Looking Through My Camera at Retirement

I went to Golden Gate Park with my photography class last weekend, and now I have 186 photos of a place I’ve been to a gazillion times but have never really noticed before.

We go to New York almost every year.  We used to go for a week at a time, but the last few years we’ve gone for a month.  A month is great because you don’t feel compelled to race around trying to squeeze all the excitement of Manhattan into just one week.  Plus you get some more time to explore places you might not go when visiting for just one week, like the outer boroughs, and the less famous parks of Manhattan.  And you get a chance to relax in between events, a concept most of us don’t consider when contemplating a visit to the center of the universe.

When we get together with our friends that live or work in Manhattan, they are always amazed at the places we’ve explored.  Mostly they are places that they have never been to, despite living there for decades.  And I understand that, despite living in or near San Francisco for the majority of my life, I’ve never walked across the Golden Gate Bridge.  I’ve flown 3,000 miles to walk across the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, and biked across the Queensboro and Triborough Bridges, but I’ve never biked or walked the Golden Gate.

It’s sometimes hard to give your own neighborhood the same fresh look you give a neighborhood thousands of miles away.  And that is the wonderful gift that learning to use my new camera has given me:  The chance to look in my own backyard with fresh eyes. 

Which now that I think of it, is one of the keys to a happy retirement, making sure to look at it each day with fresh eyes.

Related Posts:

            How to Keep Retirement Engaging

            Using Retirement to Get Really Good at Something

            Retirement as a Balloon Animal

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Comments

[Sightings]

I'm really jealous of your trips to NYC. A month at a time. Wow! But I dunno if I can afford it -- any suggestions on where to stay for less than $1 million a night?

[Retired Syd]

@Sightings: Well that's where home exchanging comes in handy. We're exchanging this summer with a couple we exchanged with 2 years ago. An Upper East Side address for no more than it costs us to be home! Such a deal.

[Suzanne Vosbikian]

Syd, let me know if you want to come to South Florida. I'd love to work out a home exchange.

[Retired Syd]

@Suzanne: I'll keep that in mind for next year's travels! In the meantime, I'm off to explore your blog--how have I missed that up to now?

[Diane]

Holy Crap! Eighteen days between posts! I missed your voice. I'm sure I wasn't the only one. That said, I love this article. THIS is the reason I scrimp and save with the goal of retiring early. I just wish I'd started sooner. Even if I only get out of the workaday world a few years early, I'm going to take every advantage when I do.

BTW - I tried to walk across the GG Bridge a few months ago with out of town guests. Surprise! We left from the Marin end and quickly found the sidewalk closed to pedestrians due to construction. The bike path on the other side was open, but no walkers were allowed. Fortunately, it was Fleet Week, so there were plenty of other experiences to savor.

Have you spent any time on Angel Island? It's my favorite one-day vacation. I'm shocked at how many locals have never been there. You can even camp overnight. Tons of photo opportunities.

OTOH, I've never been to Alcatraz...So much to do and see in the Bay Area.

[Retired Syd]

@Diane: Thanks for missing me and for your nice comment!

There you've got another one! I've never been to Angel Island and have been meaning to get there. (I have been to Alcatraz though).

[Rick (and Sue)]

Hi Syd,

We took your encouragement and when we were in SF recently we walked the GG Bridge. To complete the tourist trifecta we had Irish Coffee at Buena Vista and visited Alcatraz. Great weather, good company, and some nice meals made for a fun few days. Enjoy the weekend.

[Retired Syd]

@Rick: Glad you got good weather. Even though it's touristy, I love to get Irish Coffee at Buena Vista. Any good restaurant recommendations from your trip?

[Rick]

We enjoyed Kuleto's at 221 Powell Street and Scala's Bistro at 432 Powell Street.

[Denise Winters]

Great post.. I am a photographer and I live in NYC, but haven't taken my camera out of the studio for years... you have inspired me to be a tourist in the city for a month! Thank you!

[Scott]

Or, one could do The Great Saunter (32 mile walk around Manhattan in one day) and take pictures. I had the opportunity to do this last Saturday - there are an incredible amount of off the beaten path parks to see.

For taking pictures though, a month would be so much better! :) There are so many great pictures to be taken in NYC.

[fred doe]

Riddle me this batman? Do you take your class at a college? Since I've retired I've been thinking about taking a painting course at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. (talk about bragging rights:) if you don't take credits they knock about a third off (who needs credits at sixty)? And another good thing is I can chose the professor according to their work (I don't know art but I know what I like kinda thing)? I like the shots you've been posting and your right about exploring in a radius around you ( like that REM song stand in the place that you are)

[Video Production companies]

To continue the old saying …. 40. However, when I turned 40 life was much the same I had 3 years left to serve in the Royal Air Force. It is hard to believe that I have been retired for one year. I took early retirement on 31st March 2011 and in May that year I turned 60.