My first time in New York

This past February I was in New Jersey for work however I had some time that night so I went into the New York.

It started with me sitting in my hotel room after arrival at the Newark International Marriott. I was talking to a friend of mine and we were just talking about the hotel and the area. He had been to the same venue 2 years prior for the same reason I was, work. After about 15 minutes or so he brought up the fact that I should go into New York. At first it seemed like an exciting idea however after the getting past the excitement I realized I had no idea how to get there or where to go in New York. Secondly nightfall was upon me and I wasn't sure I should be headed into the big apple by myself. However I couldn't resist the idea so I took off downstairs. There was a extremely nice and helpful concierge. She equipped me with a city map as well as the train schedule of the New Jersey Transit train that goes into New York's Penn Station. For those of you who have never been Penn Station is the Times Square station. Times Square is walking distance.

I buttoned up my jacket to brave the cold and proceeded outside to wait for the complimentary shuttle that takes you to the airport. Once at the airport you take the air shuttle (monaural) to the train station. The ticket is cheap, only $14. Once on the train my mind raced with thoughts of all the sights and sounds of New York. When the train finally arrived at Penn Station about half hour later I got off and felt as if I was in a busy airport terminal. There were tons of people rushing for the stairs probably to get out of the station and catch a cab home. When I looked around I was surrounded by a variety of different shops. Then I saw my plan of action, the stairs that lead up to the city. I walked briskly to the stairs and up not only due to excitement but also to keep up with the locals.

Once I reached the top I couldn't believe my eyes, I felt as if I was in a movie set. The smell, the sights, the sounds were nothing like I imagined, they were better. The building that was right in front was large in scale compared to most LA buildings. There were people all around catching cabs or going down into the station to catch other trains that went elsewhere in the city.

I proceeded to walk to the right and within a matter of seconds I came across my first landmark, The Garden, famous Madison Square Garden. From there I set off into Times Square. As I was walking towards the square I was snapping away photos with my camera to capture the moments of the beautiful city. I saw a few other sights along the way as well such as the ESPN zone, the NASDAQ building as well as MTV. Unfortunately TRL was not on and I couldn't get on TV. I saw many corporate buildings along the way and many people were just getting off work (this was about 8pm EST). The people walking around were all fashionably dressed and I felt underdressed in jeans. Once I arrived I couldn't believe it, since I thought that I was on the set of a movie before this surely had to be a movie set. The amazing amount of bright lights and digital screens everywhere. The city was so alive and the people were minding there own business not minding the tourists at all. The streets of course were flowing with yellow as the taxicabs kept up with tradition honking every second they got, impatient as always (which I enjoyed). All around me were skyscrapers with no room in between. In front of me was the famous screen that always shows people during New Years Eve. Everywhere I looked the advertisements had some sort of electronic signature separating itself from all the rest. I could only imagine what it takes to get that much electricity to such an awesome section of one city. I didn't want to leave, there was still so much more to see however it was getting late and I still had to catch a train back to New Jersey for work. To anyone who has not been you are missing out on one of the greatest cities ever built. I encourage all to go and walk around the city and blend into the city life, it is one of the experiences I will forever cherish.

My first time in New York