New York, NY

Six months ago, a few weeks before leaving for school, I had the opportunity visit one of my dearest friends in New York City for four days. We got our noses pierced in Midtown the first evening I was there, after eating chicken dumplings on a warm city sidewalk. We visited the Shop Around the Corner after lunch at Jacob's Pickles and a jaunt through the Museum of Natural History. I learned the subway line to her little apartment in Sunnyside, and we ate cookie dough out of the bowl as we watched romcoms on her laptop. After church on Sunday night we ventured into Central Park to watch the lightning bugs, and ended up lying in the middle of Sheeps Meadow, where I saw a shooting star. I ate both Indian and Thai, a miracle wrought by the city. We stood in the sweltering heat of the subway tunnels, watched the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry, and wandered the brick lined streets of Brooklyn with my cousin. Chelsea Market tacos, coffee from the shop down the street, candy from the drugstore, and crepes from swanky French cafes. I was only there for a few days, but we filled them well. Getting to know my friends' cities is one of my favorite things.