Unnoticed 17: "Art & Wine Faire"

Here are some pics i took from the Annual Alameda Park st Art & Wine Faire.

"UnNoticed" a series of random Photographs that i find from my day to day activities that i find interesting that would generally go Unnoticed.

© Michael Lopez

Moments with Apung Isay: INTRO

As my passion grows for Photography, I wanted to do a project that I can give back to my family. My family has sacrificed a lot to give me the life I have today, without them I wouldn’t be where I am. My grandmother is the center of my family and the closest person to me as she helped raised me as an infant and continues to teach me today. Through all she has been through she has remain strong and continues to live her life the only way she knows how… with love.

This project represents a journal of moments that I share with my Grandmother; I wanted to capture the moments that I share with her… The Joys, Tears and everything in between.

If you would like email updates on this specific project, please subscribe using "APUNG ISAY" from my contact me page.



THANK YOU

Unnoticed: 16 "Take A Seat"

Looking for a Seat...or a Sign...

Grand Central Station, NYC

"UnNoticed" a series of random Photographs that i find from my day to day activities that i find interesting that would generally go Unnoticed.

© Michael Lopez

Random thoughts (17) NYC 1st of many...

This was the first time I got to see NYC. With only 5 days, my wife and I tried to pack as much as we can with the amount of time we had. We stayed at Time Square which gave us the ability to be right next to a subway station that had trains going were ever we wanted without having to transfer much. We tried to eat as much NYC specific food, but that didn’t last long due to the amount of time we had. I know next time I head out their I will spend more time having NYC mom/pop owned food.

In terms of sight seeing I was able to see all of the regular tourist hot spots. Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, Radio City Music Hall, MSG, Brooklyn Bridge and of course Statue of Liberty. The ones that meant the most to me was seeing Ground Zero, and relaxing in Central Park.

I was able to eat at some great places, but these 3 places were by far the standouts: like Tom Coliko’s Craft (REALLY GREAT), Serendipity and Magnolia Deserts. Check out my Yelp Reviews for a more detailed review.

I was also able to catch a Broadway show, with so many good reviews for each show, my wife and I decided to watch America Idiot based on the hit album from Green Day. We decided to watch this one because we love the music and it would be something we could relate to. The show was great, it moved fast and the songs made sense to the story they were trying to tell. I do recommend this show to anyone that wants to see a more modern Broadway Musical.

I feel that anyone visiting NYC should stop by Ground Zero and pay their respects to everyone that suffered due to 9/11. Seeing Ground Zero for the first time gave me an eerie feeling knowing so much was lost and the amount of devastation that 1 day can have.

On our last day my wife and I took the time to spend the morning relaxing in Central Park. If you have the time I highly recommend it, its one of the nicest parks I’ve ever been to. There are tons of things to do and see; the best thing about it is all the photo opportunities that are available. The scenery is perfect for Landscape shots, so many people doing so many different activities is great for photojournalistic style shots and the statues and friendly people are always willing to pose for Portraits. With the time constraints that my wife and I had, I wouldn’t change the hours we spent at Central Park, being able to relax and drift away was by far the highlight of my trip.

These past 4-6 days has been one of the busiest, tiring, but also exciting and RELAXING days for as long as I can remember. I can’t wait to go back!!!

Quotes to live by:

"Photography is a lot like Comedy: If you have to explain it, it's not good!"

A Beautiful day in Napa.

Today was a special day as it marked a milestone BDay for my wife! As close as we live to one of the great wine properties in the US we never took advantage of experiencing it. Today I decided to treat her to a wonderful experience of the wine country. We took part of a great educational style wine tasting at the world famous Robert Mondavi Winery, drove around in the very rich wine community and caped our afternoon off at the great V. Sattui Winery were we laid out and enjoyed their wonderful BBQ lunch special’s. If you live in the Bay Area or if you're visiting, I highly recommend spending your day in Napa.

© Michael Lopez

Bold but True..

As a Basketball fan I was lucky to grow up in the Michael Jordan ERA, even though I was a Reggie Miller Fan I was able to respect what Michael did for the game of basketball. Now in the ERA after Michael we have basketball stars fighting for their place in history. With the great Free Agency of 2010 the question is “where will the best players go?”

Young stars like Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Lebron James all have big decisions on their hands not just for them but also for their cities, fans and their “LEGACY.” No matter what anyone does or tries to sell them on it will all depend on the stars themselves. Do they want that big payday or want a chance at a title? Of Course they want both, but finding the right spot is hard to do. The interesting thing is everyone is trying to convince these star to come to them, but how do you that with out pushing to hard? Who do you sell a Superstar on becoming "GREAT?" I believe that if Legacy is what you dream of, these stars being just like me growing up in the Michael Jordan era has to look past the money and look at what they can leave behind. CHAMPIONSHIPS Breads LEGENDS!! These Stars if they want to be remembered 30, 20 or even 10 years after their done has to find the balance between money and leaving their careers with multiple TITLES!!!


I found this picture from Yahoo that was taken for the Chicago Tribune. Its the sales pitch to Lebron James from the fans of Chicago, trying to convince him on the opportunity to follow one of the Greats Of All Time. This picture says it all!!!