P is for: Park, Hyde; London
Date: April 14, 2007
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1
I confess to having a love/hate relationship with Hyde Park. I hate how busy it becomes in the summer months, but I love its acres of green grass and majestic trees, which are best appreciated when no-one's around. This photograph was taken early on a Saturday morning when nary a soul was to be seen. I scooted around the park on my bicycle -- a seven mile round-trip from my house -- and stopped to take the odd photograph or two. Apart from the occasional dog walker I practically had the entire park to myself. In a city as heavily populated as London you don't know what a rare and precious treat this was!
Q is for: quiet corner
Date: April 14, 2007
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1
This is another aspect of Hyde Park, taken on the same day I did my scoot around the park's circular bike path. Normally this little corner is hellish with vehicular traffic, pedestrians and cyclists all vying to share the same road space. It's an incredibly badly designed "intersection" and I hate having to go through it every time I ride my bike to work. I end up going the long way round simply to avoid the dimwits who don't understand the traffic rules.
R is for: Rockefeller Centre, New York
Date: October 20, 2007
Camera: Panasonic DMC-TZ3.
Back in 1990 I took a class on urban development as part of my undergraduate degree and I still remember the lecturer, Ross King, banging on about the brilliance of the Rockefeller Centre in New York and how it was the little design elements, such as the rows of flagpoles, that made it such a distinctive space. I didn't get to appreciate this for myself until my first visit to New York in May 2005, but even then it was only a fleeting look as there were so many other things in Manhattan vying for my attention. But this time around, my third visit to New York and my first solo one, I took time out to really look around and take note of all those urban design elements I'd been told about 17 years earlier! I loved seeing the ice-rink in action. I think it had only been open a few days. It didn't feel particularly wintry, because the weather was so warm, but it did feel very New York.
S is for: Specialized Sirrus Sports Hybrid
Date: April 7, 2007
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1
In February I had to buy a new bike when the back axle on my old one, an el-cheapo mountain bike, broke while I was trundling along Kensington High Street on my way to work one morning. I was upset about saying goodbye to that trusty old Falcon Adventurer but it was a great excuse to treat myself to something a little more sporty and modern. I ended up getting a good deal on a Specialized Sirrus Sports Hybrid and couldn't believe how fast I could go on it -- who would have thought some road tyres, a lightweight frame and a bunch of gears could make such a difference to my commute. This photograph was taken during a weekend cycle to Richmond Park, which you can read about here.
