an ode to nyc
By: Amy C
Tags: NYC, New York City, Travel

I often find myself comparing everything to New York. The trains, the people, the atmosphere. I’ll sit on the train to Uni and pretend that I was on the subway about to arrive at 79th and Broadway, and it really wouldn’t be hard to. I can still remember the intercom saying, “There is a Local 1 train to Van Cortlandt Park/242nd St approaching the station, please stand away from the platform edge” as the train arrived.

Our second full day in Manhattan was once again eventful yet calm. We didn’t rush around trying to do all the tourist attractions, we didn’t plan out every second of the day and looking back I’m really glad we didn’t. You see, the things I remember most about my trip are the people I met, and the spontaneous adventures that enfolded out of not having a plan at all.

At around 4:30pm that day we journeyed up the ‘Top of the Rock’ to see the skyline that I had waited so long to see with my very eyes. We had carefully picked this time because we had wanted to see the skyline during both day and night- we were certainly not disappointed.

The second I stepped out on that balcony I was mesmerised. It was like I was staring at a picture. It was quiet, apart from the surrounding chatter and faint sirens echoing from the streets below, making it all the more surreal. I was speechless at The Empire State Building towering in all its glory right in front of me.

Our first step was to just take as many photos as possible but I also just wanted to stand and appreciate this city for a while. This man-made metropolis filled with opportunity was standing before me and I needed to take it in.

Now the Empire State Building has always been one of my favourite architecture feats of the 1900s yet I didn’t realise what an effect it would have on me. This extraordinary 102-floor art-deco skyscraper was a true highlight for me. I don’t know but it was just something about looking at it that filled me with hope and possibility and it was a true pleasure to be able to appreciate its beauty.

I stood there for a long while behind the crowds of people just basking in the view, feeling grateful for this incredible opportunity I was granted. I would often hear people speaking in foreign accents and wondered what had inspired them to come to this magical city.

I recently went home and downloaded all the photos from our trip (all 6000 of them) and spent a long time just going through them and recounting the story behind each picture. And there really was a story behind each one.

I came across this photo and instantly thought of how beautiful it was. I have never met these people nor will I ever meet them, yet I wish I could share this photo with them. This made me think of everyone else who had journeyed to this city to experience what I had. People who had come from different backgrounds to fulfil the same dream as me. There was almost an invisible force uniting us and that made me smile.

Standing atop this building watching the sun set over the horizon, illuminating the buildings with a fiery glow I really felt in awe. Watching the lights of the offices of hard working New Yorkers switch on made this experience all the more real. Behind each glass panel of every building in this city is a different person with a different story and a different perspective. And this showed how small we really are in comparison to the world.