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New York minutes

Manhattan photo by Chandler O'Leary

Last week I spent a few days in New York for the wedding of some dear friends.

Grandfather of the bride photo by Chandler O'LearyManhattan photo by Chandler O'LearyNew York Public Library sketch by Chandler O'LearyManhattan photo by Chandler O'Leary

I lost track long ago of just how many trips I’ve made there over the years, or how many months’ residence would equal the sum of all my days spent there (plenty).

Manhattan sketch by Chandler O'Leary

My memories and souvenirs reflect this. I have whole sketchbooks devoted solely to Manhattan; boxes of still-good Metrocards and train schedules; miles of film negatives and a mental Rolodex stored to the brim with makeshift maps, habitual errand circuits and addresses of favorite haunts.

Manhattan photo by Chandler O'Leary

Every time I visit, it’s hard to string together a cohesive narrative of the adventure afterward.

Manhattan photo by Chandler O'Leary

Instead, my memories of New York are always a series of brief impressions; moments caught like fireflies in a jar.

Manhattan photo by Chandler O'LearyColumbus Circle sketch by Chandler O'Leary

Maybe it’s because each day finds me all over the map of the city, alternately in teeming crowds and completely alone;

Manhattan photo by Chandler O'Leary

or because I’d rather remember the best events and forget the worst (I’ve got a whole long list of those, too);

Brooklyn sketch by Chandler O'Leary

or maybe I owe it to the very nature of drawing and photography—whatever the reason, this trip was no different.

Manhattan photo by Chandler O'LearyPhoto by Chandler O'LearyGreenwich Village sketch by Chandler O'Leary

And every moment is another thread woven into a huge, neverending tapestry that tells the story of my very own, personal New York.

Manhattan photo by Chandler O'Leary

And for me, that’s the best thing about it.