I love New York City.  I never went in as a kid so when I graduated college and got my first job in the city I was terrified.  All those streets and taxis, rushing people. How do I hail a cab? How do I get ona subway? Oh forget about the subway! The job was at 34th and Madison.  Where the heck was I going!  My Dad showed me how to get around. He told me which direction the avenues went and which direction the streets went.  I still get it confused.  But I did it and I survived. When I had kids one of the things I wanted for them was to not be afraid of the city. I wanted them to know all the ins and outs and not just the 10 blocks from grand central to their first job out of college.  

The great writer Pete Hamill says it best here: "The wanderer in Manhattan must go forth with a certain innocence, because New York is best seen with innocent eyes. It doesn't matter if you are younger or old. Reading our rich history makes the experience more layered, but it is not a substitute for walking the streets themselves. For old-timer or newcomer, it is essential to absorb the city as it is now in order to shape your own nostalgias. That's why I always urge the newcomer to surrender to the city's magic... Listen to its music and its legends. Gaze at its ruins and monuments. Walk its sidewalks and run fingers upon the stone and bricks and steel of our right-angled streets."” 

I have made a really great friend in the photography community.  Her name is Colleen Putman. She's the talent that is Colleen Putman Photography.  She is just lovely and my kind of person: kind, patient, fun and open to anything! My kids call her "Mommy's friend who lives in the city"....they are crazy about her!  We just recently went out on a second excursion with her in the city.  It was amazing...Top of the Rock, Lego Store, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Times Square.  A lot of laughs, a little origami and good conversation were had in between destinations!!  Thank you for an amazing day Colleen and we can't wait to meet up with you again really soon!!!

The start of our journey, waiting for the train...

It was bone chilling cold....

Waiting in Grand Central for Colleen.

A little lost heart...

You spend a lot of time looking up when you are New York City.

The viewing machines used to be where people looked to see the view, now they catch a glimpse of themselves at the top of the Rock. The viewing machines look confused....

Photo bomber....

Colleen is an "origami master"! She taught us how to make these!

Atlas, a man with a lot one his shoulders...

Church World vs. Corporate World

Stain Glass Light

Lego man in St. Patrick's...

Times Square shenanigans...

Mixed messages....

The ride home...

I got caught on camera...his pic is on Instagram...

This blog is part of a a blog circle! Please be sure to click through to see my neighbor, the amazing Nicki Bosch Photography, to see how she spent her 30 minutes this month. Knock here.