These images will always hold a special place in my heart. They’re part of a twelve-exposure series I shot in New York City, from the southwest corner of Broadway and Fulton Street on August 13, 1969 – fifty-seven-years ago yesterday. The occasion was the tickertape parade up the Canyon of Heroes for the Apollo 11 astronauts, who had recently returned from their historic first trip to the surface of the Moon.
What an incredible moment in time to have personally frozen in photographs!
If you think the world is off its axis today, you’re right. But let me tell you, having witnessed the late-’60’s, if only as a kid in elementary school, it was psycho-crazy then, too. The Vietnam War, political assassinations, the ascendant drug culture, off-the-chart crime rates, governmental corruption, decaying cities, racial tensions and every other form of societal dysfunction all hung a dark cloud over what should’ve been a delightful period.
Nonetheless, the Apollo 11 parade remains one of the brighter spots. The motorcade blew by a lot faster than I anticipated, but despite the slow, fixed shutter speed of my family’s Kodak Instamatic, I think I did alright.
The images have aged well. So have I. It’s easy to be pessimistic about the current state of things, yet who knows? Maybe there’s some hope for the world after all…
Facing east on Fulton Street; Broadway was renamed Apollo Way for the day.
Note the Auricon newsreel camera at the far right of the truck bed.
Despite the best effort of the policeman’s arm, I got the shot! Just left of the cop on the right, Neil Armstrong perfectly timed his turn toward my lens. Next to him, Buzz Aldrin is semi-obscured and Michael Collins waves to the crowd.
What a glorious day Richard. …and then you got to go home and listen to 77 WABC and Dan Ingram. Sage observations of that turbulent time compared to today. Great to know that we both started with Instamatics.
SUPER WONDERFUL RICHARD…!!! ❤️
Nicely done young man!
What a Memory Richard! Nice photos. I appreciate the 1960’s energy and vibe reference. My Father sat me in front of the TV so we could see the Moon walk, I was 5 years old. I remember that black and white video imagery…What a Grand time for all Mankind. Thank you for sharing your photos!
Yes, Karl…I was 12-years-old and it seems like yesterday!
Richard, those shots are priceless! Great memories frozen in time.
You already had the knack for taking pictures. Also such a great place
for you to be raised. My wife and I will be in your neck of the woods
in a few weeks, flying to JFK and driving up the Hudson River Valley.
First night in Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow area. Up to Hyde Park and all
its history with FDR. Will spend a night in Woodstock then to Bethel
for the Woodstock festival history. Look forward to seeing Manitoga,
the Russel Wright estate and its wonderful surroundings. Have to walk
the Poughkeepsie bridge too! So much to see.
Such a vast area of rich history and beauty!
People forget that there’s so much to see outside the NYC area. Have a great trip, Ken!
My wife and I returned from New York with a greater sense of well being
and greater insight for the beauty of Upstate New York. The rural landscape
with lush forests were very impressive. We made it to FDR’s Springwood
with a tour of the home. So much history wrapped up there along with
Eleanor’s Val-Kill home. Toured the Vanderbilt home too. A night in Woodstock
gave greater insight into to Dylan’s earlier years and his association with
Albert Grossman and all the additional characters. We toured the Woodstock Concert museum in Bethel and walked the hallowed grounds of the concert
attendees. By chance we ran into a lady visiting with her family who said she
was 17 when she snuck into the concert with many others to see Janice Joplin.
Unfortunately she was grounded for a month when she got home. Another
interesting place was the estate of the industrial designer Russell Wright.
He had a very interesting home built into the hillside with impressive views
of the surrounding landscape. He also was a designer of pottery that was
sold to the public over the years,
Also made it to Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown. A beautiful home from the
Gilded Age. Used for the early Dark Shadows movies in the 1960s and for
the HBO Series The Gilded Age. On our last day before heading back to Arizona, we made a stop in Atlantic Beach. Not many beach goers this time
of year, It was time to head home.
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Sounds like a fantastic trip, Ken…! NY has a lot to offer outside of Fun City.