
New York City
When people hear New York, there is no doubt that the first thing that comes to mind is the captivating chaos of Times Square or the flashy glamour of Broadway, or maybe even the heartrending impression of Ground Zero or the iconic landmark that is the Statue of Liberty. And while Brooklyn can be found somewhere down the line, it’s mostly to mention its most well-known landmark, the Brooklyn Bridge.
But while these trademark tourist spots give New York City its stimulating and unique vibe, the city isn’t just that, the same way that there’s more to Brooklyn than its famous bridge.
Made up of an assortment of neighborhoods each with its own flavour and culture, New York’s bustling borough is paradise for anyone who wishes to see the city without the flashing lights and looming skyscrapers. There’s definitely something about exploring the NYC the locals always see – and tourists mostly don’t – the ones hidden within the concrete jungle, that makes the whole New York experience one-of-a-kind.
And what better way to do that than to be guided by a proper New Yorker? I found out about Jessie on a Journey through various travel blogs and sign up for her photo walk tour. Jessie owns the < a rel=”nofollow” href=”http://nyctoursandphotosafaris.com/”>NYC Tours and Photo Safaris, which prioritizes offbeat tourism, and runs the tours as well. The photo walk tour is a fantastic way to tour the city because it basically has everything a good travel requires – having excellent photos taken by professionals and getting to discover less offbeat, less touristy places.
We started at Dylan’s Candy Bar in Manhattan, one of the most popular candy shops in the United States. It’s said to be inspired by Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and when you get to take a look inside the store, you’ll definitely feel like you’re in candy heaven.

From Manhattan, we crossed the Williamsburg Bridge which crosses the East River and onto the Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood. The suspension bridge itself is quite a sight, connecting the hustle and bustle of the Lower East Side to the hipster culture of Williamsburg.

An already well-established hip and artistic community, Williamsburg is an excellent place for any young adult to chill and relax. It’s also the place where trends begin. Take The Bagel Store’s rainbow bagel for example. A Williamsburg trademark, this colorful concoction sees tons of people standing in line for however long it takes daily just so they could have a taste of it.

Our next stop was the Mast Brothers Chocolate Factory, a popular brand of artisanal chocolate in the country. These hand-crafted melt-in-your-mouth chocolate bars are every chocolate lover’s delight.

After exploring some of the local stores in the neighborhood that offered everything from local art pieces to local craft beer, we made our way to the East Hudson River before taking a train to Bushwick, located in the northern part of Brooklyn
While having the same hipster vibe of Williamsburg, Bushwick is definitely a more offbeat, albeit upcoming, neighborhood that used to have a negative reputation for being an unsafe place with high crime rate. In past years, however, the neighborhood was able to re-establish and transform itself to an entirely new and eclectic place.
Because there are just so many hidden gems and obscure treasures scattered around the area, Bushwick is most certainly better appreciated when you take your time strolling through the neighborhood.
What’s not hidden and obscure is the Bushwick Collective, a street covered in graffiti art that made the photographer in me become absolutely giddy with excitement. It’s not grand and majestic like the Empire State, but it is genuine and authentic New York, and it was awesome.
Jessie was extremely invaluable as she’s lived in the area for five years, and her knowledge of the area is astounding. Aside from giving us tips on where to go and do free art and yoga class, I especially liked the fact that she was all about socially responsible tourism and was determined to showcase the lesser known side of New York. Of course, the fact that she takes really good photos is a massive bonus.
Guess what? This December, NYC Tours and Photosafaris is offering there tours 50% off—- This is a good deal so take it while you can.

NYC Tours and and Photo Safaris
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Such cool pictures! I love all the bright colors! Really cool!
Thank you, I love all the colors too.
I’ve never been able to travel here yet so thankyou for your little snap shot of the city! Those rainbow bagels are insane haha. I love it 🙂
Ever since I got into photography, I’ve always enjoyed joining photowalks and we all know that NYC has some of the best sights to offer! Looks like you had a great time here!
You bet Elizabeth, I definitely had a good time.
You can never go wrong with a photowalk in New York! That’s an amazing thing to do in a city that’s full of art and people from different walks of life!
Oh, I couldn’t agree more. There are so many nooks that I wouldn’t have seen in the guide book luckily I had a local tour guide.
You look so happy to have visited all these places. I think I need to stop by the candy shop. I love all the murals. Beautiful!
Oh, I went crazy with all the street arts. They were curated by the way. It’s a nice thing that they are trying to do for the neighborhood.
NY City is such a lovely place to visit! Love the awesome shots of the city. It looks like you had lots of fun. My favorite is the rainbow bagel. It looks so pretty and yummy!
The rainbow bagel was indeed cute but there are a lot to taste too in Williamsburg.
This place looks awesome. I bet you had a great time
I definitely had a great time. If you find yourself in New york, make sure to hit up Jessie. She can show you off beat parts.
Oh Dylan’s Candy Bar is on my “must visit” list. It’s been years since I went to New York and I was on a school trip so my visit was planned and scheduled but I can’t wait to go back and see everything I want to see!
I am in love with these beautiful pictures and I can see you are so much excited with the trip. The Dylans Candy Bar looks yum and the Rainbow Bagels is something that looks so unique. I am sure you had a wonderful experience out there!
Se manifique! Loved the photo journal and descriptions.
You look fantastic and have such a great smile, never stop smiling! would love to visit there
Thank you . Yeah, I’ll try to never stop smiling, its the only thing that keeps us going isn’t it?
NYC is one of my favorite cities on the East Coast and I always love visiting there. Your pictures are beautiful!
I should thank Jessie for that, she is a wonderful guide and photographer.
I visited Dylans Candy Bar! It was exciting since my name is Dylan, even though I am not a candy fiend haha