Tag Archives: new york

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir

Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis Reservoir
“Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir” — The Manhattan skyline below Central Park from the Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis Reservoir.

Last fall we were in New York for family visits and to see a performance at the Metropolitan Opera. It was a lovely autumn day in Manhattan so we went for a long walk. We typically stay at a place a bit to the west of the Park, and our mornings often include walks there in one form or another. This time we headed further north from our usual routes and ended up walking around this manmade lake.

When I think of Central Park, this reservoir isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. To me it is more about lawns and trees and curving pathways, people enjoying what counts as the “natural world” in this city, and a steady stream of walkers, cyclists, runners, and more. But it seems to get less crowded up here by the lake, and views open up, unobstructed by trees.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Under the Highway

Under the Highway
“Under the Highway” — The steel structure supporting NY 9A along the west side of Manhattan.

This photograph comes from one of our frequent August visits to New York City. New Yorkers reading this are perhaps shaking their heads and wondering about my sanity. There is a reason that people who live there take there vacations in August — heat, humidity, thunderstorms, and all the rest. But over the years we have regularly made August visits — in the early days because that is when I wasn’t teaching, but now out of (arguably perverse?) habit.

But this August visit, as I recall, was relatively pleasant. It certainly was on this day as we walked from our hotel down to the Hudson River, passing beneath this remarkable structure as we approached a riverside park. This supports the highway running down the west side of the city and, I think, it is still more attractive than modern concrete construction that is used today for such things.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Autumn Chairs, Whitney Museum

As each season passes, the sensations of the previous season fade. But only a short time ago it was about colorful leaves falling from trees, crunching underfoot, and blowing along sidewalks and trails. I made this photograph as we passed the Whitney Museum at the end of a very long Manhattan walk in late November on one of those beautiful autumn days.

Sometimes the question arises: What is this photograph about? It is hard to be too specific about that. But here the colors are pretty important — the bright yellow of the chairs, the warm orange of the leaves, and the overall cool blue tones of the light. I think it is also “about” the juxtaposition of the constructed urban world and the organic forms of the natural world.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Urban Wild, Manhattan

Urban Wild, Manhattan
Tightly packed buildings and large trees, Manhattan.

Urban Wild, Manhattan. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Tightly packed buildings and large trees, Manhattan.

This photograph embodies something about Manhattan that I’ve mentioned before: For such an intensely urban place, there are a lot of examples of the natural world. It isn’t the kind of (ostensibly) “pure” nature that we see in the America West, but I sometimes think that its close juxtaposition with the city environment almost makes it more precious. We have whole forests out here in California, but in Manhattan a single tree can sometimes mean almost as much.

I saw this scene from the High Line Park as we walked its length last November. To those of use used to living with more space around and between us, the closeness of urban abodes along this park is surprising, and it almost seems voyeuristic to take a long look through the trees in someone’s tiny yard.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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