America | Virtually Gina

A Stroll Through Downtown Portland, Maine

April 10, 2016 by Gina Marie

After several months of having lived in the extremely suburban Jersey Shore region, a visit to this hip urban New England city felt like a breath of fresh air for my soul. I loved the silhouette created by this couple against the backdrop of an urban scene in the bright afternoon sun. Passing a children’s boutique, I was poignantly reminded that my nephew Robbie would be turning six in a few weeks and I had no idea what to get him. I took delight in the surreal effects […]

Categories: America, Architecture, Flare, Food, Mannequins, Photo Essay, Photography, Portland, Shadow, Travel, Urban • Tags: America, Architecture, Photo Journal, Photography, Portland, Travel, Urban

Boston Gallery, Version 2.0

November 10, 2015 by Gina Marie

In the early spring of 2014, I posted the original Boston Gallery. A year-and-a-half passed, and although I often intended to make another trip to Beantown, I could never seem to find the time. A few weeks ago, I finally carved time out of no time and trekked north, where I found the city as as picturesque as ever. I only wish I could have stayed longer.

Categories: America, Autumn, Autumn Colors, Boston, Massachusetts, Photography, Urban • Tags: America, Autumn, Autumn Colors, Boston, Massachusetts, Photography, Urban

My Kind Of Town . . . To Visit

March 15, 2015 by Gina Marie

That Toddling Town It was half a lifetime ago when I made my first visit to Chicago. I was 18 years old, a college freshman on a road trip to DC with a group of friends. We crashed for a night on the outskirts of America’s third largest city, and I marveled at the unfamiliar, slightly gritty, architecture and the way the buildings all seemed to crowd together. On our way out, we drove past a billboard on 1-90 which […]

Categories: America, Chicago, Memoir, Photography, Travel, Urban • Tags: America, Chicago, Memoir, Photography, Travel, Urban

Another Day in Chicago

February 26, 2015 by Gina Marie

“What do you want for Valentine’s Day, honey?” my husband Jeff asked. “A Michael Kors handbag,” I replied without batting an eyelash. “But you know, for the same amount of money, we could take a trip somewhere cool.” In the end, we settled on the latter. And by “cool,” I wasn’t kidding around. With temps in the teens for much of our trip, we had little recourse than to seek indoor activities. We visited Second City and Zanies, two well-known Chicago […]

Categories: America, Architecture, Chicago, Photo Essay, Photo Journal, Photography, Urban • Tags: America, Architecture, Chicago, Photo Essay, Photo Journal, Photography, Urban

A Day in Chicago

February 12, 2015 by Gina Marie

Although Chicago doesn’t generally top anyone’s list for travel destinations in February, I nevertheless found my spirit rejuvenated by this little trip to the (bitterly cold) Windy City. The mercury didn’t top twenty degrees Fahrenheit today, but I was too excited to care. Following are a few of my favorite shots from Day 1 of my travels. Urban Skyscape A Police Officer Dining, in Full Uniform, at XOCO Restaurant by Rick Bayless Fire Escape Cash Register at XOCO Restaurant by Rick Bayless in Near […]

Categories: America, Architecture, Chicago, Travel, Urban, Winter • Tags: America, Architecture, Chicago, Photo Journal, Photography, Travel, Urban, Winter

Al’s Breakfast: To Dine Is Sublime

February 8, 2015 by Gina Marie

A queue of people curls around the block. Are they waiting to get into some exclusive new club? No, they’re lined up to dine at Al’s Breakfast: the Minneapolis haunt that’s served the Dinkytown neighborhood for over six decades. To dine at Al’s is to experience life within the belly of a living, breathing legend. But to earn a seat here, you’ll probably have to wait. At eleven feet wide, occupying what was formerly an alleyway between two buildings, Al’s […]

Categories: America, Food, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Photography, Urban • Tags: Al's Breakfast, America, Breakfast, Diners, Dining, Food, Foodie, History, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Photography, Urban

A Day Spent in Philadelphia Is Never a Day Wasted

September 15, 2014 by Gina Marie

With its confluence of art, history, and architecture, the city of Philadelphia is a visual feast. Following are a few snapshots captured in Center City, Philadelphia, throughout the course of an early September afternoon/evening. Little Boy in a Big City Liberty Bell Doorway in Elfreth’s Alley (Oldest Street in the Nation) Life Size Chess Piece As Public Art Love’s Park Plaza Twin Cranes Near Reading Terminal The Marquee for Reading Terminal, A Year Round Indoor Farmers’ Market Construction in Olde […]

Categories: America, Architecture, Art, Life, Mural, Philadelphia, Photo Essay, Photo Journal, Photography, Urban • Tags: America, Architecture, Art, Life, Mural, Philadelphia, Photo Essay, Photo Journal, Photography, Urban

The Man in the Mural

May 18, 2014 by Gina Marie

Visiting the Adams Morgan neighborhood in Washington, D.C., one is greeted by numerous colorful buildings and several striking murals. One of these murals, stationed above the now-defunct Cafe Toulouse, portrays a mysterious and proud-looking man wearing a floppy black hat and a red scarf. Who is this fellow and what on earth is he doing so brazenly adorned upon a brick wall in America’s capital city? Come to find out, the image is a replica of an Art Nouveau portrait created by […]

Categories: America, Architecture, Art, Mural, Travel, Urban, Washington DC • Tags: America, Architecture, Aristide Bruant, Art, Mural, Toulouse Lautrec, Travel, Urban, Washington DC

Easter Sunday Along the Schuylkill River Banks

April 21, 2014 by Gina Marie

The east and west banks of the Schuylkill River are part of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park which — at 4,180 acres — is the largest landscaped park in the United States. Following are a few pictures captured on Easter Sunday along the east bank of this majestic river. Flowering trees, a sparkling blue river, bridges, and towering skyscrapers lend themselves to an aesthetically pleasing panorama. A young couple snuggles together beneath a copse of Dogwood trees in bloom. Upriver, a pre-teen […]

Categories: America, Boxers, Life, Philadelphia, Photo Essay, Photo Journal, Photography, Spring, Trees, Urban • Tags: America, Boxers, Life, Philadelphia, Photo Essay, Photo Journal, Photography, Spring, Trees, Urban