post by leslie

On our last full day in the city, one of the things we did was head down to the World Trade Center site. The last time we had visited, it was early 2002, and I remember seeing mini blinds from the buildings still stuck in the neighborhood trees.What's there now is something else.We started at the Oculus train station (above and immediately below), which was stunning -- for sure one of my favorite buildings in NYC now. It looks like a space station! And we looked up close at the Freedom Tower (in the above photo to the right of the Oculus), but did not go to the top. It is taller than the original WTC towers, and deliberately measures at 1,776 feet tall -- a reference to the year the United States was formed.A few photos down, you'll see the memorials at the site which mark the footprints of the two original towers. It was extremely touching and somber and we didn't stay too long because Ezra didn't know the significance and we sure didn't want to get into that on this trip. I'm not sure when a child is old enough to learn of that horror, but it's not when you're about to board a plane back home, I'll tell you that much.

post by leslie

Something that we all appreciated about the city was the parks. We spent the majority of one day in Central Park, playing on playgrounds, climbing huge rocks, eating ice cream, riding a merry-go-round, playing with enormous bubbles and concluding it all with a horse and buggy ride. What a resource!We did all of this on a sunny Saturday when it was 77 degrees, and it appeared that tens of thousands of other people had the same idea we did. So on Sunday morning, I woke up early and headed over to the park around 7 am to see it when it was more quiet (like this other time I went). But, uh, there was a NYC marathon prequalifying race happening along with a TON of baseball games on the diamonds and I think there were even more people there than on Saturday! Finding peace and quiet in this city is tough.We tended to have more luck with fewer people when we ventured out to Washington Square park, where we played on the playground, listened to live music and let Ezra run around in the fountain.

post by leslie

One of the fun things about taking a kid to the city is that you can do all the touristy things and not regret it at all because you are "making memories." For instance, I had never taken the time to see the Statue of Liberty, but I had heard the Staten Island Ferry had great views of it and was free -- so we added that to our itinerary.We also spent an afternoon at the Natural History Museum because, well, dinosaurs and space are big hits, and that was amazing as well. Amazing as in there was so much to take in and so much to see and OMG so loud and full of so many children and a bit exhausting as well.So I conclude this post with some of the sights we saw and the resulting nap. Because it's just too cute.  

post by leslie

We spent the weekend in NYC, introducing Ezra to the magic of the Big Apple. And you guys, he fell for it just as hard as his mother. He cried on the last night, asking if we could come back for everybody's birthday celebrations, and he said he would miss the subways the most. What a kid.I'm just going to post a few random images from our trip today, with more specifics later in the week (way too many photos for one post). But I have two observations. 1) NYC is both exciting and exhausting no matter your age or stage in life, but it is especially tiring when you are toting around a small child who wants to touch every single germ the city has to offer and then quickly grab your hand for safety. 2) It is pure wonder to see all these sights fresh in a 4-year-old's eyes. I was worried I would regret bringing such a young kid to this madness, but instead I'm so thrilled that I did. I took this last one as they both fell asleep after the visit to Top of the Rock. I love it when they do this.

post by leslie

Last week, I got to photograph the Happiest Place on Earth again, and it did not disappoint. I am working with them on a new surprise for summer which I cannot tell you about just yet, so I thought I would share some yummy doughnut photos to tide you over.Some days, my job really is the best.

post by leslie

A few weeks ago, as I mentioned, we picked up Ezra from his last day of school and headed north. There is such a special feeling about driving out of the city and into the woods. The sounds of the frogs and birds and wind through the pines is so relaxing on its own. We spent so much time laying on the dock just watching the fish below or taking slow boat rides on the lake, looking for loons and watching eagles and hawks hunt for dinner. It truly is so magical.I made this video not to capture so much of what we did that weekend, but more of how it feels to be there. I hope you enjoy it!

post by leslie

I got to photograph an adorable little guy named Lazlo last week and I loved every minute of it! What a FANTASTIC name! I hadn't heard it since this, but whenever I tell people that, they look at me like I'm ancient, so if you get that clip, welcome to my world! (And wasn't that movie fantastic?)I'm traveling this week, so blog posts will be sporadic, but I promise fun stuff when I return!

post by leslie

Last month, I had the pleasure of doing a secret session for a Father's Day gift. THESE ARE THE BEST!As you can imagine, I am a HUGE fan of surprise photos as gifts, but ESPECIALLY when they involve small children and dogs! So this mom brought in these two hooligans for their session, and we had a ton of fun. Aren't they adorable?