New York City is a huge city filled with skyscrapers and famous landmarks. However, if you look beyond the skyscrapers you can see what really makes this place a great city. Last week I spent one afternoon walking the streets of NYC. My whole bus ride from Philadelphia to New York I thought about what I would photograph and decided I would get there, start walking, and just see what catches my eye. So, I got off bus and starting walking down 26th st through Madison Square park, and past the flat iron building, east down 23rd street to 2nd ave to Houston street. (Don't spend too long trying to make sense of those directions...It doesn't make sense)

I still did not know exactly what I wanted to photograph, at this point, but I did know that I had to separate my photos from the typical "tourist pictures". I also wanted to take pictures that were connected in some way beyond just being things in NYC. At some point during my wandering through the lower east side I began noticing all the cafes and restaurants with people sitting outside, and that is when I came up with my idea to photograph various store fronts. While I only covered the lower east side and pieces of Chelsea (I think I have that right but I don't actually know the sections of NYC as well as other cities) I wanted to show what the city of New York looks like when you look beyond the landmarks and giant skyscrapers.

As the day went on I kept thinking of ways to develop this idea and turn it into a "photo project". Therefore, I am considering these photos as the entry way in to what will hopefully become a bigger project about everyday city life.

Enjoy the photos below!