Then:
September, 1991
Five-day trip to New York with brother Gordon
Drove down from Montreal
Fast driving
Not much sleep
Times Square a warren of crooks
Walk along the Brooklyn Promenade with stunning view of New York skyline
Probably a detour from one bar to the next
Random ladies sitting on the benches in the circle at north end
Did not walk across Brooklyn Bridge
Olympus OM-10 camera
Kodak T-Max 100 black and white film
Developed and printed in the Sherbrooke Record darkroom
Now:
October, 2010
Ten days in New York, 4 in Washington, with family
Flight from Hamburg via Heathrow to Newark, NJ
Headwinds
Slept well
Times Square Disneyland East
Walk along Brooklyn Promenade with jet lag on first day
New York skyline view still stunning, though something’s missing
My two special ladies in the circle at north end, placed according to what I recall of that photo nearly 20 years ago.
Walked along Brooklyn Bridge after
Two weeks, four beer
Kodak Z712 IS
No film, no darkroom
The banner photograph shows the town of Britannia Beach, BC, Canada, where I grew up. It's home. But I don't live there anymore.
Love it. That’s totally classic. Hope you had a great trip!
This is a great idea. Now I want to re-shoot some of the old pictures in my photo albums.
Makes me homesick. Although when I was hanging on the promenade, no picture would have been complete without the little crack vials rolling about underfoot (late 80′s- height of the crack problem in Brooklyn, before the Heights was a fashionable address).
It’s been a good long time since I’ve laughed so hard or derived so much pure enjoyment from a post. Given all the uproar in our world, there’s something – steady – about seeing the world this way. Seasons come and seasons go, but the Brooklyn Promenade goes on forever.
Some things never change, but aside from the format, did anyone spot the huge difference in that corner of the promenade? I didn’t bring the photo along, so only noticed it today.
Well, now that you mention it – no, I didn’t see it until someone said “DOOFUS! Look at the danged photos! SEE?”
Yup, I do now. No spoilers here – how about a clue? Like this: “If a photographer falls in a forest…”
If a photographer falls onto the pavement, and there’s nobody around to sweep up the leaves, would he still make a click?
Actually, there are two glaring differences.
Fantastic! I love the comparison
Brilliant idea to compare photos like that. (And totally missed the tree until it was pointed out to me. Was still looking for the twin towers.)
The bush! The second difference is the bush! It’s grown rather nicely.
True! Another thing – but perhaps in the background you can’t really see – the dockyards are mostly gone. They’re either a row of pilings, empty foundation, or just the skeleton of what once were buildings. It’s all very different.