AquaLangs

For ship spotters (cousins of the uber-geeky train-spotters or bird watchers) the January 2008 meeting of Cunard’s three Queens at the mouth if the Hudson river was historic. At the time, Cunard’s fleet of ocean liners (not to be confused with cruise ships) consisted of the Queen Mary II, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth II. Each was on different itineraries, seldom in the same region with one another. So for all three to be in New York, and with the QE2 on one of her final voyages before her retirement, was a unique nautical confluence. I joined a large unorganized gathering in Battery Park, eager to witness the event on a cold and drizzly winter night. Several photographers  were present too, on land and in the air. I had hoped to get a permit to photograph from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge as all three ships were scheduled to pass underneath, all neatly in line as they sailed out to sea in different directions.

The QM2 was constructed with the Verrazano Bridge as a major design influence, as it’s height is restricted by the clearance under the bridge. To appease the principles of Archimedes, the ship’s stack has a hinge that flips it back like the lid of a Zippo lighter, allowing for passage under the bridge. I thought it would be rather awesome to get a shot from overhead, but unfortunately, with my press-pass-carrying days long behind, my influence with city hall to obtain permits was very limited, so I was stuck in a crowd hugging the rails in Battery Park.

So with that in mind, viewing this photo one might ask, “where are the ships?” Well there were some embarkation delays so the carefully orchestrated lineup of liners didn’t quite pan out as planned as all three steamed out in the harbor in a huff not allowing for anyone on the ground to capture all three ships in any single frame. But, I did snap this fireboat escorting the Queens through the fireworks display. The shot I wish I took can be seen here.

I’ve always respected Hungary’s contribution to the photographic community at large as some of the best photo artists, photojournalists, scientists, and cinematographers from the past 100 years are Hungarian, including some I admire greatly like the Capa brothers (Robert and Cornell), Brassaï, László Moholy-Nagy, André Kertész, Dennis Gabor, József Petzvál and László Kovács to name a few off the top of my head without resorting to Google. What I didn’t know until I visited Budapest is the Hungarian passion for the bicycle. As an avid cyclist and cycling advocate, I was stunned to see their Critical Mass bike ride. In NYC, depending on the season, the rally only attracts a few hundred to a couple thousand participants. The same event in Budapest puss in 50-80,000 riders! Instead of angry monthly protest rides, the Hungarians have two peaceful and festive rides every year to overlap with Earth Day in the spring, and International Car-Free Day in the fall.

This very adept trials rider, who could give Jeff Lenosky a run for his money, was one of the many cycling demonstrators who took advantage of the closing-down of Andrassy Ut, a major thoroughfare through some of the most posh real-estate in Budapest. The nervous girl on the pavement was a volunteer from the crowd who got a view of a bike most people don’t – from the underside. In this shot she could probably read the serial number off the bottom bracket.

As the world shrinks and more of us make use of greater access to this planet’s nooks and crannies, one finds that nearly every major city has a Chinatown district or neighborhood. As a result, I have found that I have to suffix any mention of my own Chinatown with the location of New York City.