New York City
The city that never sleeps. the big apple. or {thank you Jay-Z} "the concrete jungle where dreams are made of."
What is it about New York? I grew up a brief hour-ish bus ride from this city and spent many a weekend trailing behind my Baba as we made our way from Bloomingdales to Saks to Lord and Taylor to Saint Patrick's Cathedral to Rockefeller Center to Broadway to Rumplemeyers to the Plaza Hotel to FAO Schwartz to Times Square to Carnegie Deli and back. This was my childhood. This kind of travel, this exposure to culture and to places outside of the comfort of my eastern PA world, helped form me into the person I am today. In other words, my grandmother is the reason travel is my drug of choice. And New York City is where it all began.
Going back to the city as an adult I appreciated it from a completely different perspective. Gone is the child who used to tap dance on the stairs of the Sheraton hotel, wishing she was Shirley Temple. In her place is a grown woman, though perhaps with no less desire for attention, certainly with more appreciation for a) what things cost and b) the benefit of having someone with me who knows her way around (yes, that's you Misty, thank GOD you were there because letmejusttellyou that I would still be wandering the streets, alone, with my camera and my very heavy 70-200VR that you made me buy). But I digress.
Taking it one step further, seeing the city through the lens is also a new experience for me. Because while I have been back several times through the years, this was really and truly the first time I'd had a "real" camera with me. And with a slew of lenses at my disposal, I didn't know where to look first, or which lens to use, or where to stop in the event that one step in any direction would result in my getting run over {splat} by a mad cabbie. Just try to follow the erratic pattern of my brain as you view the pics. Up, down, all around, fisheye, zoom, wide angle oh my. And let's not even talk about why I cannot decide if NYC looks better in color, sepia, black and white or some other funky hue.
Let's face it - this is the stuff dreams are made of, in any color, through any lens, and at any age. Enjoy!
What is it about New York? I grew up a brief hour-ish bus ride from this city and spent many a weekend trailing behind my Baba as we made our way from Bloomingdales to Saks to Lord and Taylor to Saint Patrick's Cathedral to Rockefeller Center to Broadway to Rumplemeyers to the Plaza Hotel to FAO Schwartz to Times Square to Carnegie Deli and back. This was my childhood. This kind of travel, this exposure to culture and to places outside of the comfort of my eastern PA world, helped form me into the person I am today. In other words, my grandmother is the reason travel is my drug of choice. And New York City is where it all began.
Going back to the city as an adult I appreciated it from a completely different perspective. Gone is the child who used to tap dance on the stairs of the Sheraton hotel, wishing she was Shirley Temple. In her place is a grown woman, though perhaps with no less desire for attention, certainly with more appreciation for a) what things cost and b) the benefit of having someone with me who knows her way around (yes, that's you Misty, thank GOD you were there because letmejusttellyou that I would still be wandering the streets, alone, with my camera and my very heavy 70-200VR that you made me buy). But I digress.
Taking it one step further, seeing the city through the lens is also a new experience for me. Because while I have been back several times through the years, this was really and truly the first time I'd had a "real" camera with me. And with a slew of lenses at my disposal, I didn't know where to look first, or which lens to use, or where to stop in the event that one step in any direction would result in my getting run over {splat} by a mad cabbie. Just try to follow the erratic pattern of my brain as you view the pics. Up, down, all around, fisheye, zoom, wide angle oh my. And let's not even talk about why I cannot decide if NYC looks better in color, sepia, black and white or some other funky hue.
Let's face it - this is the stuff dreams are made of, in any color, through any lens, and at any age. Enjoy!
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