Take a stroll along the famous Coney Island boardwalk, and you're likely to see just about anything. The rich, the poor, longtime New Yorkers, recent immigrants, tourists from all over the world, Muslins, Jews, Christians, kids killing off a day, families making a cheap holiday of it, young couples looking for love, and just about everybody in the market for a momentary distraction from life. Then there are the benches. They line the boardwalk facing the Atlantic, and sooner or later, most everyone will park there for a while, to rest their feet, eat, take in the view, or plan their next

move. When they do that, something beautiful happens. They create their own little stories, often literally shoulder to shoulder with complete strangers, sometimes acknowledging them, sometimes not. Captured in a photograph, these moments are often subject to interpretation, and just as often, tell us a little something about human nature. My plan was to walk the length of the boardwalk and back many times over the next year, as the seasons and stories change, capturing what the benches give me as I pass. It’s going on 13 months now, and I’m still fascinated.