New York City was like a dream. I felt so incredibly small in such a massive concrete jungle. It was a nice change of pace, and you definitely need more than just a few days to experience everything. There’s a lot that we didn’t manage to do (as we only spent about four days in the city), but I have a feeling that we’ll be back again. Check out a list of my favourite highlights at the end of the post!
Central Park – I honestly wouldn’t be able to tell you what I liked more – the trees, or the amount of dogs running around. For a city that is mostly made of apartments, there are a surprising amount of animals!
Three Lives & Co. Bookstore – The cutest little bookstore I’ve seen in my entire life so far. It’s super small, full of the scent of books and the sound of creaky wooden floors. It was perfect.
Barnes & Noble 5th Ave – Can you tell I like bookstores? This larger chain provides three stories to wander through, and it was great in a completely different way than Three Lives. I was also able to purchase a set of Harry Potter books with the U.S. covers!
Nintendo NY – Colton and I really love to play games together. It was awesome to be able to see this store in Rockefeller Center, and the t-shirts I brought home from this store are LITERALLY the softest shirts I’ve owned in my life thus far. Nintendo never fails to disappoint, even when it comes to their clothing.
Metropolitan Museum of Art – I actually really love museums. The Louvre was one of the highlights of my trip to Europe several years ago, and the Met was just as interesting! I particularly enjoyed the Greek & Roman galleries for their early sculptures and pots that tell the well-known stories of the Greek and Roman myths.
Carnegie Hall – Watching my sister perform at Carnegie Hall was wonderful, not just for the performance but the amazing architecture. I love old brick buildings, which were plentiful in New York.
9/11 Memorial – I was only seven years old when the Twin Towers fell. I had known something serious and terrible had just happened, but the majority of it admittedly kind of flew over my head. Visiting the 9/11 memorial really made me realize the complete magnitude of what had happened that day. With twisted girders from the points of impact suspended from the ceiling to half-crushed fire trucks, it was a very solemn way to spend a day. The wall with the quote “No day shall erase you from the memory of time” was composed of small watercolour squares. People were asked to paint what they remember the sky looking like that day. It breaks my heart imagining such a beautiful, blue-sky day, knowing what brutality and inhumanity was yet to come. My heart grieves for those that were affected by that tragedy; I can’t imagine the horrors those people and their families have been through.