Who needs friends when you've got New York City

I'm not sure if I heard this some where but I had this thought a lot whilst I was in New York.

In a city vibrating with so much energy, it felt like that was company enough at times. I thrived on that energy.

I'm often asked about what I love about the city.



I love the pride New Yorkers have in their town.







I love the IN YOUR FACE, no holds barred, here I am attitude.








I love the diversity of it's residents








I love it's choices








I love it's industriousness






I love it's size and the feeling of anonymity







I love that it's easy to make friends









I love the feeling that you really can do and be anything you want to be!

Decompressing from New York!

I've been home from New York for about 10 days already and I am adjusting back to Birmingham life.

How does one get over the best trip they've ever had to the best city in the world?

Well, it isn't easy! First the jet lag to contend with, which pretty much kept my brain numb for a bout a week. I think that might have been a good thing as it probably kept the post holiday blues at bay. Next letting the New York experience sink it. Did that really happen?!

Now I have in front of me the pretty huge task of photo selecting and editing and of course, video too! I'm getting there and am about a third of the way through.

So watch this space. I'll be telling you my tales from the Big Apple. From the people I met and the friends I made. To getting lost and having adventures. To all the sights, sounds and energy of a city like no other!

New York! I miss you! :)

Ebracing New York City Life

Hi!

Thought I would never get to blog! Technical difficulties I think they are called. But that's for another post.

So, here I am. Living in the heart of the Manhattan for the next month. I am not sure I can still quite believe it. It's been a year or longer since I first decided to make this trip, then when I booked my flights about 10 weeks ago it's been a manic time of planning which has included announcing the next global 4am Project date and plans for hosting an event in Times Square on the 17th. During this time I was so busy I never had the chance to sit down and imagine what it would be like to be here.

Now I am here, and it feels strangely familiar. Yes, I did go to New York for a few days about 8 years ago, and of course the imagery is all over the TV and films etc. It just feels so natural to be here, and already a month doesn't seem long enough.


Despite promising myself an early night before I set off for New York, I couldn't sleep. I had a 4am start so of course had to take a photo!



It paid to get to the airport extra early and I managed to avoid queuing to check in and to go through security. As I was waiting to board the flight, nerves finally kicked in. I sent last minute tweets to my friends and texted my best friend and mum. That's it, I was finally going!




The Continental flight was good enough and I passed the 7 hours by watching films, and chatting to the passengers in my row, a group of men who are American classic car fanatics who were heading to LA for a road trip.

At Newark Airport

After much studying of my accommodation options for my month long stay, I opted to rent an apartment. Firstly due to cost. It was the most economical way for me to stay in Manhattan, especially for this length of time. Secondly, I thought it might be handy when watching my budget to be able to made something to eat in the kitchenette from time to time. Thirdly, I really wanted to feel like I'm living in NY, and I don't think I would have got that feeling as a guest in hotel.

I did so much research after hearing stories about people being scammed with apartment rentals. Also, not every apartment can be legally rented. For a lot of them it's illegal for residents to sublet them. So again, this was a factor I had to look into. I didn't want to find myself staying somewhere I should and finding myself without a roof over my head halfway through my stay!

Anyway, welcome to my Manhattan apartment! What do you think? I'm really pleased with it. It's more spacious than I thought it would be too, and the fold down bed is proving quite a challenge in strength! ;)

I'm staying in the Hell's Kitchen area. At the end of my street are restaurants that would satisfy every taste, lot's of bars, and some amazing deli's. Hell's Kitchen is becoming the new gay area of the city. I love it here. And luckily there doesn't seem to be too many tourists! ;)

As featured in the Birmingham Mail!

The Big Apple Unpeeled blog is now featured on the Birmingham Mail's website! On the Lifestyle blogs page specifically. Take a lookie!




Though the cleverness of feeds, whenever I update this blog, the Birmingham Mail page will update with the latest post too. I've worked the with Birmingham Mail on something similiar for their Your Communities page for my hyperlocal blog.

I have worked with the Birmingham Mail and the Birmingham Post serveral times over the years and first cut my teeth as a photographer with them during 6 months work experience as a photojounalist, and it's great to be teamed up with them again!

The quickest way I know to make connections in New York City

Hands up who loves twitter!

I love twitter so much I even organised a twitter flash mob!



And I'm intending to make the most out of this wonderful social media tool when I am in New York City.

For the past couple of months I've started to follow tweeters in NYC. There's quite a mixture of organisations, things to do, as well as fellow photographers and social media peeps and people who have piqued my interest.











I've started exchanging tweets, getting to know people, and have even been invited to a couple of nights out!

And although I am putting a lot of planning into the Big Apple Unpeeled, I want to leave room for spontaniety.

One of the apps I use on my iPhone is a twitter client called Twitterrific. It meets all my tweeting needs when I am on the move.

However, there is one feature that I haven't tapped into yet; the Nearby feature.

No matter where you are, if you tap on Nearby, it will show you a list of tweeters within your vicinity and what they are saying.

























So, I'm gonna see who and what is going on around me. If something or someone interests me, then I'm just going to say 'Hi' and see what happens! Perhaps I'll make a new friend, perhaps not. Maybe I'll end up somewhere interesting maybe not. But I'm going to give it a try and of course I'll be reporting back here!

Travelling Solo, but I won't be alone

I will be travelling solo in New York City, however, I don't plan on being alone.

Thanks to all the social media tools we have available I will still have my friends and followers with me on the journey - virtually at least.

Given the speed of communication we now have access to through the internet, there is no reason not to be able to keep in touch. As well as sharing my Big Apple adventure, my friends and followers can comment and quickly interact making it more of a participatory experience.

Contrast this to about 8 years ago when I first got online. I bought my first computer with the aim of using it to plan a 2 month solo trip around the USA. Researching my trip I found that not every venue or hotel had a website. I made many long distant calls to the U.S. I didn't book my multiple flights (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, Orland, New York) online, but went into a travel agents. Scanning my old guidebooks now, there is a distinct lack of website addresses attached to the 'must see' and 'don't miss' recommendations.

I think a few people may have been blogging 8 years ago, but the word hadn't registered on my radar. Facebook hadn't been invented. Or Youtube. And certainly not twitter. My main avenues of keeping in touch with a few friends and family then was by postcard/letters, the occasional email when I could find an internet cafe and the odd long distance phone call. As for photographs, I had my old film camera and waited patiently until I got home to develop my pictures.

That two month trip was amazing and I loved every minute of it. But there was something missing. I'd see these incredible sights, have experiences I wanted to share, have the odd moment of doubt, take part in an amazing event, but there was no one there I could immediately turn to and say, "Hey! Did you see that?!" There was a delay between the experience and being able to share it.

NOW? Wow!

We have every means available to keep connected and share sights and sounds. Broadband, Wifi, laptops, net books, mobile phones that can have us online in seconds. We are embracing, sharing, consuming media like never before and with free live video streaming we can broadcast our news within seconds.

My two month trip was a good practice run, but this time around things are going to be so much different, and I'll have my friends, family and followers viturally by my side.

Welcome to the Big Apple Unpeeled!

Hello!

A very warm welcome to the Big Apple Unpeeled blog.

Exactly one month ago I spontaneously booked my flights to New York City. Even though I have been planning this trip for some time, I wasn't quite sure when it would happen, but last month the opportunity presented itself and now it's all go, go, go!

I have chosen to stay in New York for a whole month. Though I am already wondering if this will be long enough given all the things I would like to do!

Immersing myself in the city, my aim is to bring you a 'pips n all' view of the Big Apple. This will be a participatory event too - throughout my trip I will be asking you 'Where would you like to visit today?'

Using social media tools such as this blog, youtube, twitter, flickr, bambuser, qik, and facebook, I will be bringing you photography, interviews and reviews of the Big Apple.

Take a moment to read more about the Big Apple Unpeeled. As a way of an introduction you can read a bit more about me, and there is even a press release, and sponsorship opportunities.

Don't forget to signed up the Big Apple Unpeeled blog too! :)