A Morning in New York City

A Morning in New York City

The morning buzzed with noise. The tall buildings glistened as the sun rose over the Hudson. This was New York City in summertime. There’s nothing quite like New York. It’s a mesmerizing experience, especially if you’ve never explored the depths (and the city has many depths) of what it has to offer. Waking up for the first time in a place you’ve rarely visited is an exciting experience. Waking up inside a hotel is an adventure in itself.

Opening the curtains and looking down on the busy streets is like watching bees hard at work; it’s never dull. Hearing the honks and beeps of taxis and people rushing to work gets you running on adrenaline. It makes your blood really flow. You can’t help but want to get out and join the crowd. Going down in front of the hotel, asking the bellhop to get a taxi, jumping in and telling the driver where to go is something that is not experienced around Connecticut. Sure, some of the bigger cities like Hartford and New Haven have taxis, but nothing like New York. Everywhere you look is a sea of yellow cars.

A cab can seem like a roller coaster; you never know what you’re going to experience. The cabdrivers zip around the city so close to other cars, it’s a wonder there aren’t more accidents. Outside, the cars are scratched and the insides beaten. I suppose it’s just another wonder of New York.

I had never visited Times Square before. The last time I was in New York City was for my eighth grade class trip. We never even went to Times Square. We, literally, drove by it. How do you visit New York City without going to Times Square!

As we approached Times Square, my excitement built. It’s hard to describe. It’s like a little child losing his first tooth and getting a dollar from the tooth fairy. Times Square is an enormous place filled with billboards and TV screens and shops. It is a sight to be seen, and really is the “crossroads of the world.” You simply cannot visit New York City without stopping by Times Square. In the morning, the sun rising over the buildings and shining on the billboards gives it a calming look. Yes, I realize Times Square is constantly busy, but something about the way it looks gives it a surreal look. And yes, I know New Yorkers have an attitude, but they’re always willing to help give directions (naturally in a quick manner).

Walking around Times Square, you see everything from the ticket booth for Broadway shows to the MTV Studios, from ABC’s Good Morning America studio to billboards featuring clothing and other types of advertisements. It certainly is an advertisers gold mine. When you look up, you usually see a jet coming in for a landing, presumably at JFK Airport, or a helicopter patrolling the city in these post-9/11 days. Sometimes you’ll see birds flying around, and sometimes just the clear blue sky.

It’s an experience that I will never forget, and I hope to visit often. In fact, I hope to live in New York someday. However you view Times Square, or New York City as a whole, it’s all a wonder that is constantly changing, and constantly moving.