24 Hours In New York City
My mother has been working as a customer service agent at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport for quite a while now.
When she got the job, all I could think was that my lifelong dream of visiting New York City was closer than ever before. It wasn’t until this summer when the four of us—my brother, my mother, still very active grandmother and I—decided to take a leap and travel to the Big Apple for a day.
Disclaimer: if you’re reading this thinking it’s going to be your typical “What to do in NYC for a day” article; well, I hope you won’t be disappointed, but it’s not.
This is about one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had in my short 18-year-long life. But in order to get there, many sacrifices were made.
It’s no secret that I fantasized about moving to the U.S. while living in the Dominican Republic. After residing in Florida for almost six years, I knew it was time to explore. And what better place to do so than New York.
In my first 20 minutes, I was already captivated by the diversity and creativity that surrounded me all at once in the tiny and very crowded LaGuardia Airport.
Now it was time to get to the hotel, and grandma finally decided to swap her heels for her sporty shoes. Actually, I forced her into that.
We were instantly greeted by packed streets, yellow taxis, and risky fashion trends dressing sculpted bodies. And some not as toned. But that’s the beauty of New York—one I learned quickly—that no matter how you look, or where you’re from, in New York you’ll always have a place.
After eating our lunch rather quickly, we decided it was time to head outside. I walked up and down the streets of Times Square in awe. People filled every corner.
I was mesmerized by the amount of freedom and beauty that inundated the city. People of all races, genders and age groups. All going somewhere. I had never been so inspired.
You’ve probably heard people say that traveling expands your horizons and opens your world view. Well, that’s actually true. Being part of the capital of the world, as the author E.B. White once called it, was all I needed.
New Yorkers are known for being in a constant rush, something that not many people are appreciative of and even dislike.
However, as I strolled along the streets, what I actually picked up is that New Yorkers walk around with purpose. One bigger than themselves. They walk fast, focused and undistracted. In a constant hustle to overcome the obstacles in their way. And that’s something I feel we often miss.
Not to get too philosophical here, but in the journey of life, I think we forget that life is all about purpose. It’s perfectly acceptable to stroll along the hallways of a college campus without care, but it’s also essential to remember that we are human beings. And all human beings need purpose.
As college students walking through campus, we need to constantly remind ourselves why we’re there in the first place, what is it that we are fighting for, and that there will always be obstacles along the way. We need to keep focused on the prize.
