Snow Traffic
The recent blizzard swept through New York City and I hope I never forget the absolute sense of peace, calm and overwhelming energy from the day – the energy to keep walking, exploring the city streets and more. A strange universe of infinite suspension. To stand in the middle of the Third Avenue Bridge and have that space as my own in a forever like feeling. It felt good.
Manhattan behind me, Mott Haven in the South Bronx ahead.
What a rare and fantastic experience as a photographer. I’m so glad you are documenting it with your great eye and sense of place, Patti.
I agree!
Such kind words thank you Jane, and Sue. It was great out there!
And eerily quiet, by the looks of things….
I can’t relate to the term NYC and calm Patti 🙂 Thank you for your awesome images and I wish I was there for this image so I could experience the same calm.
Hope you do get to experience the calm one day soon Joe, not that you need a blizzard but it sure helps as Emilio’s comment confirms. Thank you Emilio! Once you spend enough time here in the city, as in living in it, you get to carve out different zones to suit you. Don’t even get me started on the uptown downtown divide!
I’m hoping you didn’t loose power;(! As amazing as these storms are for us photogs. And yes what an awesome sight. I don’t care to ever see another storm again…we had out share last year. Take care, and be careful out there
Power here stayed on and smooth thanks Kathy and hope same for you. I know you went through so much last year . . . 😦
Wow, glad ya didn’t loose it !!! No snow here at all . Take care Patti
I cab hear the silence. Extraordinary image.
Thank you so much Zita! xx
We were all complaining about the weather in England today, it’s 10 degrees C.
A warm and balmy 32F here now but . . . . . . that clear blue sky during the day makes all the difference. Hope it warms/clears up for you soon!
One can only describe a snow storm in the city as calming and quiet. I remember when I worked in the city at 5th and 47th. A storm hit on a Friday afternoon and I couldn’t get home to Long Island. After a night sleeping on my office couch, I wandered down the center of 5th Avenue and felt so calm and at peace. An experience I wish everyone could experience at sometime in their life! Just beautiful.
With you the whole way, thank you so much Emilio – a lovely memory to have and share!
It must have been peaceful. I remember during the oil crisis 0f 1975/76 when in Holland all car driving was forbidden during Sundays. It was lovely and people were out on the streets talking to each other. It had a sense of liberation, almost as if from after the war. A great photo.
Absolute yes to the sense of liberation and taking to the streets, and wow, what a time for you! Emergency warnings went out here that all non-emergency vehicles had to be off the road by 2.30 pm Saturday afternoon which was the best thing to happen in so many ways. It eliminated so much potential mess.
I saw images of Coney Island getting flooded again from this storm! Does anyone still believe that global warming is a Chicken Li’l syndrome?
Coney Island flooded? Am off to investigate. I know parts of NJ didn’t fare too well with the snow /flooding but not bad enough for Gov Chris Christie to think that a mop is enough for the clean up. Joke!
My bad, I meant to say Jersey Shore.
Isn’t it great to get such emotions out of that moment?! Thanks for sharing.
It felt like paradise, thank you Markus and thank you for your company!
With pleasure!!! …and since I’m just here. Oh, I’m so curious. Why you use the german word ‘Küche’ (kitchen)?
I’m so embarrassed, and it’s a long story – I think you are the first person who has asked this question. Keeping it short . . . I spend, or rather did spend , a lot of time in the kitchen doing the ordinary day to day cooking but I always enjoyed cooking cakes. When I started the blog I wanted to use the name Patti Cake but it was taken. No way on earth was I going to use my real name because this blog wasn’t meant to last more than 5 minutes. My mother’s maiden name was Cook, anglicized from the German branch of Koch. I didn’t want to be Patti Koch so I went back to the kitchen, where I belonged!
I remember you telling me this. Lovely to have it documented. Not embarrassing at all, and you belong anywhere and everywhere, PK! xx Fab snow photo – I can feel the calm, too.
Thank you Gaynor 👍🏻
Certain friends (thank you!) and family know the story but I’m quite sure it has never come up here until now. I’d forgotten all about the name!!!
That is so cool and thrilling that we both got a secret by now. I expected it got something to do like “kitchen” as a metaphor for a workplace.. ..a place where Patti cook all her ideas. …but I like that name very much! I’m still wondering how you pronounce that in english.. ..is it like ‘coosh’, ‘cooshee’, ‘coock’ or ‘coockee’? btw Patti Koch sounds in german pretty cool. Strict, short… …a good name to remember a photographer. The ‘ch’ is hard to pronounce in german because when it’s not your mother tongue. Sound something like you try to cough a crump out of your throat… …and because I know that it sounds different in english… …it’s maybe better to skip that idea.
Oh my gosh you’re not wrong about the “ch” and the infinite varieties of pronunciation! As it is the name only exist here in print but I’m always taken aback when I hear some of the versions. Here in the US there was NY Mayor Ed Koch i.e. “Kotch” and then there are the billionaire Koch brothers payrolling certain politicians and they are known as “Coke.”
I like the thought of sounding cool in German 😎 Big big thanks to you Markus!
Great photograph Patti……I have been waiting for your response to the big storm. Totally agree with your comment about the peace and quiet caused by the snow. It is magical and so is your photograph!
It was a great day out thank you so much Burgess, more to come!
Look forward to them!
It looks very quiet there in the snow. 🙂
Quiet was the word of the day but then again there was the howling wind, and the snow plows . . . . 🙂
I am never disappointed when I see your work and this has “Patti” written all over it.
I have tried to think about why I love your photos so much and can never pin point it. Believe me, that is a really good thing, it maintains the intrigue. You just seem to do magic.
A remarkable photo that I’d have framed on my wall with pride..
Peter, I am such a big fan of your great work. Please know how grateful I am for your most generous support, means the world to me and again, a wonderful big thank you to you. Still looking forward to catching up in London one day. Until then, all best wishes!
Just crazy! Life stands still.
With all those swirling snow atoms going nuts!
Fantastic again! Beautifully judged. Completely timeless looking.
When are you going to visit NYC??? Thank you Richard!
Yes, that is so delicious, the feeling of suspension one gets in a heavy snowstorm in the city. I miss that – but I’m not trading in!
Pristinely evocative Patti!
I envy you Patti – as you know, snow is almost a forgotten part of London life these days 😦
I’ll bet it was a totally different experience. Surreal.
It looks surreal and I imagine it felt that way too!
Compelling image!
mysterious 😉
I agree with Jane Lurie. Thank you for sharing your work.
brilliant… and so great of you to go out in the cold and take pictures…
I know the feeling, though I have never been in a blizzard like this. I agree with Jane. I like your streetscapes Patti, with or without humans.
Wow! We need some of that in Los Angeles 🙂
You sure do!