Summer Vacation | New York City | Kris Kandel

For those wondering why my Facebook page has been unusually quiet the last 10 days during my busy mid summer season – well I was on a family vacation to New York City!! It’s been on my bucket list for a while to go there so I was sooooo excited when my parents asked me if I had any free weeks in July this year!! I’ll try to keep this blog to a general overview of the trip, and blog more specifically on my personal blog later when I have more time (time – hahaha what a joke right now!). But I did have a hard time keeping it short, lol!

We left last last Tuesday morning – getting up before 5am to get to the airport on time. I absolutely love flying, always have. It’s actually one of the inspirations in my logo – that love of flight and travel, adventure and exploring the world.

We arrived late that evening to a thunderstorm and downpour (what is it with downpours and travel this year? Remember my  California workshop?!) But the next day we were able to explore our neighborhood a bit more. We stayed in Brooklyn since it was cheaper than Manhattan, and rented a little brownstone apartment which included a kitchen and laundry which was awesome! About a 6 block walk to the subway it was a great location for getting around the city easily.

One afternoon we walked around and discovered that the neighborhood was part of the Bushwick Art Collective – in other words a street art museum!! It was SOOOOOO cool!! We took lots of photos because we needed some new family pics for our walls. What better place that this to play with a camera?!

The photo below with dad “photobombing” Anni was so fun!

The art itself was so varied, I loved to see the differences between each artist.

Friday was one of my favorite days! We took the subway downtown to  Bryant Park and the New York Library.

The Chrysler building is actually another building that had an influence in my logo – the art deco vibes – and a famous image taken on that building was one of the first photos that sparked my interest in photography in general! You can read more about my logo story here. 😉

We ended up at the Broadway Theater District … because we got tickets to see the Newsies!!!!

I grew up watching the Newsies on VHS until it was almost worn out. We also had the CD which we listened to over and over, probably like modern kids are listening to Frozen, lol! I’m actually listening to the soundtrack right NOW on spotify while writing this blog! So it’s always been a favorite.

Three years ago we were watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade, which always features a couple of Broadway show sneak peeks before the parade arrives, and all of a sudden there was an announcement,  “Stay tuned to see the newest Broadway sensation: The Newsies” –  I remember being so excited  I yelled to my siblings to come quick, we watched the one song performance, going  giddy over how amazing the dancing was! I turned to my sister and said, “Someday we will see that in person!!! It’s going on the bucket list!”

To steal my sister’s phrase: “Three years ago we said someday, and someday was today.”

It did NOT disappoint! SOOOOOO good!! The set design was fabulous! We sat in the balcony and because of the stage use of these three story tall steel moving sets we actually were often looking eye to eye with the actors. The dancing and music was phenomenal! I know enough about dance to appreciate how hard these guys were working, and making it look easy! Wow. Anyway if you want a sneak peak you can see the Broadway show trailer here:

It was such a good thing we decided to go this summer because the show is closing and going on tour so who knows when it will be back on Broadway. But if you get a chance to see it – GO!

After the Newsies we walked a few blocks to Time Square before heading home. It was so bright from all the lights it felt like daylight – until you looked up to the black sky! Weird.

The next day we went back to Manhatten to walk the Highline, a brand new park. They took a raised Railway line and converted it into a 2 mile long park that is 2 stories above the streetline. It’s gorgeous!! Lovely views of the city, lots of greenery and space to just watch the city flow around you.

Evidently New Yorker’s stack their cars. All I can think of is how in the world do they get them down?!!

So if you are planning a trip to NYC definitely put the Highline on your list. It was another favorite of mine!!

Another day we took the Staten Island Ferry across the harbor. The views were lovely, we passed right by the Statue of Liberty, and enjoyed the fresh breezes.

Dad said the ferry was his favorite. 🙂  If you look at the photo of Anni above right you’ll see all the life vests on the ceiling. Interesting.

Then back to Manhattan where we walked towards the Brooklyn bridge, had a NYC hot dog, Bought a scarf from a street vendor, and in general loved absorbing the vibe of the city!

Walking across teh Brooklyn Bridge was crazy!! Soooooo many people, it was like being in a river of people, you just had to keep walking or get run over!

Once we crossed the bridge we  walked down to the river to watch the lights come on in the city.

My sister kind of fell in love with NYC.

Our last full day we walked through Soho, Chelsea, and little Italy.

Time to go home. Sad face. These last few photos were taken on the front steps of the building we stayed at – while waiting for the cab to take us to the airport.

All in all it was a fabulous trip! Exhausting, my feet are soooo sore, but stimulating and fascinating to see so much! A photographers dream. I feel so blessed to be able to travel and go with my family to so many interesting places. Now it’s time to get my head back in the game for work and wedding season, fall is always the busiest season so I’m ramping up!

Have you been to NYC? Or do you want to go? Tell me your favorite parts of the city!