The smell of daffodils as you pass your corner bodega. Fleetwood Mac playing from an open apartment window. The lingering sound of Saturday chatter outside your go-to cafe. The feeling of warmth washing over you as you walk down the sunny side of the street. Iced coffee and a good book enjoyed on someone else's stoop. Spring must be here in the city. And I was so happy to walk around with her this weekend. Like greeting an old friend. Almost strange to think this time last year, she and I couldn't really spend time together. Couldn't enjoy a walk along the water. Couldn't enjoy the newfound sunshine thanks to daylight savings. Couldn't enjoy a ferry ride in the same way. Much of spring last year was shrouded. In fear. In isolation. In uncertainty.

Of course, this isn't to say all of our struggle is behind us. Far from it. But as I mentioned in my "Memories of Your Last Day" post here, I do feel like we're slowly turning a corner. And the light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how faint and distant, is certainly approaching us little by little each day.

With that renewed spirit in mind, I wanted to resume my seasonal bucket list posts here on the blog. They've become relatively infrequent as of this past year, largely due to so much of the world being in flux, so today, I'm reinstating it for my own seasonal happiness. A way of keeping the big and small things I can control in focus and in my mind — something to look forward to in the coming months, as life hopefully starts to resume its old former rhythmic patterns.

 

1. Visit the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit when it opens in June.
2. After visiting Ellis Island last weekend, I'm looking forward to revisiting the Statue of Liberty. I actually wrote about my first visit to Lady Liberty as a child here in this post.
3. Ride Revel scooters around the city to go park hopping.
4. Make more friend dates at museums.
5. Discover new-to-me bookstores — I recently visited Westsider Books on the Upper West Side and I now have my eyes set on Albertine on the Upper East Side.
6. Visit the New York Botanical Garden for their Orchid Show and the Yayoi Kusama exhibit and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for their annual Cherry Blossom Festival.
7. Shoot more film photos around the city.
8. Keep exploring new pockets of the city on foot.
9. Paint out on my fire escape.
10. Some of the best news I'v heard in a while — Shakespeare in the Park is returning this July and I'm so excited to see a performance.
11. Sit in Washington Square Park for a full day of reading, hopefully when the piano player is out and about.
12. Take the ferry out to Governor's Island to have lunch at Island Oyster.
13. Take a friend out for a passeggiata in a new-to-us neighborhood.
14. Take Elvis to a corgi meetup.
15. Clean out the rest of my closet and sell items over at Dora Maar, where I'll be donating a portion of my take home proceeds to Stop AAPI Hate.
16. Rent a car and visit our favorite drive-in in upstate New York for a double feature.
17. Quite a few of you have been asking if my photos might be available for sale and I'm happy to report, I'm finally getting my print shop up and running!
18. Sign up for a virtual dance lesson with my guy — perhaps a salsa class?
19. Rent a small, single propeller airplane for a shoot idea I've been dreaming about for weeks now.
20. Make more middle of the week, photo shoot excursions to different parts of New York. I enjoy them greatly because it's a wonderful way to stretch my legs and see a new part of the state, while also pushing my storytelling forward. Oheka Castle, Boldt Castle and the Vanderbilt Museum are high on my list!

What are you looking forward to this spring?

CH Carolina Herrera bag (gifted) // Daffodils from my sweet boyfriend // A 1967 Mercedes spotted in my neighborhood

Photography by yours truly