New York City is a mere four hours away from DC, yet I spent over seven years in DC before ever venturing into the Big Apple. All along I kept saying I just needed to go there by myself, camera in hand, with no agenda to speak of. One week after the call to accumulate experiences I found myself on a Bolt bus headed for Manhattan…

It was a bit overwhelming. I had no idea what exactly I was doing there other than “exploring.” After about 2 or 3 hours of wandering aimlessly I decided that my primary objective was simply to throw down some tracks and see the city, capturing it along the way. I wasn’t focused on getting great photos, I just wanted to see as much as possible.

My return trip was scheduled to leave 30 hours after I got there, so my time was limited. I stayed out all night and received many suspicious glances from New York’s finest. For the record, if it’s supposed to be the city that never sleeps then there are a lot of people who have some explaining to do.

By noon the next day I was exhausted and my feet were killing me, but I kept pressing through. I didn’t go there to relax in a hotel or on a park bench. If there’s one common theme among my trips it’s a lack of sleep. I’d rather exhaust myself with fun than take it slow and miss out.

I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story, but here are some things I learned along the way:

• Bring an 18-200mm lens. Carrying multiple lenses is heavy and cumbersome. (This has become my go-to travel lens now, and I highly recommend it.)
• I felt safer walking the streets of Manhattan at night than I do in DC.
• The people were friendlier than I anticipated.
• It’s good to get out of the city. Even going to Liberty Island offered some perspective.
• Not unlike Texas there’s a sense of pride in New York City. They seem to treat the city with respect.

Filed under: Don’t Hog Your Journey