New York City

"The City seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and beauty in the world."

(F. Scott Fitzgerald)

My first glimpse of NYC may not have been from the Queensboro Bridge,  but it held all the magic of stepping off a train, and walking into Grand Central Station for the very first time. We arrived just as everyone was getting off work on a Friday evening, so we hoisted our bags and pushed our way through the streets. The lights were beginning to come on all around us, and those first few blocks of walking were spent craning my neck to look up, attempting to not knock someone over with my backpack, and trying not to lose him. We were staying with friends, and so had to walk through Midtown to get to our destination. It was one of the most distracting walks I've done in awhile ... behind every corner was a scene that was familiar and yet so unfamiliar ... finally seeing a place that you've only read about, and seen secondhand? Pure magic.

But of course ...  magic tinged with reality! After about 45 minutes we crashed into Starbucks for a quick caffeine jolt, a  minute to put our bags town, and a chance to get our bearings. Tired, hungry and a little overwhelmed, it is amazing what a cup of a coffee can do! Refresehd and ready to go, we hoisted our bags once more and set off for a long weekend exploring the city that never sleeps ...