Stephen Mizell

We returned home from New York City this past Saturday. My brother and I had a great time while we were there in the Big Apple, but we were glad to be home. You don't realize how far you have to walk around in NYC to get from place to place until you're too sore to think about it. The subway can only get you so far.

The travel to NYC was interesting. Our plane was too small to even stand up in and getting from the airport to our hotel took over two hours. We figured the excitement was over when we got to our hotel. We had no clue, though, our room would be taller than it was wide. It had no hot water, no air conditioning, no headboards, and no clock. Lucky for us, we had a beautiful view of an old brick building.

In NYC, everywhere you go smells like BBQ and cigarettes. There is one of those food stands on every corner cooking some greasy treat while everyone walking around is smoking. These were really the only two things that bothered me while hanging out in the big city. Everything else was awesome.

Getting around in NYC is an art. You have to know how to navigate the subways, know how to cross the street efficiently, and know who to not look in the eyes. When we got there, my bro and I walked around like normal tourists, but as the trip progressed, we were as good as the city dwellers. For using the subway, you need to know what "downtown", "uptown", and "express" mean. For crossing the street, watch the people who know what they're doing and follow closely (they'll usually step into the street to get an advantage to cross before the sign says "Walk"). Also, never do a double take on someone you see asking for free subways fares or money. You double take and you're theirs.

Walking the streets is interesting, too. There are thousands of people walking the streets at any given time and the ones who live there walk with a clear purpose. When you walk the streets there, don't worry about the "excuse me", because people don't want it and they won't give it. It's not that they are just rude, it's because it's pointless. Slowing to say "excuse me" causes a ripple effect that can slow down walkers blocks away and make some miss their chance to cross a street. The trick is walking fast, walking hard, and make it seem as though if someone ran into you it wouldn't feel good. Or you could just carry a bell.

We were able to see pretty much everything we wanted to see while there. We saw the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Times Square at day and night, Ground Zero, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Central Park to name just a few. I think my favorites were the Statue of Liberty, Time Square, and the NYC skyline at night. I have a lot of photos I'll upload to Flickr or something very soon.