NEW YORK
By: Mukanda Maombola
Tags: Statue Of Liberty, NYC, The Met

If I ever get to New York. I will slowly disembark from whichever Boeing I will have boarded and into the different security checkpoints remembering that I am on foreign soil. In a country that refers to me as a person of color, add the hijab to create more chaos. I will window shop getting in and out of the different duty-free shops purchasing this or that depending on my budget.

I will hail an uber. Taking selfies or I might as well go all the way out and do an Instagram live. All this will be in order to flex to my friends I am in NYC bitches!!!! Slowly through the NYC streets, I will cruise. Taking it all in, via my gadget and eyes too. As Alicia Keys mentioned this is a concrete jungle where dreams are made of there's nothing you can’t do. My cab will then stop in front of a fleet of apartments, preferably in NewJersey for financial reasons. Yours truly will alight, breathe in the Jersey air and head straight to apartment no 4B. This will be my abode for the next few days.

For the next few days, I’d commute from Jersey to the big apple. Walking on Time Square, bumping into people in typical NYC style. I’d take the subway to Queens, Harlem, Manhattan in a quest to experience this foreign land. All this will be documented, I have to show my folks back home, that's the deal here. I probably not wine or dine in any posh places, please I’m not Kevin McCallister. I will stick to Mac Donalds and food trucks, indulging in the best vegan tacos. Oh, I will have to experience Starbucks, with their signature coffee and logo, hopefully, they are not overrated.

I’d Step off the crowded sidewalks of 59th Street into Central Park and into the 693 acres of man-made gardens. I will waltz through the park passing fountains, monuments, sculptures, bridges, and arches. Plus 21 playgrounds, a winter ice-skating rink, a zoo. Oh, happy day. My next stop would have to be The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I’m actually screaming right now. This will be a dream come true. The MET GALA is held here annually so believe me when I say that even if its a one day trip to NYC, I will go to the Met. The Met Cloisters especially. I’d like to understand why it's dedicated exclusively to the art and architecture of the Middle Ages. Since it overlooks the Hudson River, I’d kill two birds at the same time. What do you think?

Central Park.

The Statue of Liberty will be next. Knowing that I will have to take a ferry ride to Liberty Island is a price I’m willing to pay for this experience. I will also get the chance to visit Elise Island. I’m expecting to be fatigued with pleasure, by the time I get back to Jersey. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden. This is where I plan to spend most of my day, whichever day that will be. From greenhouses housing bonsais to rare orchids, and desert plants, with outdoor spaces ranging from a lush Shakespeare garden to a Japanese-style lily pond traversed by a romantic bridge. This will be a sight err garden to behold. The Queens night market, because why not? With its Instagram friendly food, I hope to indulge in a United Nations of culinary spending a dollar or less. You too should come and check it out.

The Statue of Liberty.

If money is not an issue, I will end my NYC trip with New York City’s preeminent symphony orchestra. The performance primarily takes place at the world-renowned David Geffen Hall, within the Upper West Side Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. I may not understand the history of the symphony or concerto being played but I know that I will appreciate the profundity of the experience. Oh! Wait I did not visit the Empire State building, that is NYC for you, too many places not enough time.

Till next time NYC.