“There is no place like it, no place with an atom of its glory, pride, and exultancy. It lays its hand upon a man’s bowels; he grows drunk with ecstasy; he grows young and full of glory, he feels that he can never die.” ~Walt Whitman.
Though the credit can be rendered to Mr.Whitman, this is Kennedy Moore’s interpretation and definition of NY. Who is Kennedy you ask? the proud owner of Ask a New Yorker.com – of course.
So here are a few questions that we dared to ask because we wanted to find out what makes this business so special. Driven by passion and an obligation to serve his community, Kennedy started the site to represent the NY community and share this belief, love and devotion to the Big Apple and everything else that makes up this matrix.
We inquire further and ask “What do people think of when they hear Ask a New Yorker?”
“Generally people usually smile and are thinking ‘of course, why wouldn’t you Ask a New Yorker? The stereotypes (which are world renowned) are that New Yorkers embody certain qualities and characteristics, namely our directness and willingness to give blunt opinions. Less publicized is that we are also very helpful and caring.”
NYE: What has been the biggest challenge of your project?
Kennedy’s reply was justified when he mentioned the only one of its kind is finding the right partnership that shares the passion of the brand – which makes sense.
As we face adversity in our journey while seeking success in all areas of our lives, surely there must be some regrets along the way- care to share any with us Kennedy?
His response couldn’t have been even more perfect when he replied and stated the following:
“Regrets? I’ve never understood why this question is ever asked unless you’ve done something really terrible to harm someone. Sure I’ve made plenty of mistakes but that’s necessary in order to make it to the next level.
Curious minds want to know if you were to branch out internationally to other projects for example: Ask a European, which top three places would become part of the new project? And why?
“You would need to be more specific for example: Ask a Parisian or Ask a Russian or Ask an Australian. Why? I’d love to travel to these places and I’d love to get local input.
Let’s remix this a bit and expose something people don’t know about you. Rumor has it that you make coconut lamps, how did this come about?
“I lived in Hawaii for many years, and my family still does. For years I lived at the base of Diamond Head in a cluster of homes on the ocean we called ‘The Compound’. I’m an artist at heart and love creating. It could be a sculpture in the ocean to redesigning a restaurant to gardening. A newspaper writer in Hawaii described my work, specifically the bathroom in a restaurant I designed, in following manner: ‘I felt as though I just left the world of logic and conformity and it felt good’ – that pretty much sums up how I would like Ask a New Yorker to be remembered.”
Is that just so cool?!
Here is another random, hypothetical and personal question: It’s a Saturday Night, where would we find you? And why?
“Most likely you would find me on Bliss Street in Sunnyside with my wife and our precious Susan, our dog. Why? Because it brings me happiness.”
While building a brand that lives up to the spirit of NYC as the end success of Ask a New Yorker, Kennedy offers some great advice for those brave entrepreneurial souls interested in launching an online business – three simple words- don’t give up.
And that’s a wrap! The next time you want to know why NY inhabits such mystery, excitement, shock and awe – well why not ask Ask a New Yorker.
By: Laura M. Artis
T: @Lauraslifeonink.