New York City in January 2023

New York City. The Big apple.
The city that never sleeps.

Always bustling with energy and excitement.
In January 2023, my family and I decided to take a trip to the city and experience its magic.
We were not disappointed. From the Brooklyn Bridge to the Empire State Building, from the DUMBO to Rockefeller Plaza, we saw it all… Well, not “it all” but a lot of it.

The view of the Manhattan skyline from our hotel room was breathtaking, and we took plenty of photos to capture that. The cold weather, light rain and even snow flurries did not dampen our spirits as we enjoyed the sights and sounds of the city. Walking down Broadway and through the streets of SOHO.

We spent some time in DUMBO, a neighborhood in Brooklyn that is home to some of the best views of Manhattan. We strolled through the cobblestone streets, stopping at cafes and shops along the way.

We visited Central Park where my wife and I got engaged, making it a special place for us. The park is a peaceful oasis in the midst of the city, with beautiful gardens, lakes, and waterfalls. Although we only had a few minutes to spend we walked into the park past the “imagine” plaque and took in the majestic beauty of the lake spending a moment to reflect on our journey together.

We also visited the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Plaza, two iconic landmarks that are a must-see for our young visitors to New York City.

We rode the subway to get around the city, and it was an experience in itself. The subway system is vast and efficient. And quite honestly one of the most interesting attractions to our boys. As we’d ask “Where do you want to go? That’s a long subway ride!” And they were always up for it.

Despite the cold weather, rain and snow, we made the best of our trip to the Big Apple. The city that never sleeps. The empire state of mind. New York City has a way of captivating first time visitors with its energy and charm, and we were no exception. We left the city with memories our boys will have that will last a lifetime. We’ll be back someday and experience it all over again.

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Thanks For Riding L.A. Metro

Over the last couple of months this Father has been doing the things Fathers and Mother's do for their children.  Making sure they provide their kids with all of the resources they can so that they become successful in life.  Most recently that has meant taking our oldest into Santa Monica twice a week to attend speech class.  Typically this is about a three hour event.  Takes about 35-45 minutes to get there.  It's an hour long class, and then takes about 90 minutes to get home.  

Because of the appointment's close proximity to the Metro station I decided one Spring break afternoon to give the train a try.  We love it.  First off, it's fast.  Fast as hell, and I don't have to worry about driving on highway 405.  Second, it's reasonably priced.  $3.50 roundtrip for the adult passenger.  Lastly, I find it super important for my boys to get exposed to public transportation.  As a child I rode Bart frequently with my parents and I strongly believe that much of my outlook on life has to do with experiencing all that comes with public transportation. 

The boys and I take the Metro into Santa Monica once a week.  While we haven't yet convinced Gaelyn of it's benefits.  We are working on her to step out of her comfort zone and take the train with the boys to class.  Let's give her some positive affirmation!  You can do it G!

(Scroll to the bottom for a little family video I did on the trip).

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Ryan Tatar / 35MM Surf Photography

I've been following Ryan Tatar on Instagram and Twitter for a while now and have really loved some of the imagery.   Especially as I just wake up and being able to browse through the imagery he's captured of waves and wave riders really changes your mood when you wake up. Most excellently enough Korduroy TV has posted a beautiful piece on Ryan and his work using the analog medium and how he's able to capture such great shots of his "sea-tribes".  Hope you enjoy it and follow him on Instagram for updates pretty much daily.  He reminds me of another photographer who works in a completely different field, but gets his kicks out in the real world, with his lens.

Ryan Tatar Instagram: http://instagram.com/ryantatar

Ryan Tatar Website: http://ryantatar.com

Walks With The Boy

I spent about two weeks as primary caretaker for my son while transitioning my wife back to her day job. (Her real job is mama, just like mine is papa) Every night around 5PM he'd get really restless and want to go do something. Go outside and just see some new stuff. So I decided to start strapping him on and grabbing my camera to take some snapshots. This day was unique as we were out right during the sweet spot of the sun falling on the horizon. There weren't many clouds and it was an exceptionally beautiful walk for the both of us. (He was a happy camper). Here are a few snaps from this stroll. [gallery columns="2" link="file" ids="99,100,101,102,103,104,105,106,107,108,109,110,111,112,113,114,115,116,117,118,119,120,121"]