3/19/07 Positive experience with ties to Costco.

Obviously I was out for the Whalejet Monday when I hooked up with Matt Celmer, Ron Peel, Jakub Sulima and Stu who is a new addition to this site. After shooting some 22R Departures we all met up in front of the Duane Reade in the Boston Market lot to stage and get ready to run up Rockaway to either my suicide spot or Inwood depending on the runway used. As I pulled in there was a traffic stop just outside the lot which seeemd out of the ordinary since 3 cruisers were there and the car was towed, after the fact two of them pulled in the corner of the lot to BS. As they were leaving one pulled by and asked us if we were there for the double decker. Which I said yes, he is a NCPD officer that I have had two encounters with, both positive. He asked where we going for its arrival. At this point I got a call from someone who was 99 percent sure it was 22L but we had the radios on and were trying to listen so I told him "up the road somewhere depending on what runway". (The rumor of a special 31L arrival for the 380 was still in my mind. Surprisingly he said we could be there even though we were on private property because Duane Reade is not operating there anymore but made reference to Costco as being a spot we should avoid since people get nervous and remember 9/11 when they see us spotting. Ron may remember exactly the wording he used, I don't since I was in A380 mode and getting itchy to find out where we were going to shoot it.

I am not going to say we should never go to Costco but I feel we should use some common sense there. One thing I will say is that some here have raised the fisherman as a way to tell Costco we can stay there if asked to leave. This couldn't be further from the truth. The NCPD officer also alluded to the fact that they only check us out when they get called from worried people who don't understand what we are doing. It has NOTHING to do with anyone fishing there or the fact you have a Costco card. If we continue to enter the store to challenge the manager, which has been done already or try to plead our case instead of leaving if asked to do so we run a high risk of getting kicked out of there for good and having photography forbidden. Which trust me they can do. If you are asked to leave by anyone I suggest you do it promptly. It's nothing personal and much like IKEA at EWR you can return after you let things die down for a bit.

Avoiding big groups in which everyone stands outside their cars with their cameras hanging around their neck during certain periods is a good idea as well. If something warrants it i.e the 707 we shot last Dec or something along the same lines is one thing but to just shoot B6 and RJs for 3 hours while drawing attention during a busy shopping period to yourself is foolish. It has nothing to do with how an individual enjoys this hobby or not. You are on private property and that is the bottom line. If you are at Howard Beach or Bayswater it would be a different story. Again just because Costco lets the fisherman enjoy their pastime means nothing. When you own something you reserve the right to do anything you want and they can. If we are making patrons nervous and the fisherman are not Costco is going to react. I don't agree with it but its the way it is.

Also newbies should seek advice outside the forum as to these shooting locations. There are plenty of people here that can point you in the right direction and give you tips on how to be able to shoot something without incident.

I have shot in Costco after the Xmas incident as well as other private lots not including Firestone and been able to remain doing so but using a little common sense and not overdoing it. A little common sense goes a long way to keeping Costco happy and being able to shoot there.