Originally from Ohio, Shannon Stapleton grew up in the Midwest in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from Ohio State in 1991 with an advertising degree. As a 24-year-old freshman, Shannon took photojournalism classes at Ohio University. He was always deeply enthralled and drawn to New York City and moved there some 16 years ago. Since then, he covered the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the financial crisis, gang violence, a heat wave and New York fashion week. In the series below, Shannon recounts his experiences covering the city that never sleeps over the past 10 years. 68 PHOTOS