..hung around a bit after the opening ceremonies..
*it was a bit hazy because of the fireworks that went off a few minutes ago (here’s the shot i took of it)..
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downtown bhm
..here’s the view of downtown birmingham from the vulcan park statue i posted yesterday..
..nick asked me how i shoot these.. well, i basically focus, meter, then bend backwards (i never lie down on the ground, i sometimes leave the cam on the ground) and shoot.. i usually see people looking up to see what i took a shot of and then looking at me like i’m an idiot..
When opened in 1930, the Merchandise Mart or the Merch Mart, located in the Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois, United States, was the largest building in the world with 4,000,000 square feet (372,000 m2) of floor space. Previously owned by the Marshall Field family, the Mart centralized Chicago’s wholesale goods business by consolidating vendors and trade under a single roof. (wiki)
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natural bridge
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cincinnati southern
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..shot at an event we went to this weekend..
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bye winter?
..i’ve kept most of my winter clothes, but had to bring some of them out again.. wtfff..
..good time to head to the parks..
..i’ll always remember them as the corcob buildings..
Marina City is a mixed-use residential/commercial building complex occupying an entire city block on State Street in Chicago, Illinois. It lies on the north bank of the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, directly across from the Loop district. The complex consists of two high rise corncob-shaped 65-story towers (including five-story elevator and physical plant penthouse), at 587-foot (179 m) tall. It also includes a saddle-shaped auditorium building, and a mid-rise hotel building, all contained on a raised platform adjacent to the river. Beneath the raised platform at river level is a small marina for pleasure craft, giving the structures their name.
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..since i didn’t have a hazmat on hand, i’ve been working from home since yesterday, it’s not as easy as it looks.. 😀
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..here’s a landmark to know roughly where this was taken..
The Michigan Avenue Bridge (officially DuSable Bridge) is a bascule bridge that carries Michigan Avenue across the main stem of the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States. The bridge was proposed in the early 20th century as part of a plan to link Chicago’s south side and north side parks with a grand boulevard. Construction of the bridge started in 1918, it opened to traffic in 1920, and decorative work was completed in 1928. The bridge provides passage for vehicles and pedestrians on two levels; it is an example of a fixed trunnion bascule bridge, which is also known as a “Chicago style bascule bridge”. The bridge is included in the Michigan–Wacker Historic District and has been designated as a Chicago Landmark.
..this was probably the best way to view the architecture without any effort..
..let’s go on a trip along the chicago river..
..the ship’s giant emblem(?)
..went out shooting last weekend, this is where we ended up..
For years, it has been the smallest populated town in Alabama, but the town is notable for the nearby rock arch, also named Natural Bridge, the longest natural bridge east of the Rockies, spanning over 127 ft (40 m). The arch is in Natural Bridge Park, which allows public access. (wiki)
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..saw this odd store while driving around..
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..just a warm winter walk by the park..
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dq pipe
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empty ice
..my plans for this weekend are as empty as this ice skating rink, hope you guys have a good weekend..
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union tilt
..back to (ir)regular programming..
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ysleta del sur pueblo
..the third & last of the missions we visited along mission trail in el paso.. you can find the first ones here, here, and here
The Ysleta del Sur Pueblo (“the Pueblo”) is a U.S. federally recognized Native American tribe and sovereign nation. The Pueblo is one of three tribes located in Texas and the only Pueblo located in the state. The Tribal community, known as “Tigua”, was established in 1682 after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Since then, the Tribe has retained a significant presence in the El Paso region that helped pave the way for the development of the area. The Tribe maintains its traditional political system and ceremonial practices and continues to flourish as a Pueblo community. Tribal enrollment is over 1,600 citizens. (source)
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york ave
..this stretch of road is york ave, taken from the tram..
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..reframed shot of this one..
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choo choo access
..yep, a train station converted to a hotel..
Terminal Station in Chattanooga, Tennessee is a former railroad station, once owned and operated by the Southern Railway, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The station was opened in 1909 and was the latest and largest station in Chattanooga’s history. The original Chattanooga Union Station, built in 1858, (demolished in 1973) was outgrown by the rapid expansion in the railroad network serving Chattanooga. A second station, built in 1882, was outgrown in only six years. In 1888, an old freight depot was converted to a passenger facility, while three other depots handled commercial and industrial traffic.
As the railroad industry declined in the 1950s and 1960s, passenger traffic dwindled, and the last passenger train, The Birmingham Special, left Terminal Station in 1970. In 1972, local businessmen bought the building, renamed it the Chattanooga Choo Choo after the song, and began rehabilitating the building. Today, the 24-acre (97,000 m2) complex is a convention center, hotel and resort with restaurants and shops. Hotel guests can stay in half of a restored passenger railway car. Dining at the complex includes the Gardens restaurant in the Terminal Station itself (enclosed passenger loading platform), The Station House (which is housed in a former baggage storage, but on original building plans is designated as “Mail Sorting Facility”) and the “Dinner in the Diner” which is the complex’s fine dining venue, housed in a restored 1938 Class A dining car. Some parts of the complex are connected by a heritage streetcar line, operated by a 1924-built ex-New Orleans Perley Thomas trolley car.(wiki)
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..view from the front part of the ship..
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..the ship’s calliope..
A calliope  is a musical instrument that produces sound by sending a gas, originally steam or more recently compressed air, through large whistles, originally locomotive whistles. (wiki)
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walnut street bridge
..the bridge that was in yesterday’s background..
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delta queen
..more stuff from our recent trip to chattanooga.. this is where we stayed, it’s a retired steam boat..
The Delta Queen is an American sternwheel steamboat that is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Historically, she has been used for cruising the major rivers that constitute the drainage of the Mississippi River, particularly in the American South. As of June 2009, she is docked in Chattanooga, Tennessee and has been converted into a hotel. It is possible that she will come back on the rivers.
The Delta Queen is 285 feet long (86.9 m), 58 feet (17.7m) wide, and draws 11.5 feet (3.5m). She weighs 1,650 tons (1,676 metric tons), with a capacity of 176 passengers. Her cross-compounded steam engines generate 2,000 indicated horsepower (1,500 kW), powering a stern-mounted paddlewheel.(wiki)
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deck
..view from the deck..
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chasm
..one of those tours where tripods are permitted, this one was a cave roof shot while our guide was explaining something..
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hernando de soto bridge
The bridge is a through arch bridge carrying Interstate 40 across the Mississippi River between West Memphis, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee. Memphians also call the bridge the “New Bridge”, as it is newer than the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge (carrying Interstate 55) downstream.
The bridge is named for 16th century Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto who explored this stretch of the Mississippi River, and died south of Memphis. His body was believed to have been buried in the Mississippi River after his death (although, according to legend, his body lay at the bottom of Lake Chicot in Arkansas, an oxbow lake of the Mississippi River about 130 miles south of Memphis.) (wiki)
..chattanooga, as viewed from lookout mountain..
*supersized
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525
..525 West Monroe, Â spotted while walking towards the bus stop..
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big bang
..start the new year with a bang, just keep those fingers intact..
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metro office
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balls
..christmas ornaments in union station..
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..another view of this one..
..the view from the top of one of the franklin mountains..
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urbanslice
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..looks like the moleman’s been to chicago..
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rivercenter
..pretty snazzy for a mall..
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elizario
..presidio chapel of san elizario undergoing renovation..
..just watching the sun set..
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..the interior of socorro mission..
The original Franciscan mission, Nuestra Señora de la Concepción del Socorro, was founded in 1682 by the Franciscan order, to serve displaced American Indians (the Piro, Tano and Jemez) from New Mexico, who fled during the Pueblo Revolt. The present Socorro Mission was constructed around 1840 to replace an earlier 18th-century mission destroyed in 1829 by flooding of the Rio Grande. The mission, constructed of adobe surfaced with stucco, is particularly notable for its interior. The finely painted and decorated beams, or vigas, are from the 18th-century mission and were reused when the present church was constructed. The massing, details and use of decorative elements of the Socorro Mission show strong relationships to the building traditions of 17th-century Spanish New Mexico.