Working in the heart of Boston, I am surrounded by many famous and beautiful spots. I totally take this for granted, but know I am lucky because many people travel from all over the world to see what I typically walk by without a it a second thought.
I decided I would play the roll of a tourist today and did a walkabout in the public gardens. It was another gorgeous day, and I had a little bit of free time at lunch. That was all the inspiration I needed.
While shooting this statue of George Washington a guy by the name of Nick asked me if I would use his cell phone to take a picture of him doing a handstand in front of the statue. Of course I would! After I took the shot, I asked him if lost a bet or something. He let me know that he was doing this in honor of a friend of his who died (a bit of a long story). Nick was in the Navy and visiting Boston from Fresno CA. It was cool to strike up a conversation with him though. This is something that would have never happened if I'd been rushing through the garden like I usually do.
Another opportunity to strike up a conversation with a stranger. I asked this artist if I could take his picture and he agreed. The paining he was working on was beautiful. I asked him how long he was working on it and he said "about 3 weeks". I wish I had the courage to take more shots of him, but didn't want to creep him out.