Manhattan from the Empire State Building, July 2005

I went to New York for the first ( and only, so far) time in 2005 for a friend's 40th birthday party. Can't believe she'll be 50 next year. Wonder what she'll arrange for that. The 40th was celebrated on a boat going around Manhattan, which was great and, of course, unmissable.

I stayed a day or so either side to do the tourist stuff. You'll notice in the photo that the metal safeguarding barrier is in perfect focus, rather than the actual view. The camera was new and I hadn't quite got the hang of it. I'd set it up all wrong. But I'm still keeping my pics to help me remember it all.

Happy 4th July

Wishing all my friends in the US a really happy Independence Day.

On my one and only trip over the pond I had a long weekend in New York 6 years ago, which included going to a party on a boat going round Manhattan.  I'd just got a new camera and sadly had it on the wrong setting for all my pics.  Most of them are completely out of focus but I can't bring myself to ditch them as just looking at them brings it all back so vividly in mind.

Here's one of the better focused ones, although about a third of it is of the back of people's heads.

 This is one of my  favourites because of the sun bouncing off a skyscraper and reflecting in the water.

And finally, here's old Liberty herself, which has featured here before on another 4th July.