Decomposing Trees

New York City is defined just as much by its geography as its architecture. It may not be as picturesque as Sydney Harbour but it's location by the sea with a harbour and surrounding waterways was what drew settlers there in the first place and turned it into a bustling port.

It was on a chilly morning that I sailed past small islands, scattered throughout New York Harbour, intertwined with the very idea of New York as the gateway to the New World. It was almost surreal to see the places that I've read and heard about like Ellis Island and Liberty Island that symbolised the city.

While you no longer have ships full of immigrants fleeing to the New World, the idea of New York as the gateway to the world and a city of immigrants has stuck and despite everything, it hasn't lost its allure to would-be migrants.