Last week I headed to New York City, coincidentally, on my 20th birthday!

They rolled out the red carpet for me...

Casey & I.

For those of you who don't know, Casey is my photographer friend from Boston who I've worked with for 5-6 years now. She's a photographer, but also a GREAT teacher, and cook! She's taught me a lot of what I know... Anyways, she happened to be in NY last week so I went down and met up with her so we could finally go shooting in the Big Apple!

We started in Central Park...

A bridge in the park.

Me walking.

Photo by Casey.

Meet Casey.

Photo by Casey.

The picture I was taking...

Central Park artists... They were actually quite good. I'm definitely getting one done next time.

Park construction.

Abandoned shoes.

If you haven't caught on yet, Casey took a few pictures of me... She knows I love them.

Best birthday gift ever? Yeah I think so.

Windows of the St. Regis Hotel.

Looking up at the Washington Square arch.

Photo by Casey.

Photo by Casey.

Photo by Casey.

I usually drink Dunkins...

Photo by Casey.

Sorry, but do I not look like a Greek statue?

Photo by Casey.

I went to church @ St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th Ave before leaving.

I also visited with my friend Tyler who just got a new apartment in the city. It has a really amazing view of Manhattan...

The same shot at night during a thunderstorm.

I almost feel dirty giving away my best kept NY secret... Oh, alright! It's called Burger Joint and it's hidden inside the Le Parker Meridien hotel on West 57th. It's actually been featured in numerous write ups for the best burgers in America. It's nothing fancy so leave your suit coat at home, and don't expect to walk right in and be seated. There is always a line, you order at the register, and your burger is handed to you wrapped in paper. It's an experience to say the least! You'll see what I'm talking about when you order "The Works". Bon Apetite!

Now I'm going to give a plug to my other favorite thing of the week. The bus I took from Boston-New York was called LimoLiner. It's a luxury bus service that runs only between these two cities. If you are used to the fung wah, or it's equivalents, then you'll absolutely die when you step onto a LimoLiner bus. They are new, clean, smell good, and are never crowded. They even staff attendants on board each trip who hand out magazines, pillows & blankets, and drinks & snacks. Did I mention that the driver spoke English?? And the best part - wireless internet and satellite tv. It's perfect for professionals looking to get some work done during the standard four hour trip. While flying is also very appealing, I can vouch that the shuttles take just about as long to get to New York when you account for the amount of time wasted at the airport, and cabbing from LaGuardia.

LimoLiner costs $79 each way.

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday via the internet! I enjoyed reading my comments on the ride home :)