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Cal State Chico | Career > Her20s

24 Hours in New York

Updated Published
Nadira Ramlogan Polo Student Contributor, California State University - Chico
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Cal State Chico chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

I have always envisioned a life full of traveling. Being from Puerto Rico and moving to the United States has allowed me to travel and see a lot of places here. I am fortunate enough to have parents who also aspire to see the world. Over the years we have gone to multiple states (mostly due to my volleyball games) including Texas, Colorado, and Arizona. Out of the country we have gone to Mexico and just recently the Dominican Republic (which is like our cousin country in Puerto Rico.) However, out of all the places we have gone to, New York has stuck out to me the most. My dad always told me that when I am old enough he will take me to New York. The summer before I came to college he took me and my mom on a 5 day trip there. This has always been a dream of mine because of my late grandpa who had moved to the Bronx and Queens for a while before marrying my grandma. On our trip I got to see various touristy things like the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, and Times Square. However, my favorite part was seeing how much of a Puerto Rican community there is there. New York is a place full of different cultures, dreams, and aspirations. 

people walking on crosswalk in NYC at nighttime
Photo by Andreas Kruck from Unsplash

So you are now probably wondering why the title is “24 Hours in New York?” That is because on Halloween I was fortunate enough to go to New York for LITERALLY 24 hours.

Here’s how it went…

On Thursday afternoon I drove from Chico to the Bay Area, which is approximately 2 and a half hours. My dad drove me to SFO airport, and I took a red eye and landed in New York at 8AM. Now if you know me, you know I NEED my sleep. However, my mom was on a work trip and she had a plus one to a Gala event her company was invited to. So I took the opportunity to go! When am I ever going to be able to say that I was in New York for 24 hours? 

After I landed, I took an uber to my mom’s hotel and even though I had plans to explore the city…I took a long nap. I woke up around 12PM and saw that it was raining. For some reason this made it feel very TV show/movie like. I had half a day by myself in the “city that never sleeps.” Luckily our hotel was right in Midtown. I got dressed and went to Liberty Bagels (which are hands down the BEST bagels I have ever had). I originally had plans to eat at a park, but the rain took me back to the hotel. I watched a movie and ate the bagels as my mom wrapped up her work event. Seeing my mom in New York was such a special feeling after not seeing her for months. 

dancing scene from In The Heights
Photo by Macall Polay / Warner Bros

My mom and I went to the Rockefeller Center, went to the Jellycat Diner, and then separated for a little while (due to the time crunch we were on). Of course, on my time alone I went to the NBA store (which I had been to previously and LOVED) then to other shopping places. Now it was finally time to get ready for the Gala.

My mom and I had an hour to get ready because we got so invested in exploring the city. On the way to the Gala we passed the Brooklyn Bridge, which was beautiful at night. At the event we got to see many Latinos get recognized for the hard work they do for the community. I will have to say this was the fanciest event we had been to. There were 3 full course meals served to us, an open bar, a red carpet, an auction, and goodie bags for everyone to take at the end. However, my favorite part was talking to all the people there. I got to talk to many Latinos from DR, PR, Mexico, Chile, and other countries. But I once again got reminded of why I love the city so much. There’s so much culture and diversity.

skyline of New York at night
Photo by Luca Bravo from Unsplash

After the Gala, it was around 10PM and it was time to see one of my childhood best friends who goes to NYU. Meeting up with her felt so surreal. I finally got to see how her new life is after a year of watching it on social media. She took me to Mcgee’s Pub (based on my favorite show How I Met Your Mother) and then down her block to show me all her favorite local spots. After exploring we went to her place and just talked. 2AM came around and it was finally time to go back to the hotel. 

I woke up the next morning at 8AM and it was finally time to go back home! This concludes my 24 hours in New York. No regrets, just full of gratitude to be able to experience such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with my mom (Gracias Mami!) 

Nadira Ramlogan Polo

Cal State Chico '27

Nadira goes to Chico State University. Back in 2013 she moved from Puerto Rico to the Bay Area. She is a member of Sigma Kappa sorority. Some of her hobbies include going to the gym, playing volleyball, going to the beach, and hanging out with family and friends.

Nadira went to California High School in the Bay Area and now attends Chico State. She is a Psychology major mainly due to her passion of helping others. What interested her the most about Psychology was learning and understanding why humans are the way they are. She plans on minoring in Management so in the future she can work as an industrial organizational psychologist. She aspires to get her masters somewhere in Socal to be closer to the beach.

She has played volleyball since 5th grade and now enjoys playing for the intramural teams in Chico. Going to the gym has been a passion of hers for three years now. She believes that going to the gym and being active helps not only physically but mentally. The beach is a place where she feels at home due to growing up on an island. It brings back many memories with friends and family. Nadira enjoys the company of others and holds her relationships with people very close to her.