Last night, at 3am, I returned home from a quick 24 hour trip to Southern California to ride on the USS Iowa as she was towed from Berth 52 to her permanent home, Berth 87 in San Pedro, CA.
This image was taken looking into the bridge while the tow was underway. (Note the 18" thick steel in the entrance to the bridge.)
Hallway inside the Waldo Hotel in West Virginia.
This former hotel was converted into apartments in the 1950's but has sat abandoned since the 1990's.
This psychiatric hospital opened in 1931 in the suburbs of New York as a way for patients to escape the pollution and noise of the city. It contained a bowling alley, theatre and power plant which helped the complex operate as its own independent complex. The hospital remains in operation, though many of the buildings have been abandoned for years.
Dawn inside a patient room in the former tuberculosis ward of Mayview State Hospital, PA.
Moonlight hits this old mine during blue hour.
Established in 1909, this Eastern Sierra Mine was built in the mountains at just over 8,000 ft. The property contained a mill, mine offices, employee bunk house and general store. The ore mined here was transfered to a nearby town via a tram system. It was the last mine to close in the district, remaining in operation until 1938.
(Night. Full moon. 60 seconds. Lit by moonlight.)
The Homestead Steel Works in Pennsylvania closed in 1986 and the surrounding land surrounding is now a National Historic Landmark. The blast furnaces (above) were constructed in 1907 and are all that remain of this massive structure.
Corridor inside Building South 2 or Mayview State Hospital at dusk.
Shot while waiting for the firework show on the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge.
330 frames shot every 15 seconds, played back at 15fps.
I have always been very proud to call San Francisco home, but on Sunday night, being a San Franciscan felt even better.
Standing up on the bluff in Marin, overlooking the bridge with friends, a hundred other photographers and on-lookers was quite an experience. The wind was blowing, the wine was flowing and good conversation was being had, while we waited for nearly 5 hours for the firework/light show.
Blur hour hit, the bridge lights started to come on, but the towers stayed dark. The traffic stopped and in one swift moment, the bridge went dark and my heart started beating faster. It was the most incredible rush though my veins as the blanket of sparklers fell from the bottom of the bridge towards the water and the feeling of euphoria continued for nearly 20 minutes.
Happy Birthday Golden Gate Bridge!
The timing was perfect. On May 26, 2012, the weekend of the Golden Gate Bridge anniversary, the USS Iowa passed beneath the bridge. She is the last battleship that will ever make this journey.
On Saturday, May 26 at 10:30am, the USS Iowa left the pier in Richmond to begin her four-day journey to Long Beach where she will become a museum.
USS Iowa (BB-61) at dawn, docked in Richmond, California.
On Saturday, the USS Iowa (BB-61) will be towed from Richmond to her new home in Long Beach. She is the last Iowa Class battleship in existence to become a museum, which will thankfully preserve the ship that served in WWII, carried Roosevelt across the Atlantic in 1943 and suffered a turret exploring in 1989, killing 47 crew members.
Much has changed since this image was taken of her in the Mothball Fleet in January 2010, but my feelings about her still remain the same. She is magnificent.
The first time I set foot on her deck, I was immersed in the history, tragedy and beauty of this ship and though I am sad to see her leave the Bay Area, I am incredibly happy to see such a big part of our history preserved.
Hallway inside the Earle building at Norwich State Hospital, Connecticut.
Corridor, during blue hour, inside Building F at Mayview State Hospital in Pennsylvania.
