By Seth Fera-Schanes

Here is a project for New York City residents and incoming tourists.  Dedicate one weekend day to explore the city.  Like really explore.  Get out the door at 9am and start walking.  Not a few blocks.  Not one specific neighborhood.  Like 8 miles of traversing the city and just experiencing all it has to offer.  Make sure to bring your camera and to eat, drink and totally engross yourself in the city along the way.

I have been going on a few of these day walks recently and put together some images from the past month.

1.  Patsy’s Pizzeria in East Harlem on 117th street and 1st Avenue.  Founded in 1933, Patsy’s is one of the original pizzerias in New York.  They use a coal fired oven and sell slices for $1.75.  I had been finding a lot of pedestrian pizza as of late and this restored by faith in the New York slice.

Patsy’s Pizzeria

2.  Peafowl and one of the largest churches in the world on 113th street and Amsterdam Avenue.  Saint John the Divine Cathedral is cavernous with an interior height of over 120 feet.  The expansive space has exquisitely carved sculptures and an organ that must be seen.  On top of it all, Saint John’s hosts two peacocks on the grounds who are not at all camera shy and always up for a quick photo shoot.

White Peacock at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine

3.  Harlem Nights – A Fall sunset over the Harlem neighborhood.  If you can access a roof around the 120’s in Central Harlem, you can capture great views of brownstones, water towers and midtown Manhattan.

Sunset over Harlem

4.  As seen in Times Square.  A city of artists and performers, this was captured in the subway at Times Square.  A jazz saxophone player and an enthusiastic visitor singing along.

Subway Performance

5. Chrysler Building – An iconic part of the New York City skyline and one of my favorite skyscrapers.  You can use this opportunity for a mini photo tour since the Chrysler building is close to Grand Central Station which is another place to get some great nyc images.

Chrysler Building in Midtown Manhattan

6.  A cool Autumn day on the west side of Manhattan is the perfect venue for an outdoor wedding.  This was taken by the International House which is part of the Columbia University campus.

Outdoor Manhattan Wedding

7.  Fall in Central Park by The Pool –  Picture a Bob Ross painting with all his happy trees and you have The Pool, located off 104th street and Central Park West avenue.  This small pond has some of the best Fall foliage and is a great spot to take a date or even go fishing.

Fall at The Pool in Central Park

8. An evening sky.  Check sunset times and then head up to your favorite rooftop perch for some great evening photography.  It is a lot of fun to see the sunset and the city lights come on.  Bring a speaker and play a little Rhapsody in Blue to really get you in a New York state of mind.

Evening Sky Over Manhattan

9.  Kashkaval Garden – Located between 55th and 56th streets and 9th avenue in Hell’s Kitchen, this Mediterranean tapas restaurant and wine bar is the perfect way to end your day of city exploration.  Make a reservation in advance because this is an intimate (i.e small) space.

Keskaval Garden in Hell’s Kitchen