The Project

One year, one camera, and one pedometer. A thousand miles in Manhattan. The project started initially from my New Years resolution to quit the gym. I don't like the idea of only having one day a year to address all the stuff that's messed up in your life and get it sorted out, so I generally resolve to do something contrary to all the "lose 20lbs-eat more vegetables-find true love" rubbish declarations that are ancient history by the end of February. My gym is boring and it has the not-so-faint odor of sweaty feet on the workout mats. I figured out that was costing me about $15 every time I went, and that I definitely wouldn't hand over a ten and a five for the privilege of walking in the door. The final straw was that two weeks ago, they moved it 10 blocks north. Never going. Ever. Cheap and lazy, you say? Perhaps, but I don't know anyone who would pay $15 to walk ten blocks for the smell of feet. I'm sure they're somewhere on Craigslist.

A friend's office has sponsored a weight loss challenge for the staff, so we took a walk on the weekend after New Years to get some exercise. I needed to waddle off a large lunch I had in Chinatown. Soup dumplings from Joe Shanghai are worth navigating the crowded streets, holding your breath and trying not to retch when passing the fish markets. We did over five miles from South Street Seaport to East 57th. Didn't take that long, and was pretty enjoyable. Decided to do it again. At the end of the first week, I'd logged 30 miles, both on my own and with my friend. We got inspired to turn this walking endeavor into a project and really get to know Manhattan. I'm gonna take the camera out, document whatever interesting stuff I happen across and see what it yields. Who knows how far I'll get, but as of now, it's on.