I wasn't sure how a country girl like me was going to like New York City.
Guess I'm not quite as country as I thought. From the moment we landed at La Guardia, I knew I was going to love New York. I flew there with my brother and met my mom, aunt, two cousins and a cousin's wife for a whirlwind trip through Manhattan over a course of two days in June.
I used to hate to travel. Too much hassle, too much money, blah blah blah. Thing is, I was a little scared of flying, until I got the opportunity to fly to the city of brotherly love for a once-in-a-lifetime viewing of a Frida Kahlo art exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2008.
Since then, I've hopped on a plane every chance I get. Flew to Columbus, Ohio, to see the parents, then to DC last November for only a day. What an honor that one day was, to see the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. with 90 local veterans. I'll never forget that trip.
But New York! Just the thought of the streetscape makes me tingle with excitement. We stayed at the Westin at Times Square. I loved the throngs of people in the streets, walking somewhere with purpose with their smart phones in one hand and a coffee in the other. I wish I would have had more time just to sit and watch the people, all fashionably dressed, all on the go, walking to somewhere important.
In just two strides down the street, I heard a skateboarder's wheels on the pavement, cab drivers honking at each other, the air breaks of a bus and the sizzle of kabobs on a street vendor's grill. I feel lucky to have seen much of Manhattan by bus, the Statue of Liberty from a sailboat, Central Park from the top of the Rock, the lights of the city that never sleeps from the top of the Empire State Building at night, all in two very short days.
I can't wait to get back to New York. I don't know how I'm going to make it happen. But I've got to go back, see the art museums, shop at Century 21, take a walk in Central Park, master subway navigation and maybe risk death by eating a hot dog on the street.
What cities make you feel alive?
One word answer tonight --
ReplyDelete***WAIKIKI***
Tell me why! You don't have a BlackBerry right now so I have your full attention. :)
ReplyDeleteSan Francisco is still one of the greatest cities I've ever visited. The sheer beauty of it all is indescribable, riding on the street cars, seeing Lombard street winding it's way through the city, Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf...so much character in this old city! My hubby and i have traveled to lots of cities in the US as well as in other countries and San Fran remains to be one of the best!
ReplyDeleteSan Francisco is a great city - I absolutely loved it when we went there last year. Washington, D.C., is one of my favorites, too. I like some smaller cities, too, like Asheville and Alexandria and Chesapeak City - they may actually be my favorite places to visit.
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