For all the aussies out there who don’t know…the Highline is an elevated railway line in NYC that has been transformed into a public park. Thats right – it is a park in the sky…how cool is that! It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street, between 10th & 11th Avenues.

I recently went to scout the High Line for an upcoming engagement session. I have no idea why I haven’t spent more time here? It is a great place to spend a sunny afternoon, cool street performers and plenty of delicious food vendors to choose from.

The summer season is packed with super interesting events. Star gazing, free historic tours, art installations, summer parties….will definitely be spending more time here over the next few months.

Spring in NYC feels like a rebirth. After months of bitterly cold weather, the first warmish day in Spring is cause for celebration. The cafes open up their windows, people spill out onto the street showing off their cutest spring outfits, daring to bare ghostly pale limbs after being deprived from sunshine for what feels like an eternity.

High on vitamin D, the usual NYC scowl that screams – get the f*** out of my way is replaced with a look of blissed out contentment. In Williamsburg – the outdoor markets are packed, groups of friends gather near the river and Sunday brunch is a marathon of bottomless Bloody Mary’s. Everyone makes the most of it because they know in just over a month NYC will be a sweat bowl, where the approaching subway feels like a pleasant breeze.

In Australia, when the weather warms up we head for the beach but in NYC they dust off their picnic blankets and settle in for a sun baking session at the park. One of my favourites is Bryant Park. During the warmer months, the park comes alive with their summer program. Live music, free yoga, free outdoor movies, table tennis, chess, a reading room – it’s like an outdoor community centre where everyone is welcome. I regularly head their for a dose of sunshine happiness and an entertaining afternoon of people watching.

Being a spring baby with an addiction to sunshine, I have welcomed the change of season with open arms, enthusiastically banishing my winter coat to the far reaches of my wardrobe. I am not sure If I could make it through another NYC winter. I think this year when the weathers starts to cool down, I will sprout wings and fly to warmer climates…. Miami, Hawaii, Australia? Mmm…. an endless summer sounds good to me.

If you follow me on Facebook you will know I have been unashamedly showing off about my upcoming trip to Greece in June. In fact, in a recent interview, I mentioned Greece as my ultimate destination to photograph. As an artist, the stark architecture and contrasting colours are a like a visual playground I so badly want to lose myself in.

My itinerary is still evolving but for now, I will be getting my grecian goddess on for a whole 23 days, travelling to Crete, Santorini, Milos and either another island or a short stay in Athens.

Once I finalise my itinerary I will share with you some of the amazing places I am staying but for now you can just picture me relaxing next to my infinity pool, gazing out at endless blue skies, sipping champagne on a luxury yacht or exploring sea caves by kayak.

If you are not crazy jealous by this point then I have prepared an inspiration board that should do the job.

Remember to follow me on Pinterest for more drool worthy destinations.

You are not normal. Deal with it…. (Anonymous friend) I often feel at odds with the people around me. I see myself as a floating island living between borders, neither one country nor the other. From the mainland it might look like paradise but to cross the ocean unassisted, disconnected from the pack and live in relative solitude – could be treacherous.

 I remember the school counselor calling me in for a meeting to inform me I had been selected as one of the ‘special’ twenty students who could choose their own class group. She delivered the news with the enthusiasm of a doting mother at a beauty pageant. Like if she forced the smile enough we might both forget I didn’t have any friends to choose from. There was no neat category to file me away in, no one group that would accept me into their fold and claim me as their own. Even at the time I wondered why the special twenty weren’t put in a class together. United by difference we could have banded together. A floating island full of eccentrics with an open house policy.

Luckily I have been blessed with an impenetrable personal armor. When faced with rejection I assume it is a reflection of the opposing parties insecurities and shortcomings and certainly not my own. My superhero status remains intact and I continue to fly high, my highly developed self esteem propelling me forward. It is only on occasion when the light flickers and a taste of self doubt creeps in that I remember I am not invincible.

Someone once commented on my mottled collection of friends. I like to think I am accumulating my own ‘special 20’ and together we can create a new norm where difference is celebrated, creativity is encouraged and eccentricity is commonplace. We can all live on my island and create a community where we all belong. Envied by the mainland, free of judgment and labels, free to abandon the blueprint contrived by expectation.

I often wonder about the Special 20. Who were they and where are they now? Are they still adrift in the world, little islands campaigning for social change? Or have they tacked onto the mainland, hiding their true colors in an act of self-preservation having decided safety lies in numbers. Perhaps there was a reason we were never united. Together we might have combusted. A crash collision of different worlds never meant to see eye to eye. As separate entities we can continue our voyage as social pioneers. Sharing our unique way of seeing the world and tempting others to brave the ocean of difference and join us on our islands. Forever free to move between borders as social nomads forging our own journeys in life.