Times’ Square

(From my 2011 summer internship in New York, NY.)

When we arrived at the Times’ Square station, I couldn’t believe how large it was. It was also the nicest, cleanest subway station I had seen that day. The station was literally humongous. There were small shops and places to eat, and in the center of the station, there was a band playing a set. The band had all of their equipment, drums, guitar, and even microphones. Throughout the station, there were also other musicians playing that had their cases out so that people walking by could place money inside the cases. We went up to the street and I was completely amazed. So far in Manhattan, the streets hadn’t been that busy, and they definitely weren’t as busy as I had predicted them to be. But Times’ Square proved me wrong. There were people everywhere, I mean, there had to be at least a million people just walking around. The thing I like about Times Square was that the majority of the people there were tourists.

For the next couple of hours, we walked up and down 42^nd Street, 7^th Avenue, and Broadway. I took a ton of pictures. We stopped in the middle the area where they allow people to walk to take pictures of the New Year’s Ball. Mom wanted to go inside the Fossil store, so we did. As we walked in front of Forever 21, the billboard over the store was a big screen camera that showed people walking on the street in front of the store. Many people were waving so that they could find themselves on the screen. We continued to walk down 7^th Avenue, but ended up going back to Forever 21. It was four stories. This was the moment I really fell in love with shopping in New York City. The only downside was that the store was extremely crowded, and I hate shopping in a store that’s super crowded. I didn’t even want to be bothered with the never-ending lines for the dressing room and checkout area. As we were walking out of the store, I asked one of the security guards at the entrance where were the stores such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton? He told me on 57^th and 5^th Avenue.

Unfortunately, it had begun to rain again so up our umbrellas went. We walked the ten plus blocks to 57^th Street then, made a right walk to 5^th. East and west blocks are much longer than the north and west ones so it seemed like the two block walk was extra-long. On the way, we passed Trump Towers and Tiffany’s.

We finally made it. Ah, New York’s fashion central. Channel, Dior, Abercrombie and Fitch, Gucci, Prada, Coach, Louis Vuitton, and many other stores lined the streets. I was ready to shop ‘til I dropped via my mother’s credit card of course. Mom just had to go in Gucci and Louis Vuitton. I wanted to go in the Abercrombie, but the line just to go into the store was down the block and around the corner. No thank you. Once again I don’t like to mix the whole crowded line thing in with my shopping. But there on the next corner was the Coach store, two stories of handbags, shoes, and accessories. The doorman opened the door, and we placed our umbrellas in the umbrella holder at the door. Fancy, I thought. Mom looked at the bags and belts. I looked at a few bags myself, and then went upstairs to look at the shoes. The store was nice. There were sofas to lounge on while I waited for the sales lady to bring me my shoes to try on. The hospitality I had received in the store wasn’t as nice as being in the south, but no one was rude. We made our purchases and left the store. It was still raining, but not as bad as it had been earlier. We decided to head back towards 7^th Avenue. On the way, I dragged my mom into Tiffany’s. It was just like the movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which is my favorite movie.  The jewelry store looked just like it did in the movie.  We looked at some of the tennis bracelets and earrings. At the ring counter, there was a couple looking at engagement rings.  The expression on the woman’s face as she tried on one of the rings was priceless.  It made me think how I couldn’t wait until my future fiancé would surprise me with a ring from Tiffany’s someday.  Everything in the store seemed to be just perfect, from the karats on karats of diamonds to the way the light gleamed on the classic Tiffany’s china glassware on display against the back wall.  We walked out of the store and continued on our way to 7^thAvenue.

When we finally made it back to Times’ Square, we were starving. We decided we would eat at Olive Garden.  It was around 6:00 p.m. so everyone else in Times Square must have been starving as well because every restaurant was packed.  We walked into the Olive Garden, through the revolving door of course, and the hostess greeted us and informed us that there was a forty-five minute wait.  Now, had we had been at home in a small town we would have thought the wait time was ridiculous, but since we were in the big city and it was dinner time, we decided we would wait.  We told the host at the podium our name, and he gave us our buzzer that would let us know when our table would be ready. There was hardly any place to wait due to the overcrowding of the restaurant.  The host told us we could wait upstairs at the bar.  We started to walk up the stairs, but were then informed that we must take the elevator because the stairs lead to the third floor and the bar was on the second.  We took the elevator to the second floor. There was nowhere to sit so we stood against the wall and patiently waited.  After about fifteen minutes, two men got up out of their seats at a bar table.  I quickly went to the table to try to claim the seats.  I wasn’t quick enough so I was only able to grab one seat.  However, I did notice that there was an extra seat at the next table that three ladies were using to hold their shopping bags and purses.  I politely asked if it would be alright for me to take the chair so that my mom could sit down.

“Oui,”one of them replied.  

I responded with, “Merci beaucoup.”  I couldn’t believe it.  Did I really just have a French encounter with real French speaking people?  I eavesdropped on their conversation to see if I could understand the French, and I could.  I guess I had learned something in Madame’s class after all. 

Soon enough, our buzzer vibrated.  It was a relief to know that we really only waited twenty-five minutes instead of the actual forty-five.  We took an escalator up to the third floor and handed our buzzer to the hostesses at the desk and one hostess was standing nearby ready to seat us.  We followed her a short distance to our table.  After a few minutes our server came.  Mom ordered water and I ordered a Dr. Pepper.   We both knew what entrees we wanted so we ordered those too.  I ordered the three cheese lasagna, and of course mom copied me and ordered the same thing, but she asked for salad with hers and I wanted soup.

It seemed as if it took an eternity for the server to bring out the drinks as well as the soup and salad.  When it did arrive, I loaded my soup down with cheese and dipped garlic bread sticks in it. The warm soup felt wonderful going down my throat.  Soup, in my opinion, is the perfect meal for a cool, rainy day.  Before I was even finished with my soup, the main course was served.  The cheesy lasagna was extremely hot so I continued to finish my soup while it cooled off.  Afterwards, mom and I were both stuffed, and we even had leftovers to take back to the house with us.  I knew the itis would be setting in shortly.  We got up from the table and took the escalator down one floor and continued to walk down a winding staircase to get to the first floor.  We headed out through the revolving door and headed towards the subway station.

We entered the station, and once again swiped our cards and went through the gate.  We easily found the platform for the red line, which was off to our right, which included trains 1, 2, and 3. We waited for our 1 train to arrive, boarded and made our way back downtown.  34^th and Penn Station, 28^th Street, 18^th Street, and finally 14^th Street.  We got off the train and exited the station right across the street from the Church of the Village.  We crossed over at 13^th Street and continued to walk towards 11^th Street.  We reached the corner of 11^th where the Two Boots pizza restaurant was located, made a right, and walked home to Alma Matthews. Mom and I were both tired so we went to our separate rooms and called it a night.

I changed my clothes and turned on my Pandora.  I ate the remainder of my leftovers and lay down on the bed.  After about an hour, I got up and went downstairs to mom’s room.  She had been reading.  I asked what we were going to do the next day and what time should I get up. We looked through a tourist book and decided that we would attempt to go to the Today Show in the morning.  The Today Show starts at 7 a.m. and people are normally lined up outside the show around 4 a.m., or so we read.  But we agreed to attempt to get up early and make it to the show.  I grabbed mom’s last garlic bread stick and headed back up to my room.  The sounds of the street were quiet.  I checked my Facebook, Twitter, and email before climbing into bed.  I lay in my small bed listening to Pandora until I fell asleep.  

Journey On The Underground Train

(From my 2011 summer internship.)

First NYC Subway ride!

The next morning I woke up around 8:00 and got dressed. My mom called me to make sure I was up and getting ready. We were going to find a church to go to nearby. I was “Polo fresh” in my lavender striped shirt, gray dress shorts, and Sperry Top-siders. I even decided to wear my hair down. As I was putting on my make-up, I heard a little bit of thunder. Great, it’s going to rain, I thought. I grabbed my Louis Vuitton bag and my umbrella and headed out the door to go downstairs. The house was so quiet. I wondered if anyone else was staying here, or at least I wondered if anyone was staying on my floor. I didn’t have a neighbor, which was a good thing because I didn’t have to share a bathroom. I got to my mother’s door and knocked.

“Is that you,” she asked.

“Of course it’s me. Who else would it be,” I said. Right then I heard a man’s voice from behind me, “Hello.” I jumped and screamed. I realized it was the security guard just making his rounds through the building. I laughed at myself for being so scared and told him hello.

My mother swung the door open. “You’re too late,” I told her. “If it had been something serious, I would’ve been dead.” Ignoring me, she grabbed her things and we headed downstairs to the parlor and proceeded out the front door.

We made our way to Seventh Avenue and decided to find some breakfast. It started raining. We found a Starbucks on Grove Street and made our way inside. We each got a sausage-egg-and-cheese muffin, and mom had tea while I ordered a hot caramel coconut Frappuccino. We sat at a table by the window and enjoyed our breakfast. The place was full of people drinking their morning coffee while doing whatever on their MacBooks. We finished up and headed out to get to the church. We walked up a couple of blocks and found the Church of the Village.

The doors off the church were open, and there were members in the narthex that greeted us and offered us coffee and fruit. We walked into the sanctuary and took a seat near the back. The outside of the church had that gothic cathedral style, and the inside did as well. The inside was absolutely gorgeous, complete with tall columns, arches, and stained glass windows. Most churches in New York City are designed in this same style. As I mentioned before, they are gorgeous, but there is just one problem; they don’t have central air conditioning. That just ain’t Christian I tell you. However, they do typically have plenty of fans in the outer aisles. Luckily, due to the rain, I wasn’t hot inside Church of the Village this particular day.

The service was nice, and all of the members were very warm-welcoming. The church was welcoming two new pastors so the mood was very joyful. I really liked how the church seemed to accept anyone who may just be walking in from off the street.

After church, I was happy to see that the rain had stopped, however, now it was chilly outside. I was used to Florida weather. The kind of weather where when it rains, it’s still sunny and ninety degrees outside. We were ready to take on one of our many big adventures of the day, riding the subway. We walked to the end of the block to 14th Street and journeyed down into the subway station. I am a semi-germophobe so I was a little grossed out, but my hand sanitizer was at the ready. We first needed to purchase our Metro Cards. Mom got one with twenty dollars on it and I got an unlimited card that would be good for a month. Now $104 may seem like a lot at first, but when you add up the cost of each ride, it’s really worth it, and it is much cheaper than gassing up my SUV at home.

We were ready. We swiped our cards and walked through the gate. We then walked downstairs to wait on the platform for the local 1 train that was going uptown. After about five minutes, the train arrived, and we got on and took our seats. Our destination was at 116^th Street which was a good twenty to thirty minute ride. This would be my new morning commute for work. We sat on the train eagerly awaiting our stop. 18^th Street, 28^th Street, 34^th Street, 42^nd Street, 50^th Street, 59^th Street, 63^rd Street, 76 Street, 86^th Street, 96^th Street, 106^th  Street, and finally 116^th Street. We exited the station right at the front gates of Columbia University on Broadway Street. We continued to walk to 120^th Street and turned left, then walked a block to my new work building.

Where my work building is located, there are many cathedrals in the area. Mom and I walked around the neighborhood to look at all of the beautiful buildings. We continued to make our way uptown a couple more blocks. We didn’t know it at the time, but we were actually in Harlem. The neighborhood had definitely changed though. Since I needed some groceries, we went in a neighborhood grocery mart to get cereal, bread, and Pop tarts. Everyone in the store and out on the street spoke Spanish.

After leaving the store, we walked back downtown to Columbia. I made my mom take my picture outside of the gates and also by the journalism building, which is on Broadway. It was thrilling to be at the school that I hope to attend one day for graduate school. I asked the security guard at the gate if it was okay to walk around the campus, and he said yes. I walked through until we got to the next street. Since neither of us knew which way to go, we turned around. The area we walked through was between two libraries, one of them the main library. I love books; therefore, I love libraries. I had my mom take my picture again. This could be where I will spend time studying someday. The main library was huge. The biggest library I had ever seen. I knew it had to be filled with probably a million books and other resources. 

My mother and I made our way back to Broadway and walked around going towards downtown. We went into another market, Morton Williams, and bought some juice, oatmeal, peanut butter, jelly, plastic spoons, and paper bowls. I had to buy one of those reusable grocery bags from the store so it would be easier to carry my items. I never thought about how much a car comes in handy when you go to the grocery store until now. If you have to walk, you can’t get as many items or shop in bulk. No wonder they didn’t have a Sam’s Club in Manhattan. Next, we went into a shop that sold Columbia paraphernalia. You know I had to get a t-shirt. This would be my motivation. In my head, if I could see myself in the ‘nalia, I could see myself in the actual school. Besides, I couldn’t walk around with an Ivy League school brand on and have no intentions or aspirations of one day attending. We left the market and walked back up to 116^th Street to catch the train. Our next stop was going to be Times’ Square.

I Want To Be A Part Of It – New York, New York

(From my 2011 summer internship.)

New York City: the city that never sleeps and is filled with inspirational flashing lights and busy streets. I was excited about my internship in Manhattan. As the plane lowered into the New York area, I looked out of my window at all of the skyscrapers and backed-up traffic below. This was my first trip to the Big Apple. I had been anticipating this trip for the past two months and still couldn’t believe I had been so blessed to receive the opportunity to actually work in New York. I mean, if I can make it here, I can make it almost anywhere, I thought to myself.

I walked out of JFK International Airport and smelled the air. It was much different from the air I was used to breathing in Florida, and most certainly different from the air in Alabama. My mother and I walked over to join a line of people waiting to catch a taxi. This was my first New York taxi cab ride, well, my first everything. I felt like a kid in a toy store the week before Christmas. Everything was new to the eye, and my life for the next few weeks would be filled with inaugural experiences.

You see, I’m one of those emotional types of persons who catch some type of feeling about everything. I’m always thinking, this is my first ever, or this is my last ever, or sometimes I even think this is my last, first ever whatever. I can’t help but try to make every single event of my life memorable. After all, we only get one life to live, and it goes by in the blink of an eye. Life is what you make of it so why not make the best of it.

As our cab pulled up, our driver put our luggage into the trunk. I excitedly slid into the backseat of the cab and sat behind the passenger seat. The windows were down which gave me the opportunity to not only see New York, but to hear it. We sped through Queens and I looked at how different things were. The houses and how close together they were, the people, and the activities going on. I watched as many people crowded the street at a street festival in Jamaica, all while shopping, dancing, and blasting Reggae music.

Our driver weaved in and out of the Saturday traffic. We arrived in Manhattan, which was completely different from Queens’ culture. We finally reached Greenwich Village: home of New York University. I immediately fell in love with all of the diversity. The driver pulled up to our destination, my new home for the next few weeks. It was two brownstones, also known as the Alma Matthews House, located at 275 West 11^th Street. I dragged my luggage inside as mom paid the cab driver.

We checked into our separate rooms. The manager told us that we may want to switch since my mom’s room was larger and because I was staying longer. He was right. My room, located on the fourth floor, was tiny. What made it seem even tinier was the low ceiling as well as the fact that the window was placed quite low on the wall. Now, I’m 6’1, and standing in a room where the window only comes as high as your neck just made me feel like a giant in the room. The bed was also small, but I’m pretty much used to small beds by now.

My NYC Brownstone.

I went downstairs to the second floor to my mom’s room. It was way bigger than mine, and it had a walk-in closet. I told her, “Oh we definitely need to exchange rooms.” But she told me I could just move into that room after she left in a few days. Of course this made me upset, but I didn’t really let it bother me because I was finally in New York. We gathered our things and headed out the door to take on the concrete jungle.

We decided to explore the neighborhood. There was a street fair going on near Washington Square, so we decided to check it out. We walked through the streets looking at each of the vendors’ tables. We were thirsty so we decided to try some organic mango strawberry smoothies. Walking down the street with all of the different booths reminded me of the Olustee Festival that is put on in Lake City, which is my hometown, every year. I hadn’t been to a festival in years so I was kind of thrilled to shop. I looked at different bags and scarfs, while mom looked at sweet grass baskets.

As we walked towards Washington Square, a strange man, who was walking along beside us, started talking to us. He introduced himself as Randy, and proceeded to hit on my mother. I could only look away so that I could laugh quietly. However, she did well. She even gave him a fake name, Debra. But Randy kept following us. Finally we came to an intersection. As the light was turning, we rushed across the street through a crowd of people in the opposite direction Randy was walking. We lost him.

We made our way towards Seventh Avenue. Mom suggested we eat at Five Guys. This would be her first time eating there, and she suggested it because I talk about eating there all the time. We ordered our burgers and fries to go, and we headed back to the house. We each went to our separate rooms. The only thing I missed that wasn’t in the room was a TV. There was a window air conditioner unit. I hated it because it was loud and too close to the bed. It blew directly on my face.

I ate my dinner, listened to my one of my many Pandora stations, and checked my Facebook. After that, I was exhausted. The “Itis” was settling in, and I was exhausted from the trip in. I had woken up at 5 a.m. to get to the airport, and we had had a long layover in Charlotte. I lay across my bed, and before I knew it I had fallen asleep. I woke up about an hour later. I changed into some sleepwear and got into bed. I lay there in silence listening to the sound of the city at night. To my surprise it was quiet. I heard the occasional voices from people as they walked by, and once I heard the sounds of sirens going down a nearby street. My room overlooked the street. I thought it would be much noisier, but I guess New York, or at least the Greenwich Village, wasn’t as loud at night as I had thought it would be. This was my first surprise about New York. You see, I had made many assumptions about New York, and to my surprise many of my assumptions weren’t true. I fell asleep thinking, wow, I’ve finally made it to the big city. Day one was a success, and I couldn’t wait to wake up and explore more of the concrete jungle.