NYC … Seeing a City Differently
Do cities intimidate you? They scared me as a kid. But after spending time in many of the world’s biggest cities — Tokyo, Bangalore, Riyadh, San Francisco — I now know how to see, really see, and enjoy the urban experience. Here’s what I recommend for one of my favorite metropolises: New York City.
Choose a topic below or “All” to view everything. Be sure to click/tap on photos for a closer view. And check out Barcelona, Ireland, Saudi Arabia+ and Sicily
Look Up
Manhattan is an island of canyons; they’re called streets and avenues. As you walk them, focus on the canyon walls: their variety, textures, and how light plays on them.
Look Down
The subway system is the fastest, cheapest way to move around the City. Sure, some stations can be dim and grim. But look into the dark and down at the floors and experience something new and interesting.
Look Around (at the unusual)
Even on a drizzly evening unusual things are happening around you, so keep your eyes open and ask yourself not only what but why.
Look At People
New York is an implosion of diverse folks living their individuality. Some will fascinate you, others with make you uncomfortable. But all are humans like us.
Want to travel to other places?
Barcelona
Barcelona is an explosive visual experience of architecture, markets, and street folks, dominated by the billiant imagination of architect Antoni Gaudí whose mystifying church, La Sagrada Familia, has been under construction for over 140 years. Then there is the brilliant colors of the marketplace and the absorbing daily lives of locals.
Ireland
This is my visual take of over 150 waking hours of experiencing the contradictioins of Ireland, a landscape strewn with rocks and bogs and yet stunning beauty; a history of internal conflict and surprising reconciliation; and interminable struggles with famine, money, and dependency and yet determined problem-solving and amazing business acumen.
Saudi Arabia+
Over the years I consulted in Saudi Arabia and explored the Arab Gulf region, I was fascinated by the area’s opulence of magnificent mosques and ambitious commercial developments, by the implosion of multicultural people in the “oasis” cities — Riyadh, Jubail, Dubai — by the graciousness of everyone, especially Saudis, and by the love for the desert.
Sicily
Sicily is a place for drifting and sifting — and, consequently, of surprises. Recognizable, must-see landmarks are few. So you go there relatively uninformed and open to drifting around the island. Then comes the joy of sifting through the centuries of invaders — Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Normans – while experiencing the surprises of unforgettable food, welcoming locals, and camera-grabbing scenery.