As some of you may know, I took a trip with my senior class to the city that never sleeps, New York City. We left late Thursday evening in a charter bus and I suppose you can say I was super nervous. Well, to begin with, I honestly thought I was going to either get mugged or lost, but who doesn't think that when they visit such a huge city. Anyways, 13 hours or so later, probably the most impatient bus ride ever, we arrived to "The Big Apple." We were basically dropped off right in front of the Today Show so what did my friends and I do first, you ask? You guessed it, we practically sprinted straight to the Today Show audience hoping to get a good enough standing area to be seen on TV. I feel kind of dumb for saying this, but we had no idea for sure who was on the Today Show that day, so it came out as a surprise when we see KISS about to walk out and be presented. Many minutes later, the first thing, thinking it wasn't really him at first, I see is Gene Simmons walking out. We eventually got an autograph and a few photos of the band. Unfortunately, we were told we could get a picture with them, but they were too busy, which was totally fine i'm not complaining. After the today show, we had a lot of free time to ourselves in Times Square. Talk about different! Picture yourself walking through crowds upon crowds of people, some in a hurry or some taking their time taking photos and stopping every now and then to get a great view. It's kind of funny, but I thought about how many stories each person has, that's when reality hits you with such a powerful feeling. I noticed New York City is definitely a culture-mixed environment, whether it being tourists or residents. Everyone has a story.
Moving on, after having my first slice of NYC pizza, (got buffalo chicken so I almost burnt all my taste buds off) we visited the Intrepid Museum. It was a very neat experience to be on board and see many things such as a space shuttle, aircraft planes, and a submarine. Visiting the Intrepid was not only a moment I realized I suffered a tiny bit from claustrophobia, but it made me honored to have learnt the story of many veterans, and seeing what it was like to be in such situations. My grandfather was a World War 2 vet and I'm so thankful for all the dedication he put towards our country.
After the very interesting visit to the Intrepid, I traveled to the site I was looking forward to the most, Ground Zero. The 9/11 Memorial was absolutely beautiful/powerful. Before we entered the museum, this man came out and spoke to our group about the expectations they have for visitors like us. I am one to wear my heart of my sleeve, so I'm easily emotional. The man continued to speak to us, but something he said struck me hard. "To many, this memorial is considered a cemetery." I cannot put to words. I was speechless. I know as much as I try to explain the feelings I had while standing in the exact same spot where the twin towers fell 13 years ago, I possibly couldn't put them in words. So much emotion, heartbreak, respect was given in that very moment. I owe my deepest respect and honor to those who couldn't see another morning after that heartbreaking day in 2001. I'll leave my note with that..
We eventually made it safe that night back to our very nice hotel in NJ with such a beautiful view of the skyline.
Day 2 in NYC was unlike any other. We made our way back to downtown NYC to meet our tour guide, Mike. Oh man let me tell you something, he was a character. "Forgetta' bout it" Seriously such a cool guy. He showed us all around and we walked into a few places such as a gorgeous cathedral. Eventually, we all had a little time in Central Park (probably one of my favorite parts about the trip.) I know New York is said to be busy and just constantly non-stop noises, however, I thought Central Park was so peaceful and just.. I felt so calm there. Not to mention, Home Alone 2 is probably one of my favorite movies ever made, so I had a little bit of a "fangirling" experience walking through one of the main locations in the park. (The scene where Kevin is being chased. /uploads/2/8/0/0/28001205/home_alone_central_park.jpg Picture here) I even saw this lovely couple playing music with a sign on their money collecting bag stating "THE WORLD NEEDS MORE BACH." Boy, isn't that the truth. So yeah, it definitely is a beautiful site and if you are in NYC anytime soon or the future, definitely visit Central Park during the day.
After eating my first real Italian meatball sub at this amazing restaurant, Mike decided we should all walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I was terrified at first and I mean t e r r i f i e d. Walking over so many rushing cars and passing by so many people in a hurry, talk about nervewracking. Not to mention, if you are EVER in the bike lane and you see a bike coming directly at you, you better move out of the way quickly, they will run over you without any caution. Alright i'm going to fill you in on a little something. It may not be your favorite place to visit, in my opinion, it definitely wasn't one of mine, i'm talking about Chinatown. When you first show up, a huge aroma of dead fish devours your nostrils. I guess some people are alright with that smell and I respect the ones who eat it for good health, i'm just not a huge fan. Anyhow, I was in search of finding good deals on tshirts/gifts for my nieces and nephews and I've never dealt with such tough people. I met this tiny elderly Chinese lady and she seriously wouldn't let me leave her store without buying something. Needless to say, she got her way. So, good luck to whomever has to deal with that lady again. She's a tough cookie.
Meanwhile, "Shaking my Napkin" wise, we ate dinner at "Puglia's" in Little Italy. I've always been a fan of the Italian culture, it's in my blood (literally.) The food is delicious, the men are handsome, the entertainment is hilariously worth seeing. The man started singing Theme from New York, New York by Frank Sinatra, so I was sold. What more could you expect? Haha, I had a great time there.
Alright, so if you really want get to know me better, just know i'm highly a huge fan of Les Miserables. I love everything that has to do with the French novel, so when they told me the Broadway show we would be attending would be Les Mis, I was hysterical. I guess you can kind of understand my feelings towards the show. One word, phenomenal. Gosh, I could probably write a book on how and outstandingly blown away I was. The entire day was the best and to end it with Les Mis on Broadway, talk about icing on the cake!
Day 3 was my last day in NYC. Stupid me chose to wear boots on the trip, so my feet were in so much pain covered in bruises and blisters, yeah not a fun time. Our first stop was the Battery Park Ferry boat where we went through the toughest security in NYC. After dealing with that, we made our way to Liberty Island. I've always dreamed about seeing the Statue of Liberty in person and now I can honestly say I've seen it and been inside, wow. Dreams really do come true after all. It may have been a little windy, but I loved every moment of the visit. I met a very nice German boy on the Ferry boat on the way back and he even spoke to me so sweetly. *swoon* I wish we would have gotten off at Ellis Island, but I understand because our schedule was so well set. When we all got off the Ferry, we walked, passing the famous "Charging Bull" on Wall Street where you rub it's balls for good luck. Yeah, it's real and interesting I guess you could say.
Have you seen Forrest Gump? If so, you'd love Bubba Gump's restaurant in Times Square. They even had one of Jenny's dresses framed on their wall from the movie! When lunch ended, we went to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Besides the fact it felt like the temperature in there was nearly over 100 degrees, I had a lot of fun taking many selfies with the celebs they had there. It's crazy how realistic some of them are I had to take many double takes to make sure none of them were moving. Okay, I'll admit it, I saw James Dean's wax figure and sprinted straight to it. Probably another favorite part of my visit in the city! I picked up a few items in their gift shop. My advice: go there if you're a serious huge fan of John Lennon or James Dean like myself. You'll love it.
More free time in Times Square, could you imagine that? By the time we left visiting the huge ferris wheel in Toys R' Us and seeing the almost fully naked Naked Cowgirl (utterly disturbing), I was done with the whole walking thing so my friends and I decided to sit down and rest for a little.
My last stop in New York City was the Top of the Rock. I've never been in such high of a building before, 70 floors. I was in an elevator with at least 10 people, all of which barely spoke English at all. You can say I was a little scared. Thankfully, I made it up safe and took some great photographs of the city. The view is amazing! I strongly suggest you put this on your list of things to do in NYC, just don't look down when you're at the very top!
Finally, departure time came and part of me was sad we had to leave so soon, yet another part of me was ready to be back in Indiana. The bus ride home seemed much more quicker than the bus ride to New York City, i'm just thankful for getting home safely and having many wonderful memories to share. So, i'm sharing most of them with whomever decides to read this on here!
If you ever decide to visit New York City at least once in your lifetime, just remember to always keep a hold of your bags, don't buy to many CD's off of upcoming rap musicians (they will take a lot of your money), wear comfortable shoes, and most of all, enjoy the moment(s) you have in the huge city. It's truly a remarkable experience where you can share all the memories you have with anyone one day.
Kudos to all the people who made my trip unforgettable.
Moving on, after having my first slice of NYC pizza, (got buffalo chicken so I almost burnt all my taste buds off) we visited the Intrepid Museum. It was a very neat experience to be on board and see many things such as a space shuttle, aircraft planes, and a submarine. Visiting the Intrepid was not only a moment I realized I suffered a tiny bit from claustrophobia, but it made me honored to have learnt the story of many veterans, and seeing what it was like to be in such situations. My grandfather was a World War 2 vet and I'm so thankful for all the dedication he put towards our country.
After the very interesting visit to the Intrepid, I traveled to the site I was looking forward to the most, Ground Zero. The 9/11 Memorial was absolutely beautiful/powerful. Before we entered the museum, this man came out and spoke to our group about the expectations they have for visitors like us. I am one to wear my heart of my sleeve, so I'm easily emotional. The man continued to speak to us, but something he said struck me hard. "To many, this memorial is considered a cemetery." I cannot put to words. I was speechless. I know as much as I try to explain the feelings I had while standing in the exact same spot where the twin towers fell 13 years ago, I possibly couldn't put them in words. So much emotion, heartbreak, respect was given in that very moment. I owe my deepest respect and honor to those who couldn't see another morning after that heartbreaking day in 2001. I'll leave my note with that..
We eventually made it safe that night back to our very nice hotel in NJ with such a beautiful view of the skyline.
Day 2 in NYC was unlike any other. We made our way back to downtown NYC to meet our tour guide, Mike. Oh man let me tell you something, he was a character. "Forgetta' bout it" Seriously such a cool guy. He showed us all around and we walked into a few places such as a gorgeous cathedral. Eventually, we all had a little time in Central Park (probably one of my favorite parts about the trip.) I know New York is said to be busy and just constantly non-stop noises, however, I thought Central Park was so peaceful and just.. I felt so calm there. Not to mention, Home Alone 2 is probably one of my favorite movies ever made, so I had a little bit of a "fangirling" experience walking through one of the main locations in the park. (The scene where Kevin is being chased. /uploads/2/8/0/0/28001205/home_alone_central_park.jpg Picture here) I even saw this lovely couple playing music with a sign on their money collecting bag stating "THE WORLD NEEDS MORE BACH." Boy, isn't that the truth. So yeah, it definitely is a beautiful site and if you are in NYC anytime soon or the future, definitely visit Central Park during the day.
After eating my first real Italian meatball sub at this amazing restaurant, Mike decided we should all walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I was terrified at first and I mean t e r r i f i e d. Walking over so many rushing cars and passing by so many people in a hurry, talk about nervewracking. Not to mention, if you are EVER in the bike lane and you see a bike coming directly at you, you better move out of the way quickly, they will run over you without any caution. Alright i'm going to fill you in on a little something. It may not be your favorite place to visit, in my opinion, it definitely wasn't one of mine, i'm talking about Chinatown. When you first show up, a huge aroma of dead fish devours your nostrils. I guess some people are alright with that smell and I respect the ones who eat it for good health, i'm just not a huge fan. Anyhow, I was in search of finding good deals on tshirts/gifts for my nieces and nephews and I've never dealt with such tough people. I met this tiny elderly Chinese lady and she seriously wouldn't let me leave her store without buying something. Needless to say, she got her way. So, good luck to whomever has to deal with that lady again. She's a tough cookie.
Meanwhile, "Shaking my Napkin" wise, we ate dinner at "Puglia's" in Little Italy. I've always been a fan of the Italian culture, it's in my blood (literally.) The food is delicious, the men are handsome, the entertainment is hilariously worth seeing. The man started singing Theme from New York, New York by Frank Sinatra, so I was sold. What more could you expect? Haha, I had a great time there.
Alright, so if you really want get to know me better, just know i'm highly a huge fan of Les Miserables. I love everything that has to do with the French novel, so when they told me the Broadway show we would be attending would be Les Mis, I was hysterical. I guess you can kind of understand my feelings towards the show. One word, phenomenal. Gosh, I could probably write a book on how and outstandingly blown away I was. The entire day was the best and to end it with Les Mis on Broadway, talk about icing on the cake!
Day 3 was my last day in NYC. Stupid me chose to wear boots on the trip, so my feet were in so much pain covered in bruises and blisters, yeah not a fun time. Our first stop was the Battery Park Ferry boat where we went through the toughest security in NYC. After dealing with that, we made our way to Liberty Island. I've always dreamed about seeing the Statue of Liberty in person and now I can honestly say I've seen it and been inside, wow. Dreams really do come true after all. It may have been a little windy, but I loved every moment of the visit. I met a very nice German boy on the Ferry boat on the way back and he even spoke to me so sweetly. *swoon* I wish we would have gotten off at Ellis Island, but I understand because our schedule was so well set. When we all got off the Ferry, we walked, passing the famous "Charging Bull" on Wall Street where you rub it's balls for good luck. Yeah, it's real and interesting I guess you could say.
Have you seen Forrest Gump? If so, you'd love Bubba Gump's restaurant in Times Square. They even had one of Jenny's dresses framed on their wall from the movie! When lunch ended, we went to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Besides the fact it felt like the temperature in there was nearly over 100 degrees, I had a lot of fun taking many selfies with the celebs they had there. It's crazy how realistic some of them are I had to take many double takes to make sure none of them were moving. Okay, I'll admit it, I saw James Dean's wax figure and sprinted straight to it. Probably another favorite part of my visit in the city! I picked up a few items in their gift shop. My advice: go there if you're a serious huge fan of John Lennon or James Dean like myself. You'll love it.
More free time in Times Square, could you imagine that? By the time we left visiting the huge ferris wheel in Toys R' Us and seeing the almost fully naked Naked Cowgirl (utterly disturbing), I was done with the whole walking thing so my friends and I decided to sit down and rest for a little.
My last stop in New York City was the Top of the Rock. I've never been in such high of a building before, 70 floors. I was in an elevator with at least 10 people, all of which barely spoke English at all. You can say I was a little scared. Thankfully, I made it up safe and took some great photographs of the city. The view is amazing! I strongly suggest you put this on your list of things to do in NYC, just don't look down when you're at the very top!
Finally, departure time came and part of me was sad we had to leave so soon, yet another part of me was ready to be back in Indiana. The bus ride home seemed much more quicker than the bus ride to New York City, i'm just thankful for getting home safely and having many wonderful memories to share. So, i'm sharing most of them with whomever decides to read this on here!
If you ever decide to visit New York City at least once in your lifetime, just remember to always keep a hold of your bags, don't buy to many CD's off of upcoming rap musicians (they will take a lot of your money), wear comfortable shoes, and most of all, enjoy the moment(s) you have in the huge city. It's truly a remarkable experience where you can share all the memories you have with anyone one day.
Kudos to all the people who made my trip unforgettable.