It has been a while. In fact, almost four years since I wrote in this blog. Life and, well everything, got in the way, so I have a lot of catching up to do on here. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing photos from trips that I’ve taken during my absence, even though my photography style and eye have changed quite a bit. I debated as to whether I should share these photos, despite my developing tastes, but I figured what good is it if I take photos that are never seen. So here they are.
In July of 2018, Lai was invited to a work event in New York City. Her company paid for her flights and a hotel for a long weekend, and so I figured I’d buy a red eye and join her. I was last in NYC in August of 2005 as a sophomore in high school, so I was eager to return and to see The City as an adult. It was on that trip that I learned a red eye is the worst possible way to travel.
Theoretically, leaving San Francisco at 10:30pm to arrive in NYC at 6:30am would give me five hours of sleep, accounting for the time difference. Theoretically. I didn’t sleep a wink, either due to excitement for the trip or due to the pressure of needing to sleep in order to function the next day. I arrived in NYC bleary-eyed and desperate for bed. That said, I had been planning to capture the cliche shot of the Manhattan Bridge from DUMBO, Brooklyn, and that opportunity fueled a rather manic David to drag his suitcase and camera through those streets to take the photo.
After photoing some iconic spots in Brooklyn, I immediately headed for our hotel room in Manhattan, somehow convincing the concierge that I was Lai’s fiance and that I should be allowed access to her room. In retrospect, that was probably a mistake on the concierge’s part. I collapsed in my travel clothes (shoes may or may not have been removed) onto the bed and immediately fell into a deep sleep.
I woke up a few hours later, miserable, hungry, and without any sense of the day or time. Forced out of bed by my grumbling stomach, I left the hotel with camera in hand and walked across Manhattan in search of a perfect slice of pizza. I settled for the first restaurant I found and, well, it was decent.
Over the next few days, we explored Manhattan and I was reintroduced to The City as a grownup. It was a fascinating experience; in 2005, the World Trade Center was still rubble and the people had not yet healed. 13 years on and there was a beautiful new icon in One World Trade Center and an extremely haunting museum at the site of the Twin Towers. NYC is a wonderful city, and I am eager to return, though this time I like to explore more than just Manhattan and DUMBO. As amazing at it is, however, I like to view it from afar. It’s a great city to visit, but not one I could ever live in. Though perhaps a few more slices could convince me.
