“Connor, it’s rising! It’s rising, I can see it!”
The sun, a lioness waking from her nap, stretched and woke at approximately 5:30am in the Upper West side of Manhattan, late June. I had not slept, chose to stay up all night for the sun.
It was my second night in the strange city, New York City, on the creaky mattress provided to me by Barnard College. I had gotten into the pre-college program a couple of months earlier, and this night was the start of my whole month away from home, living in the city and taking classes over the summer before my senior year.
Connor, the only thing I missed from home, shifted in his bed, sending crackling noises through my earbuds. He was miles away in our small town and we had been FaceTiming through the night. He didn’t say much, simply watched me watch the sun. I was so caught up in her rays that I forgot he was there.
“It’s funny, isn’t it? I used to wonder how this is the city that never sleeps and here I am, I never slept. I’m apart of the name now, you know?”
He hummed quietly in response. That’s another funny thing- time zones. I was three hours ahead and he, three hours behind, yet he was the sleepy one. But I couldn’t fathom sleep when the sun was streaming in through my blinds, creating horizontal jail bars across my face, though I had never felt so free. The birds were speaking to each other and the cars were driving by, early commuters on their way to work. Columbia University was across the street. Columbia felt like the real deal, the actual college, but I knew that was false – I was at an actual college, living the real deal. I had put hours into my application to this pre-college program and I had found the way to get myself here, and what is more “real” than that?
Connor was asleep now, and so was the feeble ache I felt that stretched from my corner of Manhattan to Dublin, California, my hometown. I sat up in my bed, mattress creaking, and looked out the window. The sun was moving quickly now, like she was struggling to keep up with the fast pace of New York City. I watched as the jail bars across my face rose, above my eyes, my eyebrows, my forehead… I adjusted my phone from where it was propped up, fixed it so that Connor could still see me. I don’t know why, because he was asleep, but I think I just wanted to feel seen in this city. It was easy to feel invisible in a place like this.
But there’s something freeing in that too, something I never had in my small town – insignificance. The sun’s jail bars in Dublin trap you, hold you there for everyone to see. Here, the sun’s jail bars are just that – sun. You can choose to push them apart, step out into the city before you, because no one will care if you leave. It is too big a city for everyone to know everyone, and that was strangely comforting. I was free to do anything, be anything I wanted.
My second night in New York City was no grand adventure. I didn’t get lost on the subway or see any attractions. I went on the best kind of adventure – the quiet, inner kind.
I ended the FaceTime call. I had never understood the beauty of “the city that never sleeps” until now.
This is why. This.
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Great information. I love travelling and the winter holidays are best to go out with family and friends. there are many places in India for the best winter holiday. here is the list 5 Best Winter Holiday Destinations In India
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Hi, thanks for the huge list of good ideas! I reconnected with an old childhood memory of travelling on house boats.
Wow, that’s a great list. The Free Tours By Foot sounds amazing and such a great way to explore a city. Have you guys ever tried indoor skydiving? It’s not cheap, but it’s a great activity for the whole family. Some of the centers even offer a Virtual Reality experience. With more and more tunnels popping up it’s become quite easy to find a spot nearby. For those interested check out dropzone.com/indoor/ . They’ve got a nifty tunnel finder.
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Hi There,
Thank you for putting together a list for Fall vacation. It is so informative and exciting. We love the nature! We should be planning a trip to Aspen Mountain, Colorado soon. The infographic on emergency is so well done and very handy for travelers.
visiting california is always enjoyable. thanks for sharing your feelings about california. Have traveled any other countries? I’ve been travelling for last 2 years and I would like to share some of my great experinces with you. do you accept guest post?
Everything in this blog is nice. Fabolous infographic and presentation also. I also want to go there for these types of rides which are shown in this blog.
First of all, you need to find out what type of vacation each member of your family prefers. At lunch, dinner, or watching your favorite TV show in the evening, try discussing your upcoming vacation together. Listen to suggestions from everyone, remember where you have already visited and, taking into account the interests of the child, try to choose the right direction. It should be borne in mind all the details: the possibility of excess spending, the size of the vacation budget, the presence of health problems, interests, hobbies and hobbies. If you are organizing a trip with your child, you will have a wonderful joint vacation!
NYC is a great place to celebrate Halloween, and good opportunities for celebrity sightings too!
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Hi, just wondering who won, every time I click the link it just takes me back to the homepage
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Thank you for sharing … I love to do a river rafting….thankyou so much for giving details about all things
Thank you for sharing the Information and images… Its very good and I am traveling soon on this place
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The moon landing marked the culmination of America’s Cold War human spaceflight program and positioned itself as a global leader in science and technology. Apollo 11, the mission Armstrong and Aldrin flew with colleague Michael Collins, represented the U.S. accomplishing a seemingly impossible goal on a seemingly impossible timeline. Fifty years later, the world is remembering the historic mission and its impact on society and science, thanks to all these 50 COSMIC WAYS TO CELEBRATE SPACE.
I am also a collector of space memorabilia and I run a website dedicated to Space Exploration memorabilia https://www.space-collectibles.com . In fact, I leave in Paris, France. (Yes, that does mean I drink too much wine and eat too much cheese) . Since the age of 21, I became a big fan of Space Exploration as I studied in Cap Canaveral Florida, and worked with the engineers that put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon. So, this is perhaps the reason why I became a pasionate Space Collectioner of photos from the space race in the 60’s from Nasa and Soviet programs. I whish I could be in all these 50 COSMIC WAYS TO CELEBRATE SPACE
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Hey, Grandparents are the blessing of God to there kids and I am a professional travel agent of “Thia’s Travel Services” planned lots of successful tourism if you are planning or looking for more luxury trip and affordable tours with your friends and family feel free to keep in touch
Hey thanks for such a nice article, there is nothing better than getting away with the fam or group of mates into the wilderness and just relaxing while staring into those embers. I go camping regularly and I know you stated unplugged but if you dont play an instrument I highly recommend bringing along a nice loud Bluetooth speaker to jam away with all of you friends into the late night. That and beer ofcourse.
Thanks again and keep up the good work
Hershey is such a fun town to visit with so many family-friendly activities. We loved driving up to spend the weekend when we lived in Maryland.
Excellent post, Firsta! I enjoy reading about your travel experiences! Can’t wait to read your next blog post!
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Doing so saves money on your shipping costs. Most travelers are charged for gas as they are free. Tourists save money on car rentals and pay for their travels.