There’s something magical about New York City. The busy sidewalks, the towering buildings, the sense that you can be anyone you want to be. A feeling of boundless hope. The city buzzes with energy, a rhythm all its own. But tucked inside of this busy metropolis are moments of calm and quiet. During our recent visit to New York City, I stumbled upon moments of both. And I found beauty in each of them.
Welcome to New York
I wasn’t expecting to love New York City. I know, I know. It sounds terrible to say that. But growing up in a small town in the midwest, it wasn’t really spoken about fondly. But my curiosity for the city that never sleeps never wavered nonetheless. And I fell hard for NYC. Zach and I have traveled a lot and I can genuinely tell you that my favorite thing to do is take a walk with my camera. With no real destination in mind, just a sense of exploration and an excitement to see new things. And there is nowhere better to do that than in a new city, especially NYC.
One morning, Zach and I laced up our shoes and walked as far as we could. We started at The New York Public Library and walked all the way down 5th avenue to Washington Square Park and Soho. As we were walking, we stumbled upon the Financial District. And then we headed to lower Manhattan where we watched the sunset from the Battery, the Statue of Liberty sparkling against the bay. We even made sure to ride the Sea Glass Carousel, which was hands down one of my favorite experiences in my entire life.
Our trip included many iconic New York experiences and some that I swear were meant just for us. I was able to meet my sweet friend Francesca at Angelina’s where we shared some of the most decadent treats I’ve ever had. I met with Sophie, an incredible NYC based photographer who taught at the workshop I attended in Italy last fall. We enjoyed brunch and then she took me to her favorite Sunday morning antique market. We made new friends sitting next to us at restaurants and park benches.
Broadway
For the first part of our trip, we stayed in Midtown. Our hotel’s location was ideal, a few blocks away from Central Park and just off Broadway. In fact, Zach surprised me with tickets to see Moulin Rouge at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Our seats were incredible and we were blown away by the creativity and talent of the show. Experiencing a Broadway musical is reason enough to visit NYC all its own, but with a few days left in our trip it set the tone for the rest of our time in the city.
Brooklyn
The second part of our trip, our friends Sara and Nate let us stay in their beautiful Brooklyn apartment while they were out of town. This was such a treasure for us because after a long day out, it felt so nice to come back to a place that felt more like home. And the cherry on top? We got to take care of their sweet kitty, Jovi! We loved walking through Brooklyn Bridge Park, after stopping at Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory.
Central Park
One of our favorite ways to begin our mornings was with coffee al fresco. With Central Park just a few blocks away for the first part of our trip, we found ourselves here a few times. One night we grabbed salads and just sat on the famous benches of Central Park soaking it all in. On our next visit to Central Park we explored as much as we could. Zach and I found the Balto statue and thought of our very own husky girls back home. We walked through the mall and saw Bethesda Terrace and I thought about how much I’d love to photograph an engagement session there at sunrise. After walking down the stairs, we stopped at the edge of the lake to watch the rowboats, and to our surprise, the hundreds of turtles swimming near the shore. We took our time and loved every second of it.
