Of course, riffing on “The Wind Cries Mary”, written by Jimi Hendrix after an argument with his girlfriend. But this post is not about that — it’s about the killer wind in NYC today — extreme gusts blowing even big people around!  The wind did indeed try Mary, and everybody else…

I was making photos of the Flatiron Building, looking for some detail, angle, or view nobody has seen before, or too often. The classic shot is from the north, looking south, either from Fifth Avenue, or Broadway.  I had just left a client meeting at 20th and Fifth, and was walking towards the subway at 22nd and Park, when I decided to take a shot of the southwest corner of the Flatiron building, brightly lit by late afternoon March sun. 

It was windy, so I braced myself to take the picture with my iPhone.  As I leaned back, a gust of wind hit me so hard that I almost fell on my back, and left me staggering to recover my balance! I laughed (what else could I do?) and looked around at all the people on Fifth Avenue and 22nd Street, dealing with the wind as I was. Hair was flying, coats flapping, briefcases twirling, people wobbling, angry looks at the sky, smiles, laughter, and heads-shaking with disbelief at the wind’s force! I imagined there was at least one person named Mary among them, and that’s how this post got its title.

After recovering my equilibrium, and taking in the scene, I glanced skyward myself. A fast-moving cloud was racing along with purpose, directly above and parallel to the 21st street corridor, as if following someone on the street. I grabbed the shot as the cloud reached the center point between the four buildings at 21st and Fifth.

Anyway, if the title of this post gave you a hankering for Jimi Hendrix and “The Wind Cries Mary” then go find it on YouTube to watch him play it live. The video version I originally found and posted here, was “Live at Monterey” but it was removed due to a copyright violation (Jimi’s estate?). Too bad, it was a great version. And yes, it looks like Jimi was chewing gum during the whole song…  🙂

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mk II DSLR (full-frame)
Photographer: Russ Murray aka “remages“
Subject(s): Looking up at buildings, sky and clouds.
Location: Flatiron District, New York City

©russ murray