So sorry to not have replied to you all sooner!
I had a FABULOUS, absolutely fantastic time in New York. I LOVE NYC
. I had never been to NY before, and to let you all gather a picture of how much I loved my trip there, as we left NY I berated myself for not applying to NYU!
Why do I love NY so much?
Well, first and foremost, the energy and vitality of the city. It's incredible...call me crazy, but I actually
like crowds. Times Square was my fave part of NY by the way. But anyway, it was just amazing, because at 1 AM, people are still up and about, walking around. I love that. In San Fran, streets are dead after, like, 10 PM. Seriously! And the Subway system? I actually like it! (Well, except for the fact that it gets sort of confusing.) I love that you don't need a car, and that you can use the Subway to get anywhere you need. I just love how bustling, vibrant, and simply put -- ALIVE -- New York City is!! Maybe that's why Times Square is such a favorite of mine...it's so glitzy and bright and alive!
Secondly, you can't beat the culture that NY offers. The Met -- just incredible. I'm a big art buff so you can bet that I was in art lovers' *heaven* while I was there. I was oohing and ahing all over the place! I was like, "Oh my god!!!! That was in my Art History textbook! And it's here...I'm seeing it LIVE!"
I left with a whole bunch of stuff from the Met Gift Shop
. And the theatre? Oh my goodness, theatre alone is a reason that everyone should go to NY. I saw two amazing, leaves-me-smiling-when-I-think-about-it shows: the play Proof, and the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. Proof was so wonderfully written and left the audience smiling when the curtain went down (Jennifer Jason Leigh is awesome as the lead). I hate math, and while the play Proof was based on mathematicians, I looooved the storyline. Thoroughly Modern Millie -- oh my gosh, I can't say enough about it. That musical is absolutely delightful -- we were in uproars of laughter at almost every minute of it! The day we saw it, the understudy was playing the part of Millie. She had an incredible voice though and played Millie very well -- the audience loved her! I just love, love, love Thoroughly Modern Millie, and gosh, if it ever comes to Cali, you can bet that I'm going to see it over and over again. I still remember some scenes so vividly, and just thinking about them, I laugh so hard! For example, the evil hotel lady, those 2 Chinese boys, Jimmy, Millie wanting to be modern by bobbing her hair and marrying her boss (though at the beginning she doesn't even have one yet!!)...I love it so much!!!
And the weather! There are actually seasons in NY! And the people...for some reason, I seem to have a thing for NY boys. I don't know why...but, for example, I've met two NY boys who are now living in Cali...and they're awesome. Something about NY that does something to me! And the boys in NYC are so cute... haha. And of course the shopping, Soho, and all the neighborhoods....I fell in love with NY after seeing the Upper East Side. If I'm ever so lucky to live in NY (I hope to move there after college graduation), I really hope to live in the Upper East Side. The Upper West Side is nice, too, though!
And you know what? 9/11, of course, hit every one of us Americans hard. But I don't think I fully understood how much 9/11 impacted the lives of New Yorkers. Of course I was shellshocked and so sad for the city of NY when 9/11 happened. But after my visit to NY, as our cab was driving us to Newark airport, I saw the NY skyline in the distance, and saw where the Twin Towers had stood, and tears just fell out of my eyes. For the first time, I understood just how great NY is, and just how much 9/11 must have affected the New Yorkers. And I just thought how incredible NYC is, and just finally realized the extent of the 9/11 tragedy on NY.
Of course I bought an I love NY shirt. And I plan to wear it proudly (so what if it's cheesy?)! I seriously hope to make NYC my home in the future after college graduation. I feel like I'm betraying California, but NY is just so much better!
My friend told me, "Yeah, after NY, everything's all downhill." And quite honestly, I think she's right. I was soooooo sad when the plane rolled into Cali. I was just thinking, "It'll be so long till I can go back...and I miss it so much already."
All you New Yorkers, count your lucky stars!!!!! There's one girl living in Cali who wishes she was in NYC!