New York

Aw. Happy sigh. New York was an incredible experience and I've felt overwhelmed every time I attempted to collect my thoughts on it. I did so much, saw so much, tasted so much, SMELT so much. I loved, LOVED that place. I mentioned on Instagram that I felt like I had found my people there. Someone asked what I meant by that. I one-finger-typed a response, but I'm not sure I truly captured exactly all I thought and felt by that comment. I'm going to try to do that here, interspersed with pictures from my trip.

New Yorkers are fast. I loved the speed with which they walked, transacted, entered and exited. It filled my impatient heart with a great big love for people who matched the pace at which I barrel through life.

New Yorkers are stylish and well-dressed. I don't think fat or frumpy people live in Manhattan. Or maybe they do but they weren't the same places I was. Either way, it was fun to watch all the people walking by and try to guess by their attire whether they were locals or tourists.

New Yorkers utilize public transportion. One day, Danylle and I rode the subway from Manhattan to Coney Island to Queens and back. Not on purpose, but only for TWO DOLLARS. We walked almost everywhere. Or took a shuttle, a taxi, or even a pedicab. (I don't recommend the latter. I felt so guilty the whole time our skinny little bike peddler sweated his way up the street). Did you know that Penn Station is like the airport of trains? Well it is. For $12 you can go to Boston from Manhattan, which we almost did, but changed our minds at the last second. But you could.

New Yorkers eat well. Did you know when I eat preservatives, I get a little sick for a few days? (Like, need to stay near a toilet sick. Ahem.) I loved not having to worry about that, because everywhere we ate the food was fresh and made from scratch. Not only that, but within walking distance there was ANY ethnicity of food we could ever imagine. And at the food carts I could get falafel or a fresh fruit smoothie or a spinach apple ginger fresh juice. In New York, I could eat ANYTHING I WANTED, WHENEVER I WANTED IT. And I didn't have to drive or cook or clean up after myself to get it.

New Yorkers appreciate art. I think I could have used a full week to explore the Met. The MOMA was incredible, even if I did feel a little traumatized by some of the exhibits. Some works of art must be seen in real life to fully appreciate them, and New York is a great place to do that.

New Yorkers value architecture. We saw an old prison converted into a library. A Dunkin' Donuts in a building that rivals anything in downtown Salt Lake. The Brooklyn Bridge. Grand Central Station. And my favorite, the New York City library.

And can I just give Central Park its own paragraph? I sat on a park bench there, the day after arriving, and just cried. Because it was so quiet and hushed compared to the bustle of the city. Because I was with two friends who were the perfect travel mates. Because the little yellow ice cream cart beside me was playing Band of Horses and they had hand painted drawings of herbs on the side of the cart and WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD WOULD THEY HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

Nowhere else. There’s nothing like it.