people waiting outside, in the rain, yet to begin the trek upstairs.

High Line

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 22:16 -0500

Set on a 1.6km section of elevated subway track converted to a greenway, the High Line Park is one of my favourite things in New York. With great views, of both the city and in the nearby galleries of Chelsea, the setting is a great collection of juxtapositions that seems to define the entire town. This building is on the southwest corner of 23rd and the park.

Terminal 1

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:55 -0500

From seat 18A, en route to Paris' CDG Terminal 2.

50Z

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 21:24 -0500

Looking eastbound from Nice station, tracks converge before a bridge and tunnel out of the city centre.

Cracked Railing

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 14:41 -0500

The railing from my hotel room, looking onto the courtyard.