The Sublime Archive: My 13th Trip to NYC (and Photos!)

My wish is to update this blog often, and of course I was taken off track by a couple weeks of traveling…story of my life. But, on that topic, I am going to share some bits from my recent (and 13^th) trip to New York City. While I was primarily visiting to see and stay with Andre (Mister Andre Condit who you will see in many photos below), I was also able to visit with Saeed (the guy I visited and sorta showcased in my Dubai travel vlog video). In total, the trip was really quite divine (as always…I love NYC), though it certainly had its ups and downs.

I was in NYC from July 28^th - August 8^th-- one of my lengthiest trips to the Big Apple to date. I find that seven days is a good length for almost any vacation (although I would have loved a few more days when I visited Dubai.). As for Dubai, that is an entirely different blog post, but I really want to go back sometime in October or November. Can I make it happen?…I think so.

I stayed at the Wellington Hotel near Times Square for my first two nights (I wouldn’t stay there again FYI). The first night I arrived around 1 a.m. (late flight into JFK) and met up with Saeed at the hotel. We caught up for a while but ended up going to sleep almost immediately. We spent the entire next day together, going shopping, eating, shopping, walking, eating, more walking, and seeing a movie—pretty standard fare. Saeed is a very interesting guy, and we have our own history together that is quite complex (to say the least). On the 30^th I made my way to Brooklyn on the Q Train to meet up with Andre. That is where our week began, and it was a fantastic week with great company. His roommate Stefanie is a criminal defense lawyer and quite the character. She clearly has a good heart, but her extraordinarily unique personality is certainly a thing that is refreshing. As for the sublime beauty himself, we had a lot of one-on-one time to talk, go on trips into Manhattan, go out to eat (we ate in Manhattan at Republic, this Afghan restaurant, the Maritime, and a ton of other places), go to clubs/bars, and engage in quite the high jinks (don’t ask). The second night I gave Andre the Myers-Briggs personality test. Before starting the text, I guessed that he was an ESFP personality type. After completing the test (around 90 minutes later) we found that he was indeed an ESFP. Anyone who has studied personality types can gain volumes from these simple four letters (I am a textbook INTP btw). Basically, Andre and I just hung out a lot, went on the hunt for skin care, met up with friends, and enjoyed each other’s company. I don’t want to sound too mushy or throw Andre off if he reads this, but each day we spend together always makes me develop a deeper appreciation/admiration for him, his ambitions, his mind, his talents, his eccentricities and his truly uncommon beauty. I find that I only meet someone so profoundly influential about once every three or four years. I can’t thank him enough for the great visit (visit number two), but I will make it up to him when he comes to Kansas for a week to visit my childhood home…I told him to expect: filet mignon, personal trainers, great shopping, an entirely different atmosphere, and a unique environment to recharge, detox, and gain a totally new perspective on the U.S.

Below are some photos I took (most are “posed” photos of Andre) in NYC. Tell me which one you like the most. I’d love to know! I really enjoy capturing the essence or personality of a person through the composition (and exposition) of a photograph.

This photo of Andre is my absolute favorite that I have ever taken. The proportions are so sublime, the balance is sublime, and the gentleness evoked is almost intoxicating!

This photo may also be my favorite. The composition struck me immediately once I uploaded it onto my laptop. The framing is so strong and the exposure is so surreal! I love the shadowy black figure in the background and the overall dinginess of the photograph is terrfyingly sublime.