The 72 Hour Trip: New York City For The Weekend

The adventure began at 3:30 am on Friday. We made the drive to Tampa International airport accompanied by friends. From there, the flight and the rest of our morning was pretty easy. Except for the few minutes where my body subconsciously knew the sun was rising and woke me up for it, I slept the entire flight.

Later that day, we headed into the city from New Jersey. First stop, the Chelsea Market. We ate vegan pizza and looked in bookstores and flea markets. There’s something about New York City that pulls out the creativity in people which can definitely be seen here. It’s inspiring to be around. After wandering for a few hours, we decided to walk on the High Line. It gave us beautiful views of the sunset and allowed for us to get a view of the city you can’t get from the streets.

All of Saturday was spent in the city. It started with an early drive into Manhattan. First stop: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. My whole life I’ve seen art by all the greats but having the chance to see their art in person was jaw dropping. Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro — all the artists I’ve marveled at for years where suddenly right in front of me. Their painting are so much better in person than in books or on a computer screen. The Met is huge. We spent close to three hours and couldn’t possible see everything.

Central Park has to be one of my favorite spots in NYC. It’s green expansiveness allows a person to wander for a while and continue to find new and interesting things to see and do. From the Met, we walked through Central Park, passing the Loeb Boathouse to reach The Mall, a section of pathway in the park that is covered by street vendors and lush trees. At the southern corner of Central Park you can find arguably the best view in the park which can be found overlooking The Pond. From here you can see a tiny part of the NYC skyline, including some prominent buildings like the Plaza Hotel.

New York City, from what I have tried so far, has a lot of really good vegan options! There are so many restaurants that the hardest part about getting food is picking where to eat. Recently, to help keep restaurants open and customers outside, quite a few restaurants have expanded their dining rooms into the streets, giving patrons the chance to eat outside at heated and covered tables which gives the streets a neat atmosphere. There are also more coffee shops than we could try so I can’t pick a favorite just yet.

I have this goal to watch the sunset every night that I possibly can, so obviously we had to find the best spot in the city. I thought we would find the perfect spot on a rooftop or on top of the Empire State building but instead stumbled upon what I believe to be New York City’s best hidden gem - The Roosevelt Island Tram. Located in Manhattan, just a few blocks from Central Park sits Roosevelt Island. While you can access the island by car or subway, taking the tram definitely adds to the experience; go during sunset and you are guaranteed to have the best view of the city. For the price of a metro card or a single ride ticket (which is around $3) you can be carried above the streets of NYC and the East River.

Sunday was a chill day filled with coffee, homework and a movie. We got our nails done, ate smoothie bowls and laid around the house. Because our flight left at 8pm, we had time to take a breather before jumping into the school week on Monday.

As we were waiting in the terminal to board our plane, I couldn’t help but feel really proud of myself for going on this trip. Although our flight was delayed and we wouldn’t make it back to school until 2am, I was happy and content.

Anxiety tells you not to do things. It tells you that the trip is too dangerous to take, that change is too risky, that place is not for you to see, but when you go past anxiety, when you don’t let fear rule your world, you realize that on the other side of it, things are not as bad as they seem and that life always works out because it has to.

I travel to remind myself that the world is still a good place, that kind humans still exist, that it’s worth it to see new people, and that places are often so much better in real life than through a screen or in a book.

If the last three days has taught me anything, it’s that life is not supposed to be comfortable all the time. We have to do the things that scare us, that stop us in our tracks, that make us fear what is going to happen. Outside your comfort zone is everything you need. You just have to get there.