Back in November, I had the amazing opportunity to fly to New York City for an interview. While I didn’t land the job, I did have an unforgettable trip–as short as it may have been.
The company flew me out for only a quick 36 hour trip. I would land very early in the morning on a Sunday, have all day to myself, and then be in an interview Monday morning. The interview lasted until 3:00, which left no time for exploration afterward. I would have to jet off to the airport in order to make my flight home. 36 hours in New York is not nearly enough time to see everything, but I was not going to let that deter me. I had a plan in place thanks to the New York Times column that is aptly named “36 Hours“. I was going to hit all the spots that I wanted to see, and I was determined not to give up until I checked all the boxes off of the list.
Being someone who loves her sleep, I was a little nervous about the flight out. This was my first red-eye: leaving Denver at 11:59pm. Of course, I had a large paper and a test to do the day I flew out, so resting all day was not an option. I did get a two hour nap in before I had to leave for the airport, and I slept during the flight. Once I landed, at 5:40am Eastern Time (3:40am my time), I was worried that my whole plan was going to go out the window because I would be so tired. I knew I couldn’t check into the hotel for several hours, so I needed to keep myself busy. The excitement of being in a new city by myself gave me the energy to get up and go. Despite the lack of sleep, the bitter cold, and some misdirection (I wandered around Queens for at least an hour and half before I found a working subway station…dang subway construction!), I had the most amazing adventure that instilled confidence in myself to travel as a solo female. This new-found traveling confidence has led to a much bigger solo trip that I am leaving for in 3 weeks!
(I could find my way back to my hotel thanks to this creepy mural)
During my lost daze, I realized that I had packed my camera, but the battery was dead. So much for solid photos. After finally finding a working subway station, I boarded the subway like I knew what I was doing and headed to the city. First on the list: eat an authentic New York City bagel. While I made my way over to the bagel shop, I was going to quickly stop by and see the Dakota Apartments as well as Strawberry Fields, which is located just steps inside Central Park.
I walked with my bagel to Riverside Park and sat on bench overlooking the Hudson. After having the best bagel of my life (they aren’t kidding when they say you have to have a NYC bagel–trust me!), I wandered around the park and started walking back toward Central Park (if it already sounds like I am unnecessarily criss-crossing the city, just wait, it gets worse).
It was still rather early in the morning–before 9am on a Sunday–so I had the city streets mostly to myself. I slowly made my way through Central Park and reveled in its beauty.
Next on the agenda was the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Knowing that the Met was a monstrously large museum that I could get in lost in for days, I decided to hunt down every image on this handy list so I wouldn’t lose the whole day. Two hours later, I emerged from this amazing world of art and history hungry, tired, and in need of a place to sit for a few minutes.
(George Washington’s Crossing of the Delaware was by far the most impressive piece I saw. I stood in front of this behemoth of a painting awestruck for at least 20 minutes. It has so large that it has a room all to itself. I highly encourage everyone to go see it!)
Next, I made my way to Grand Central Station to sit down and get a bite to eat. The beauty of this building may have been a little lost on me at this point because I felt hanger approaching. I settled into the lower floor of this train station with a large bowl of Matzo ball soup. Unfortunately, I didn’t have long to enjoy to my soup or my surroundings because, out of all the places I went during my trip, this was the only place I felt very uncomfortable as a solo female traveler. A group of nearby homeless men started to heckle me, and I quickly left.
When I left I made a quick stop by the New York City Library, sat for a few minutes to charge my phone, then headed to the nearest street food vendor (because I had to leave the majority of my soup behind during the heckling and let’s face it–I like to eat). After my pick-me-up, I found myself in the crowded and somewhat overwhelming Time Square. Other than using the restroom in Old Navy, I didn’t do much else in Time Square. It was far too commercial and crowded for my liking. At this point, I got to cross another item off of my bucket list by hailing my own taxi. After a few failed attempts, I finally got one to stop and drive me to the High Line–an old railroad track which is elevated above the city and has been turned into a walking path.
I walked on this for over a mile, passing beautiful sweeping skylines and interesting old buildings. Finally, I exited the High Line (by means of a very steep staircase) into the Chelsea Market. Sadly, I didn’t spend much time here or take any pictures. It was bustling with quaint restaurants, unique shops, and delicious-smelling street food, but I was exhausted! I didn’t know why my legs were hurting so bad, I had not taken a nap like I had planned, and I knew that the sun was setting soon. On top of it all, my phone had less battery life than I was comfortable with in a new, unknown city.
I did, however, pull up the map on my phone planning on heading back to the hotel. Instead, I noticed I was a fairly short subway ride away from the World Trade Center Memorial–something I have always wanted to see.
I am not sure if it was because I was a little grumpy at this point, but two emotions flooded over me upon experiencing this memorial. First, I was at a lost for words on how moving it was. The bravery and sadness of all these men and women who lost their lives sits heavy in the air. It is a somber and emotional place, but also it is very moving. The second emotion was less moving. I was disheartened and upset with the amount of uncaring, rude American tourists! Many girls were fixing their hair and pulling down their shirts in order to take selfies in front of the memorial, and many groups were loudly laughing and talking. While seeing this memorial and the Freedom Tower were my favorite things I did, I was displeased with the lack of respect others were giving to the biggest American tragedy in recent history.
After the emotional journey these monuments took me on, I decided I wasn’t quite ready to go back to my hotel. I had read about how beautiful the sunset was over the Hudson River, so I walked a few blocks and sat on bench overlooking the Hudson. I could see the Statue of Liberty in the distance. It was a beautiful moment to reflect on the day and realize how much I had done by myself.
For anyone who does not live in cold weather, this may be a new concept for you, but as the sun was setting and the very cold night air was sweeping over me, my phone went from 25% battery life to 0% within a matter of milliseconds. iPhones are not fans of cold air. Being as far away from my hotel as I had been all day, I had to make the long trek back to my hotel sans directions. It took me three times as long to get home as it would have with directions, and in an almost ironic way, I ended my trip as it had begun: lost and wandering the streets Queens. Once I finally made it back to my hotel room, my phone sprang back to life and informed me I had walked over 16 miles that day. 16 miles of a solo journey that instilled street-smarts, a New York attitude, and most importantly, confidence in myself.
While I didn’t land the job, this trip made me so proud of myself that I didn’t care about the job. I can’t wait for more solo trips to come!
bucket list brunch 