Fourth on the Third

[Judy G. Russell]

My town held its fireworks display tonight along the Arthur Kill.

1.

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2.

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3.

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4.

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5.

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6.

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7.

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[Mike]

Oooh! Ahhh!

As usual, superb photos!

[Lindsey]

Wow! Spectacular pictures!

[ktinkel]

Nice!

[Judy G. Russell]

Wow! Spectacular pictures!

Oooh! Ahhh! As usual, superb photos!Thanks, guys. I'm gonna go see the NYC fireworks tonight, from a balcony right on the Hudson in NJ.

[Mike]

I hope you had a great time!

[Judy G. Russell]

I hope you had a great time!Welllll... almost...

It was a great day for fireworks in the NY metro area yesterday. The weather was as close to perfect as it could be, and I had an invitation to my boss' apartment in Hoboken, NJ, right on the Hudson, right by one of the several barges that would be used to send 40,000 or more shells into the night sky.

I checked out all the mass transit options, and ended up on the train.

1. Got to see the new Secaucus Junction train station for the first time.

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2. Everybody was parting and enjoying the weather.

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3. The entire waterfront was like a carnival.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/582500524_3YjrQ-O.jpg

4. The fireboats were out in force on the Hudson.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/582500560_8hxeW-O.jpg

5. And the best part is when they color the water spray red, white and blue.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/582500580_RtEGc-O.jpg

6. Couldn't possibly have had a better location to shoot from

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/582500618_yYJs7-O.jpg

Then disaster struck. The apartment isn't all that small but I was uncomfortable trying to open and lock the tripod legs inside with all the bric-a-brac around. So I went out onto the terrace -- which really IS fairly small -- and opened it there... but it's a tripod I don't have a lot of experience with, and I apparently didn't lock one of the tripod leg controls the way I thought I had. I turned back to get the cable release, took a step or two, a gust of wind blew in the direction of the terrace and BAM!! Down on the concrete floor of the terrace. The lens broke into two pieces and the battery door on the camera jammed open so it wouldn't power on.

7. The damage

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/582500447_KroFa-O.jpg

It wasn't a total loss, however. Not total. But just take a look at what might have been if only I'd been able to shoot with my camera instead of...

8. iPhone image

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/582500628_h5Py4-O.jpg

[Mike]

Ah, jeez. Sorry to hear about that.

Are the camera and lens covered by any sort of warranty or service contract? Or are they too old for that?

[Dan in Saint Louis]

Then disaster struck.
BUMMER! Insurance?

[Judy G. Russell]

Ah, jeez. Sorry to hear about that. Are the camera and lens covered by any sort of warranty or service contract? Or are they too old for that?I do have them on my homeowner's policy in a personal articles rider, but if the amount is small enough, I won't make a claim -- too many claims, and you get cancelled, and it's not worth it for a small loss.

[Judy G. Russell]

BUMMER! Insurance?Yep, I do, but they're on a rider on my homeowner's policy so I'm reluctant to make a claim if the amount is fairly small. I hope to be able to drop them off personally at the Canon service center tomorrow and see if I can get a ballpark...

[Mike]

...too many claims, and you get cancelled, and it's not worth it for a small loss.
In CA, "too many" = 1. People really really really need to make it count.

Even worse, insurers may deny coverage to a homeowner if a previous owner ever filed a claim, even if that previous owner's claim wasn't at that address!

[Judy G. Russell]

In CA, "too many" = 1. People really really really need to make it count. Even worse, insurers may deny coverage to a homeowner if a previous owner ever filed a claim, even if that previous owner's claim wasn't at that address!Ouch. THAT hurts.

For me, it was good news. Camera - battery compartment door needs to be replaced, $20. Lens repair, less than $100. Whew...

[fhaber]

Condolences. Is that a Canon quote?

That's actually a testimonial to either the springiness of the ?light aluminum|?plastic lens barrel, or the tank-like qualities of the bayonet mount.* If it were mine, I'd still check for backfocus and tilt when I got it back. (Classic test: tape a doubletruck NY Times page on the wall. Shoot head-on for corner focus. Make a big black cross in the center and shoot at 30-45 degrees for backfocus.)

And of course you know that putting all three legs on a beach towel is a fair substitute for a spider on slick surfaces.

*And you know, I never thought about *that* advantage of digital. If it were film, your pix would have been toast. Nice to know that even if you were shot, then pushed out of an airplane, your survivors would still have the memories.

-particularly black humored today

[Judy G. Russell]

Condolences. Is that a Canon quote?It is indeed, so I'm happy. There may still be some minor problems with the camera -- there's an electronic whine when the built-in flash is popped up but then I don't use the built-in flash. So as long as the images are okay, I'll hold off on having them check the camera.

And of course you know that putting all three legs on a beach towel is a fair substitute for a spider on slick surfaces.[quote]Yeah, well, I didn't think I'd need to bring a beach towel to my boss' balcony...

[QUOTE=fhaber;57047] I never thought about *that* advantage of digital. If it were film, your pix would have been toast. Nice to know that even if you were shot, then pushed out of an airplane, your survivors would still have the memories. -particularly black humored todayYou are in a dark mood!!!

[Mike]

For me, it was good news.
Glad to hear that!

[Lindsey]

Then disaster struck.

Oh, God, I'm so sorry about that! It's very good that the damage can be repaired relatively inexpensively, but something like that certainly had to have soured the remainder of the evening. It's just impossible to relax and enjoy things when you've got a treasure that you are afraid might have been damaged beyond repair.

I hope you get a second chance at those pictures next year. I believe I heard this is the first time in a long time they have done that fireworks show on the Hudson, yes?

In the first picture of the fireboats, you can see the New Yorker hotel, where I was staying when I was there the other week. The first time I stayed there, I had a room that had a cool view of the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately, the first day I was there was the only day it was visible -- it rained most of the rest of that week, and you couldn't see the statue through the rain and the fog. :(

[Judy G. Russell]

Oh, God, I'm so sorry about that! It's very good that the damage can be repaired relatively inexpensively, but something like that certainly had to have soured the remainder of the evening. It's just impossible to relax and enjoy things when you've got a treasure that you are afraid might have been damaged beyond repair.Yeah, it did kind of put a damper on things, that's for sure.

I hope you get a second chance at those pictures next year. I believe I heard this is the first time in a long time they have done that fireworks show on the Hudson, yes?They had at least one barge in the Hudson in 2004, because I have photos of fireworks going off over both rivers (Hudson and East). But I think it hasn't been ONLY on the Hudson for a long time.

In the first picture of the fireboats, you can see the New Yorker hotel, where I was staying when I was there the other week. The first time I stayed there, I had a room that had a cool view of the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately, the first day I was there was the only day it was visible -- it rained most of the rest of that week, and you couldn't see the statue through the rain and the fog. :(That's a cool location!

[Lindsey]

That's a cool location!

It's good for a lot of things: It's near Penn Station; it's within easy sight of the Empire State Building; there's an A-C-E line subway stop right there at the hotel; they offer a free continental breakfast; and you can get a very good full breakfast at the hotel's coffee shop if you don't mind spending the extra time.

Unfortunately, it wasn't as convenient a location for what I was doing as the Cosmopolitan Hotel at Chambers & W. Broadway would have been on this last trip, but the Cosmopolitan didn't have a room for all the days I wanted one. Chambers & W. Broadway is just a few blocks from the Municipal Archives, where I spent part of the time I was there; and the 1-2-3 subway line that has a stop near the hotel is more convenient to the NYPL at 42nd St. than the A-C-E line is. But it was not a bad alternative, and the price was decent.

[fhaber]

>But I think it hasn't been ONLY on the Hudson for a long time

The media said, "nine years," but that means "the harbor, westward of lower Manhattan. Visible from my rooftop? I'd say 20+.

[Judy G. Russell]

Chambers & W. Broadway is just a few blocks from the Municipal Archives, where I spent part of the time I was there; and the 1-2-3 subway line that has a stop near the hotel is more convenient to the NYPL at 42nd St. than the A-C-E line is. Yeah, that would be best for a genealogist for sure.

[Judy G. Russell]

>But I think it hasn't been ONLY on the Hudson for a long time
The media said, "nine years," but that means "the harbor, westward of lower Manhattan. Visible from my rooftop? I'd say 20+.I'd have to agree there. Lots of stuff visible from, say, Liberty State Park but not much north of there.