Lighted Spaces and Landscapes

Excerpts from a Geographer's Photo Archive

recent posts

  • Old Home New Jersey

    When Kathleen was working in New York she lived here. Back in the early 80s it was affordable and adorable. Now its unaffordable and chic. It was fun to visit the space again and remember. (Hoboken, New Jersey, 2019)

  • Grand Central Stars

    I like to arrive early for my train out of Grand Central Station. The main waiting room is beautiful on its own, but the constellations on the ceiling are elegant and from another era. (New York, New York, 2019)

  • Next Time, Staten Island

    Somehow I have never taken the Staten Island Ferry. This needs to be rectified the next time I’m in the city. (New York, New York, 2022)

  • Not So Secret Secret Park

    Hubbard Park is one of the prettiest parks in Milwaukee County. It sits along the Milwaukee River with a restaruant, beer garden, and lots of green space. The old Chicago and Northwestern rail line runs next to the park (now a bike trail) and you have to enter through tunnels under the former rail line. I always feel it is like finding a secret garden. (Shorewood, Wisconsin, 2025)

  • Leon’s

    When I want frozen custard, this is one of the “go to” places in town. For some, it is THE place, I”m lucky that it is on the south side so I don’t indulge too often. I know there is a national frozen custard chain. It’s good when I’m out of town. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2026)

  • Third Ward BOGO

    One of the things I love about the city is that it is changing, becoming more interesting, and better. I treasure the memory that some spaces hold as they become something else. I bought a sport coat here in 1986 so I could go on job interviews and I got one free along with it. It was a warehouse setting with old guys with tape measures. It was a great shop–I’m glad they left the painted wall and the memory when they turned it into condos. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2015)

  • City Hall for 414 Day

    The iconic shot of City Hall is the view down Water Street that appeared for many years on a TV Sitcom. This is the elegant atrium that you seldom see a photo of. I remember being a college student and having to look up records here. It is a startlingly stunning place. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2023)

  • Night Sunburst

    I’ve come to love the sunburst over time. I particularly like how it looks at night. The sculpture is called “The Calling” and Santiago Calatrava took the sculptures placement in context when he designed the Art Museum wing. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin 2024)

  • You’ve Got to Have Art

    When I was a boy, the Detroit Institute of Arts had a fabulous ad singing that “you’ve got to have art.” I recommend checking the video and the recent remake. I often hum the tune when passing by my hometown art museum. The museum itself is a signature art piece by Santiago Calatrava. I’ve traveled in other countries visiting Calatrava sites and the Milwaukee Art Museum is often mentioned as a signature piece. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2024)

  • Hidden Gem in Bay View

    I was out taking photos of something else when I found this place down the side street. The photo doesn’t really do the building justice. The brickwork and the detail on these row houses is stunning. Bay View is filled with so many different gems like this. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2025)