A Different World

I stood, rooted to my spot, not even breathing, as the masses of skyscrapers surrounded me. I had never been anywhere that compared. Never in my life had I imagined what this city would be like, and no amount of previous knowledge could have prepared me. The only way to know what New York City was like was to be there and become a part of it.
Standing there in Times Square, I took in the blinding lights of the signs that surrounded me, the movement of people rushing around on both sides, and the noise and chatter and honking. And then suddenly, all was silent. Everything became still, and it was just the city and me.
Every new street I turned on was another adventure, another facet of this fantastic place. I explored incredible cathedrals unlike any I had ever been to and found little hidden shops and cafes, each with its own personality and its own story. I wandered the streets and got caught in the rain, laughed and ran for cover. I don’t know what it was about the energy in that city but even the rain felt more exciting and magical. Maybe I was just so overwhelmed with it all that I found beauty in everything, but I still believe that there was beauty in every corner. I strolled through Little Italy and China Town and all sorts of other amazing places and wondered at the fact that there could be so much life, so many different cultures and different experiences that you could have in just one city. Walking through Central Park, I couldn’t believe that I was still in the same city. The park seemed too vast and endless and I had only just seen one fragment of it. I felt so small and yet on top of the world. The most important moment for me though was when I visited the 9/11 memorial. I did not expect, nor can I describe the emotions it gave me. I stood there and said a prayer for those who had been lost and their loved ones.
Occasionally I’ll see movies that show New York, scenes in Times Square and Central Park and a surge of recognition will spike through me. I had been there, and that thought brings a feeling of joy that swells in my heart. But it’s not the same. What movies can’t capture is the life and energy that flows from the very earth you stand on, through the awe-inspiring skyscrapers that tower above you, in and out of the people who make up this great city and into you, electrifying your spirit and bringing a whole new light onto this bright city. I left a piece of my heart and soul in New York, and it will always remain there.