Fordham.

I suspect that the only Fordham that most readers of this blog are familiar with is New York's Jesuit university. However, some readers are aware that Fordham is also the name of the Bronx neighborhood that is home to the eponymous university's oldest campus. Like the Bronx in general, the Fordham neighborhood has struggled quite a lot over the last forty years. The first photo shown above, taken inside the Fordham Road station of the MTA's IND Concourse Line, offers a poignant reminder of the neighborhood's decline - as well as the signs of decay visible in many New York subway stations. Even with some of the original tiles broken or missing, the bright blue and white walls of the Fordham Road station recall the glory of bygone days.

Still one of the busiest thoroughfares in New York, Fordham Road remains a vibrant business district despite the many struggles that area residents have gone through in the last few decades (and continue to go through today). In the middle photo, the vivid colors of the sky, the clouds, and the sheen of reflected light on wet pavement all point to the beauty that layers of grit and decades of urban blight can't entirely eradicate. On a day-to-day basis, I often fail to notice the beauty that is really present in the Fordham neighborhood, and photos like this one remind me to be more attentive to - and appreciative of - the area where I live and study.

The final photo in this set was taken on the Fordham campus; the building reflected in the puddle is Faber Hall, a former Jesuit residence that now contains university offices and classrooms. I took this photo simply because I liked the way the elements that it contains fit together. On the left, the building's reflection seems tailor-made to fit into the space offered by the puddle, while on the right the reflection seems to vanish into the brick. I don't know what else to say about this, except that I like taking pictures like this one. Hopefully, some readers enjoy looking at them as well. AMDG.