In March I turned 30, and that's apparently some kind of milestone. So to celebrate, my partner Wade and I headed to the concrete jungle. I had been to New York in 2014 but looking back, I don't feel like I really got out of it what I should or could have.
This time around, I was traveling with a person who loves everything that I do. Who also enjoyed walking out the door each morning and having only the most skeletal of plans, shopping and being a little careless with money because "babe when are we ever going to be in New York again" (Wade), a bloody good cocktail, strong coffee first thing in the morning, and spending hours upon hours getting lost with camera in hand. Granted, Wade's photogenicity really started to get fucking annoying by the end of the trip (seriously, some people just have it in front of the lens – and that is 100% not me in this twosome) but I think some of the moments we captured are worth sharing. So I hope you like this visual blog post of our 2 week vacay.
So get this, Wade has never seen snow. Sure, I've only ever experienced it a handful of times during the token school snow trips, but when your first (and second) love is surfing, you generally go in search of waves on beautiful faraway islands for half of what it costs to go on a weekend trip to Jindabyne. We booked this trip 6 months out – knowing full well it would be cold but not at all expecting to see any snow, so when a blizzard swept through the East Coast days before our scheduled arrival, we were fortunate to experience Manhattan (namely Central Park) blanketed in white.
And then there was this day. We were walking along fifth avenue, flipping off Trump Tower as we passed it and then this happened. It was magic and it was a first for both of us.
Our hotel was in W 73rd Street which turned out to be amazing because it meant being right across the road from Central Park. I absolutely love this next shot because it was so real. I was actually having trouble with my camera and had the shits big time trying to work out the problem and when I looked up Wade was just like this, loving every minute, so I quickly snapped him.
One of the main reasons we booked New York was Wade's decade-long desire to visit Smith Street Tattoo Parlour in Brooklyn. About a month or so prior he'd booked in to see Eli Quinters a few days into our trip. About 1 hour in he had decided to let Eli do a second one on him. By the end of the second he was booking in for his third. By his third, they were trying to convince him to let them finish his sleeve. Unfortunately Wade didn't have unlimited monies and we didn't have unlimited time, so he had to stop. What a great bunch of dudes though, some of my favourite days in New York were sitting there getting jacked up on multiple cold brews and watching Wade cop a bit of pain under Eli's hand. Thanks for letting me photograph you working, legend.
You know how I said I had been to NYC before but didn't get what I could've out of it? Well, this was one of those moments. After one of the mornings spent at Smith Street we spent our afternoon exploring Brooklyn. As the sun was going down we walked back to Manhattan via the Brooklyn bridge. I can't believe I didn't do this last time.
Oh yeah side note, I hate being in front of the camera. I don't think there's anything scarier. (Un)Fortunately Wade actually has a great eye and technique, so sometimes I have to hand over the camera and let him go. Which means sometimes I'm the subject and not the little stalker hiding behind the lens.
Little Italy, East 33rd Street. Home to the greatest pizza we tasted in New York (and we ate alot of pizza).
Whilst in Washington Square Park one afternoon Wade took up a speed chess challenge against this dude. He got pumped within a couple of minutes. Those Jordans' though.
Coney Island. Most people wouldn't bother going here in winter, I mean, the theme park is closed. But that's why I wanted to go. We wandered down the board walk on a weirdly eerie late afternoon. The place was deserted apart from a bunch of old people scattered around, not one speaking English. It felt like we were so far away. We loved it.
New York, you were incredible.
