Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/01/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I have been taking a lot of pictures in SOHO lately and highly recommend it as a photography destination, especially before 10:30AM when the pedestrians start to fill the streets. There are several views as to the boundaries of the SOHO District. All views agree that SOHO is bounded by Houston St on the North and Canal St on the South. The SOHO Historical Cast Iron District defines the West Boundary as West Broadway and the East Boundary as Crosby Street, one block East of Broadway. Another definition (See http://www.nyc.com/list.aspx?c=9&e=neighborhoodID&s=526&v=259) move the west boundary a couple of blocks west to Avenue on the Americas (6th Avenue) and the eastern boundary to Broadway. The SOHO Partnership's (http://www.sohonyc.org/) definition is more inclusive in that it moves the eastern boundary to Lafayette. The area is in a state of rapid change, some not all that good. Many global brands are now establishing downtown a presence in this neighborhood, including Louis Vuitton, Prada, Chanel and the like. Most of them respect the existing architecture, but some tear down the old structure and put in a new one that is not necessarily reflective of the neighborhood's character. A number of buildings have been or are being converted into Condominium lofts. Commercial Rental space, according to one local resident I ran into in a coffee shop, is reaching $40,000 to $50,000 per month. The rise in rents has driven many artists and art galleries (especially, the ones that need lots of space) out of the neighborhood. The Cast Iron District Buildings date back to the late 1800s and drew their inspiration from the Crystal Palace in England. Some of the buildings in SOHO have beautiful, ornate facades and are worth a look. There must be 500 establishments in SOHO with flags, banner and shingle type signs, a rather unusual concentration, I must say. As I've never seen anything like this in any of my travels I thought it was unique in that respect. However, one passerby have said that Dublin has something similar. Another person said that they are beginning to appear in London, England. I've been photographing all of these signs for a documentary project titled "Signs of the Times, SOHO 2001-2002". If the work turns out to be good enough a may be able to publish a book. Any coaches out there? To keep this on topic, I'm using a Leica R8 mostly with the Vario Elmar 80-200mm f/4 Vario-Elmar-R and the 100mm APO-Macro-Elmarit-R using K64 (North-South Streets) and Velvia (East-West Streets) and a Benbo 2 tripod with Manfrotto ProBall 468RC Ball Head. If I had to do it all over I would have used a gear head (lesson learned) as there is too much play in the Monfrotto's adapter when I turn the R8 with VE 90 degrees to take vertical photographs. I'm learning a lot about the need for preparedness and remembering to take everything when I leave the house (including film!). Regards, Andy - ----- Original Message ----- From: "J. Gilbert Plantinga" <gilplant@hvc.rr.com> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2002 6:03 AM Subject: Re: [Leica] NYC this weekend > I find it astonishing that someone would mention peeling paint in the > context of NYC, the street-shooters mecca! > > Gilbert > > on 1/16/02 8:11 AM, Julian Topley at julian.topley@usa.net wrote: > > > MJC > > > > As Matthew suggested, the park is a good place especially with the sun so low > > at this time of the year. > > > > If you are interested in more industrial scenery then there is TriBeCa and > > SoHo. Look out for the water tower roofscapes and peeling paint on the cast > > iron buildings. If you have time you should take a look at some of the photo > > galleries, there is a $5.00 by-monthly publication on what is on available in > > the newsagents - the Leica gallery however is closed on Sunday. There are > > also the piers towards Chelsea for some more industrial scenery and the Meat > > Packing area near by, all of which is not far from B&H should you want to make > > a visit! > > > > BTW, I guess one should mention ground zero which has now been reduced to a a > > pit in the ground and is looking more like a construction site. The rest of > > the area is rather morbid with many reminders of the events from last year > > though for many this area is still of extreme interest. > > > > Julian > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html