This is the second of two posts on the Pope Francis’s visit to New York City in September, 2015. Part 1 can be found here.

So after four hours on line we finally got to security. I thought it would be something like airport security, but it was a bit simpler (e.g. didn’t have to remove shoes or belts) and didn’t take as long. After security we waited a further 15-20 minutes. And then there he was: the man himself in his Popemobile. He approached…and then he’d gone. I think we saw him for about a minute, just about long enough to grab a few pictures. After that we fought our way through the crowds, walked a bit to a somewhat more distant subway station and caught a train to Grand Central. Our train back home was leaving in less that 10 minutes and we were home by about 8:00pm. A round trip of around eight hours to see the Pope for one minute. Was it worth it? Well my wife certainly thought so and if I’m being honest so did I. He seems to be quite a remarkable human being and I’m glad I got to see him in person. And I like his smile.

Photographically I wished I’d taken a longer lens. The problem with a longer lens though was that it would also have meant a bigger and heavier camera and lens and I’m not sure that I would have wanted to carry that weight while waiting on line for four hours. So maybe I don’t wish I’d taken a longer lens. I like the depth in the first picture with the arm in the foreground, the Pope in the middle, and the woman in the tree in the background. I like his expression in the second one and in the third one he almost seems to be looking directly at me. Maybe not great pictures but nice souvenirs to share with friends and family.