“…there’s something about that love/hate relationship for big cities that sheds light on what makes them so fascinating to me—it’s the way the good and the bad exist together symbiotically. The height of the Empire State Building needs small buildings to highlight its greatness. The diners and cheap hamburger joints need the contrast of expensive fancy restaurants to make them what they are—affordable. Adverse settings and situations dwell in almost every corner in New York, and hardly anyone even notices the differences, as if it’s all part of the city’s harmony. Graffiti on gorgeous church walls, garbage littering the entrances of ornate buildings, bright city lights against the dark night sky, courtyard gardens sprung up along urban streets, run down buildings sharing the shadows of impressive new architecture, and life and color brilliantly splashed against otherwise unnoticed landmarks.”