Lisbon Oceanarium at Parque das Nações, Lisbon, Portugal

weekly update 011 - 2016-12-26 - Portugal for Christmas

December 27, 2016

Back in Portugal for the holidays, a week of eating and visiting with friends and family, and so I decided to share a few photos from my beautiful city of Lisbon. Above is a view of the Oceanarium located on the Parque das Nações area of Lisbon taken just after sunset on a Winter day. This whole area of town used to be dominated by industry, until it repurposed to be the site of the 1998 World Exhibit, known as Expo'98. Thankfully for Lisbon, after the exhibit was over, the area became one of the most sought after neighbourhoods of the city, home of great modern architecture, green spaces and expansive river views. As part of the industrial background of the area, you can still see one of the refineries tower. And from the Expo'98 legacy you can still find some working water volcanoes that gathered so much praise on the hot summer days of the exhibit.

Just over an hours drive south from Lisbon you can find the old fishing village of Sesimbra, where I used to spend all of my summer holidays at the beach

That is it for this year, I'll leave you with my favourite image of the Belem Tower, from where the Portuguese set forth on the 14th century to 'give the world new worlds'. Next week I'll start a new year with a new city in Europe.
See you soon/Até breve,
APN

Belem Tower and sunset, Lisbon, Portugal

Main staircase of the McKim Building, Boston Public Library, Boston, USA

weekly update 010 - 2016-12-19 - A farewell to Boston

December 19, 2016

This week marks the end of my showcase of last year's trip to the USA, namely to the cities of New York, Chicago and of course Boston. And to finish things off on a high, nothing better than sharing the inside of the McKim Building of the Boston Public Library. Founded in 1848, it contains 23 million items that range from books to DVDs, maps to microfilm and music scores. It's main two buildings are the Johnson building, opened in 1972, and the gorgeous McKim building which opened in 1895 pictured here.

And I'll leave you with a different version of the same picture I showcased when I was there, the George Washington statue at the Public Garden on a cloudy afternoon. Passing through these gardens became my favourite part of the day during our short stay in town. Hope to come back for a visit soon.

Since I'm flying back to Portugal for the Holidays, expect some nice shots from the westernmost country in Europe, which I called home for most of my life. Until then, enjoy the season with your loved ones, and indulge on your favourite treats.
See y'all next week.
APN

George Washington Statue at the Public Garden, Boston, USA

weekly update 009 - 2016-12-12 - Boston's Statues tour

December 11, 2016

This week we will be going over some of the most interesting, or more important, statues in the Boston area. Unfortunately I didn't have all the time I wanted to go looking for more as it is one of my favorite urban subjects to capture, but I manage to capture an interesting mix of styles. Above you can see part of the "Irish Famine Memorial" unveiled in 1998 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Great Famine that ravaged through Ireland in the 19th century, that led to the mass migration with Boston becoming home to a massive Irish community.
Below you can see the 8 foot bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin standing in front of Boston's elaborate French Second Empire-style Old City Hall. The statue is actually older than the building, being in this place since 1856, but the building was erected in 1874 after an earlier fire devastated this part of town 2 years earlier. Besides him is the top of the "Soldiers and Sailors Monument", located on the beautiful Boston Common Garden, and is dedicated to the Soldiers and Sailors of the Civil War.

Above you can see one of the most interesting Public Artworks I've seen so far, it is created by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, and it is formed of numeric symbols arranged in the shape of a person sitting. And the Bobby Orr statue that has since moved to a new location, but continues to grace the TD Garden grounds.

I'll leave you with one of the funniest sculptures I found at Boston, at the Common Garden you can find a scattering of frogs that belong, and celebrate, the greatly named Tadpole Playground.

Next week will be the last post dedicated to Boston, and since I'll be travelling to Portugal for Christmas I will try to share with you some of the sights of my country of birth.
Until then, be merry and enjoy the cold weather :)
APN

Fishing Frogs of Tadpole Playground, Boston, USA

weekly update 008 - 2016-12-05 - a taste of Boston's architecture

December 1, 2016

This week I will be focussing on some of the buildings I found interesting in Boston. Some are historic landmarks, which I had put on my list to photograph, others just caught my eye while I was passing them by. Point in case is the first photo of this post, the facade of the Omni Parker House Hotel. Of which I knew nothing at the time, but now know to be the longest continuously operating hotel in the United States, built in 1927 on the same site as the Parker House Hotel that had been operating since October 1855. It is currently under study for becoming a Boston Landmark, but at the time it was the ornate golden entrance that made me photograph it.
On the other hand, I was intent on capturing the beautiful Old City Hall building, and the historic Old State House, pictured below. You can also find a detail of the Boston Public Library facade, and the Trinity Episcopal Church.

The Old State House is a historic building built in 1713, it was the seat of the Massachusetts General Court until 1798, and is one of the oldest public buildings in the United States. One of the landmarks on Boston's Freedom Trail, it is the oldest surviving public building in Boston.
Boston's Old City Hall was home to its city council from 1865 to 1969. It was one of the first buildings in the French Second Empire style to be built in the United States.
Trinity Church is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. The congregation, currently standing at approximately 3,000 households, was founded in 1733. The church is home to several high-level choirs, including the Trinity Choir, Trinity Schola, Trinity Choristers, and Trinity Chamber Choir. The building is currently under study for becoming a Boston Landmark.
The Boston Public Library McKim Building (built 1895) in Copley Square contains the library's research collection, exhibition rooms and administrative offices. When it opened in 1895, the new Boston Public Library was proclaimed a "palace for the people." The building includes lavish decorations, a children's room (the first in the nation), and a central courtyard surrounded by an arcaded gallery in the manner of a Renaissance cloister.

Next week I’ll be showing some of the most interesting statues and street art that I captured in Boston and Cambridge, in what should probably be the last post dedicated to this fine city.

Until we meet again,
APN

weekly update 007 - 2016-11-28 - welcome to Cambridge, MA

November 28, 2016

This week I have a more image heavy post, I blame it on the architecture of Cambridge, MA. Also on the fact that we got to spend a wonderful sunny day, although still very cold, walking around some of the most revered and well-known universities in America. As many of you may know, Cambridge is home to the Harvard university and the MIT. Starting the day at the Harvard station of the Red Line of "The T", as the MBTA is also known, which has a mid 20th-century vibe and is dominated by the crimson color of the Harvard University.

Walking over to Harvard Yard, the oldest part of the Harvard University and it's historical heart, you can find the statue of John Harvard under a big USA flag. John Harvard was an English minister in America, "a godly gentleman and a lover of learning", is properly considered one of the founders of Harvard College mainly due to his deathbed bequest of half his monetary estate and more importantly leaving his scholar library of more than 300 titles. Strolling around in the, usually grassy, Harvard Yard does feel like walking around a place steeped in heritage. I would suggest that after wandering around the university grounds, you should head down to the riverside and have a look at the old student houses, like the McKinlock Hall picture above. On the way there try and find the Harvard Lampoon Building, an historic building that is best known as the home of The Harvard Lampoon, an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876, and for its unusual design including the blue and yellow door.

Heading towards the MIT, it is worth paying attention to the buildings along Massachusetts Av., where amongst new buildings you can find some interesting examples of art-deco and the beautifully utilitarian Lafayette Square Fire House. The facade of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, is the most impressive part of the MIT, but I need to go back to have a look around the rest of the campus. Just before you arrive here, do stop at the MIT Museum, at least to have a look at the shop which is full of interesting souvenirs for all science geeks out there.

I'll leave this week with an image of the Charles River, and one of the many bridges that cross it, this is known as the Weeks Footbridge and connects Cambridge with the Allston neighborhood of Boston.
Next week I'll show a brief view of the architecture of Boston, in what should be the penultimate post focusing on the Boston area.

APN

John W. Weeks Bridge over the Charles River, Cambridge, USA

Boston and the Massachusetts Bay from the Skywalk, Boston, USA

weekly update 006 - 2016-11-21 - high above Boston

November 19, 2016

This week's update comes from high above the city of Boston. On the 50th floor of the Prudential Tower you can find one of the best views of Boston, from the Skywalk Observatory.

The photo above shows the downtown area, the Logan International Airport and beyond that all the way to the Massachusetts Bay. The huge tower right in the middle of the shot was known as The Hancock Tower until 2004 when the company that gave its name to the tower moved to new premises. Now officially called "200 Clarendon", it still is known at the Hancock to most of the locals.

Below you can see views of the Charles River, still partially frozen from the harsh Winter. And beyond the waters, you see Cambridge Massachusetts, named after the University of Cambridge in the UK, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. It is known across the world as the home of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University.

I'll leave you with a photo taken at the end of the day, as the sun was setting, which produces wonderfully warm tones even on a cold, cold day. Next week I'll be showing the images from Cambridge.

Until then,
APN

Sunset shines over the George Washington Statue at the Public Garden, Boston, USA

weekly update 005 - 2016-11-14 - Welcome to Boston

November 14, 2016

Arriving at the Logan International Airport, Boston, USA

So after 3 great days in the Chicago, we head off to the historic city of Boston, Massachusetts. With the Logan airport located on a peninsula in the Massachusetts Bay, the approach to the city is a great calling card for the area in which the city is located, surrounded by water on three sides. Continuing with the theme of an extremely cold Spring, we are greeted with lots of snow still hanging around. That is very visible on all the photos from the Boston Common Park, located on the heart of the city, and one of the places I recommend visiting even when covered in snow.

For the first post about Boston, I'm just leaving you with a view of my first impressions. Mainly for the area around the main parks, the Boston Common Park and the Boston Public Garden, which you can see below. Beyond its frozen lake, you can find the original Cheers pub, made famous by the 80's sitcom of the same name. On the coming weeks, I'll be publishing more photos from my days in Boston, including a visit to the Universities of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and also some great views from the top of the Prudential Center building.

Until next week,

APN

The frozen lake of the Boston Public Garden, Boston, USA

Hard Rock Hotel at the Carbide and Carbon Building, Chicago, USA

weekly update 004 - 2016-11-07 - Up close and personal with Chicago's Architecture

November 7, 2016

This week we are up close with the extraordinary architecture that characterises the downtown area of Chicago. With a mixture of modern steel and glass skyscrapers, stone gothic facades and wonderful art-deco details, it makes for great images for all architecture enthusiasts. The raised lines of the "L" train give a different view of the streets and buildings, by elevating us above the normal viewpoint of the buildings facade at ground level. As the picture above illustrates, this city is a must for all lovers of art-deco, with the Carbide and Carbon Building being just one of the many, beautifully preserved, examples of that style present in the city. Hope to stay there next time, and see what it looks like on the inside.

This marks my last post focused on Chicago, and next week I'll move on to show the wonders of the last leg of the USA trip of 2015, the historical city of Boston, Massachusetts. The days spent in Chicago left me with the need to come back and delve deeper into the history and architecture of the Windy City, of the three cities it was the one that inspired me the most.

I'll leave today with one of my favourite shots from those few days in Chicago, taken under a viaduct that connects to the Navy Pier. Street art and derelict spaces are always attractive and make for great subjects. Here the tricky light made it even more compelling, giving it an almost ethereal vibe to the street grime.
Until next week,
APN

Chi.Town Green Dragon & Cubs Geixa, Chicago, USA

Jay Pritzker Pavillion at the Millennium Park, Chicago, USA

Weekly update 003 - 2016-10-31 : Spring morning at Chicago's Millennium Park

October 31, 2016

This week I would like to share the sights from the Millennium Park in Chicago, captured on a crisp Spring morning in 2015. Located by Lake Michigan, just next to the Art Institute of Chicago, the Millenium Park is actually a roof-top garden, built to cover railway lines and automobile garage which were rather unpleasant to the eye on such a prime location. It is an ultra modern and interactive park with state of the art fountains, sculptures, theater and plenty of garden space to relax and enjoy in the heart of the Windy City.
One of it's most iconic attractions is the "Cloud Gate" sculpture by Anish Kapoor, also known as the Bean since it resembles a giant mercury jellybean, it is made out of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates. Spending some time looking into it from different angles offers impressive views of the city's skyline, and when standing beneath it a feeling of being inside the house of mirrors at a carnival.
The Jay Pritzker Pavillion is a must see for all architecture fans. Designed by the mythical architect Frank Gehry, it follows in his use of fluid lines and panel, with a sense of weightlessness and organic shapes. "The Pavilion stands 120-feet high, with a billowing headdress of brushed stainless steel ribbons that frame the stage opening and connect to an overhead trellis of crisscrossing steel pipes".
I was also fortunate enough to be there when a large sculpture installation by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa titled "Jaume Plensa: 1004 Portraits". The entire installation is comprised of four large-scale portrait sculptures of young girls positioned in the Park, the tallest of the four sculptures, "Looking Into My Dreams, Awilda," is made of resin and rises 39 feet above the ground.

On other news, I have started the selection of the photos from Boston, which is the final city from the 2015 US trip. These should start being posted in a couple of weeks, just as I finish off the posting the Chicago photos.
With Chicago and New York done, I think this is the time to do a small update to the websites galleries. Since I also got a new piece of hardware that finally allows me to consolidate all the catalogs from the past 10 years of photography, I hope to do a big refresh to the whole website and include a lot of my concert photos as well as past trips.

Until next week,
APN

Weekly update 002 - 2016-10-24 : Chicago is still Beautiful

October 24, 2016

Ferris Wheel at the Chicago Navy Pier, Chicago, USA

Continuing on from last week's Chicago dominated post, this week we have more Chicago! This time focussing on the area near the Navy Pier, once a Navy training center, these days a crowd pleaser with carnival rides, restaurants & shops. And some incredible views of the city's skyline and lake Michigan. On the way to the pier passed through some very industrial looking bridges, which clearly were not meant as pedestrian passages, but do give some moody images. Also added a couple of photos from the 'L' tour , run by the Architecture Foundation, with a view of the Trump Tower. And the inside of the Symphony Center, where the tour started and ended. If you're in Chicago and want to know more about the city, I highly recommend one of the Architecture Foundation tours.

Scroll to the end if you want a taste of Scotland...

As promised here is a sneak peak of Scotland, from this Summer lovely excursion to the Highlands and the Outer Hebrides. Taken at the Port of Ness beach on Harris Island, the north most island of the Hebridean archipelago.

Port of Ness Beach, Isle of Harris, Scotland

I'll be back next week with another batch of photos from Chicago's Millennium and Grant Parks.

APN