54
B+WNEW YORK AT LAST
A two thousand mile round road trip on a Harley Davidson brings Roderick Field
back to the Big Apple. It’s time to feel the ground beneath his feet...and go in
search of the sights and sounds – and the pictures.
From the only
window, a blank
brick wall stares
back, just a yard
away. The air
conditioning
rumbles and creaks
like an old aircraft
warming up for taxi. On the street below, the
asphalt steams and sweats under the edging
tension of bumper to bumper traffic. Horns
blare and drivers yell in the sultry night.
Three in the morning, downtown New York,
Sunday. Our first night in the Big Apple.
The plan was to follow in the footsteps ofthe great observers from Kerouac to Robert
Frank, documenting the American Road trip
as they each snaked across the land, snapping
and scribbling while making progress one
diner at a time. We chose a loop from New
York City, up through New England, on to
Montreal and Niagara Falls and finally back
round to the metropolis again. My twist
on the theme was to explore the routes and
highways from the vantage point of a big
fat Harley Davidson with my 18-year-old
daughter, Maud, taking residence in the
sumptuous pillion seat. I had visions of
shacks and motels, endless roads converging
in the distance, characters and style all-American. The reality, though, soon stepped
in: 2,000 miles hard motorcycling relegated
photography to a poor cousin as the sheer
windblown experience swept away any desire
to record or interpret the trip. By the plodding
rhythm of the V-twin engine, the demand
became clear – be here now, in this moment.
It was with some sense of relief then to
check into a SoHo hotel at the end of our
trip’s Chapter 1, park up the bike and know
we might be still a while. The pace would
now be dictated by our earthbound feet as
we settled in and made ready to wander the
wilds of NYC with big eyes and the camera
at last to hand.All images © Roderick FieldINSPIRATION
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