Pops of Colour – Downtown Nassau Walking Tour
What a great morning spent exploring on my Downtown Nassau Walking Tour! Just when you think you know somewhere really well you end up finding a few new nuggets and this is why I love having the time to get out and about with my camera in hand. Being the “city” of our 21 x 7 mile island, there’s always a lot going on downtown Nassau – tons of colour, hordes of energetic people, a plethor of activities – it can oftentimes be a bit overwhelming as well as frustrating for a photographer looking to extricate people from those iconic images. I suggest you just exercise a little patience, find a bench under a tree or sit on the wall along the wharf, and just observe… take the blinders off and see everything through a fresh lens. It’s great to include people in city tour images as people really are what keeps the city going.
Painted on the walls of the Pompey Museum of Slavery and Emancipation (below) you’ll find some eye-catching murals that really just draw you in. In the 1760’s this historical site functioned as a central market where just about everything was sold, including slaves. In the early 20th century the building became the post office and telephone company and then transitioned into the electric company. “In 1992, Vendue House was restored and outfitted as a public museum. The Pompey Museum of Slavery and Emancipation, named for Pompey, a slave who raised a revolt against unfair conditions on the Rolle Plantation, on the island of Exuma. The museum is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the experience of the enslaved throughout the ages, particularly transatlantic slavery and its aftermath in The Bahamas” (https://ammcbahamas.com/pompey-museum/).
When you approach the Western end of Bay Street it’s hard to miss this iconic building that sits at the entrance to Pompey Square, one of Nassau’s open, public spaces. Make some time to browse the museum when you are next in the Bay Street area. I’m actually long overdue for a visit!
Chaos – people, signs, cars….everywhere.
I passed this store (and many like it!) as I cruised up and down the harbourside and finally decided that I had to capture an image of it. The colours really popped and it speaks to the amount of t-shirt shops and other Bahamas branded paraphernalia that seem to make up our downtown area these days.
And this was its neighboring shop…
I loved watching the artist below as he expressed himself on canvas, oblivious to the visitors walking past him. Interestingly, when he finished a piece he tossed it cavalierly to the ground and started on the next one. He had such an intriguing face and a cool character about him – I hope to sit down with him next time I’m in town so that I can learn about his story.
A group of teens that seemed to take over downtown Nassau on this particular day.
It took a minute to figure out they were all signing in to a wi-fi hotspot!! These teens were everywhere, glued to their phones at all the hotspot areas I came across. I just couldn’t help but grab a few pics.
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