New York Adventures

Traveling involves good experiences as well as ones that you wish you could just forget. In New York City things were different and new. I don’t think I could ever live there with the busy streets and subways but there was something fascinating about all of those people in one place and how they live as well as interact. New York as a state wasn’t that much different than anywhere else I’ve seen before but once you get near the city everything is new and exciting.

Our goal on this trip was to visit my oldest sister Michelle who was interning at a college in New York. It was my mom, her friend and myself riding in a car for about twelve hours to get where my sister was staying. On the ride there we tried to make as few stops as possible. I was in control of the GPS so when we got to the expressway I took short naps because we had to leave early that morning.

My sister was staying in Long Island area but we did pass through the city on the way and I couldn’t wait to go there. I thought I could read the GPS well enough to tell my mom where my sister’s place was but it was dark and I couldn’t tell where we needed to go. After getting ahold of my sister we found the house.  We carried our stuff in and got a short tour of the house she was sharing with a few other people.        

The University was about a two hour train ride from the city. So on our second day of our trip we rode the train into the city. We walked around the streets discovering something new at every corner. First we went to The Rooftop Bar to have lunch. This restaurant had a lounge with crazy round furniture. Windows surrounded the lounge and looked out onto the city. We walked up the stairs to the roof where I saw how complex the city really was. Right in front of my eyes was the Empire State Building. When you’re walking through the streets it’s like the buildings are a different kind of being but when you’re up that high it’s like you’re a part of it.

                              

That night we stayed in a hotel that we walked forever to get to. By the time we arrived there we were exhausted and I felt disgusting from the streets and subways. That many people in one place can’t be a good thing. After a good night’s rest we hit the streets once more to see what this city was known for. We walked right next to the Empire State Building and I didn’t even know at first. There were people all over trying to sell you tickets to go in. I just looked straight up and couldn’t even see the top. Next we went on a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. It was like she could come alive at any moment. Our last moments in the city we spent at Central Park, Grand Central Station, and Time Square. In Time Square we saw all of the lights and signs that you see on television or in pictures.

This was a great adventure but eventually we had to go home.  We packed up the car and said goodbye to my sister.  We went through New Jersey on the way home to go to Carlo’s bakery then we hit the road back to Michigan.

Why I Chose Traveling

     I’ve lived in the same place my whole life and I think that is why I want to travel. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to come back to the place I grew up but it makes me want to see other places. I just want to travel! I’m not exactly sure where I will begin my journey but I know it will be exciting wherever I choose to go. I want to see the world because there’s so much of it and so many different cultures. A couple of years ago my friend and I were talking about driving across the country. Even though we haven’t yet we still may be able to do that in the future.

 

      I have been to a few places out of Michigan. My first journey out of Michigan was to Florida when I was ten. I went with my mom, dad and sister Melissa during spring break that year. The main goal of this trip was to experience Disney World. We left the day before Easter and spent the night in a hotel after driving several hours that day. The next day there were Easter baskets in the hotel room for my sister and myself. 

     Once we arrived at Disney World we got hopper passes to go from park to park. The first day we went to the animal kingdom theme park and spent the whole day there. That first day there weren’t very many people and we got on most of the rides fast. However the next day we went to the Magic Kingdom Park and there were so many people we had to wait in long lines. We got tired of doing that so we rode the hopper over to the Epcot Park. On the third day we went to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and when it started getting hot we went to Typhoon Lagoon to finish off the day.

     For the last few days of our trip we drove to Daytona Beach and spent some time by the ocean. Unfortunately, the air conditioning in the van we were driving wasn’t working. It had to of been at least ninety degrees out which made it very hot in the van. To make it even worse as we were driving home we got stuck in a traffic jam by Atlanta for two hours. Finally we decided to take a different route and as we headed north toward home the temperature got cooler. 

      It was really nice trip with my family that year. I got to see a lot of different places on the way there and back. My trip to Florida made me want to travel and to see more of the world.