Sunday, September 25, 2011

Parachute jump

today i had a "photo fieldtrip", together with julie. with 10 others or so, a real photographer told us more about all the buttons on our camera, and how/when/why to use them. after an hour of instructions, finding all the buttons, trying some settings, we went out into the wide wilde boston for a bit and tried it for real. that was interesting, and useful (for example; i wish i had known some of the settings during friday's game; im sure i would have taken some better pictures!). now i just need to practise, and really use those settings, before i forget it all again. its just... often you i suddenly see something, and want to take a picture quickly, before the moment is gone again (and im still searching for the particular settings).
julie also told me im doing a bad job here, at my blog. which is true... as i sad already this week, im often skipping a day, even though biebkriebels also wrote me some nice words!! so... i will try to do a better job now again.. :)
i just told julie that coney island is really worth seeing, when in new york, and especially this structure called the parachute jump. sometimes also called the eiffel tower of brooklyn, it was built for the 1939 new york world's fair in queens, and moved to its current location in 1941. although not functional anymore since 1968, the ride was based on functional parachutes which were held open by metal rings throughout the ascent and descent. in 1939, adult riders paid 40 cents and children a quarter. the trip up took about a minute and the drop down was over in 10/20 seconds. one time, entangled cables left a couple in the air for 5 hours, but the next day they came back to ride again! yet another coupld married during the ride.... the enrite wedding party was pulled up, and were let down when the couple completed their vows. haha...
nowadays, the parachute jump is protected as a designated NYC landmark and recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. there is so much more interesting stuff to read about it at wikipedia! (here)