Easter Pandemic Celebrations - Adventure Year Week 44

The images and videos from this Easter are unlike anything we've ever known.  Completely empty plazas, streets, and churches of Italy due to stay home orders have provided the opportunity for the creation of a video and musical tribute that would never be possible otherwise...



I also caught most of the NYC St Patrick's Cathedral Service, as it was televised on ABC Network television.  I don't know if Network TV has ever televised this Easter Service before, so it was a rare and interesting experience to be watching the priest and church staff go about their normal service while sipping iced coffee and eating yogurt with a towel wrapped around my head at home.



My favorite quote from the sermon "I even have a bloody mary while watching"... which he says "isn't the way to do it," but seems a bit hypocritical from the Catholic Church who continued to keep the Brotherhood Winery alcohol flowing into church communion services during the prohibition.  Hmm?

View this post on Instagram

When we listen closely to the sound of the universe, it can fill our heart with the power of love, hope, forgiveness, compassion, support, and surrender. May your heart be open to the power of this eternal wisdom.

A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Apr 12, 2020 at 3:17am PDT

It continued to be a week of ups and downs, and navigating the space of trying to make the most of the least, while grieving all the future plans that have been cancelled, leaving only uncertainties in their place.

View this post on Instagram

How does the unknown make you feel? Have you acquired too much baggage and responsibility for it to be freeing and adventurous? Most people would say that unknowns make them feel insecure, protective, and defensive. All of these responses represent an attempt to grasp to a past set of knows, rather than opening up to a future of unknowns which might end up being far better. I used to operate in the space of wanting to close up and become defensive to protect what I knew because it gave me a sense of security and comfort that didn’t require me to change very much. While in that place, I kept repeating the same mistakes and getting the same outcomes. However, once I started to embrace the possibility that unknowns may actually turn out better than what I already knew, my life took a very unexpected turn toward abundance and unlimited possibility. When I stopped clinging with entitlement to what I thought was supposed to be mine, I opened up to possibilities I’d never dreamed would become a part of my life. This is part of the process of enlightenment in Buddhist philosophy of non-attachment. Lightening our load. Lightening our expectations. Releasing our determinations. By not being attached to a particular set of future outcomes, we allow ourselves to grow and change in ways we never thought possible. As a monkey learns how to swing from tree to tree flying in the air, it must travel lightly, let go of the branch it has been holding onto, and trust that the next branch will support its weight or that it will land on a stronger branch than it had aimed for. If you can try to adopt this mindset with the state of unknowns in the world right now, than you can see opportunities that you would have missed if you were looking for a particular set of outcomes. You’ll be able to see yourself and the world around you in new ways. You’ll have deeper trust in yourself and the unknowns ahead.

A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Apr 15, 2020 at 10:40am PDT

When we're at our best, we're just appreciating the little things that we have in this moment...

View this post on Instagram

When all else fails, I take delight in nature’s gifts. Flowers give me hope that tomorrow can be brighter.

A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Apr 13, 2020 at 4:33pm PDT

When we're at our low points, we're giving up on trying to do things because we just lack the energy to show up for fun things.  Even Max, who was first excited about having humans home all the time to play ball with, has resigned to the idea that maybe we won't actually be up for playing ball as much as he'd like us too.

View this post on Instagram

When you resign to resting because your humans aren’t willing to play ball every time you demand it, but are still hopeful and watching just in case they change their attitude and show signs of playfulness.

A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Apr 14, 2020 at 8:37am PDT

The practice of self-fulfillment in a time of isolation is a very real challenge for people who are facing it for the first time.  I've been practicing it for a long time and even I find myself slipping into moments where I forget that it is still ultimately me and me alone in charge of my joy.

View this post on Instagram

Can you fill your own cup? Full to the point of overflowing love, care, compassion, and forgiveness? Today was one of those days when I really needed to fall in love with myself for a little bit because my cup was feeling empty. I remembered my resilience in the face of all that I’ve already overcome. I remembered my accomplishments big and small that filled my heart and made a difference in the lives of others. I got in touch with people I care about and let them know I’m still thinking of them. I allowed myself to be vulnerable and yet still safe in my own care. I journaled and faced all the things that weigh heavily on my heart and reminded myself that I can be strong even when I feel tender, and brave even when I may feel scared. I used to wait for other people to fill my cup and often found myself running on empty, chasing something on the outside that I needed to be cultivating for myself on the inside. I’m not going to pretend that it’s easy. It’s a process and a practice that is learned through conscious cultivation and deep self-reflection on our inner needs. The good news is we can practice every day and the sooner we recognize how to fill our own cup, the quicker we can get to feeling a sense of fulfillment no matter where we are, who we’re with, or what’s happening around us. I still look forward to long hugs and generous smiles and late nights full of laughter, but until then, I continue to practice filling my own cup with the self-compassion and universal love already available to me.

A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Apr 16, 2020 at 3:54pm PDT

For those times when we can show up and muster some good energy, I'm glad we still have ways of sharing it with the people we love, even if it's just over video chats for now.

View this post on Instagram

Thank goodness for all the laughs we can share on video chats to make the quarantine days better.

A post shared by Anne’s Adventure Journal (@anneruthmann) on Apr 18, 2020 at 10:34am PDT

NYC Pricing Workshop for Creatives - Tuesday April 9, 2019

As I mentioned in my last post, I understand how difficult it is for some people to dedicate time and headspace to working on their pricing.  Yet, I also know how empowering it is when people finally do make that time and space to dig into their numbers and get clear on how everything needs to pan out.

This may be the only NYC in-person pricing workshop I can offer this year between my travels.  So, if you know someone who feels like they aren't making enough in their creative business, or is afraid to get started because pricing is overwhelming, this is the perfect workshop for them.  It's a full day workshop hosted in the middle of Manhattan.  There are only 12 spots in order to give each person the individual help and attention they may need.  I hope you'll pass the info along to someone who needs it!  If they can't make the workshop, you can always recommend they get the Pricing Workbook for Creatives to try on their own!

CLICK BELOW FOR MORE INFO:

Day Trip Downtown NYC - 9/11, World Trade, Battery Park, South Seaport

I love creating great experiences that make visiting New York City easier, and since so many people ask "What should we do?" when visiting NYC, I thought I should create a guide that will walk you through the neighborhood the way I would if I could be with you.  Most people have an interest in visiting the 9/11 Memorial and the Statue of Liberty, but this neighborhood has so much more to offer if you know where to go!  So, I've laid out my insider perspective stop-by-stop in an order that helps you spend a day on foot in this neighborhood anytime of year in order to get the most out of it.  If you start this tour around 9am, you'll be in good shape to do all of it!  Some sites may require advance tickets to be purchased in order to avoid a long line or not getting in, so please check out those websites in advance if you've interested in spending more time at those sites.

9/11 Memorial Park & Pools

Address: 160 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10006
Hours: Park Open 7:30am-9pm, Museum Open 9am-6pm 

Time: 30 minutes for just the park & pools, or 2 hours for the museum

Cost: Free to visit the park & pools, Museum is normally $18-$40 but free Tuesday evenings

Start here in the morning, when the air is cool and the tourists haven't fully crowded the park yet.  You'll see the two large pools that are memorial footprints of the buildings and the people who died in 9/11 carved out of the pool's edge.  If you have young children, the actual museum may not be the best content or environment for them.  If you have older children, you may be interested in visiting the museum, which has a somber and reflective tone as it shares movies, memories, and moments of the day and the people who were lost.  If you plan to visit the museum, check in advance for tickets and entry times available: 

https://www.911memorial.org/

One World Trade 360º Observatory

Address: 285 Fulton St, New York, NY 10006
Hours: 9am-8pm

Time: 60-90 minutes depending on wait times or lines

Cost: $34-$61

Is the sky clear enough to see the top of the One World Trade Building?  If so, you should have a good clear view across the city from the top of the observatory as well.  If it's a rainy or low-cloud day, it may not be worth the visit, but if it's clear, take advantage of the weather and enjoy the elevator ride up which has basically been turned into its own amusement ride through time, history, and space as you soar the 100 flights to the top observatory deck over the highest view of NYC.  

https://oneworldobservatory.com/en-US/experience

Oculus / Westfield World Trade Center 

Address: 184 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10006
Hours: 10am-7pm

Time: 30 minutes to explore different levels and views without shopping

Cost: Free to enter,  Retail shopping available

A modern skeleton designed to be a grand public space for commuting downtown, shopping, and viewing the ever upward skyline and perspectives through the various windows and skylights.  Architecturally unique and spectacular as it connects the descent and the ascent of the new world trade center.  After walking around here, take the underground tunnel past the Path Train and down the hallway to Brookfield Place, which has many great food options for lunch!

https://www.westfield.com/westfieldworldtradecenter

Hudson Eats / Brookfield Place

Address: 230 Vesey St, New York, NY 10281
Hours: 10am - 7pm

Time: 60-90 minutes to explore, order, wait, and sit down for lunch 

Cost: Free to enter, Food Court, Restaurants, and Retail Shopping Available

This is the best place to eat downtown because it has the largest selection of restaurants and high quality food options to stay, to go, or to sit down and enjoy as long as you want.  The lower level near the palm tree atrium has grocery and some sit down restaurant options, while the top level has a food court where you can order at individual eateries and then find a table.  If you can get a table near the windows overlooking the Hudson Yacht Marina, that's one of the best views here.

Battery Park City Esplanade / South Cove Park

Address: South Cove, Battery Park, New York, NY 
Hours: Dawn to Dusk

Time: 30 minutes to walk, stop, take photos

Cost: Free

After a good meal at Brookfield Place, take an easy stroll along the waterfront as you make your way down to Battery Park.  It's so easy to forget that this metropolis is an island surrounded by brackish river and ocean waters, and a good walk along the water will help put that back into perspective.  There are plenty of places for shade to stop and sit, as well as a few public restroom options along the way.  If the weather isn't great, it's a short taxi ride to the Ferries at Battery Park.

Take a Ferry - Pick One Option... 

Option 1: Ferry to Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island

Address: Castle Clinton National Monument, Battery Park, New York, NY
Hours: 8:30am - 5pm

Time: 4 Hours

Cost: $9 - $21.50

If you love history and landmarks, this is the choice for you.  Stand at the feet of Lady Liberty or book a visit to climb into her crown.  Walk in the footsteps of early immigrants as they journeyed from other countries to create a new life in America.  Look up your ancestors in advance through the Ellis Island online registry to see if anyone in your family shared the journey of arriving at Ellis Island.  Reserve your ferry time with Statue Cruises, departing from Battery Park:

https://www.statuecruises.com

Option 2: Staten Island Ferry

Address: 4 Whitehall St, New York, NY 1004
Hours: 24hrs

Time: 2 Hours

Cost: Free

This is the fast & free way to get a closer view of the Statue of Liberty.  New Yorkers who don't want to visit Ellis Island will often take their friends and visitors on this ferry just to pass by for photos.  It's also great if you're just tapped out and tired and want to sit for a while, which I've found has been appreciated by my family members and friends who aren't used to walking all day long like I am.  There isn't much to see in Staten Island right now (they have plans for a large Ferris Wheel attraction), but you still have to hop off when you get to Staten Island, so if you can't catch another Ferry back to Manhattan right away, grab an ice cream cone and look at the little aquarium in the terminal until the next Ferry takes off back to Manhattan.  You can find the ferry schedule here:

https://www.siferry.com/schedules.html

Option 3: Governor's Island Ferry

Address: 10 South St, New York, NY 10004

Hours: 10am - 6pm Summer May 1 - October 31 (Closed November 1 - April 30)

Time: 4 Hours

Cost: $0 - $2

My personal favorite way to spend a good weather afternoon is at Governor's Island (not open in the winter).  Most tourists never even learn about Governor's Island, let alone visit it, which is another reason why New Yorkers love it.  It's a place to escape the city while still being close by.  The island has zero traffic because it's designed for pedestrians and bikers.  There are historic sites on the island that are operated by the National Park Service, there's a small farm and eco-education center, there's a food truck alley, a hammock grove, a slide hill, and a bunch of other things you can discover while you're there.  It's a space to relax, breathe some cleaner air, and slow down the pace a little.  Find the Governor's Island Ferry Terminal by looking for the historic victorian ferry terminal to the east of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.  For information about events happening on the island, visit the website:

https://govisland.com/things-to-do

Seaport District Fulton Market 

Address: 19 Fulton St, New York, NY 10038
Hours: 10am - 10pm
Time: 2 Hours
Cost: Food Court, Restaurants, Retail Shopping
The perfect ending to a full day must include good food and good drink.  As the rest of the financial district closes down and empties out in the evening, the Seaport District and Fulton Market area restaurants light up as a place to relax, eat, and drink after a long day.  Getting here from the Ferry terminal is either a long walk along the waterfront, or a short taxi ride.  You can find restaurants and food options for all diets, as well as indoor or outdoor seating in the good weather months of the year.  There are retail stores for all ages as well as a Seaport Museum and a Pier with Brooklyn views along the water.  This is one of NYC's hidden districts that often isn't explored by visitors unless someone tells them about it.  The district website lists a few of the businesses, but there are many others not listed here:
https://www.seaportdistrict.nyc

Do you have sites you'd recommend to visitors spending a day downtown?  
Leave a comment and share your favorites!

Living in Manhattan - My Second Year

At the end of 2014, I was still settling into this big little urban island and wrote about a lot of the things that impacted me after living in NYC for a year.  However, after a second year of living here and getting used to all of the not-so-awesome parts, I've started to appreciate the benefits and bonuses that make this a really desirable place to stay beyond a short visit.  Here are a few of the ways that New York City, but particularly Manhattan, has spoiled me as a resident:

A photo posted by Anne Ruthmann (@anneruthmann) on Sep 8, 2015 at 2:59pm PDT

1. 24 Hour Delivery For Just About Anything
3am craving for ice cream and don't want to get out of your PJs?  Seamless Delivery.  Staying home sick and need someone to go grocery and toilet paper shopping for you?  Instacart Delivery.  Found a couch on craigslist but don't have a car?  Uship Delivery.  Don't feel like waking up early and standing in line for a cronut or SNL tickets?  TaskRabbit.  NYC is a city full of people who don't have cars and whose kitchens rarely do more than chill wine and leftovers- so delivery services are abundant for just about anything you need.

2. Top Chefs in Every Food Category
This city is a foodie's paradise.  From awesomely cheap street food to five star over-the-top meals, there's no shortage of amazing chefs and restaurants in this city.  People don't consider service jobs to be a career choice in other parts of the country or world, but here, you may get poached and recruited to be a star bartender or barista if you make a point of going above and beyond in your service.  I know bartenders whose salaries make people wish they'd never taken out a student loan.

A photo posted by Anne Ruthmann (@anneruthmann) on Oct 18, 2014 at 8:55pm PDT

3. Everyone Comes to NYC
If there's a major art exhibit, concert series, musical act, film, or international figure, they will find their way to NYC at some point.  When the Pope came to visit the United States, he came to NYC.  If there's an international traveling act and they only plan one show in the United States, it's probably happening in NYC.  It sounds a bit over-zealous to say EVERYONE comes here, but it's rare that an act will stop somewhere else and not come to NYC. All the entertainment you could want is just a subway or taxi ride away.

4. Independent Film & Music
One of the things that was hard to find in other cities I've lived in was a movie theatre that would host something other than a major film with a large financial backing and broad commercial appeal.  I used to drive an hour out of town to get to the closest movie house that would host a documentary that was traveling the festival circuit.  Now I have several movie theaters within a few blocks walk that host not only independent film and music, but also have really awesome director Q&A nights.  I've been able to speak with Ethan Hawke, Mike Meyers, and Kristin Wiig about their latest films simply because they were actually attending their own screening down the street from me.

A photo posted by Anne Ruthmann (@anneruthmann) on Mar 15, 2015 at 5:30pm PDT

5. Free Art & Culture Events
Free Summer Concert Series, Free Movies on the Piers, Free Festivals in the Park, Free Public Swimming Pools, Free Ferry Rides, Free Promotional Food Giveaways, Free Samples, Free Tickets to TV Shows, Free Museum Talks & Demonstrations... and the list goes on.  With so many free events that happen every day in this city, it's not a question of what's happening, it's a question of which happening to choose, and it kind of makes up for how expensive it can be to live here.

World Trade Inspired | Behind The Image

It's hard to think of interiors and architecture as having "moments", but this was one of those moments when several things aligned and made me geek out about an otherwise very plain image of office furniture.  

I knew I wanted a detail of the carpet, stools, filing cabinets, and desk, to highlight some of the designer's choices, but there were several of these to choose from throughout the office, so I kept looking until something inspired me. Then I noticed a set with the One World Trade building right outside the window- and that's when the "moment" of inspiration struck. Not only were the stools shaped like One World Trade as the edges angled upward toward a flat rounded top, but the carpet's hexagon design was a close relative of the octagon formed in the middle of the One World Trade building as its isosceles triangle facades aligned at even widths. Finally, my creative vision for making stools, carpet, and filing cabinets look more interesting.

The only problem was you couldn't tell exactly what building was out the window from the standing height normally appropriate for this desk. In a straight-on-view mid-height, the mirrored facade of OWT reflected the mid-height clouds in the sky and distorted some of the building shape.  So I squatted lower, and lower, and then even lower, until basically laying on the ground for a window perspective looking upward that allowed the crowning shape of OWT to be compared to the detail of the stools and carpet.  To give you a broader image of this scene, there were people working in this open layout office while I was there, just going about their regular office routines until spotting me essentially laying on the ground in the middle of their office to take a photo of some stools. It's probably good that I'm not embarrassed easily. When a "moment" of inspiration strikes, I'll do whatever it takes to make it work.

However, the work never stops at the capture of the image. This image wasn't actually possible in the camera itself, so if you'd like to know a little more about the technical process of creating it, read on...

First it required two different RAW exposures on site in order to get a proper exposure of the interior and a proper exposure of the exterior. From the settings below you can see these exposures are 3 stops apart (the only difference was changing the shutter speed from 1/10th of a second to 1/80th of a second). While RAW files can be pushed and pulled about 1 stop of light in over or under exposure without too many artifacts or distortions, anything beyond a full stop difference really needs to be a separate exposure.

Next was color correcting the interior image color to more accurately reflect the material and design colors without too much of the florescent orange light color cast and without too much natural blue light color cast. This is one of the most subjective parts of editing because it relies on the color sensitivity of our eyes both on site when photographing as well as our color memory when we're behind the computer.  The window exposure was already perfectly daylight balanced. If I tried to color correct after combining images, the window view would become an unnatural neon blue.

While many people think a grey card can solve the problem, it isn't very reliable under mixed lighting conditions and is highly likely that you'll still end up tweaking it in post-production to find something that balances better over the entire scene. Grey cards are great when you have consistent color across scenes as you do with studio lighting, but interiors are a messy blend of natural and artificial light, sometimes up to five different color tones of light across one space. If you're color blind, yes, use a grey card to get colors somewhere close to where they need to be. If you have great color sensitivity, you'll likely be doing the same amount of adjustments with or without a grey card.

Once my interior colors were as close as I could get to what I saw when I was on location when adjusting for various color reflections, the next step was to bring the window exposure detail into the interior exposure image using layers and masks in Photoshop. Sometimes it's possible to combine exposures with HDR software, but I've found that you end up losing a lot of latitude in highlights and colors when a software tries to average different images together.  

To demonstrate this, below is an example of the best possible detail after using HDR software on the left, versus masking in the window exposure manually on the right. The HDR software failed to pull in any of the blue sky outside, and yet decided to fill in a highlight on the filing cabinet with a blue color cast. You can also see how the HDR version reduces the amount of detail in the ceiling. Occasionally, when exposures are close enough, HDR software can be effective, but when the difference is this dramatic and selective, masking provides more control. I was also very careful not to allow the window scene to be bolder than the interior, because that would also be unnatural to the eye, and take the focus off of the interior design choices.

I believe that when an image is crafted well, you don't actually see all of the work that went into it. If it looks as natural on screen as it would to our eye in person, than I feel like I've done my job well to convey the design as clearly as the air that surrounds it.

Deutsches Haus | 8th St. & University Place, Greenwich Village, NYC

It's not often I feel compelled to do a photo study on a building I haven't been hired to photograph, but after walking by the Deutsches Haus several times, it compelled me to return with my camera in hand, specifically for the direct morning light on its East facades.  NYU has recently invested in deep cleaning many of the building exteriors around Washington Square and this building is one which can easily attract the black grit of the city into its many different textures, so I felt especially lucky to capture it in such pristine condition.

It's such a unique design among the other buildings in the neighborhood, which also means that it gets plenty of attention on its own, but I wanted to document some of the specific details that make it a truly hand-crafted work of love.  In order to highlight the dimension and detail on the arts & crafts style tile work, I knew I needed direct lighting at such an angle that the depth of details could be highlighted without too many shadows or reflective obstructions.  It took about 40 minutes after my arrival for the sun to move into a position that allowed the tile color and dimension to really stand out beautifully against the stucco walls.











I especially loved this dream-catcher style motif surrounding this door as it makes me wonder if the resident or former tenant had a special connection to Native American culture.


As you can see in tile detail, due to the deep relief and age of the glazes, some of the tiles are coming apart and would be very difficult to replicate with the same glazes originally used.  I'm just happy that I'm able to document it as it is right now, before further damage can occur.


I love that each entrance maintains a separate design that still flows with the entire building design.


I found it especially interesting how the ironwork contrasted to the other elements of the building.


The architect and designer created just enough unique elements between different sections of the building so as to delineate each vertical section of windows as a unique set from the adjacent columns of windows, emphasizing a row-house arrangement on the interior while retaining a sense of grand cohesion on the exterior.  I especially like how the rooftops are different shapes and create an outline for each column of windows intending to represent which windows belong to the same or different units.


Even here, where there is structural symmetry, the exterior design clearly defines that these are to be regarded as uniquely separate spaces.


This particular skylight section almost suggests that there should be a bell tower here, as if it were a Spanish mission.


At the far end, it feels almost Italian with the crest relief and faux balconies under windows.


If you're interested in learning more about this building's past and its current occupants, I found a great lecture on the history as well as a link to public events sponsored by the NYU Deutsches Haus:

Video Lecture on the History of Deutsches Haus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS5MTahTknk&feature=youtu.be

Public Events at the Deutsches Haus:
http://deutscheshaus.as.nyu.edu/page/events



Historical Note: these images were taken on August 1, 2014 and are not altered beyond exposure and white balance adjustment in order to preserve historic archival integrity.  If you would like to use or license copies of these images, please contact Anne Ruthmann Photography directly for more information.