NYC:FIRST LOVE
I jumped on the subway one morning, I was heading to Queens for an early surf lesson on Rockaway beach, skateboard in hand. I loved how different Rockaway was to the other neighbourhoods in the city, just like Coney Island it felt like a quaint beach town. I caught my first ever wave this day and was on such a high as it took me forever and a day to do that. I will never forget it.
I used that adrenaline to head to the skatepark and kicked about for a bit and got chatting to some of the local skateboarders which turned into a photoshoot, that's how it usually happens. I took these pictures and memories home with me and eventually made #right2thebone with them.
I always loved hearing stories and experiences from locals growing up in the city and beyond, I learnt a lot from them. It was a beautiful day.
My travel journals from Canada from 2019 - 2022.
The physical journals have been stored somewhere but I came across these scans by accident (a good one).
@urbanunderbelly Photos from 2017
I've had a longstanding relationship with NYC since 2011. I lived in a crusty apartment in Brooklyn for three months on a photography related expedition and made indispensable connections that instigated me to go back and visit frequently, right until the pandemic happened. It was the first place I'd visited where my perception of it from a passive distance didn't quite fit the reality of what it was like for those living or growing up there, I was intrigued to explore further for the sake of my own ignorance. I would spend my time hanging out at the skatepark on the lower east side, skateboarding but mostly getting distracted by the local kids sitting on the wall and would end up hanging out and conversing with them all afternoon. They would tell me about their home lives and school and what it was like growing up and what was going on with them and were also curious of where I came from.
The last time I went to visit was in 2019 when I was living in Montreal, I took a bus there and was ecstatic by how easy it was to travel from the east coast of Canada. I put a break on visiting after the pandemic. The political climate was further changing and so did my heart and mind, I wanted to put my time and energy exploring Canada. I've never forgotten or let go of NY or my stories and experiences and frequently think about it and everything I'd learnt from my time spent there, not to mention my friendships, experiences and memories will be timeless.
