Now I know why 'I love NY' is printed on every possible kind of object a tourist would want to take home with them.

Because, it’s true. New York City is an easy place to fall in love with. 

When I exited JFK terminal I realized I had not been to Manhattan since December of 1999. A lot has changed since then. Including the fact that I moved to from a small-ish town, Boulder to a big-ish city, Los Angeles. Manhattan used to feel so intimidating to me, but that was before all of its recent gentrification {it’s so clean now, almost too clean?}, and I became accustomed to a life in the city.

Now I think I’ve mentioned before that life in Los Angeles doesn’t really equal life in an actual compact city like downtown New York or Paris, but it has all the makings of a big city, like a lot of people and traffic. And the great things like amazing people, restaurants, shopping, museums.

Since it has been so long since my last visit, I approached my quick trip to NY much like our long trip to Paris ~ I had no expectations. A lot of people love these cities and there are also quite a few that don’t enjoy them at all. Although, whether you want to live there or not I don’t know how one couldn’t appreciate the life and energy in both NY and Paris? They are amazing, and eerily similar which surprised me. Manhattan reminds me much more of Europe than I ever remember noticing before. 

I wasn’t sure I would love Paris or NY and as it turns out I love them both. I think it’s just a simple of fact of reaching the stage I am at in my life, where I have a clarity and perspective that makes traveling and exploring new places completely invigorating. I wonder which city will become my next love affair?

Until then. A glimpse of NYC in Iphone photos, of course.

All of these are run through the Instamatic filters and you know, how some of the filter choices are softer, while others are more saturated? It felt like almost all of my images were just calling for the saturated colors with the black line. NYC makes a bold impression.

1. I was able to take this shot from the middle of a street, not because I was really that willing to put my life in danger but because the other side of the street was blocked off. I love how you can get these amazing vistas between blocks. Usually when riding in a cab or crossing the street, they go by in a second but on this particular block I could stand as long as I wanted to. But then at the time this shot was taken Laura and I were headed to a store before it closed. Just enough time to take the photo as the sun was starting to go down.
2. Nostalgia moment. This is the now preserved, no longer in use, TWA terminal. I spent hours upon hours as a kid there in the summer time waiting to catch flights as a stand-by passenger to visit my family in Germany. My dad was a TWA captain. It took my breath away to see it after all of these years.
3. Springtime in NY is so pretty. This shot was taken right in front of Macy’s
4. Tulips in front of Macy’s at Herald Square
5. Finding my way through the city
6. More trees blooming that looked so pretty against the backdrop of these buildings with color. Colorful buildings are tough to come by in NY...and so is colorful clothing :)
7. Dinner at a lovely French Moroccan restaurant, Barbes. The owner could not have been nicer.
8. My 'office' views for 2 days
9. Wall of ribbon at M & J Trimming
10. My new favorite Japanese book store Kinokuniya, which i just learned that there is also one here in L.A.!!
11. In love with the Japanese design books
12. And the Paumes publisher. Oh, to die for. I want all of the Paumes books
13. Purl Soho - I have always been inspired by their website and blog and to walk into the store. WEEE! just as lovely in person. Instantly fell in love with the quilt with the hand-stitched pink clouds on it. Owned by two sisters,  I also learned that one of them lives here and has a by appointment only warehouse in Tustin that you can shop at.
14. Now that’s some yarn
15. And that’s some fabric. Color does exist in NY
16. The barista’s at Starbucks know how to pronounce my name. Am thinking of changing the spelling to this version, so that people will finally say it right Mareesa.
17. Coffee and food is so good in the city. Breakfast with bread and butter at Balthazar
18. Pretty dress in the window by Nanette Lepore
19. Walking through the Village late on a Thursday night

Dear NY, I can’t wait to visit you again.