As a huge travel junkie, I've come across many wonderful places and one of my favorites is New York City.
NYC brought a lot of happy moments and it has undoubtedly made a difference in my life.
Personally, NYC was so much better than I expected. I could be exaggerating, but honestly I loved it. This trip to NYC was brought up through my college organization that I am a part of, #HerCampus. HC is a national brand for empowered college women and every summer they hold a conference in NYC to help support your professional and personal life. Like any motivated young college student, I was determined to attend this conference and check out NYC while I was there.
I want to mention that this was the most exhilarating vacation I have ever been on.
And it just so happens I get to visit again for college fashion week 2018, but that's another story.
My first day I was able to solo travel and for starters, my flight was delayed five hours so I didn't get into the JFK airport until 1am. No worries because as soon as I stepped outside, I felt completely comfortable within my new setting even at 1am. Most people get vacation jitters when they travel, but I couldn't believe how normal it felt to be in NYC. I hopped in a taxi and had the window rolled down the entire ride until I got to my Airbnb. Of course it was a little eerie being there late at night, but I had my pepper spray and kept a close eye on my surroundings!
Once I woke up the next morning, I realized I had no plans and no time schedule but let me tell you it felt amazing just thinking, "Hey what should I do today? I'm not sure but there's a huge city right outside your door, just GO!" Like any normal #Friends fan, I hunted down the nearest coffee shop. It was the cutest and smallest one I had ever been to. Most buildings are long and narrow so it only had two high-top tables with two stools at each. After grabbing an iced coffee, I was ready to hit the town and sure enough I was only two blocks from Times Square. Thankfully I researched where everything was that I wanted to see before the trip, but it was all closer than I thought.
Times Square is just as great during the day as it is at night! I was so happy to see the city and more. Because of that, I ended up walking 10 miles in one day. What I happened to see throughout the 10 miles was #TimesSquare, #RockefellerCenter, #Chryslerbuilding, #GrandCentralStation and so much more. Later that day I saw Phantom of the Opera on Broadway which I paid $5 for a pack of peanut M&M's and another $5 for a small bottle of water. Gotta have the entire experience right? I'd seen so much in one day, I couldn't believe it. That was one of the best days of my life.
The most meaningful moment of my trip was when I paid $10 to ride the North River Lobster Tour. It was a 45 minute boat ride on the Hudson River. You could order food and drinks all while seeing an amazing view of the city. I sat and took in every moment. I almost cried because it was so perfect. Being on the water and seeing the city on a sunny day while vacationing in #NYC. I kept thinking to myself "It doesn't get any better than this". The fact that I was so happy in a moment when I was doing something on my own, made me realize how amazing life is and how little I should worry about the simplest things.
I have been living such a relaxing life since and it's all because I changed my mindset.
The rest of my time in NYC was great! I got to see the famous apartment that is in Friends as well as the World Trade Center memorial (so moving) and Central Park! The conference was so inspiring and I got to be with two wonderful ladies who are now my closest friends. In honor of my many travels, I got my 12th piece of artwork to take with me while walking through Manhattan, a tattoo of the globe. So cheers NYC, until next time!
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