New York, March 2024
Took a quick trip with the family to New York City at the end of March, since Jordan and I skipped our traditional anniversary trip last December. I dug out my old Fujifilm X100S and had a lot of fun taking photos (more on that later). I’ve posted a full set on Flickr.
Day One #
We stayed near Koreatown, and on our first morning starting in the Flatiron district, stopping in at Eataly and the Harry Potter store.
![A man in a gray baseball cap and glasses prepares homemade pasta behind a glass partition.](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-1.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
![A bar with a back wall arching over top. The wall is decorated with dozens of bottles, some lit up by lights.](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-3.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
![Two girls smile from within a replica London phone booth within the Harry Potter store in New York City.](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-7.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
We walked downtown to Union Square for lunch and a stop at Strand bookstore.
![A person reaches into the back seat of a parked sedan, their legs extended into the street.](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-17.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
![A teenage girl and a woman read menus. Behind them a mounted mirror reflects a restaurant interior.](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-21.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
![A cornmeal waffle with bananas and strawberries, dusted with powdered sugar.](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-25.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
![Strand bookstore in New York City. At the checkout counter, a wall of bookshelves decorated with books organized by color extends behind the cashiers.](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-28.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
![A building at a street corner is split by light and shadow.](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-29.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
We wrapped up the afternoon with a quick trip to Little Island, then had an early dinner at Her Name is Han.
![A series of pillars underneath the Little Island in New York City. Light reflects off the water underneath the pillars.](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-36.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
![An orange construction barrier with the word “irregular” spray painted on it sits in front of a row of portable toilets.](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-38.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
![A man and woman in a dim restaurant sit side by side, smiling.](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-44.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
![A bowl of bibimbap, with a single egg yolk perched perfectly in the center.](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-45.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
Day Two #
Breakfast at Sullivan Street Bakery, then a walk along the High Line up to Hudson Yards
![A mural on a black wall, with Albert Einstein portrayed spray-painting a message “We ❤️ NY.”](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-51.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
![A man inside a bakery kitchen works next to a modified street sign with a large capital K and the message “Be Nice. Kindness Zone.”](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-58.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
![Train tracks in the foreground of a series of buildings on New York City’s elevated High Line.”](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-70.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
After the high line we stopped in at B&H, Moynihan Train Hall, and then rode up to Central Park. I have to say, seeing my kids figure out the right Metrocard swipe technique after a few tries really warmed my heart.
![Two men on a subway platform, shot from inside a subway car. The man on the left wears a red hoodie and a black and red Yankees cap. The man on the right wears a traditional blue and white Yankees cap.”](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-89.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
![A woman in a fuzzy, multicolored bucket hat and pink shoes looks at her phone while riding the subway.”](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-90.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
![The Falconer sculpture in Central Park, silhouetted by the sun. The sculpture features a man extending his arm as a falcon alights on it.”](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-93.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
![A tree in central park with a massive knot in the center of its trunk.”](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-94.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
We capped things off with a late lunch near our hotel and then got back on the road to head home.
![Two bowls of ramen, one of which contains a fiery red spicy broth .”](/.netlify/images?url=/posts/new-york-march-2024/nyc-march-2024-104.jpg?w=320&fit=contain)
See the rest on Flickr.
Camera Notes #
I have a Fujifilm X100VI on order, and it’ll probably be in my hands in May.1 In the meantime I dug up my Fujifilm X100S. I’ve owned since 2015, but I haven’t shot it much the last four years because I broke the power switch.2 On this trip I remembered how much fun it is—having an optical viewfinder is great when shooting street scenes, and the low-profile lens makes it jacket-pocketable and easy to drop into a sling/purse. It kinda made me wish I had brought it on my long trip last year.
It’s funny, too—a lot of the limitations I used to gripe about don’t affect me as much. Probably because my kids are a lot older, I’m no longer chasing them around and missing shots due to slow autofocus. Back then I had a short wishlist of improvements:
- A tilt screen.
- Flexible noise-reduction settings for JPG output.
- Faster, more reliable autofocus with the focus joystick from the X-Pro2.
The first item came with the X100V, and the latter two have been solved since the X100F.
The X100 line has definitely turned into a thing in the meantime, though. Whereas people used to ask if I was shooting a film camera, or a Leica, this time around I got asked whether I was shooting the new VI. Kudos to Fujifilm, even if it means I have to wait months to get mine.
Or June? The demand for this camera has been ridiculous to the point that stores have had to publish posts like this one. ↩︎
I spilled a cocktail on the top plate, the power switch got really sticky, and when trying to loosen it up I broke the internal stops. It still turns on/off, but it’s really easy to nudge it to either state. ↩︎