Coffee And No Cigarettes

DSCF0239FUJIFILM X-T1 (23mm, f/2, 1/80 sec, ISO200)

The first day we stayed in Las Vegas to relax, to do some shopping and ultimately to truly arrive here. Today we travel too fast. We enter a plane and a couple of movies later we are on a different continent.

Our bodies arrive but our heads need a little longer to realize that we are finally here. OK that sounds weird but I doubt I would be able to say it any better in German. A cloudless sky, oversized cars and palm trees help to understand that we are not at home anymore.

DSCF0243FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/5, 1/640 sec, ISO200)
DSCF0244FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/8, 1/280 sec, ISO200)
DSCF0248FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/6.4, 1/280 sec, ISO200)

First we went to a shopping mall outside but we were not in the mood for shopping. So we tried a second shopping center closer to the city where we strolled around a little. It was designed like a small town but in a rather bizarre Mediterranean style. If you were early you could even park you car on the street right in front of a shop.

My favorite shot is still the one of the parking garage. I love its clear lines and there is no car, no person, no sign of any life in the picture. And I like the stark contrast and powerful colors thanks to VSCOs Velvia preset I start to use for almost all my shots.

The last picture shows our car. I wanted to rent an SUV but there was none available so I ended up in a Buick Enclave. An Audi Q7 like car with a 3.6 liter V6 with 288 hp. The smallest car and smallest engine I ever rented when in America. I hoped to get the new Jeep Grand Cherokee but the Buick Enclave was a very nice car too. Very comfortable and quiet.

All those street shots have one thing in common: there are no people! They are either in their cars or in the shops hiding from the sun and the heat. I never realized that before as much as in this trip: the South West of the USA is mostly about emptiness. This and that nobody smokes anymore. I quit smoking many years ago and I appreciate to dine in a none smoking restaurant but in the USA it’s almost unreal. It seems that the last smokers must hide somewhere in caves. It’s coffee and no cigarettes.

DSCF0252FUJIFILM X-T1 (14mm, f/3.2, 1/850 sec, ISO200)