It’s a rare sight. You walk up a small hill through a parterre of pretty white tombstones on well kept grass, aiming for the deepest blue autumn sky above, and suddenly, among the crosses and seemingly one of them, a familiar silhouette. Tall, slender even, stylish and sharp, it’s the Empire State Building. You’re in the Calvary Cemetery in Queens - that’s the middle of nowhere, or maybe slightly north of it.
Getting there without wheels isn’t so casual. It involved in my case a remote subway station, lots of walking and advanced dead reckoning. I had spotted the very nice perspective from the Kosciuszko Bridge on I-278 (above), on our way back from the Long Island nurseries, and even though the overpass had no pedestrian path I’d decided to come back and scout the vicinity for a similar view of distant Manhattan behind a hilly foreground of memories.
It turned out the best angle was to be found within the cemetery itself (below.) I walked around for a long time, alone, and shot many a silly picture of the Manhattan buildings emerging behind a forest of graves. It’s a beautiful - if a bit strange - sight that probably very few New Yorkers have enjoyed.
Until it’s too late, that is.





























« How do Americans feel about having picnics in graveyards? Because this is perfect... »
Date of comment: 2009-10-12 21:10 •« I love cemeteries. You are right, Marie,
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Date of comment: 2009-10-13 10:52 •what a wonderful, peaceful place !
Gorgeous pictures, Mr. Mounier