The first things that come to mind when I think of New York are rain and expensive stores. I had never really had an interest in going to New York because I’ve always been a beach girl. To me, a vacation means warm weather and sitting on a beach. When the opportunity came up to go to New York with my friend Karlie and her mom, though, I jumped right on it and bought my plane ticket because a) I wouldn’t have to go to class, and b) I’m always up for a new adventure.
I started thinking about New York and why I would want to go there, and I realized that so many movies and shows have been shot there. I’ve seen Gossip Girl, Glee, How to Lose a Guy In Ten Days, Secret Life of Pets, 27 Dresses, Bride Wars, and tons of Christmas movies. I started getting more and more excited about New York because it was becoming this magical place in my mind. I think the main reason I never had an interest in going before was that I thought I would never be able to go due to how expensive it was there. It was a crazy thought, that I was actually going to New York City, the city where dreams happen.
We departed from the Minneapolis airport on a Wednesday morning. I must’ve gotten the last seat on the plane because I was seated in the way back where there was no window. Luckily, the girl sitting next to me offered to switch seats with Karlie so that we were able to sit together. We met the guy who was sitting next to us, and it turned out that he was actually a pilot for Delta Airlines. He had just flown into Minneapolis and he hopped on our plane to go back home. He lived in Brooklyn, NY, and he also mentioned that he lives by James Franco. At this point, I basically already met a famous person. Throughout the flight, we were asking him questions about New York and flying. He told us at the end of the flight to ask the pilot if we can go in the cockpit. This was honestly one of my favorite parts because he let us sit in his seat while he told us how they fly the plane. Apparently, pilots only fly the plane for about 10 minutes tops. The plane is on cruise once they reach a certain altitude, and it even lands— all they need to do is release the wheels. The pilot said sometimes when it’s too foggy, they just need to trust the plane to land and all of a sudden they are on the ground. Kinda freaky, huh?
While driving into the city, it was just massive. There were so many buildings, it seemed endless. I felt so small, and that’s when I realized this world is much bigger than I’ve ever imagined. I grew up in a small town and I now go to college in a small town, so going to the cities is a treat by itself—but not nearly as big as what was right in front of me.
We stayed at an Embassy Suites, a couple of blocks from Times Square, and that’s where we went to explore the first night. Every block was filled with lights and TV screens. There were stores, restaurants, bakeries, Broadway shows, street shows, and people in costumes. Looking up into the sky felt very overwhelming because all I could see were buildings, and I felt like I was walking in a box; all of the people running into me didn’t help either.
The view from our hotel room was great. The Empire State Building was basically in our backyard.
The next day, we went to Good Morning America. We were there early enough to be able to talk to a cameraman and he said he might be able to get us into the show since we didn’t have tickets. More people with tickets started showing up and a huge VIP group came, so they weren’t able to let us in. However, we watched from the windows, which was still pretty cool. Later that evening, we went to the largest store in the world that happened to be a Macy’s. It was 9 floors, which is basically a stand alone mall!
The next day was my favorite day. Karlie and I took off to Central Park. This was the only grass I saw while in New York. When we were walking through, I kept imagining how many movies were shot in the same spot I was standing. For example, pictured below is the movie Friends with Benefits, starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake. See the similarities in the photos?
About halfway into Central Park was the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is where they host the Met Gala, where they shot some scenes for Ocean’s 8, and the steps they used for Gossip Girl. We then walked around the upper east side where the elites live and walked in front of Kelly Ripa’s house!
After that, we walked back towards Times Square and stopped at the Rockefeller Center. The NBC studio is located there and is also where they film The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Saturday Night Live which are both of my favorite shows! I couldn’t believe I was in the presence of Jimmy Fallon!
Later that night, we took a cab to see the 9/11 Memorial. I didn’t imagine it to be so big. Visiting the monument was the most powerful feeling I’ve ever experienced. When 9/11 happened, I was only about one, but I had learned about it every year since 3rd or 4th grade. I kept looking at the memorial and then up at the sky, imagining how everything happened, and I couldn’t wrap my head around it all. I was standing where nearly 3,000 people lost their lives; there were so many thoughts and emotions going through my mind. We then took a subway back to our hotel. The transportation system was very confusing because there is an R train, W train, 123 train, etc. We ended up taking the E train, the cheapest mode of transportation in New York. Props to you if you can figure it all out.
Looking back, I would definitely visit New York again. During the trip, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back because of how overwhelming everything was, but there is so much more I want to see and do now. This trip was actually one of the coolest trips I’ve ever been on. Since then, the more I watch TV, the more I see the places that I was at and can actually imagine. New York is a really magical place because everything is acceptable, no matter what you look like or how you act. Not one person was mean—everyone was so nice and helpful. If you are ever wondering where to go on a trip, go to New York. It’s something everyone should see.
Xoxo, Gossip Girl. I mean Bailey…