New York City


So New York has always been my favorite place in the world and while it seems crazy and too hectic to many, there is something serene about the city. Last weekend I went to visit my friends who live in the city and it was arguably the best weekend of my life. I will now elaborate on this experience.

First off, this trip to NYC was the first time my parents had ever let me go anywhere alone, so it was a big deal. I hopped on a bus at 8am and began the five hour journey to the city that never sleeps. I was kind of hoping to get two seats to myself, but I ended up getting the window seat next to a French boy who was less than the perfect travel companion. He smelled of, what I thought at first to be serious BO, but what ended up being stale cigarettes and he had no sense of personal bubble space or manners which made the ride rather difficult for me. He spend most of the time sleeping or playing on his iPad, but he found it necessary to have his arm on the armrest between our seats and his elbow was jabbing my side for the majority of the bus ride. So, no this wasn't the best start to my big adult trip alone to the city, but I tolerated it and got this little gem. Pay back, my friend.

We finally arrived to the city and I took my bags underground to take the subway to NYU. My friend is a freshman there and I was going to be spending most of my time with her. We met in Washington Square Park with a big embrace and traveled to her dorm to drop my stuff off and grab a bite in her dining hall (which, by the way, was awesome. It had AMAZING vegetarian options). She took my around Greenwich Village and I have to admit, it's one of my favorite parts of the city. We even walked by the Carrie Diaries set on our way to 16 Handles!

After dropping her off at her class, I made my way to the financial district and SoHo. On my way to the 14th Street subway station I passed Alec Baldwin, which was pretty cool. In that moment I realized how normal celebrities are and how they want to have a normal life like everyone else. That was an eyeopening moment.

So I got off the subway and headed over to Pace University to meet up with a friend that goes there, I would be spending the night with her. After catching up over some Starbucks Frappaccinos, we decided to utilize the resources we had around us and walked through Chinatown and Little Italy in search for dinner/dessert. We went on a quest through Chinatown to find crab rangoon, which was a harder task then expected due to the lack of Americanized Chinese food in Chinatown. We eventually yelped it and Google Maps took us to the only crab rangoon in the lower sector of Manhattan. After getting veggie lo mein and crab rangoon to go, we walked to Little Italy in search for cannolis. As fate would have it, we managed to find Ferrara, which is famous for its gelato and cannolis. You could say that I really went for it when it came to the gelato...

We took our Chinese and cannolis back to her dorm and watched Wedding Crashers and Say Yes to the Dress. I would say this was successful night in white girl history. The next day we woke up early because I wanted to rush First Date on Broadway and the box office opens at 10am. So we swung by the Long Island Bagel CafĂ© and I got the most delicious whole grain bagel with reduced fat cream cheese. We caught the subway and devoured our bagels while catching envious glances from fellow riders. Those bagels were damn good. 

So I rushed First Date and got an awesome seat for the Saturday matinee! We queued around Times Square and 8th Avenue for a while, then decided to head to NYU and hangout with Emilee (she goes there haha). Fortunately, I didn't leave Midtown without taking advantage of a few little photo ops..







After hanging out with my friends in Greenwich village for a while, I went back to Time Square and enjoyed my favorite place in the city on my own. I grabbed a Jamba Juice (orange carrot karma) and on my way to the Longacre Theatre to see First Date, I walked by Orlando Bloom on his way to Romeo and Juliet. So that was freaking awesome! 



I got to the theatre a little early so I could prepare myself for Broadway because I always cry because I'm watching people live my dream and it's inspiring and blah blah blah. I was also seeing a romantic comedy alone, so I was trying not to let that bug me. Let's just say that First Date was incredible and I'm now IN LOVE with Zachary Levi. He's a dream and a half and he was incredible in the show. Plus Krysta Rodriguez from SMASH played opposite him and they are a match made in heaven. 


After this surreal day I headed over to SoHo to meet up with some friends at their apartment. On the way I stopped for some taro bubble tea and it had to be the most amazing bubble tea I've ever had.

 I got to the apartment and we enjoyed delicious pasta and many laughs. We also sang songs from Tangled and watched Wanda Sykes' stand up comedy. It was a successful adult like evening... haha 

Little did I know, the night had just begun! Emilee, Kelly, and I left SoHo, picked up Insomnia Cookies and headed to NBC Studios to stage door SNL. Miley Cyrus was hosting so we thought it would be cool to run into her. We ended up seeing her mom and meeting some of the cast members and interns on the show which was so exciting. 


We left NBC Studios at like 2:30am and decided to go through Time Square, figuring it would be practically empty. It was, so I took this time to dance and sing in the middle of all the lights. I actually ended up crying because I just want to live in New York City and I also get extremely emotional during the wee hours of the morning. 




The next morning we woke up and headed over to the street fair on 8th Avenue where I bought a "New York City Girl" tank top and a present for my best friend back home. Emilee got a henna tattoo and we enjoyed the endless art that was being sold on the street. We walked to 43rd and went to Shake Shack where I was devirginized and had the most delicious vanilla shake and fries. I was leaving at 3:30pm, so we took one last pass through Time Square and I got to tumble around in my new harem pants while people passing by stared. I also picked up cashew Nuts4Nuts on my way out, because they are the best invention next to pizza. 



Unfortunately, I ended up missing my bus out of the city due to major subway delays, so I was able to stay another night, which was nice, but it still stunk that I missed my bus. So I hung out with other friends that night and got $1 pizza in Greenwich Village.

Overall, this was the best weekend of my life. I was able to see what my life would be like if I lived in New York City, how I would be able to handle myself, on my own, without my parent's guidance. To be honest, I've never felt so at home and safe and it only fuels my desire to live in this city as soon as possible. This trip was the first time I actually felt like an adult and it wasn't bittersweet or sad. This feeling was exciting and inspiring; I truly am on my way.

No comments:

Post a Comment