For the past 3 weeks I've been making the rounds in New York one of the most exciting cities in the United States. One person remarked "New York,New York, the sity that was so good they had to name it twice", now I know what they meant. It's been an experience especially for me this being my first time in the United States. My initial impressions of the city were of an overly complex maze of streets,avenues not to mention subway system, but after 3 weeks one begins to realise that just like every new experience the mind begins to adjust and understand what needs to be remembered for each situation. The city is a vibrant collection of people from all cultures and nationalities, from South America to South Africa all the way to the West Indies this city is a Rainbow Nation on its own.

From Times Square in Manhattan to Coney Island in Brooklyn, this city is overflowing with entertainment hotspots, eating establishments that are unrivalled, and a society that embraces all that life has to offer. The city doesn't sleep, I had the opportunity to be at Union Square at midnight and what I saw just blew my mind away, there were people playing some music in one corner, a poet getting his rhyme a few steps away, and on another corner there were several guys doing some acrobatics with their bikes, surely having coming from Nairobi this was an image worth remembering.

At $4 a day to travel to the city and back using the public transport system that is run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York is one of the most expensive cities in the world. I took the time to ask my friends living in other cities within the U.S. how much the cost was, Las Vegas came in the lowest at $30 per month with Atlanta somewhere in the middle at $13 per week/$52 per month.

In all this glitz and glamour one never forget to notice the poverty that has gripped certain parts of the city. I had the chance to drive through some of the low income neighbourhoods and witness unemployment and young people whose view of life is bleak. I hope that successive governments will attempt to address the imbalance that exists in this society.

I'll be travelling to other cities and will do my best to capture images. A few images here:

I've taken the time to share my images on Flickr, you can view them here:

 http://tinyurl.com/69ycrr

http://tinyurl.com/69pgz8

Some interesting NY websites:

• NYCares
• MYNYPD