NYC Local Guides

Dave Krugman is a NYC photographer who started his career by assisting in Annie Leibovitz's photography studio and is now a top photographer for brands like Sony. He grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts and always dreamed of two things: becoming a photographer and living in NYC. After achieving both, he shares how to really get started in photography at any budget. He talks about what technology will look like in the future from augmented reality to smart contact lenses. As a talented photographer, he is approached with numerous big opportunities, but is still humble to say no to things that don’t align with his values and still finds time to give back to causes he truly cares about. Learn his favorite paintings in the Met to his favorite statue in Central Park to his favorite airport to fly into for views and where to sit on the plane. 

Ariel shares the history and culture of cities around the world on Facebook live but specializes in NYC history. He has shared over 600 videos of NYC alone and grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens. He is not only knowledgeable about the history but also shares how different stories shaped the culture of New York. He describes how each iconic food was brought here by different groups and how a New Yorker’s personality comes from the Dutch. He breaks down the neighborhood differences from Bushwick to Park Slope and where to live based on what age you want to feel! He shares a story about graffiti that spoke to him saying “don’t worry you’re not the only one crying” and how he has found his own community in a sometimes lonely city of 8MM people.  

Nastasia grew up in the Midwest, but now can only imagine living in the chaos and energy of NYC. She didn’t move here by choice, but in small moments like a couple dancing in the streets she grew to love NYC so much that she is now buying a home here. She travels for a living, but chooses to keep coming back home to New York over any other city, even Paris. It’s her soul city that welcomes people who might not feel like they fit in elsewhere. She would love to raise a city kid that is very open minded. Where will she be in 50 years? Listen to find out! 

As a top New York City photographer, Jacob Santiago shares why he started taking photos of NYC and sharing them to Instagram. He has the perfect advice for people who ask him if it’s ok to take the same photo someone else took. Despite being born and growing up in Manhattan, he gives hope to aspiring New Yorkers that the identity is not defined by the number of years. Instead we create a badge system that really make someone a New Yorker. He talks about how graffiti saved him from being jumped and what it was like to experience both WTC bombings while working downtown. He compares a city-wide power outage many years ago with looting to one recently that showed how much safer the city is and how people came together as a community. Eat up two lesser known pizza places or a story about a $90 tarantula meal that you could only find in NYC. This is a longer episode than usual, but it is so packed with good tips and stories. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy it and please rate, review and share it with friends, thank you!  

Welcome to NYC Local Guides, I’m your host Jennifer O’Brien and I interview New Yorkers from creatives to CEOs and everyone in between. For more NYC resources like eBooks and videos visit NYClocalguides.com. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to be a New Yorker or if you want to hear some crazy stories, keep listening.