New York is picturesque, nobody denies that. But amongst the 8.5 million people living in the city alone, it isn’t bewildering to be frustrated that you can’t take a photo without a mass of people photobombing you intentionally or not. That’s why when the usually bustling subway emptied out, I quickly whipped out my phone and conducted a spontaneous photoshoot, 'Life’ magazine style.

Because New York is the land of opportunities, it isn’t surprising to find an overwhelming amount of artists living and hoping to catch a big break here. But to the New York artists, the creative hustle is simply a way of life as many of them work an additional job to support their passions. So you shouldn’t be surprised like I was when your waiter is actually an up and coming rapper in the New York hiphop scene. This is Jimmy, rapper and the owner of Elma’s at Harlem (115th St. inside of "La Marqueta, New York, NY 10029).

We’ve established that New York is people dense, perhaps too dense, so meeting people can be difficult especially if you’re quite timid like me. Thankfully, the internet exists. Tinder, Eventbrite, Discord, can all aid you in meeting people in your area who have similar interests with you. One person I befriended is Christina, who’s interests include Overwatch, Asian dramas, and being bitterly cold to her friends (Hi Christina lol, congrats on getting into U of Albany again!).

After getting to know Christina better, she introduced me to one of her best friends, Michelle. She’s got an Indonesian background like me and we immediately used each other as a way to our Bahasa Indonesia. She’s just accepted an offer to go to Hunter College in New York studying computer science and she’s also interested in K-Pop and Minecraft. Follow her on Instagram if you want inspo dress like a QUEEN.

We honestly had no idea why we walked into this building, it was simply suggested in multiple website as a tourist spot nearby. Boy was I surprised, besides the rich history of the building which none of us cared for, the building is full of great interior designs and furniture for your next profile picture. There is also a bar downstairs which makes it a unique place to bring a date or just hangout at if you’re under 21.

LA is known for its bright sunny days and beautiful people on account that actors are usually beautiful and beautiful people usually live in the sunshine. But on the day we decided to visit the pier, it was overcast and empty. The ocean waves were greeted only by the shore and no bodies waiting to splash about, it was much too windy. Nevertheless, I like to make the most out of emptiness so I took a photo of my brother, Dan, suffering an existential crisis.