new york city,
i know people have written thousands of letters to you, and i know i am just one of your many lovers, but you have made me think like no other. i have been all around the world and no place is as loud or as quiet as you. i think it is part of why i love you so much.
me X metropolitan museum of art
june 2019
there is never a moment where i don't love you. i love the stereotypes. i love the dirty subway and the rude locals. i love the die hard baseball fans and the dollar slices of pizza. i love every food stall that reeks of middle eastern spices. i love your river running through a grassy park. i love the bagel shops. i love the fragrance of coffee, whiskey and cigarettes (but the occasional scent of urine never seems to disappoint, as much as i hate it). i absolutely adore the sound of people pacing against the stone floors of grand central.
bella by the terminal
june 2019
i love the feeling i have when i am with you. that feeling of excitement, nausea, nervousness and absolutely gut-wrenching joy. that feeling you get on a roller coaster before it drops, the anxiousness to feel the adrenaline pumping through your body? that is that new york city sensation.
i wish i could see you again. i wish i could see the craziest attractions on the side of the road. i wish i could bask in the way you made me laugh. i wish i could sit in the park, drinking overpriced water and watching people be, well, people.
the boathouse
june 2019
i wish i could show you the stars, the same stars you compete with. the stars you outshine and force to hide in the sky. i wish you could see how brightly you shine beside them. the second closest thing to a supernova is times square at midnight.
times square @ night and skyline from the rooftop of the MET
june 2019
new york city, you are wonder,
awe.
tears.
smiles.
the night.
you are a city of intergalactic lights on the dull earth's surface.
i wish i could give you the hope you have given others. i wish i could show you all the dreamers that came to you with nothing, only for you to give them everything. i wish you could see all the lives that you have changed.
i wish you could see yourself the way i see you.
new york city, i love you.
the nyc feeling
june 2019
with all these days spent at home, i escape to the places i've been.
i will be writing a love letter of sorts to each of my favorite cities.
isabella alfonso took the cover image in 2019.
all images were captured on film.
new york city's coordinates:
40.7128° N, 74.0060° W