Visiting New York City

Do you ever just feel like you’ve loved a place so much before even visiting, that when you finally visit, it almost feels like you’re already familiar?

I had this experience when I first visited Seattle [you can see that trip HERE] and then again when traveling to see New York City for the first time last year in October.

My friend, who once lived in California, now a resident of New York City became my tour guide for the 2 days that I was there. Can I just begin by bragging about her? I MEAN….if it wasn’t for her, I don’t believe that I would have experienced NYC the same way. She asked me a ton of questions about what mattered most to me and what I was dying to see. My list went a little like this:

Brooklyn Bridge is on the top of my MUST SEE list!

I’ve got to see my wedding clients and take their family portraits while there. Since they live within walking distance to Central Park…Central Park is a MUST! I’ll take their photos there.

My son is dying to see NYC, so his only request was that I take a great photo of the Statue of Liberty.

I would love to ride a taxi in NYC and have cheese pizza.

Just like that, she guided me to experience everything on my list in the timeframe that I was there PLUS MORE!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Day 1.

It was a beautiful day full of so much vibrancy. Beginning with arriving on site after being dropped off in a thriving area of NYC and meeting my friend at Starbucks where loud techno music as playing at 7am. To walking into the dream apartment of my clients just walking distance from the beautiful Central Park. Central Park…..oh my…..it was such a dream. It was like walking around every romantic movie scene you’ve ever seen. Or the type of movie scene where a person is running carefree with their headphones on and the view of the city skyscrapers reflecting on the water. It was blissful. Walking onsight to the Brooklyn Bridge is something I’ll never forget…EVER! It was just as I imagined it. It inspired me, it made me feel alive and it almost awaked so many dreams as I looked around. My friend was so patient with me as I urged her to allow me to take every several inches in through two different perspectives, my eyes and feelings, and my lens. She did. She just watched me and smiled and laughed as I turned into a little girl full of wonder. I was in awe to say the least. I took in every angle that I could…literally I did. Left, right, up, down…all of it. I’m so glad that I did. We even went through it and then experienced it from a distance. Finally, we ended the night having the pizza experience of movies. Not kidding…we waited in line to a pizza place called Grimaldi’s . While we waited in line, this big bald italian man was speaking to us and I wish that you could’ve heard him. It was legit like the movies. He even joked and said that if I took video of him he’d have to get paid because he’s been on film. I believed him 100% because he looked like characters I’ve seen. Anyway, my husband’s only request was that I have NYC cheese pizza on his behalf. I was not allowed to add any toppings. The pizza, and the experience, did not disappoint!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Day 2:

So much happened on day 2. I feel like this is where I got the Manhattan experience and everything in between. I felt as though I was walking through movie sets. Everything was so aesthetically right up my alley and the way things felt and sounded, made me feel like I was getting exactly what I came to NYC to see. We rode a ferry boat and from there I was able to get the shots my son requested, I almost lost my lashes on that boat! Lol. We also could see Jersey from there. We made our way around Wall Street, West Village, Chelsea Market, High Line and ended our day experiencing Top of the Rock. We had the best tacos right there just standing off the side of the street. Rode several subways up until this point. I experienced so much and looked into the eyes of several people as I thought about the stories of Humans of New York.

In Conclusion:

I’m grateful that I got to experience NYC before the pandemic. I know that so much of what makes that city thrive is not the same. I’m so happy I got to experience some of the most epic areas that I’ve been dying to experience. I actually walked away with so much and I know that I only got a tiny tiny taste of what NYC represents. I hope to return after things get back to a new type of normal, meanwhile I’ll continue to live the experience through these memories!

I shared a little video recap on my IGTV…you can find that HERE.

Let me know if you took the time to check out this blog! Here are a few ways you can let me know if this is something you enjoyed.

PIN on Pinterest if this is an experience you want to take later on!

Screenshot a photo or moment from this blog and share it on your stories and tag me [@rubizphoto] so that I can see what you’ve shared.

Thank you again….Cheers to traveling a little more once all of this is over! -Rubi Z