Elvis Presley?

While wandering aimlessly around to square the other day, shooting random photographs, I discovered this Elvis Presley brick. I think it’s great we have a brick on the Square dedicated to the “King of Rock and Roll.” Unless, someone else named Elvis Presley bought the brick? It doesn’t seem likely, so I’m going with the dedication thing. Here’s to the “King” and the person who bought the brick.

Famous Squares: Times Square

America’s most famous square is Times Square in the heart of New York City. It’s technically not a square; it’s the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue. Leisure Magazine say’s its the world’s most visited tourist attraction. An estimated 300,000 people a day visit the square. I think almost everyone has watched the New Year's Eve celebration from Times Square. Thousands upon thousands of people have been photographed kissing on Times Square. The most famous kiss ever photographed was the sailor kissing the nurse on V-J Day, August 14, 1945, taken for Life Magazine by Alfred Eisenstaedt. The photo that appears on this post is the same couple, taken at the same time from a different angle by Victor Jorgensen, a navy photographer. This photo was taken for the U.S. Navy and is not copyrighted. It appeared the following day in the New York Times. 

Times Square on Wikipedia

Photo credits: Victor Jorgensen, Times Square.org, Stamford Advocate

64 degrees

That’s right, it was 64 degrees on Pioneer Courthouse Square today at 4:00 p.m. I was wearing a long sleeve shirt, and started to worry about heat stroke. Everyone on the Square was enjoying the hot weather. Although, I did hear a couple of people saying it was too warm. The trees are getting ready to bloom and the signs of spring are everywhere. Seriously, it was great to sit in the sunshine and enjoy a cup of Starbucks coffee. We wait a really long time for a day like today.

Square pets

Many people who visit Pioneer Courthouse Square bring their pets along. Since I’ve been doing this blog, I’ve photographed a lot of pets. I’ve never featured them before, because most of them don’t have Facebook pages, and no one will ever see them. However, some may be on Instagram and this post will get more traction. We’ll soon find out!

Random images

I stopped by the Square the other day for a few minutes, and photographed a few random people. Just like the folks in these photos, I’m waiting patiently for spring when the Square will come back to life. All the terrific events held in the spring and summer, are just a few weeks away. 

Famous Squares: Jackson Square

This is the first post in a new series titled “Famous Squares.” We’re fortunate in Portland to have Pioneer Courthouse Square, which is a famous square, and I thought the readers of this blog would enjoy learning about other Famous Squares around the world. Since the Super Bowl was held in New Orleans today, I decided to begin the series with New Orleans “Jackson Square.” Several Super Bowl events were held on Jackson Square prior to today’s game. Early French colonial New Orleans was originally centered around what was then called the Place d' Armes (Spanish: Plaza de Armas). After the Battle of New Orleans, in 1815, the Place d' Armes was renamed Jackson Square after the victorious United States general Andrew Jackson. In the center of the park stands an equestrian statue of Jackson erected in 1856, one of four identical statues in the United States by the sculptor Clark Mills.
Jackson Square on Wikipedia

We're gone

When I photographed these two little guys, they were getting close to the edge of a big drop off. They saw me taking their picture and decided they were gone. Well, we’re at the end of the year, and I have been peering over big drop off with this blog all year. So, just like these guys, I’m gone, (until next year). Have a great New Years celebration, and we’ll see you in 2013.

Holiday entertainers

The West Salem High School Percussion Ensemble performed a variety of Christmas pieces on Pioneer Courthouse Square on Saturday, December 22. The performance reflected the dedication and passion these students have for sharing music. They were the last of eighteen groups of entertainers to perform on the square after the tree lighting. Some of the other groups were: Holy Trinity Choir, Aloha High School Choir, Cloud 9, Centennial High School Choir, Buckman Elementary School Chorus, Sugarplum Elves and many others. Hundreds of talented people of all ages showed on the Square to entertain shoppers and downtown business people and me, during this holiday season. Everyone they entertained owes them a huge thank you!

 

Alone on Christmas

It’s the same every year. Umbrella Man ends up alone on Christmas day. After a month of holiday activities, the entertainers are gone, the shoppers are gone, and the hundeds of people photographing him are gone. The square is pretty much empty. I stopped by to say hello on Christmas, and noticed some tears running down his face. However, I know he will be fine tomorrow. He has New Years Eve to look forward to, and everything will return to normal. I’m sure if he could talk, he would want to wish all his friends a happy new year. The Square People Blog would like to wish all our readers a happy and prosperous new year.

Santa goes digital

Matthew Brady was one of America’s great photographers, shooting over 10,000 photographs of the Civil War.  He died penniless in New York City in 1896. Brady was always looking for ways to make money from photography. If he had only thought of photographing children with Santa, he would have made a fortune. I don’t know who first photographed children with Santa, but I’m sure the person died with a sizeable bank account. When I had my son photographed with Santa, it took several weeks to get the proofs, place the order and wait for prints. No more! With digital photography you can have your kids photographed, edit the photos on a computer, and walk out the door with prints. Santa has finally hit the jackpot! He just sets up a Santa’s House photo studio on Pioneer Courthouse Square, and thousands of other locations, and the money rolls in. It’s really sad that Matthew Brady didn’t cash in on this bonanza, and he wouldn’t have died penniless.