My travels have often been inspired by places frequented by The Beatles. New York City, where John Lennon lived from age 31 until his death at age 40, is no different. It wasn't planned, but just hours after my long haul flight from Australia I was standing at the gates of John and Yoko's residence, the Dakota Building, photographing the spot where John was shot dead. The experience was as surreal as it gets.

Right beside the memorial site for the September 11, 2001 terror attacks is the “Oculus”. Officially open in March 2016, it's a train station, plaza, shopping mall, and a work of art in itself. On 9/11 each year, weather permitting, the skylight of the Oculus is opened to allow the sun to fill the entire space. In this image I have focussed on its skylight and the tip of the rib-like structure which to me resembles a zip to the lungs, ready to be filled with Manhattan air.

Manhattan from the rooftops - where another world took place. This image was photographed on my second night as the daylight was all but gone. The air was balmy. I was alone. I fantasised what life would be like for me living in NYC, perhaps having sunset drinks beneath an umbrella nestled in the skyline of buildings, just like my neighbours.

Magically coinciding with my stay in New York, Sean Lennon performed at Irving Plaza on 30 August 2016 as one half of The Lennon Claypool Delirium. I purchased a premium ticket, which entitled me access to an exclusive upstairs area with limited seating and its own bar. As it turned out, Yoko Ono wasn't far from where I situated myself. Sean chatted with his mum prior to the show. Perhaps they were finalising details for her surprise appearance on stage late in the evening, when she joined Sean for the band’s take of Primus’ “Southbound Pachyderm.”

This is an image of love between a son and his mum. Sean and Yoko are pictured embracing at the end of their performance.

It's a phrase that has become part of the vernacular of 2020 thanks to COVID-19. "We are all in this together."

This image was taken in 2016, years before the Corona Virus stopped the world in its tracks. I was walking the Seaport District of Manhattan, the city’s oldest waterfront neighbourhood, taking in the vibe. It felt modern, progressive and arty, yet steeped in history. I turned to glance back at the direction from which I'd come. That was when I noticed the A-frame sign. I wondered what it represented. It is only now in the year 2020 as I type, that the relevance of those words ring true.

It was close to midnight on my first night in New York. I had been to see Desperately Seeking Susan as part of the Central Park Film Festival. I had also just seen The Dakota building. It was a moving experience for a Beatles fan like me. Everything felt so surreal as I walked along Central Park West on the way back to my Airbnb. I wasn't even sure I was actually there. I was thinking to myself, is this just a dream? As was the case everyday (no matter where I was), my thoughts turned to my two loves, my husband and dog. I'd left them behind in Adelaide just 36 hours earlier. It was a difficult period for my husband and I. I was lost in thought when a string of yellow cabs sped past, awakening me out from my daydream, and reminding me of where I was. You know you're in New York when...

Stepping inside the Chelsea Market located in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District I was greeted with colours akin to an Indian bazaar. Light licked every surface, from the exposed beams to the metallic flower buckets, mirrored on the floor. The flowers were dancing.

A small deli in New York’s Lower East Side has been serving locals since 1888. Originally under the name of "Iceland Brothers", Katz's Delicatessen became a regular in the early part of the 20th century for the thousands of newly immigrated families.

During World War II, the three sons of the owners were serving their country in the armed forces, and the family tradition of sending food to their sons became the company slogan “Send A Salami To Your Boy In The Army” (TM). To this day Katz's Delicatessen goods can be shipped anywhere in the USA.

The deli has been featured in books and films including the famous scene in When Harry Met Sally ("I'll have what she's having!"). Each week thousands of visitors from around the world (including me) visit Katz's to devour amazing sandwiches, platters and meats. But it's New Yorkers that make Katz what it is, spreading the word and recommending it as a must-have experience, just as my AirBNB host did for me.

I shared a table with locals as I devoured the most popular dish of them all, the pastrami on rye. I savoured the unique Lower East Side atmosphere that packed every crevice, and reached for my camera to capture the scene which would imprint Katz's Delicatessen to my memory and secure a Silver Award with the Australian Institute of Professional Photography.