The Manhattanhenge may be a thing of summers' past, but it will be always awaited until the next year. When I moved to New York four years ago, I wanted to see the sun line up on the grid so badly, but I never got the opportunity to. However, this year was my time!
Manhattanhenge or Manhattan Solstice happens twice every summer usually it's toward the end of May and mid-July. It is when the sun lines up along the grids of New York City and you can see a big ball of red perfectly set. Even though I had planned to go photograph it in July, I was not prepared. If you think you are the only person in all of New York who knows and expects to capture it in all its beauty, you are so wrong. My photographing event of something that happens in the city I live in turned out to be quite the adventure. I went for both the days and both of them were a completely different kind of experience. Here are a couple things I would keep in mind before you go see it.
1. Planning ahead is useless.
I am a big fan of planning and organizing all my expeditions. But on the day of Manhattanhenge, no amount of planning can warn you of the unknown. You think the spot that you have chosen would be 'secluded' or 'private', you thought wrong. There is no place that no other New Yorker would have an inkling about. Everyone knows everywhere. The only thing you can do is go there right before the sunset and brace yourself for the crowd. I made it there just past 8:05 p.m. when the sun was supposed to be setting at 8:25 p.m. I slowly paved my way through the crowds and held my ground. Even if you get there earlier, it is highly likely that you will end up with people poking their phones, shoulders and heads into your camera viewfinder.
2. Pack your equipment beforehand.
I am an amateur photographer who is eternally chasing sunset and landscapes. For Day One, I did not foresee that I would need my zoom lens and possibly a tripod to capture the sunsets above all heads, so I was ill equipped with my kit lens which could only go so far and my hands were not really that long enough to go above six footers and other extended hands. Iphoneographers, BRING YOUR SELFIE STICKS! I would feel silly using a selfie stick normally, but in the case of getting that Insta-worthy picture of the Manhattanhenge, I would definitely bring my selfie stick to get a clear shot of the setting sun.
3. Do not be afraid.
'Do not be afraid' is my loose term for saying 'Do anything, I promise you, you won't die'. You want to use your heavy shoulders to push your way through the crowd after coming late? No problem. You want to take over a non pedestrian bridge during peak time traffic? NO PROBLEM. Cops coming and chasing you out repeatedly? I say stand your ground! Want to be in the middle of an avenue against the direction of moving traffic? Meh, the drivers will be amused and will get out and see what's the big hoopla. I did not ask myself the same questions, you definitely should not either.
When I decided to bring my tripod, I extended it to its maximum height (which was well beyond mine) and put it out in the middle of Third Avenue without caring about cars, buses or random delivery boys popping out of nowhere in bikes. The city joins in on the fun and in fact, fosters your inhibitions and it stalls for a couple of minutes when people in all the avenues are taking over streets. My friends and I totally got lost in the two minute half sunset that we forgot we are in the middle of peak time traffic and got the best of the pictures we could.
4. Most importantly, live in the moment.
My only regret from my two adventurous days of photographing the sunsets was that I did not live in the moment enough and was more busy in focusing on getting the best possible pictures from the best possible locations. I wish, I saw the event from my own eyes rather than when I was going through the mix of horribly shaky pictures to the picture that defined the entire event for me. I know that next summer when the Manhattanhenge rolls around, I will be leaving my camera behind and find a spot on the streets where I can just simply bask in the blinding, white light.
