RUSH comes to Brooklyn

The smoke machine was cranking as Alex Lifeson of RUSH performs a solo during the band's nearly three hour show at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.



Drummer Neil Peart is always a fan favorite when RUSH comes to town.  He writes the lyrics for the songs in addition to being the musical heartbeat of the three man group.

 

RUSH was formed in 1968 and these three guys, Alex Lifeson (L), Geddy Lee and Neil Peart (R) have been together since 1974.

Geddy Lee sings, plays bass and keyboards for the band, RUSH.  Drummer Neil Peart performs in the background.

Neil Peart likes to flips his drum sticks and - in this case - twirl one of his sticks during a song.

The Barclays Center in Brooklyn is packed for RUSH's first concert in Brooklyn.

Neil Peart and his famous drum kit.  It rotates and provides him with any numbers of ways to provide percussion for the group.

The NBA Comes to Brooklyn

Here is the first center jump ball as the Nets begin their life in Brooklyn in their new building, the Barclays Center.

The Brooklyn Nets played their first game in their new home - The Barclays Center.  This fan was among the many thousands to turned up for the tip-off wearing brand new Nets gear.

It rained and the slick streets helped add to the scene as fans make their way to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

I had a seat upstairs and took this shot during the pre-game introductions at the Barclays Center prior to the first big time professional sporting event in Brooklyn since the Los Angeles Dodgers moved from the borough after the 1957 season.



The new basketball floor at the Nets' new home, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, has a herringbone pattern which is unlike any other floor design in the NBA.

The water on the metal traffic blocks outside the Barclays Center helped provide a nice frame at the bottom of the photo.

These three Lakers' fans were in attendance at opening night of the NBA pre-season at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn.  They looked ... a little ... out of place!  But at least they got their limit in the beer line.

The famous Brooklyn deli, Junior's, has a concession stand at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn.  These cupcakes were a nice treat.



Remembering 9/11

And here is the shot I was thinking about getting all day.  The Lights Tribute directly next to the new One World Trade Center which is always done up in red, white and blue.  I'm on a Staten Island Ferry boat - which is a free ride - using my point-and-shoot Panasonic camera's zoom to frame the buildings for the shot.

I wanted this view - and many other people did as well.   I'm on a Staten Island Ferry boat in order to get the Lights Tribute next to the new One World Trade Center - formally known as The Freedom Tower.

In lower Manhattan there are many buildings that can be used in the composition of the photo.

I always like to add a foreground element to photos where I can to create a "layer" of depth to a picture.

Thousands of photos were taken of the Lights Tribute.  I took this shot on my way to the location where I was seeking to get the perfect shot.

The annual tribute in lights to the fallen twin towers is a reminder of the importance of never forgetting what occurred on 9/11/2001

Several of these chalk tributes were on the sidewalk near ground zero.

The New Place

It's just about ready to open!   Brooklyn's new multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena - The Barclays Center.  The Rolling Stones will play two of their only four 50th anniversary concerts in this building in November.

A unique feature of the new Barclays Center is the open-air front entrance canopy that features a high-def video screen on the inside walls.  Here you see the start - on the right - of a test for the color blue.

The NBA's New Jersey Nets will begin play in this new building in a few weeks.  The start of the pro basketball season will mark the return of major professional sports to Brooklyn ever since the Dodgers moved from the borough to Los Angeles after the 1957 baseball season.

I hear the inside of the arena is fantastic.  Not all that crazy however about the exterior color.

These street light banners are up all over the borough.

A Slice of New York Life

I didn't expect to see anything like this scene being played out in a Williamsburg, Brooklyn bar when I was walking from the subway to check out a local guitar show.  But the tattooed ladies are very much into this game of JENGA.
The name JENGA was derived from a Swahili word meaning "to build"

There is a great variety of subjects to photograph ... if you look around.  But you gotta be quick to get these butterflies!

An old red truck will always catch my camera's eye!

The curvy bodies of expensive guitars catch the eye of Brooklyn Bowl Guitar Show attendees

I used a window on the water taxi to frame this shot of midtown Manhattan

The sun shines on the Williamsburg Bridge.  I was on a NYC water taxi after it left the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn when I took this shot.

The day AFTER the crazy weather in New York City - including two low-grade tornadoes - the skies were dotted with puffy clouds on a calm, cool afternoon.

The BIG Rock

This is the latest installment at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Levitated Mass.  It's a 540 ton granite rock that attracts all kinds of people.  Here the roles are reversed and a model takes the camera to shoot pics of the photographer.

Some people just prefer to stand and look at The Rock.

The number of people who come to see The Rock varies from day to day with the weekends drawing the largest groups of the curious.  These art-lovers are using the 500-foot walkway to commune with the exhibit up close.

Here's an example of me trying think of something to help illustrate the grand size of The Rock in the background.  I think this small rock is about three inches wide.

What is this woman looking for?  Maybe the answer to the question of why a 540-ton boulder has been installed as a art exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

The cobalt blue color of the lighting gels and the rising moon make an attractive combo.

These boots are made for walking ... and being for sale from a sidewalk storefront.
 

While driving around Los Angeles, you see all kinds of signs.  This one - with the green wall and the blue car seat - looks like an winning photographic target.

 

Out West



I always get a laugh when I see this sign at the Burbank, California Airport.

A calm night on a quiet southern California street.

I'm in the final few moments of my flight to Burbank and this shot turned out so nice and clear - it seems as if I'm out on the wing getting this image.  No haze or smog or dirty windows to cause a problem.

This shot was enhanced by the plastic window next to my seat.  Only the jet in the lower right of the image turned out clear.  It's like I was using a special lens to get this result.

Just before we landed we flew over a rural version of San Francisco's Lombard Street.


     

Big Beer Bubble

After the waiter poured the contents from this bottle, a perfect bubble remained and lasted for just a few seconds.  I hurried to get my camera settings in place (800 ISO and Program) to capture this unusual fomation with the reflection from the glass ceiling of the restaurant on top of the bubble.

Ready For The Rain

These Yankee fans decide to wait out a rain delay in their usual seats for the game.   The security guard makes sure the fans are not disturbed ... or maybe he's looking for a dry spot.

Soccer in the Bronx



Early in the first half of the soccer match between Chelsea (in red) and Paris Saint-Germain, PSG goalie Nicolas Douchez leaps high in front of the cage to deny a shot by the English club.  The meeting between the two teams ended in a 1-1 tie in front of 38,202 fans at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York.