Category Archives: Life in New York City

Immersive Experiences in New York City: Hero NYC and Astra Lumina

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Welcome to the New York City section of my blog, also known as my “Amateur Learns Aperture” series, where I go outside my apartment to find things to photograph in order to learn how to use my camera.

There are several different immersive light shows in New York City right now.  I am not sure if this was always a thing, since I did not leave my apartment in many years.  Or maybe these have existed this entire time.  I love all of it.

Hero was such a great time.  This one is located under Rockefeller Center, right at the ice skating rink.  I was fortunate to catch the Northern Lights show on its last weekend.  But per their website HERE, they have a new show coming soon.

You start out by watching an introduction video and then you enter the space.  My ticket was for 7:00 on a Friday and it was not at all packed.  I had some rooms to myself as I walked through them.

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New York City: Making Hot Chocolate in a Cauldron and Oscar Wilde Restaurant

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Welcome to the New York City section of my blog, also known as my “Amateur Learns Aperture” series, where I go outside my apartment to find things to photograph in order to learn how to use my camera.

When searching for things to do in NYC, I found THIS fun day hot chocolate experience.  You get to use a magic wand, you get to add all delicious things to your hot chocolate, and you get festive toppings from a locked treasure chest?  Say no more!

You cannot book for just one person so I booked for two.  This also means I paid for two.  I don’t know why, but when asked where my guest was, I lied and said she missed her flight.  No idea who “she” is or why I felt the need to lie, but such is the life of a solo traveler.

The venue is actually a bar in front and the magic happens in the back.  The bar looks like so much fun.

The bartenders were dressed like warlocks.

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New York City: Chanoyu for Everyone: Tea Time at the Table Review

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Ever since I began my “Amateur Learns Aperture” series, I find myself scouring the internet for cool things to do, where I can practice taking photos.  I am now a Course Horse addict and I cannot stop going to courses and classes in New York City, I recently signed up for a tea ceremony course, which you can see more information about HERE.

This was a fun night out. I wish I had brought my camera because the space was gorgeous.

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New York City Tourism: Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, Sunset Park, Oculus, Domino Effect and Field of Light

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Hello it is me again, playing the role of Amateur Learning Aperture, taking my camera outside to do New York City touristy things while learning how to use my camera.  Only this time I am taking a step backwards as I bought THIS new mirrorless camera that has so many features I don’t know how to use yet.

I want to say again and forever that taking photography classes has greatly improved my mental health.  I am currently taking one on composition and I genuinely like the people in my class.  I will be sad to say goodbye to them next week and hope they pop up in future classes.  I also love when we show our homework.  This particular set of people really go out to find the most iconic things to photograph in New York City.  I keep adding to my list of places to photograph, inspired by them.

Since I last posted, I first took a trip to watch sunset at Verrazzano Narrows Bridge and then took a separate trip to watch sunset at Sunset Park.  For both of these outings, I was using THIS lens that I rented.   It was amazing with low light.  But I couldn’t zoom out as much as I would have liked at Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, nor could I zoom in as much as I would like at Sunset Park.  This would have been obvious to any seasoned photographer.  But I am still an amateur and I am learning by making mistakes.

Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, my last photoshoot with my DSLR:

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New York City: AKC Meet the Breeds and Travel Show YAY

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Before I left for vacation back in December, I was going strong with my excitement for my New York City series.  Going out and about, doing things, practicing photos with my camera.  Feeling a bit sad that the list of things I wanted to do was longer than the time I had before leaving for vacation.

Now I am back and making plans of things to do and see. I began feeling that without Christmas type of stuff, NYC is kind of boring to me.

I don’t know if it is because I am home and mopey that I am finding myself already bored without having left my apartment one time.  Or if it is because outside of “ooh pretty” I just don’t care for the things that are available to me.  Tourist attractions are not my thing.  I am just far less excited to continue getting out of my apartment and behind a camera.  I am much more interested in booking travel to places that are not NYC.

I started going nuts and booking excursions for my Alaska cruise, but that is not until May.

I need to find things to do to keep up my mental health.  I don’t know that I want to keep going  to cute restaurants.  Sure it is fun but my brain is screaming “Eat out once a week or take a lay down flight to China, you can only pick one!”

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New York City Staycation

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Hello from my New York City Staycation!  If you have been following along, I have been doing a bunch of touristy stuff lately to give me opportunities to practice using my camera.

This staycation came from me having a cruise out of Manhattan and finding it easier to just spend a couple of nights in a hotel rather than get to the cruise terminal from Bensonhurst.

I booked the New Yorker Hotel using Wyndham points.  This hotel is near Penn Station . When booking it, I thought I would enjoy just walking between my hotel and 53rd Street, which is a walk I took a million times back when I lived on Long Island and would travel to Manhattan to go see bands at The Ritz and Roseland.  I waned to see if the parking garage near The Ritz was still there.  We used to buy 40s and drink up there before shows.  We also used to drink up there while waiting for Saturday Night Live to end, and the celebrities would begin pouring out.  I also used to drink up there when I was dating a guy from New Jersey.  We would meet halfway between his home and mine, at Penn Station and go drink on top of the parking garage.  Classy.

But as I began looking into things to do, I realized my dreams of possibly visiting a parking garage roof was really not how I wanted to spend my staycation so I made actual non-pathetic plans.

On Friday night, I checked into the hotel.  I am Diamond with Wyndham. This is my second stay at this hotel and second upgrade to an actual suite and also unsolicited late check out.  This is great because my checkout time isn’t until three so I can board the cruise after my room is ready at 1:30.

I took some absolutely horrible room photos that I don’t want to share, but the room is pretty much the same one I had HERE.

Some new room view photos:

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New York City: Brooklyn Bridge Park and Dyker Heights Christmas Lights

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Welcome to volume four of my “Amateur Learns Aperture” series where I take my camera out for fun things so I can learn how to use her.  This week I visited Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Dyker Heights Christmas lights in….Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.

I am never in NYC at Christmastime.  Now that I am scouring the internet for places to take my camera, I am finding so many things that I want to practice photography on.  So many of them are holiday themed.  I don’t have enough time to visit them all before I leave for vacation and they will be gone when I get back.  Will 2024 be a year of my life where I actualy (gasp!) want to be home for the holidays?  Want to be OUTSIDE in NYC for the holidays?  Want to go where the tourists go oh noes!

What is this post about?  Oh yes.  NYC. Outside.  Tourism. Amatuer photography.

I learned how to do light painting in photography class!
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Amateur Learns Aperture in New York City, Volume 2

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Continuing my new series “Amatuer Learns Aperture” about going outside in New York City to take a million test photos as I learn how to use my camera!

In this post:

  • The Grey Dog
  • All the pretty restaurants
  • Sweet Moments Cafe
  • Chinatown Lanterns
  • Juniors
  • Coney Island

I am having a rough time because my cell phone photos still come out better than my camera photos.

Here is the cute doggo that greets barks at you when you ring the bell to enter the building for photography class.

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Introducing New Series: Amateur Learns Aperture in New York City, Part One

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Welcome to part one of a new series, where I write about leaving my New York City apartment to venture outside and learn how to use my camera. I almost titled this “Bites and Sights NYC” as I will indeed be visiting some New York City attractions and sharing photos of cute restaurants, so the name fits. But I liked the idea of maybe working the amateur photography in the title so the intent here is clear.

My brainstorming session went like this:

Me: New camera, who dis?

Me: No

Me: Learning ISO taking photos like whoa?

Me: NO

Me: F-Can’t Stop, F-Won’t Stop?

Me: SHUT UP

Me: Photography school, shooting things that are cool?

Me: STOP TALKING

Me: What about Amateur Learns Aperture?

Me: WHY WON’T YOU…Wait. that’s not so terrible.

I am doubling down by also attempting to improve my mental health by not wearing pajamas in public while doing these things. This is increasing the amount of laundry I have to do, which is a downside. Continue reading →

Las Vegas: I Love Chain Restaurants

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If you have landed on this page and would like to read this Las Vegas trip report from the beginning, you can click HERE.
Another day working from my hotel room in Las Vegas.  Linq morning room view.  I believe this room is considered Strip view because of the postage stamp sized view of Caesars.  I really miss the balconies.  It would be so great to open the balcony door and inhale the pigeon poop these balconies were always covered in.  Okay maybe I see why they removed them.  Also I don’t know that I have ever seen a flock of pigeons in Vegas?  Yet the balconies were coated in pigeon poop.

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