Next month I am off to NYC for a portrait shoot, so I thought I’d make this week’s Film Friday a little love letter to my favourite city.  I’m pretty lucky in that I have family living in and near the city, so I try to head out as often as I can to see them.  This has allowed me to visit lots of gorgeous little places that wouldn’t make it into the Timeout guide book ~ a true privilege.  New York actually feels more like home to me than London.  I spent the summer months there when I was 19, and would often spend days just wandering through the little villages and seeing what was happening.  I wasn’t a photography nut back then, which is a shame as I would have photographed the city to death.  I’ve tried to make up for that in my trips since, and these Polaroids are just a little glimpse into my city adventures.

There is something about the energy of New York that is impossible to describe.  As a cinephile, here is where I refer to one of my favourite films, and who better to reference than Mr New York himself, Woody Allen.  The intro to Manhattan (set to the sounds of George Gershwin) captures just a fragment of this crazy and incredible place.

{left to right, top to bottom}

1) The journey into Manhattan from New Jersey.

2) My sister’s beautiful Brownstone apartment in Brooklyn, photographed from her spiral staircase.  She’s now moved to a gorgeous capsule apartment in the Cobble Hill district ~ a beautiful part of Brooklyn.

3) A vintage dress that I found really difficult to leave behind without buying. At $800 though, it was a little out of my budget.

4) Hotdogs at Coney Island.  I recommend this to anyone visiting in the warm months. Only a $2 trip on the subway and the most perfect place to spend a day eating mint choc chip ice-cream.

5) Hanging out by the barbecue at my brother’s place in New Jersey.  Hoping we’re going to get the chance to sample some of his good home cooking next month.

6) Vintage shopping on East Houston.