I went to the center of United States' fast forward lifestyle, a city where you either walk or be killed. Its a fact that New York City is a hit or miss place for people, but for me it was a grand slam.
It was my first time to the city that gave Frank Sinatra his inspiration, and the country heartbreak on September 11th 2001. My itinerary was perfect I planned on spending two to three days with my Dad hitting all the major sites and then celebrating my 22nd birthday with my friend Dillon. Dillon had recently moved to NYC from Los Angeles, but had various friend who made the New York nightlife their area of expertise.
My Dad and I had a great time. We touched on our roots in Little Italy, received tickets to a Letterman taping, stayed warm with some cocktails, and saw how small the Big Apple looks from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building. I hadn't really gone on a trip with my Dad in about two or three years so it was awesome to spend some time with him and explore. We are really the same kind of travelers in my opinion. We like to get the most done in the shortest amount of time, but with no real agenda.
He flew home and then Dillon joined me in my hotel room in the heart of Times Square. The two of us rang in my birthday drinking 7 and 7's in Christmas Sweaters. We explored some magnificent dive bars and saw Ghostland Observatory live. Overall it was a wonderful trip despite the cold weather, with which I discovered my California bred skin did not blend well.
I found a few things fascinating about New York City. The first is that is residents seem to have some sort of spark in their veins, whether that be ambition or independence I am not sure, but I noticed a major difference than laid back California attitude. The people of New York seem to be darting from one appointment to another on the NYC Transit system, but at the end of the day have remaining energy to grab a beer and watch their Knicks play. Dillon and I met some hairdressers who were originally from all over the U.S. but came to the city to live the fast paced life. Their feedback, "New York is the greatest city on Earth." I would beg to differ being all over Europe, but I found this city bares great similarity to various major European cities. New York is the definition of the melting pot concept. My Dad and I went to Starbucks to grab a coffee. Literally no one sitting around us was speaking English, we heard French, Spanish and some other undecipherable languages. Some people would find this aggravating but I found it entrancing that so many different backgrounds could unite on one small overpopulated island. My end result being New York teased me and left me wanting a lot more. I hope to return soon.
Here are some pictures I shot while sight seeing and a video from the Ghostland Observatory show Dillon and I attended on the night of my birthday:
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