Showing posts with label Asian Trade Center. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Asian Trade Center. Show all posts

Saturday, July 9, 2016

A Journey Down Harry Hines Boulevard

Many of you will not know, or care, about Harry Hines Boulevard in Dallas. It is totally unique for a number of reasons. It's wholesale stores. It's also Trading Companies, fashion stores, jewelry stores, fragrance stores, convenience store wholesalers, bazaars, handbag shops, rugs, smoke shops,  army stores, Sam Moon complex, cell phones, electronics, tires, and if that isn't enough, it runs right across its own cousin, The Asia Trading District.

If you did a mileage check, from start to finish, Eight miles might be a good round number, but it changes from week to week; never shortening and generally growing. It's one of those things where I don't need to  go inside any of the stores. I'm trying to get rid of things rather than buying more. The main reason, however, is that the signs, displays and physical decor of the building is where the camera gets a work out. Sometimes, it gets a bit of a challenge because of how the stores are arranged to the centerline of the street. In other words, zoning. I shoot from public right-a-ways and stay off private property. That's something you learn early on about not having your images in an editorial class. Still, the trip is like a carnival atmosphere, especially on the week ends. The ethnic bazaars, Hispanic, in particular, is like a mall within a mall.The outer mall being Harry Hines Boulevard.

 When I am out and about shooting, I make a note of things I see that I try to come back to later and check it out in more detail. Today, one item got checked off the list before I got sidetracked. The funeral coaches have begun to move up and down the expressways concerning the Friday night shootings in downtown of  five policemen. Four from Dallas Police. One from Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

As I drove past a local funeral home today, there were signs out in front that said, "Police Parking".  Just another reminder that this past weeks event took place just a couple of blocks from another day when shots rang out in downtown. It was 1963. There were two caskets and two funeral coaches then..Yes, we can't forget that Office Tippit, badge 848, was also gunned down when President Kennedy was shot. This time, it will take 5 funeral coaches to move and bury the remains of Dallas' Protectors. That is enough.

Today, as I started to mention, I was sidetracked for a bit watching the two helicopters  hovering over the Trinity River waiting for a funeral coach to carry the remains of one of those five officers to his home town, outside Dallas. When I first saw the choppers, I knew that they were waiting for a body to be moved. It's just one of those feelings you get inside after such events. Seeing the parking signs for police outside one funeral home probably was a mental precurser to knowing instinctively that most likely that was what they were looking for.

I'm glad I had the mental refresh. That's why I like Harry Hines Boulevard. Sometimes, I'll go downtown via Harry Hines because for me, it's a brain De-Stress type thing. Yesterday, shooting out side the Dallas Police Headquarters at the memorial for the officers lost, getting the images edited and up to the live news editors,  I was one of  six that had images running on the live news feed this morning. Still, the mental state required something refreshing today. I turned to Harry Hines for that refresh mode. And, as expected it even brought a chuckle later in the day, which I really needed.
I actually find humor in this sign. Kind of like a Rodney Dangerfield type humor. I can hear his dryness, What's he selling? Nickles?

One of two air beaters  waiting to pick up an escorted funeral coach transporting one of the five deceased  Dallas Policemen.



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