Christmas in New York

New York made me exhausted but in the best way possible. It was beyond cold. It was unimaginably crowded with people from all over the world. The only way I can describe the city is “different”. Each city block is unique. No two people are the same. That’s what made planning our trip both exhilarating and overwhelming. I had never been there before, but I had a long bucket list of things to accomplish while I was there.

I went with my boyfriend, Chad, and his family. Chad and I are museum buffs, so we made sure our first stop was the Natural History Museum in Roosevelt Park. We followed that with the Museum of Modern Art which was for some reason unbearably hot, or maybe it was the four layers and two pairs of socks I was wearing. Either way, we ate dinner on Broadway and grabbed some coffee for the subway ride home. 

The next few days were followed with adventures in Central Park, shopping on 5^th and Madison Avenues, the Rockettes, and strolling Greenwich Village where we ate some “ok” Mexican food (definitely one thing Texas has on NY).  Overtime we visited Chinatown and had the most amazing rigatoni in Little Italy. We checked out the ice-skating and hot cider in Bryant Park. I begged everyone to make the trek to the world famous Dylan’s Candy Bar. The little kid in me was overjoyed when I realized it was three stories!  

One day we went to the financial district, which was an amazing sight to see. There, the 9-11 memorial stands, along with a beautiful view of Downtown Manhattan. It is both agonizing and mesmerizing to see how many names are inscribed on the two pools.From there, we walked the few short blocks to Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange and Trump Tower. People walk around in suits, and every trashcan is filled to the brim with empty coffee cups. We should take pride in knowing our stock traders are adequately caffeinated. Before seeing the musical Aladdin, we stuffed our faces at Carmine’s restaurant where we met up with Chad’s longtime family friends. The 7 of us split a monster desert which is fondly known as the “Titanic”… I’m seeing a theme here, food anyone?...

My favorite night of our trip was New Years Eve. Chad and I avoided the Times Square chaos and instead saw two of our favorite DJ’s play at Madison Square Garden. The crowd had so much energy. Guest rappers were showing up left and right. When the clock struck midnight, I can without a doubt say it was one of the happiest and most memorable nights of my life. People were in such great spirits. It was thrilling being among so many strangers who were all optimistic and ready for a new chapter. The music, the camaraderie….and oh yeah…the confetti…

On the last day, we decided to get in tune with our patriotic side and visit Liberty and Ellis Islands which had finally been restored from Hurricane Sandy. We boarded at Battery Park, and the ferry ride was one of the colder experiences of my life. It was worth it though. Lady Liberty is truly breathtaking. 215 stairs was a small price to pay for the views of the harbor you can see from the pedestal of the statue.

Everything they say about NY is true. It’s fun. It’s crazy. It’s dirty. It’s cold. It’s eye opening. But there is no other place like it! If you’re passionate about something, you can find it in the city. The thrilling part is the mix of people you can find in any one area. I sat next to a Scottish lady on the steps of the MoMA, and a Russian man taught me how to say hello on the subway. The cool part? They all knew what the Texas Longhorns were. I made sure to ask. Hook ‘em from NY!

Erin Ball PC '13