New York - a Nice Distraction
What better way to distract myself from packing and planning than to escape for a couple weeks and frolic around NYC. Unfortunately, it’s not all sightseeing and touristy things, since I have to work full-time at odd hours and COVID, but wandering through a recovering, thriving city that was dead and desolate six months ago is a reassuring, inspiring sight.
Visiting the East Coast and working with the PST time zone I felt a strange disconnect from the outside world. I stay up till midnight, sleep till 8 a.m. and have 2.5 hours to kill before I was actually supposed to start the day (sort of like what a typical New Yorker experiences). I used the peaceful mornings to walk and explore the spaces that are usually packed. I wandered around the Hudson River, Washington Square Park, Battery Park, the Financial District, East Village, West Village, High Line, Brooklyn/Dumbo, Central Park, Upper East Side, and…
Wandering around New York I tend to get lost in my thoughts, as much as I try to focus on my NPR current events podcast, I’m mesmerized by the vast amount of experiences going on around me. One person’s heaven and another person’s hell could be occurring right on the same block, but we’d never know. Each street, each avenue, each part of the city has it’s own history and story to tell, while trying to keep up with the everchanging times. It adapts but holds true to it’s roots. New York is an adaptable city.
No matter how many times I visit New York, there will always be a new adventure and a new surprise to discover. For those who say you did absolutely everything in one trip, I would call you a liar. New York defies my comfort zones, pushes me to find a confidence within myself and never second guess a decision.
“New York is a galaxy of adventure at once elegant, exciting and bizarre. It’s a city that moves so fast, it takes energy just to stand still.” - Barbara Walters.
