The underbelly

It amazing really how the same city came be portrayed in diffrent ways. One of my birthday gifts was CSI:NY on DVD. It shows NYC as dark, dirty, and seedy. It shows the underbelly of the city in stark reality. Now take they same city and tell it's stories through the eyes of the girls of Sex and the City. It's all that glitters, five star resteraunts, gallery openings, Manolo Blahniks. Diffrent shows, diffrent point of views. I was reminded of this as I walked the streets of my own city earlier armed with my Nikon. I live in a coastal southern city, known for it's history, food, beaches. Wandered through Waterfront Park, down East Bay Street until I hit The Battery. The homes on The Battery are multi-million dollar historic homes, some that have survived The Civil War, The Quake, and many years of hurricanes. Just a few blocks from there is the ghetto of downtown. In my line of work we see all parts of the city. I've been in the big historic homes with all the antique furniture and I've been in the Section 8 housing with the second hand sofa. I have found out that the rich can be just as filthy and nasty as the dirt poor. I have seen the wealty ignore thier children, just as the indigent pay no attention to thier own. Some of the poor are just as demanding, just as rude as some of the rich. But I can say with all certainty that I have seen the best and the worst of all humanity. I have been witness to acts of kindness that whould bring tears to even me, The Ice Prinecess. I have seen some of the most henious crime scenes in Charleston. Accidents, sickness, deaths, and births, thats my work. I can tell stories of the beautiful parts of my city, of the world outside of my work. Friends, drinks, good food, family. But I can also tell the stories of my life while wearing the uniform. Blood, guts, the sick and the stupid. Every person, every place has it's own unique story to tell.