25 Hours in NYC

The view from my front seat in the top tier of the Megabus

Having never been to the East Coast before, I'm trying to see everything my tight budget and my busy schedule will allow.  A quick trip to Manhattan for fall break (October 11-12) fit nicely into that scheme.  So one of my roommates, Katherine, and I grabbed Megabus tickets for $38.50 round-trip  after figuring out that we could crash in my friend Jasmine's apartment at NYU for the night.
We rolled out on Friday morning, sleeping as much as we could during the 4 hour and 45 minute bus ride.  As soon as I could see the skyscrapers, I wanted to sing "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys...it was subsequently stuck in my head for the entire weekend.  We arrived at 2 p.m.

We got our lunch at a hot dog stand of course, and then walked 1.6 miles from the bus stop to Washington Square park (with my heavy duffel bag in tote).
Class schedules and miscommunications are funny things.
Katherine and I sat in the park for a good 45 minutes before finally meeting up with Jasmine and walking another 15 minutes to her apartment (I burned a lot of calories that weekend).

The park was pretty to look at during our waiting time anyway

By then, it was just about dinner time.  We mapped out the places we wanted to see and the best time to see them (that night or the next morning), and headed on the subway to East Harlem - because obviously the best food is found in the hole-in-the-wall restaurants in the ghetto!
The subway was jammed pack.  I take the metro frequently in DC and I haven't witness anything close to this.  People were literally pressed against me on every side.  It was a challenge just to hang onto one of the dirty metal bars to keep myself from falling over on someone every time the train screeched to a stop and blasted off.
And it smelled nasty.
Jasmine, Katherine and I determined that it wasn't worth it to try to go anywhere during rush hour.  Every the train stopped to change passengers, I was almost swept off the the shoving crowd.  It was like a Rubik's Cube...to move one person, 10 other people had to move.

Katherine, myself and Jasmine living that terrifying metro life

We picked a legit Italian Restaurant (of course I can't remember the name), and Liz was the most hilarious waitress (I remembered her name!).  She recognized our status as broke college students and gave us free sodas and an appetizer.  And that pizza was on point.
We tipped her well.
Jasmine left for small group, so Katherine and I went to explore Central Park...alone, at night, because journalists fear no danger!
Mace in hand and my boyfriend's warning to be careful in mind I walked the unlit dirt paths to see what Central Park had to offer.

City lights one of the ponds in Central Park

It was phenomenal, and we only had time to scope out a tiny portion of it.  And no, we didn't get attacked, but we did hear some guys howling like hooligans and I braced myself to go all crazy-black-woman on them *for those of you who don't know me, I'm not racist, I'm half black*.

Time Square was the next stop on our whirlwind trip.  I spent way more money on souvenirs than I intended...
This is some of what I saw:

 

Rebel Wilson might be my favorite actress. But no, I don't or endorse watch Super Fun Night.
The blinding city lights were overwhelming - in a good way, if that's possible.  In that crazy night I thrived, and added myself to the ranks of fanatics that love New York.  It would be impossible for me to not love that city.

In that moment, I had to question everything that had led me to this place.  All semester I've been struggling with living in D.C., missing home, wondering if I had made a mistake, trying to discern what is my calling in life.
I wish I could say that I've got all that figured out now, but that would be a lie.  There's something about D.C. that I just don't like.  And something about New York that I love.  I recognize that in order to fulfill my dreams, I will have to do work that I don't love, but I can still find joy and contentment in that.
Reporting is hard work.  There are incredible blessings and benefits from it.  However, there have been many days I wondered why I was even doing it.  Perseverance is key, and although I don't understand God's plan and purpose in this moment, I'll be able to look back and see what he did in my life through this experience.

After a restless night on a linoleum floor (beggars can't be choosers...my alternative was sleeping on a park bench), we hit the city with our agenda - Ground Zero, Lady Liberty, Chinatown, Little Italy, bookstores, and bus back to D.C.

This hipster coffee shop woke me up and satisfied my artsy-fartsy appetite

Ground Zero. Never forget. Always remember.

The Statue was closed due to the government shutdown and conveniently opened the day after I left 

Haha no, I did not buy this tshirt...but I was tempted...

I got my first legit boba tea of the semester in Chinatown!  I was so excited to drink it though that I forgot to get a picture...
Every Thai food restaurant that we tried to eat at was closed.  They all opened late, and half of them had work going on inside.  So after getting all our hopes up, we ate Chinese instead.
The Christmas store in Little Italy made me long for December, my favorite time of year.  I almost started listening to Christmas music, but I resolve to stay strong! ...at least until mid-November.
Before we left, I picked out 7 old books from used bookstores.  Not sure when I'll have time to read them, but for years to come I will remember them as the books I got in New York.

On our way out of the city we passed by Comic-con, right across the street from our bus stop.  Katherine nerded out and did her reporter thing of getting as close to the action as possible, snapping photos.  I waited for the bus, exhausted, eating a pumpkin pie doughnut, ready to sleep.
As I loaded my even heavier duffel on the bus, the attendant said, "So, is there any way that we could become best friends?"
What.
I only had energy to smirk and say, "Nope.  I already have a best friend."  Two, actually. *Shout out to Matthew and Bitsy!  Miss you both!*
The attendant, broken-hearted I'm sure, starting singing that Drake song: "No new friends, no new friends, no no new..."
Sometimes my life is funny.
I slept my way back to D.C. on the bus.  But I have a feeling I'll find a way to make it back to the Big Apple before I leave the East Coast.