New York City

Walking through Fort Tryon Park to the hidden away treasures of the Met Cloisters Museum.

A medieval crucifix dating back to 1150-1220 C.E from the Castile-León region of Spain. Christ's demeanor relays a sense of serenity (unlike later versions focusing on his agony) implying his victory over death. [1]

One can find calm in this serene courtyard in the Cloisters - tucked away from the hustle and noise - where breathing in the fresh air and strolling through the serenity will transport you to a simpler time.

Moments of respite are few and far between in NYC. Sometimes waiting on the train and commuting to one's next job or appointment are the only moments in the day that one can escape for a brief while.

Looking out at the horizon hidden behind structures reaching out to the sky.

Brooklyn Bridge is the perfect place to see the confluence of two opposing forces: tourists and locals. Locals biking their way to and from Manhattan blare their way through the ambling crowds of tourists who manage to spill over onto the bike lane because... tourists.

People profess their loves in various ways. Some decide to place locks in unreachable places like this girder on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Spiraling upwards the ramp makes its way to the Planetarium inside the Rose Center for Earth and Space. Inside a spectacular show embarks the audience onto a journey through the cosmos.

The Hayden Planetarium is surrounded by scale models of planets. Its depiction is the scaled model of the sun. [2]
Washington D.C.

The reflection of Washington Monument shimmers in the still waters of the pool.

A mini BMX rider doing a wheelie while the rest of his crew try out their own antics around the Dupont Circle fountain.

The underground metro in Washington D.C. The modernist architecture exudes an aura of bureaucratic indifference towards its subjects: the somber colors and the lofty arched roof demands servility through its muted grandeur.

A scaled version (1:5) of the Hubble Space Telescope housed at the National Air and Space Museum. The telescope has been operational since 1990 being the first of its kind to be placed in spa. Since then it has made over 1.3 million observations and aided in numerous understandings of our universe. By late 2018 It shall be succeeded by the James Webb Space Telescope. [3]

The Apollo-Soyuz Mission was a joint mission between the USSR and US space programs which launched on July 15, 1975. The intent was to show harmony between the two Cold War players by docking the two spacecrafts whilst in orbit and conducting scientific experiments together. [4]

Lincoln's Memorial stares out onto the promenade in the late hours of the night when tourists lumber off to bed, allowing the area to take on an air of reverential calm.


The stained glass of the Washington National Cathedral providing a palette for the entering light, infusing the somber grey interior with color... and life.

A mural at the Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea depicting the burial of Jesus in the presence of St. Joseph. According to the crucifixion story St. Joseph donated the tomb he had bought for himself. [5]


Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington Cemetery where services for fallen soldiers are carried out. [6]
Boston

The Old North Church steeple as viewed from the Paul Revere Mall.

Smoke rises through the glass chimney etched with thousands of numbers remembering the lives that were lost at the death camps in World War II. 6 chimneys rise out of the ground at the Boston Holocaust Memorial symbolizing the 6 million Jews who were killed at 6 of the concentration camps during 6 terrible years (1939-1945)when the 'Final Solution' was enacted on the Jews of Europe. [7]

Montreal
References
[1] http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/35.36a,b/
[2] http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/rose-center-for-earth-and-space/scales-of-the-universe/size-scales-of-the-universe
[3] https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/model-15-hubble-space-telescope
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo%E2%80%93Soyuz_Test_Project
[5] https://www.washingtonian.com/2007/09/01/mysteries-of-the-washington-national-cathedral/
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_Memorial_Amphitheater
[7] http://www.nehm.org/the-memorial/design-of-the-memorial/