ABOUT THIS PHOTO:
All Photos taken with Canon Rebel T5i w/18-135mm Lens
I suspect that along with the Great Seal on Mount Trashmore, this has got to be one of the most photographed things in the city. I’ve certainly taken more photos of this guy than should be considered normal, and there’s a good reason for it. He takes on a different quality depending on the angle, the weather, the light, the background, and his age. He’s been there since 2005, and I swear he gets better as time goes on.
When I was a younger man, this piece of land Neptune stands on was originally the site of Seaside Amusement Park until it got knocked down. It was going to be a hotel until the citizens said no. My Senior year of High School we staged a walkout and walked to 31st Street to ‘Save Our Sun’. If they had put a hotel here, it would have completely closed off the view all along Atlantic Avenue. Cooler heads prevailed, and it became a park alongside the Hotel that ended up being built next to it.
I think he’s beautiful, and I love to sit on the benches across from him and be quiet for a while and watch him age gracefully through the salt, sand, and spray.