"One can't paint New York as it is, but rather as it is felt" ~ GEORGIA O'KEEFE

5 May

Back in September I was lucky enough to go to New York to shoot the wedding of one of my best friends. It also meant I got to catch up and stay with my good friend Sue in Brooklyn, who I met via Flickr 5 years ago. We actually met face-to-face one snowy day in 2009 in Manhattan, visited the Botanic Gardens and then met my husband in Harlem for chicken & waffles at Amy Ruth's. It was a very random but totally brilliant day! Since then Sue's been over here many times and back in 2010 we got to experience our first ever Thanksgiving (with Sue's family upstate) and our first Black Friday sale. THAT was an experience I will never forget... sat in the car at 4am in the pitch black, outside Target, still full of Thanksgiving dinner. Madness. Gave us mid-holiday jet lag. Anyway I had a day free before and after the wedding so we headed to Coney Island where I'd always wanted to go (sadly the Luna Park was closed) but it was just as I imagined. We also went back there on my last night for dinner at Nathan's and then a stroll along the boardwalk to watch all the Coney Islanders dancing and listen to the DJ set that happens regularly down there. Such an amazing atmosphere.... people from ALL walks of life, young and old, just dancing. Utterly brilliant. You can see more photos of DJ Ray and all the fantastic characters that go down to the boardwalk to dance on Sue's photography page - http://www.facebook.com/NegrasPhotography.

The day after the wedding we hit the Top of the Rock as Sue had never done it and I never tire of the views. Sue had to head home and finish packing as she was moving apartment so I wandered a little but I was drugged up on Advil and had a horrible cold and chest infection, I felt dreadful and eventually I hopped in a cab to Pershing Square to meet the wedding gang for a big farewell lunch before heading back to Brooklyn. Mind you, seeing the Naked Cowboy did perk me up somewhat...

All in all another wonderful trip despite being ill and missing hubbo.... Nic & Sean's NYC wedding was amazing, I loved my precious time with Sue and as ever, NYC has left me wanting more...