Photography

First Shearith Israel Graveyard

My Dad used to take us for long walks around Downtown Manhattan. Whenever we’d pass by Chatham Square, he would bring us to Oliver Street and tell us the story of how he lived there with his family as a kid. Then he would walk us over to First Shearith Israel Graveyard and tell us to look at the sign – this is the first and oldest Jewish Cemetery in Manhattan. Continue reading →

Curacao

Curacao is part of a trio of islands known as the ABC islands. They are off the coast of Venezuela and you will often read they are outside the hurricane belt. Once I read they were low on the hurricane belt. Either way, when it’s hurricane season in the Caribbean, the ABC islands have a low risk of getting hit since they are outside the belt. They do get hit with rain and tropical storms but the frequency of hurricanes average 28.8 years for this area. Continue reading →

Klein Curacao

Klein Curacao is an uninhabited island off the coast of Curacao. They are known for their sea turtle sightings off shore. An added bonus is an abandoned lighthouse and the wrecks on the windward side. Continue reading →

Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue in Willemstad, Curaçao

Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue in Willemstad, Curacao is the oldest surviving synagogue in use in the New World. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and her family visited in 1992.  Continue reading →

St. John the Divine

St. John the Divine is the oldest building in Morningside Heights and one of the largest churches in the world. The cathedral was never completed. They have the largest rose window in the United States. Originally, the cathedral was supposed to be designed in a Byzantine – Romanesque Revival style but was changed in 1909 to Gothic Revival. It was designed in 1888 and work began in 1892, it’s design has gone through a lot of changes and construction was interrupted in WWI & WWII. They are often referred to as St John the Unfinished due to its ongoing construction work and renovations. Continue reading →

City Hall

Philadelphia’s City Hall is one of our favorite buildings. It’s the most ornate and largest City Hall in the country and was almost torn down two times. It’s located at 1 Penn Square and was the tallest building in the world from 1894 to 1908 surpassing the Eiffel Tower and Washington monuments. It remained the tallest building in Philly until  the construction of 1 Liberty Place that formally ended the gentlemen’s agreement limiting the height of the city’s buildings (no building was built taller than City Hall until Liberty Place was constructed 1984-1987). Continue reading →

Fairmont Water Works & Fairmont Park

Fairmont Water Works was designed by Frederich Gaff and is Philadelphia’s second municipal waterworks. It was built between 1812 and 1872. It was in use till 1909 when they had to close due to water being too polluted from population and industry growth; there were newer and updated facilities that took it’s place. In 1976 the water works was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Continue reading →

Schuylkill Regatta & Boathouse Row

We were in Philadelphia for Halloween weekend. Not only is Philly our home away from home, we go annually for Eastern State Penitentiary’s fundraiser “Terror Behind the Walls.” It’s a haunted house set up in an abandoned jail. We enjoy haunted houses and find it fun, we don’t care to dress up for Halloween. October is a happening month for Philly. Some friends took their kids to the Harry Potter fest on another weekend. Continue reading →