Independence Day Chicago Afterglow

The giant Independence Day flag in this shot is covering the Wrigley tower in Chicago. Harking back to simpler times and the great post war boom of the roaring twenties the Wrigley tower (completed 1921) was built by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr and is a fusion of french renaissance and spanish revival architectural styles. The neo-Gothic building across the road is the Tribune Tower (completed 1925) which was built to house the Chicago Tribune Newspaper.

Downtown Seattle and the Space Needle

Looking at downtown Seattle and the iconic Space Needle with Mount Rainier in the background. The space needle was built for the 1962 World's Fair which drew over 2.3 million visitors. Mount Rainier is the highest mountain of the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest at 4,392 m or 14,411 ft. Seattle is the largest city in Washington State in the USA with a population of around 4.5 million when the surrounding metropolitan areas are included.

The Chicago "L"

The Chicago "L" late at night. With parts of the system dating back to 1892 it is the second-oldest rapid transit system in the Americas. The “L” is derived from the elevated nature of the system above the streets which make it such a distinctive part of the city. I took two shots of this same bend, one with a ghost train and only the light trails, and one with a solid train.

Washington Monument

The Washington Monument, designed in the simple shape of an ancient Egyptian obelisk, was built in honour of George Washington. Constructed between 1848 and 1884 it was the tallest structure in the world at the time of completion, until the construction of the Eiffel Tower in France in 1889. The monument however remains the world's tallest stone structure standing 554 feet 7 11/32 inches (169.046 m) tall. It has an aluminum apex, which at the time of casting was the largest piece of aluminum in the world with Aluminum being relatively unknown having a value similar to silver. The slight change in shading of the marble at 46m (150ft) came from a halt in construction between 1854 and 1877 due to lack of funds and the civil war with construction eventually resuming from a different source of stone. National Mall, Washington DC, United States of America.

Chicago River

Sunset over the Chicago river in downtown Chicago. Illinois, United States of America.

Tokyo Tower

I took this shot a couple of weeks ago from a hotel bar in Shinagawa. It's looking North towards Tokyo Tower (332.9 metres or 1,092 ft). At the time of construction in 1958 Tokyo Tower was the tallest freestanding tower in the world, taking the title from the Eiffel Tower by 13 metres. Depending on where you draw the boundaries there are between 9 million and 38 million people living in Tokyo. The population of the special inner wards is over 9 million people, with the total population of Tokyo prefecture coming in over 13 million. When combined with the surrounding areas the prefecture forms part of the world's most populous metropolitan area of 37.8 million people.

Suburbia Tokyo Style

A small part of Tokyo, Japan

Misty Manhattan

Downtown Manhattan at night, New York, USA

La Paz

The city of La Paz climbs the surrounding hills, resulting in varying city elevations from 3,000 meters to 4,100 meters. Bolivia

Oslo Blue Hour

Pedestrian bridge over the train tracks at Oslo Sentralstasjon, Oslo, Norway.

Plac Zamkowy

The Plac Zamkowy (Castle Square) is directly located in front of the Royal Castle in Warsaw. Dating back to the 1600's the square was largely demolished during World War II by the Nazi's, the castle was painstakingly rebuilt during the post war years. Warsaw, Poland

Fujisan and Tokyo

In the dozen or so times I have been though Tokyo I have only seen Fujisan once! This last trip the sky was clear so I headed up the sky tree to grab this shot looking over Tokyo. Mount Fuji or Fujisan is the highest mountain in Japan 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft). Honshu Island, Japan

New York, New York

Panoramic landscape of New York city as the sun sets for the day from Liberty Island in New York Harbor. Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan, is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, and where the city was founded in 1624. New York City, USA.

Shibuya Nights

A wet shiny night at Shibuya crossing, one of the busiest in the world. Tokyo, Japan

Plaza de Armas

Plaza de Armas, Cusco, Peru. During the Inca Empire the square was called Huacaypata or Aucaypata. The Cusco Cathedral to the left of frame was constructed between 1559 and completed in 1669. It is built on the site where the Inca Wiracochas Palace once stood. The southeastern side (centre of frame) is the the church of La Compania also built in the 16th century on the Inca foundations of the Palace of Huayna Capac.

Doom and gloom

Ominous sky, London, England

Transamerica Pyramid

Transamerica Pyramid , San Francisco, USA

Iglesia de San Francisco

Dark clouds gather over the roof top of the Iglesia de San Francisco , La Paz, Bolivia

Oslo Sentralstasjon

Train coming into Oslo Sentralstasjon, Oslo, Norway.

Lower Manhattan

Giant reflections glimmer in the Hudson river providing an extra dimension to the colossal nature of the architecture of Lower Manhattan. The site of the original colony of New Amsterdam, that eventually became New York City, Lower Manhattan is now most frequently associated with wall street and the financial district. New York City, USA.

Mausoleum Dusk

The Mausoleum of Quaid-i-Azam at dusk. It is a monument to Pakistan's founder Mohamed Ali Jinnah. Karachi, Pakistan

Chicago Summer Storm

Stormy summer afternoon looking over Lake Michigan towards downtown Chicago. Illinois, USA.

Dust Storm

Dust storm covers the Burj Khalifa. Built between 2004 and 2009 it is the tallest artificial structure in the world, standing at 829.8 m (2,722 ft). Dubai, UAE.

The Coathanger

The coathanger in all its glory. Sydney Harbour Bridge, New South Wales, Australia

The Big Apple

Aerial view of New York and the Island of Manhattan with the Hudson river to the left. Over 1.6 million people call the Island of Manhattan home. You can see the statue of liberty in the foreground on Liberty island. New York, USA

San Francisco

San Francisco, California, USA. Founded on June 29, 1776, when colonists from Spain established Presidio of San Francisco at the Golden Gate and Mission San Francisco de Asís named for St. Francis of Assisi a few miles away.

St Peter's Square

Thousands of Catholic pilgrims amass in the Piazza San Pietro (St. Peter's Square) in the hope of seeing a glimpse of the Pope. Known in Latin as the Forum Sancti Petri, it is located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in the independent papal enclave of the Vatican City inside Rome. At the centre of the square is a 25.5m tall (84ft) red granite, Egyptian obelisk, that was originally constructed and erected in Heliopolis in Egypt, by an unknown pharaoh. The Emperor Augustus (c. 63 BC – 14 AD) had the obelisk moved to the Julian Forum of Alexandria in Egypt, where it stood until 37 AD, when the subsequent roman Emperor Caligula ordered the forum demolished and the obelisk transferred to Rome. It was placed at the centre of the Circus of Nero, where it would ironically preside over Nero's countless Christian executions, and was moved to the current site in 1586 under the direction of direction of Pope Sixtus V. It is the only obelisk in Rome that has not toppled since ancient Roman times. Shot taken from the roof of St. Peter's Basilica.

San Giorgio Maggiore

Last light illuminates the San Giorgio Maggiore from Canale DI S. Marco. San Giorgio Maggiore is one of the islands of Venice, northern Italy, lying east of the Giudecca and south of the main island group in Venice. Occupied since Roman times the current standing buildings form part of the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore that was constructed between 1566 and 1610. Venice, Italy.

Abu Dhabi Air Traffic Control

The Abu Dhabi air traffic control tower sits at a height of 109m. The design is intended to evoke the look of a traditional dhow and its sail, a cultural icon of the maritime heritage of Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

Amsterdam Bikes

The Netherlands boasts 22,000 miles of cycle paths with more than a quarter of all trips in the country being made by bicycle, rising to 38% in Amsterdam itself. This compares with just 2% in the UK and much less in the USA. Multistory 17th century terrace mansions line the canals throughout Amsterdam as taxes used to be levied based on street frontage. Originating as a poor fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century due to its lead in developments of global trading technology. During that time, the city was the global centre for finance and trade and become the wealthiest city in the world. Ships sailed from Amsterdam to the Baltic Sea, North America, and Africa, as well as present-day Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and Brazil, forming the basis of a worldwide trading network. Amsterdam's name derives from Amstelredamme, from the city's origin as a dam of the river Amstel. Amsterdam, Netherlands

Calder Flamingo

The flamingo after the storm. Dating from 1974 the 53-foot (16 m) high structure was created by Alexander Calder and is located in the Federal Plaza in Chicago, Illinois, United States.