The Last House

85th Street, Manhattan, New York City

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln

Some say a lot of the houses or apartment buildings look similar in New York City. I disagree wholeheartedly. Maybe those who are always in a hurry and just walk past these architectural structures without a short glimpse will disagree.

As I said in a previous post, I just love the New York City color scheme. For some it might be too dark and dull but for me it's spectacular especially on a cloudy/rainy day. Each building I see I try to see something unique in it and that does not only make me appreciate it more, but it also helps me to remember the buildings. 

This particular street in the picture is 85th Street between Central Park and Columbus Avenue. It's where I spend most of my time and it's also the street my muse lives on. So yes, this is not a random street picture, it's a street that has a lot of significant importance to me.

This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV

The Gate

Notre Dame Gate, Zabbar, Malta

A distant enemy is always preferable to one at the gate." Emile M. Cioran

'Bieb is-Sultan' in English Notre Dame Gate is a landmark in Zabbar, Malta. It was built my grandmaster Cotoner, where up to this day you can see a statue of him looking towards a curious direction. Many theories were developed regarding this statue, with one being more popular than others. Some people say that the direction the grandmaster is looking at leads to a well hidden treasure. Hundreds of years later no one managed to find the treasure and I doubt anyone will.

This gate always posed a mystifying effect to me. I don't know if that's because it has a rich history or if there is something really hidden behind the story. 

I also want to make it clear that this is only a small part of the gate. The whole castle (yes it's also a castle) is quite big and grand in size.

This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV

Victory Square

Victory Square, Vittoriosa, Malta

"Statues and pictures and verse may be grand, But they are not the Life for which they stand." James Thomson

A few days ago I posted a picture from my hometown - Vittoriosa. It was taken in the town church, the church of St.Lawrence. Today I am posting a picture of square in the town. 

In WW2 Vittoriosa suffered major damage with bombs falling from the sky relentlessly. The church of St.Lawrence suffered intense damage and so did the square. What you see in the picture here is part of the square, that is called Victory Square. In the middle you see a white statue of St.Lawrence, the patron of Vittoriosa. Behind it you can see the local band club and next to it is another club that belongs to a political party. Yes you guess right, religion and politics are a big influence in Malta.

During the day, this square is full of older people talking about this and that and frankly enough, they are the ones who add to the character that this small town offers. You can start talking with one of them, and in a matter of minutes they will tell you in the story of their life and how they fought in the war and emerged victorious.

This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV

Distorted Dreams

72nd Street, New York City

"All human beings are also dream beings. Dreaming ties all mankind together." Jack Kerouac

While this picture really does look like a distorted dream, I can assure you that it is pretty real. The picture was shot from 72nd Street on Broadway a few days before Hurricane Irene hit. 

Personally I think New York City looks best on cloudy/stormy days. The dark dull clouds make the red stone on several buildings pop more. It's like New York City becomes alive when it's raining. At least that's how I see it. But then again, rain for me is beautiful and mystical at the same time and that's mainly because I am coming from a country that gets almost 340 days of sunshine every year. 

Yes the picture is crooked and I wanted it to be that way. I wanted to portray an inward perspective, like you are being led into the engulfing clouds and ready to be swallowed in the storm. 

This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV

Imagine

Imagine, Central Park, New York City

"Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans" John Lennon

I am sure that everyone, young to old has heard of The Beatles. For those who are living in a sort of dark age and never heard of them, here is a summary of The Beatles for you. The Beatles - Bringing people together since 1958.

This John Lennon Imagine monument can be found at the Strawberry Fields in Central Park in New York right on 72nd Street. John Lennon was shot on the 8th of December 1980 when he was walking into his apartment at The Dakota building. His wife Yoko Ono turned one part of Central Park into Strawberry Fields in his honor. 

Visiting the Imagine monument on a normal day can be quite challenging to get a good view of it as it is always bustling with tourists, but if you really want to see chaos you should visit on the 8th of December. Several people from every country come to pay their respects to this legendary rock star. 

This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV

The Arches

Central Park, New York City

"Knowledge is the only fountain both of the love and the principles of human liberty." Daniel Webster

The path in the picture, is the path that leads to the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain. We have seen this terrace and fountain in numerous movies, but to stand there, physically stand there and admire it with your own eyes is something completely different. The whole area is beautiful. The stairs leading to this 'hallway' in the picture, the 'hallway', the terrace and the fountain all collaborate together to create this master class scene better known as the Bethesda Terrace.

This picture was shot early in the morning so I was lucky enough to get the picture without any people in it (except for that one woman on the right side.) 

The area is very popular with tourists and New Yorkers alike. It's very serene and I think it's considered as one of the landmarks of Manhattan, New York!

 This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV

Higher

St.Lawrence Church, Vittoriosa, Malta

"Love is not consolation. It is light. " Friedrich Nietzsche

No it is not something from outer space. This is a church dome, the St.Lawrence church dome. I posted another picture from this church a few days ago, so if you missed it you can go read what I wrote on the other post. This church is oldest church in Malta and it's full of interesting history.

Once again, what attracted me to this church dome is the way the light was hitting it.The sun hitting on the right hand side really brings out the texture of the old stone. The perfect circles are all textured differently and it shows how much time and effort they put into building beautiful buildings a couple of centuries ago. While I am sure they had deadlines, I am also sure that their deadlines were not fast and in result we get a building like this St.Lawrence Church in Malta. 

The nicest sight is actually walking into the church. The church is usually dark (dark drapery, dark paintings) and then you reach this dome and see a burst of light that is right above the main altar. 

 This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV