Hey everybody,
Happy New Year! I hope things have never been better out there in Cyberland! It's good to be back. Watching the ball drop on New Year's in New York City reminded me of my first ever trip to the city last October. Myself and six cast mates from Degrassi: The Next Generation went down to do some press for the show and to meet with The N. I will admit, it being my first time to the Big Apple, I was a little shutter-hungry with the ole digital camera. Can you blame me? I had a blast, took about 3,000 pictures (an exaggeration...perhaps) and figured it was the perfect time to be a little artsy and shoot in black and white. It seemed like everywhere I turned, there was something begging to be immortalized through the lens. I had no choice but to oblige. I was left behind more than once -- no biggie, I caught up.

The N took good care of us during the trip, put us up in the Dream Hotel on Broadway, and took us out for one of the swankiest dinners I have ever seen (I guess that's how they do it NYC style). We spent a few solid days from dawn 'til dusk doing press of various kinds. We covered it all -- phone interviews, print interviews, video interviews (including a memorable interview with the beautiful Rebecca Silverstein of your very own Alloy.com). We also hit up the CW11 morning show, dropped by the headquarters of Seventeen magazine, and the girls were on one of the final episodes of MTV's Total Request Live. I watched from backstage -- it was pretty intense. I've always known there were some wild fans of the show, but being in the same room with so many screaming fans in close quarters was a little overwhelming.

Nina Dobrev, Charlotte Arnold, and I spent a few days in the Bronx before we met up with the rest of the crew in Manhattan, and I had the opportunity to spend a day, on my own, on the streets of New York, and let me tell you, I felt like singing. I saw everything. I checked out the Statue of Liberty (she's doing just fine), walked through SoHo, got up close and personal with Wall Street, and yes of course, that street of dreams, Broadway (insert swelling choir here). Everything was so iconic. I was realizing a dream I never knew I'd had. When I was young, I played Sky Masterson in a production of Guys N' Dolls, and I was shocked to see every obscure reference from the show coming to life before my eyes. For those of you who live in New York, I apologize if my account seems naive, but come visit me in Calgary and I'll take you out to the middle of the Rocky Mountains and you'll know how I felt. We're talking "big deal." But I digress…

I hope you guys enjoy the pictures!

Peace.
-e