As the wheels of the aircraft came down and all the passenger’s eyes were on the magnificent view of the city, my eyes were stuck on the most popular attraction in the Big Apple; The Statue of Liberty.
This was my first time in New York, and in my head, this big city was just a tourist trap, and for once I was more than happy to be a tourist for a day.
Having only 24 hours in one place really makes you prioritize what you want to visit, and with no time to waste, I took off, with no Map or Wifi on my phone I was officially on my own in downtown New York (don’t tell my Mom) At first it didn’t feel like New York City.. being from Toronto I’m used to living in a concrete jungle.. it really felt just like that, until I stepped down into the subway station.. It felt like a movies set, so dirty, dark, grungy. The subway cars were squeaking and you could see the burnt orange paint peeling off of the benches (this subway train definitely needed a makeover). The people just kept coming on and on until they were almost standing on top of each other, so claustrophobic. The confusing part for me was how the subway map was shown above the subway doors, usually it’s pretty easy to locate yourself, every stop has a different name like ; Union station or High Park. But here, all the stops are the numbers of the streets (73st,82st,116st and so on). I really was expecting it to be obvious stops like “empire state building” or “Central Park”. I finally asked for help and got out at Time Square (which is at 42st, just FYI).
Honestly, I had a “speechless” moment when I saw the skyscrapers light up with hundreds of billboards. I just stood there, soaking it all in. Watching the people rushing by with their cameras and wanting to capture every moment to watching the pedestrians who walk past this amazing light show every day on their way to work.
I walked around for about 30 minutes before I found myself strolling through Central Park. I had an absolute blast walking around this iconic park, there was so much to see! From the beautiful terrace fountain overlooking the water to the entertaining street artists who perform amazing acrobatics to a beautiful zoo and magical carousel. The serenity and beauty of Central park really made me forget that I was surrounded by tall towers and billions of people.
As my day came to an end, I walked to my hotel and passed through an iconic US landmark; The twin tower’s 9/11 memorial. Thousands of people were looking down into these two giant concave fountains and somehow it was completely silent. Almost eerie. Such a simple and elegant yet powerful message and an overall beautiful memorial.
Ahhh, New York, 24 hours isn’t nearly enough… I know this isn’t the last time I spend the day walking around this beautiful city and I’m already looking forward to planning my next trip to the Empire state.
New York, I Love You.
xo,
-Confessions of a travelholic.
Confessions of a Travelholic 