Boston Marathon - Bodies in Motion

Every year on Patriot's Day, the Boston Marathon descends upon the city of Boston. It began in 1897 and was inspired by the first modern day marathon in the 1896 olympics. The Boston Marathon is the oldest annual marathon in the world. Each year, it attracts among half a million spectators that line the streets from Hopkinton to downtown Boston.

This was my first year attending the event (even though I had lived in Boston for the past 6 years). I'm glad I went, because it was inspring to watch the competitors. They were pouring their heart and soul into it and you could see the determination in their faces. This year was an incredibly difficult marathon since the temperature was 95+ degrees by noon. The marathon organizers were actually encouraging people not to run this year (postpone until next year). As far as I know, they had never offered this before.

I have to say that the most inspiring thing I saw is when someone collapsed 30 meters from the finish line. The person's body just stopped working. He tried getting up, but couldn't. Two runners behind him stopped when they saw this and actually carried the guy across the finish line (the crowd erupted with applause and cheering).

Congrats to all the runners!

The 1st and 2nd place winners for women.

The men's winner.

Post race exhaustion.

Alone With His Thoughts

Chillin' at the Park

Enjoying an afternoon at the Charles River Esplanade. 

A Canopy of Flowers

A canopy of flowers at the Boston Public Gardens. 

Float On

I really liked the perspective and lighting of this photo... was actually rather surprised when I first saw it. The cherry blossoms looked like they were floating. 

Flower Filter

Flowers partially block the view of the Arlington Street Church in Boston's Back Bay. Photo taken from Boston Public Gardens. 

Reach For the Sun

This photo was interesting to me. It looks like the tree is reaching for something on the other side of the pond. I didn't notice it when I took the picture, but the tree is actually pointing directly towards the sun. I guess it must like the sunlight.

I took this particular photo on the Charles River Esplanade. The Prudential building is in the background. 

"In Bloom" at Comm Ave Mall

The Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Boston's Back Bay is a great place to go for a stroll during the spring or fall months. The "Mall" acts as a median between two streams of traffic and has a pathway that goes through the middle of it. Both sides of the pathway are lined with beautifully constructed buildings. Yes, they don't have parking, have small rooms, poor plumbing, floors that "creak", were built over 100 years ago, and are extremely expensive... but their character & history makes it worth it. Outside of the buildings are trees that have probably been there for almost as long as the buildings themselves... and during the spring each year, giant flowers bloom from their branches. These are a few pictures I took while going for a walk.

Spring Love

Spring is the time of year for new beginnings and fresh starts. In this particular image, it looks like a new couple is going for a stroll along the Charles River Esplanade. The cherry blossoms shade their path. 

"In Bloom" at Boston's Public Gardens

A Curtain of Flowers

Cherry blossoms cover some park benches along the Esplanade in Boston's Back Bay. 

Cherry Blossoms on the Esplanade

You know it's spring time in Boston when you see two things: cherry blossoms and sailboats on the Charles River. In this particular photo, I tried to capture both (although, the sailboats aren't the main subject).

Flowers on the Charles

At the start of each spring season, flowers are planted along the Chalres River in Cambridge, MA (next to Harvard University).  It's a nice little touch to the landscaping efforts... now if only they could build a beach. John W Weeks Bridge is in the background.

Peek-a-boo

Some spring flowers outgrowing the tight space allotted to them in one of the alleys in Boston's Back Bay (close to Newbury St). 

A Runner's Path

A few flowering trees cover the runner's path along the Charles River in Cambridge, MA. 

Happy Easter!

Scene captured at the Boston Public Gardens... not quite sure what was going on, but it appeared to be "Easter related"? 

Spring on the Charles

A relaxing spring afternoon along the Charles River in Cambridge, MA... a lone rower making his way down river. 

Spring Water Colors

On the Charles River Esplanade looking toward the Back Bay and Prudential Center. The original image I took blurred a bit because it was windy... so I did some manipulations in photoshop to try and make it look like a painting. I think it came out pretty nice. 

Spring Into Spring (2012 Edition)

Everything is starting to come back to life again after a relatively mild winter in Boston... flowers are blooming, temperature is staying above 50F, outdoor patios are open, and farmers markets will be starting soon.

 I'm planning to dedicate the next several days to posting images related to spring time. Enjoy!

Windy City Blues

Chicago has one of the best skylines in the world (Hong Kong is better)... and if you don't have a boat (or a plane), the best place to view it is at the Planetarium. I remember coming here when I was young to have picnics with my family. There used to be an air field on the other side of the Planetarium (Meig's Field)... and you could watch the airplanes fly overhead while enjoying the view of the lake. If you happen to be in the city, I recommend taking a walk along the lake to this spot. 

Be Like Water

Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.

Most people might not realize it, but Hong Kong has a thriving film industry. One of its icons was Bruce Lee. If you walk along the Avenue of Stars, you can see all of the famous Hong Kong actors immortalized with stars and/or statues (similar to Hollywood's Walk of Fame). Jackie Chan even has a star there as well.

This photo was taken around midnight on a foggy/rainy evening. It probably would have been a nicer photo had there been no fog (so you could see the city skyline)... however, it still came out pretty good. It took me about 15 attempts to get a non-blurry photo (very difficult without a tripod), but I think it was worth the effort.

Last photo in my Hong Kong series... hope you enjoyed!

Junk Boat Skyline

Walking along the Avenue of the Stars (on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong), you have an incredible view of the Hong Kong Island skyline. On this particular night, there was a "junk boat" wedged along the shoreline. I wasn't sure if it had gotten stuck or if it broken down? Nonetheless, it made for an interesting silhouette as I posed it with the Hong Kong skyline. On this particular night, there was a misty rain and fog was covering the building tops (was quite chilly and I didn't come prepared with a heavy jacket). The fog made the lights in the background glow a lot more than usual. 

Early Evening in LKF

If I would have taken this photo about 3 hours later, the streets would have been filled with drunken Americans, Aussies, Brits, some local Hong Kong people, and a few other random tourists. This is a popular party destination for westerners that are visiting or living in Hong Kong... and is known as Lan Kwai Fong. I wasn't up for a late night out on the day that I took these photos (early flight the next morning and had already been on a long trip). However, it's also not a good idea to haul around your camera if you're planning to partake in the festivities (easy to get lost).

Lan Kwai Fong is a "bar street" on Hong Kong Island (next to the Central MTR station). The bars close when the people leave (no set closing time) and you can take your beer wherever you want (no open container laws). Therefore, it's easy to hop from one bar to the next... or you can just hang out in the street. Lan Kwai Fong street is actually on a bit of a hill... so as the night progresses, you will see more and more beer bottles rolling down the street.

Vertical Space and Neon Lights

One very interesting thing about shopping in Hong Kong is you'll notice that retail space is vertical. Since Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, there is not much unused real estate. Therefore, if the stores want to expand, it needs to go "up"... and as you can imagine, if you don't know where you're going, it's very easy to get confused (I've had many of those "lost in translation" moments). Also, you have to love the neon lights!

Invisible Buses in Hong Kong

One thing everyone must do at least once while in Hong Kong is ride a double decker bus through Hong Kong Island. They're slow, don't have air conditioning, and might not be as convenient as the MTR... but it's quite an experience cruising through the metropolis as you glide by on electric tracks.

These photos were taken in Times Square at the intersection of Percival St and Hennessey Rd. It's a maddening intersection... buses rushing by, taxis, massive amounts of pedestrians, overpasses, and giant buildings. I found a railing to rest my camera on and did a few long exposure shots to try and portray the madness as best I could. Enjoy!