So I’m on the freeway, off to visit my fob family (you know, usual holiday stuff). As is typical of the season, the skyscrapers downtown were donned in red and green lights. The skyline was colorful and festive compared to the usual white lights. But tonight was particularly stunning. It was just cloudy and foggy enough so that the lights reflected onto the sky. It appeared as though the clouds were green. All I saw was a huge emerald sky hovering over downtown Los Angeles. Twas quite a beautiful sight.
A few times I’ve seen Sydney Harbour before a storm. The sky was nearly black, but the sun was shining on the Opera House making it brilliant white. The city office towers’ steel and glass were also shining brilliantly - all against this incredible brooding sky. Really cool stuff.
I also like Hong Kong on a really misty night when the lights on the mountains fade in and out way overhead like UFOs, and the neon signs look out of focus. That can be amazing.
Once when a storm was approaching in New Orleans, I stood in a windy courtyard entrance watching a green sky and listening to someone playing “Harlem Nocturne” on the sax.
About two years ago I was outside with family and a front rolled in. The sky was totally clear, it was just reaching dusk, and when the front rolled in (it took about 10 minutes) it looked like a red glowing blanket being pulled across the sky. VVC, actually…
Every now and then you come across a moment too beautiful to miss. I had one and was lucky enough to get a photo of it. (I started a thread about it way back when.) The photo is here:
It’s a pic of the World Trade Center, taken from the Empire State Building, January 1, 2000. The Emerald City is the only comparison I can think of to do the photo justice. (And by the way, I’m not much of a photographer; that pic just happened to come out amazingly well.)
It was a crisp, clear, and chilly June night. We were coming into the Bay. Everyone was yacking and laughing, when suddenly a profound and eerie silence fell over the whole deck. I turned to see what everyone was looking at, and there was San Fransisco glistening atop the hill, framed by a fog enshrouded Golden Gate Bridge. Breathtaking. Simply breathtaking.
Amazing photo, jackelope. Maybe you can back me up on this one… in Memphis, if you’re travelling north on 55 and you don’t take the 55N exit to St.Louis, so that you’re going north on Riverside Dr., the road crests and turns a bit, and all of a sudden you have a panoramic view of the Mississippi across Tom Lee Park, with the Pyramid in the distance. Takes my breath away every time.
I’ve seen some stunning sunsets overlooking Glendale (suburb of L.A.). I’d be up in the ceramics dept.of Glendale College (near the 210 freeway and the Mountain Ave. offramp) and it’s a good view for just gorgeous sunsets.
Coming west on the 10 into downtown I have seen some of the most amazing sunsets in L.A. Usually some amazing red. I have a picture for latimes.com as my wallpaper of a blood red sky against the L.A. skyline…it’s amazing. I wish I could find it online.
