I’m seriously convinced that New York City is a photographer’s paradise. Whether you are an architecture photographer, a street photographer, a cityscape photographer, or a lifestyle photographer, I can promise you that there is no shortage of things to take a picture of in the city that never sleeps. In this post, I’ll share cool spots for you take pictures during your next visit to NYC.
Brooklyn Bridge
I have to start this post off with the Brooklyn Bridge. This iconic steel-wire suspension structure was completed in 1883 and connects Brooklyn to lower Manhattan. The bridge is 1.1 miles long and has a shared bike path and wooden boardwalk for pedestrians. You’ve probably seen this bridge in movies like I am Legend (2007), Cloverfield (2008), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and many more. For shots like this, I highly recommend getting here at or slightly before sunrise because it can still become a bit crowded early in the morning.
Closest Subway Station (Brooklyn): High Street-Brooklyn Bridge (F Train)
Closest Subway Station (Lower Manhattan): Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall / Chambers Street (J, Z Trains & 4, 5, 6, 6 Express Trains)
Richard Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History
Completed in 2023, the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation is the latest addition to the American Museum of Natural History and is perfect for visitors interested in learning about the natural world and scientific discoveries. Since this is a science museum, it’s very cool that it was designed to mimic nature – biomimicry. Biomimicry is the practice of incorporating nature’s ecosystems and intricacies into human design and technology. The Richard Gilder Center embodies this by integrating geology, water systems, erosion, and biology into its overall architectural design. Unlike many museums that are more rigid in design, this museum features curves in the atrium which resemble the flow of wind and water.
Museum Hours: 10am – 5:30pm daily
Admission: Adult ($37), Children Ages 3-12 ($22), Student ($30 with valid Student ID), Senior ($30)
Closest Subway Station: 81st Street-Museum of Natural History (B, C Trains)
The Oculus at World Trade Center
The Oculus is a transportation hub located in lower Manhattan at the World Trade Center. It opened in 2014 and was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava who also designed train stations in other countries, mainly in Europe. The white steel ribs were designed to represent a hand releasing a dove, serving as a tribute to the 9/11 attacks. One cool fact about the design is that every September 11th, the sun shines down between 8:46am (the time the first plane struck the North Tower) and 10:28am (the time the second plane struck the South Tower). This station was $4 billion to build and has shops for visitors to shop and eat.
Subway Connections: PATH Train & 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, E, J, R, W, and Z Trains
Grand Central Terminal
There are 3 main buildings that come to mind when you think of New York City and those would be the Empire State Building, The Chrysler Building, and Grand Central Terminal. This engineering marvel has Beaux-Arts architecture and is the second most visited spot in New York, behind Times Square.
Subway Connections: 4, 5, 6, 7, and S Trains
Manhattan Bridge
The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that was designed using defection theory. This engineering theory relies on the redistribution of loads from trains, cars, people, etc. to the bridge’s cables so that the bridge’s deck doesn’t carry too much bending stress. Bending leads to deflecting, which is fine, however failure can occur is the stress and allowable deflection limits are exceeded. Unlike the Brooklyn Bridge which has a more rigid design, the Manhattan Bridge has a more flexible design due to deflection theory and was among one of the first suspension bridges to apply this design principle.
Subway Connections: B, D, N, and Q Trains; the north tracks connect to the BMT Broadway Line (N,Q) and the south tracks connect to the BMT 4th Avenue Line/Brighton Line (B,D)
I’ll be back for more, but for now, here’s a glimpse!
Thanks for reading!
