New York City Isn't the only "Big Apple" Out There

Almost every day, (okay every day), I lazily scroll through my Instagram when I have a spare moment (spare moments usually mean I'm bored/waiting/procrastinating). I robotically give a double tap to the dozens of fashion accounts I follow, and more often than not, ignore what I call "the pity accounts" (old classmates/family members who post bad pictures).

Admittedly, I am shall we say, a wee bit meticulous when it comes to my Instagram account. I have  pruned and fine-tuned it into the perfect ratio of fashion, friends and food photographs. When it comes to finding a new account to add to my list, I get very selective. I mean, there can only be so many pictures of cakes, shoes and impossibly beautiful faces to follow, right? Right. 

So, it takes a lot for me to "commit" to a new account, something fresh and inspiring. And then it happened. Sitting in my car (I was waiting this time), I stumbled upon one of the most fascinating Instagram pages, Humans of New York. Wow. What a breath of fresh air. 

To put it mildly, I was captivated. Basically, the account consists of photos of citizens of New York City, from all demographics, including age, ethnicity, gender and financial backgrounds. The captions for the photos are either life stories or quotes of each person. 

Completely immersed, I sat in the parking lot of Starbucks and read every single story. There's just shy of 2500 posts so needless to say, I sat there for quite some time. I just find it so..utterly cool that someone had this idea to bring the stories of random individuals on the street to life through the simplicity of an Instagram account. Aside from feeling completely impressed, my initial thought while reading was I wish I came up with something like this. 

Ideas formulated of "People of Winnipeg" and instantly thought super no. It just doesn't have the same allure as New York. But then I thought "why not?"  To be interesting, to have a story, does one have to live in a city with a grander scale of population? No.

Winnipeg gets so much backlash, and the funny thing is, from its own residents. But why? There are so many hidden gems in this city, with so many interesting people. It really aggravates me when I hear people say "Winnipeg is so lame" "I can't wait to get out of here" and blah blah blah. Seriously, shut up and take five steps back and think for a moment. Do you think moving to another city will solve your life problems? Yeah, I didn't think so. 

If you take the time to explore the city, observe the people of Winnipeg, I can guarantee you will discover the most interesting stories that were right here in your community. No, Winnipeg may not be New York, but it is a city filled with culture and life. You just need to look, and I think the concept is something to delve deeper on. 

Sincerely,

Ingrid