I’d planned to get an aura photo taken upon my solar return and was pleased to see that @magicjewelrynyc did that sort of thing in a convenient location in Chinatown. Drop-ins welcome too!
Alas, the only woo-woo that was to ensue was our circling the block a dozen times in the scorching heat before realizing that the location had disappeared off the face of the earth. Grand rising!
We had a good laugh about that and greatly enjoyed the insanity that is Canal Street and its Canal Street bling. We also seemed to stumble upon some police raid that was confiscating merchandise, which added to the strangely chaotic energy of the afternoon.
We were to spend more time in Chinatown on our second visit where, among the noodle shops and hipster bars, I saw the sort of delightfully illicit activity that probably triggers raids like these on occasion. At one point, we were walking behind a scene from a Guy Ritchie movie literally unfolding before our eyes. NYC is that kind of town. Pure cinema.
Speaking of woo-woo, I was telling a friend the other day something I’ve been saying every time NYC comes up in conversation: there’s just something in the air there.
I mean, maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s something contagious, idk, but as soon as I step foot in this city, I feel myself more energized and brimming with confidence. I felt that way twenty years ago when I should have been terrified, being my first time ever traveling alone. And though I did have one moment of panic in my first class at NYU, wondering wtf I was doing there and if I’d bitten off more than I could chew, the city very quickly pulled the best out of me.
Maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s the critical mass of a city so large that truly no one gives a fuck who you are. That sounds terrible, but it’s an ethos that actually horseshoes into very genuine encounters: you can walk in anywhere and you could be anybody, so you might as well be greeted like you belong.
I wasn’t sure I’d feel this way again, after all these years, but I did. I could feel it in the boldness of my shots; I didn’t even care if I missed focus half the time. People might sniff at the NYC street photography look, but I swear to you it’s spontaneous. I wasn’t trying to try anything; it’s just what the city pulled out of me.
Maybe it’s a vibe, maybe it’s the comfort of true anonymity in a world where that’s increasingly anachronous. I don’t know. I love it though. Yeah, I’ll say it: I ❤ NY
Almost all of my memories from New York were in Manhattan, so it was a treat to spend a couple of hours in Brooklyn. Yk. To see what all the fuss is about. x