Kennedy Dickerson: Concrete Jungle

I am Kennedy Dickerson, a junior photography major at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. I was given the opportunity, along with another fellow photo major, to intern at CBS in the Photography division. This is my story.

Let me start off by saying that I am in no way familiar with New York City and I consider this my first actual time, seeing as I have seen more today than I ever did getting on and off of a bus.

I wake up at 5:30 AM to get ready, drive to the Greyhound station, in a rush I might add, and get on my 7 AM bus to New York City. At this point my nerves are calming. I sit next to a wonderful girl that had already been on a train from farther in Pennsylvania and still had to take another bus and yet another train to get into Massachusetts. The two of us talk for a while, then I find myself passed out in my seat. When I wake up, I am greeted by the glorious skyline.

Something you should know about me, I pretty much take pictures of everything and try to catch all the little nuances that happen throughout my day. Here is my first step on New York pavement at 9:21am.

Another thing you should know about me is that I am not a coordinated person and when I do things for the first time I am incredibly rusty at it and cannot, under any circumstances, pass off as a natural. My search to find CBS was a difficult one, but with a call to my mother (with my phone battery dying, no less), I found my way to the headquarters. I had totally passed right by it. Go figure.

I arrive at CBS a little later than expected, but all is well and good because they were not exactly expecting me. That is quickly forgotten as Paula Breck, Photo Editor, teaches me the ropes and introduces me to almost everyone in the office, not to mention sets me up with a badge and key, making me feel pretty damn professional.

After all the preliminary business, I sit down with Justina Wong, a photojournalism intern that has been working at CBS for 3 months now. Needless to say, she is a pro and I took all my ques from her.  

After settling in, I was assigned busy work, copying photographs from one disc to another.

I left a little earlier to set out an a quest to see Times Square. I know, I am a total tourist. Within the 30 to 45 minutes I was in Time Square I met a slew of people. This woman, for example:

Even though we talked for a good while about a plethora of subjects, I only remember her as MAC, which she had declared were her initials. She had stopped me to compliment my tattoo and we soon became fast friends. It is because of people like MAC that I already love New York City. I love the hustle bustle and the camaraderie that is shared between people, regardless if a stranger.

I ended my day with yet another long bus ride back to Philadelphia. This time I met a middle age woman who was incredibly sweet, and the two of us also became fast friends. She gave me advice on so many things, from seeing New York City at night to how to wear the right pair of heels. I attempted to take her photograph, but was very easily distracted by more of her stories. Hopefully our paths will cross again in another bus ride. 

For now, I will never forget that what she said to me as I walked off the bus this evening, "You have picked the most amazing place to be," and I must say that I wholeheartedly agree.