OMA > LGA

Last week I went to New York and shot engagement photos. Fucking ridiculous. I was there less than a week ago and it already feels like a giant blur. 

I had never been there before. NYC was sort of this representation of everything I was afraid of in life. NYC is epic. It's challenging. It's uncomfortable. It was the embodiment of every fear I have in my career, my marriage, motherhood. Does that sound crazy? IT IS JUST SO BIG. And going big terrifies me. But I went. And I survived. And you know what? NYC isn't any different than Chicago or San Francisco. It's just a shitload of people trying to live their lives without going nuts. It was easy to get around on the subways or on foot. No one mugged me. No one tried to sell me counterfeit Prada. No one even spoke to me. (Except tourists. I kept getting asked for directions from tourists.) It was kind of great. Big cities offer a level of anonymity that say... Omaha... doesn't have. 

I stayed in Tribeca and walked all over SoHo and the East Village. We shot over in Brooklyn in Dumbo (where I saw the $25 million clock tower apartment) and in Times Square. I visited Strawberry Fields alone on a rainy morning which broke my heart like you wouldn't believe. Standing outside the building where John Lennon lived and died was crazy. I tried to go to the MoMa but I made the mistake of taking a cab there. It was 30 minutes of hell wherein I clutched my mouth and tried not to puke in the backseat. I also met up with a friend from high school which was exciting on a whole different level. She was totally sweet and beautiful, just like she was 11 years ago when I last saw her. 

So - New York - loved it. It wasn't scary at all and working there was a dream. I felt big time. I feel like I hit a new high in my career. Someone actually paid for me to travel to another city that isn't in rural Iowa. That doesn't happen all the time.