Welcome to NY
2 weeks ago, I had an amazing opportunity to attend Barclays Sophomore Springboard program (read about the program in my last post here)! The program ran from Weds-Thurs and since I don't have classes on Friday, I decided to stay the weekend and explore the city! So here's a recap of my trip!
Day 1 - Red eye flight & a cup of joe to get me through the day. This was my first red eye flight and I can say, that I am never going to take another one again haha. We flew in at 6:30am EST (it would be 3:30am back home!) and we weren't able to check into our hotel room until 4pm. Thus, we dropped off our bags and started walking around the city right away. We found the most amazing coffee shop, For Five, and they had the best coffee and croissants. After walking around some more and grabbing lunch, I got ready for the Barclay's event. Later that night, I met up with my mom's high school friend and her daughter for dinner at Danji, a modern Korean fusion restaurant. It had a great atmosphere and many small shareable dishes. I would highly recommend it (I wish I had pictures, but it was my first time meeting the people I had dinner with and didn't want to take out my camera and snap away)
Day 2 - Central Park & Totto Ramen. For most of the day, I was at Barclays for the springboard program. Once the program ended, I had just enough time to head to central park and grab dinner at Totto Ramen before I had to head back to the hotel for my online class. Central park was so serene and Totto Ramen was delicious! A couple of friends recommended it to me before I left and it definitely met my expectations. Food in NYC is just amazing in general!
Day 3 - Brooklyn Bridge, The Met, & THE SCARIEST DAY OF MY LIFE. Since the program was over, I finally had time to do the tourist things, which included walking through the Brooklyn Bridge and admiring all the art at The Met (I could spend hours there!). Later that day, we headed to Penn Station to catch a train to NJ to spend the night at a family friends house. Little did I know, that I was about to experience the scariest moment of my life.
A delayed train, hundreds of tired passengers, and something that sounded like a gun shot. This is how it all started. All of a sudden, my mom and I heard people screaming and a crowd of people turning the corner to run towards the exit. My heart started pounding and I quickly grabbed my bags and reached for my mom’s arm. Luggage’s were dropped, drinks were spilled, and glasses were shattered across the floor. I was running on pure adrenaline and didn’t look back. All I cared about was getting my mom and I out of the station because in that moment, I thought I would get shot if I stopped running. When we finally reached the exit, there were cop cars, ambulances, the SWAT team, and reporters lined up outside. People were in hysteria, calling their loved ones, and everyone was dazed and confused. Luckily, there was no shooter. What happened was that a policeman used a stun gun, which sounded like gunshot, which caused people to think there was a shooter in the station.
I guess you could say that this was an eventful trip!
Day 4 - New Jersey & Philadelphia. We made it to NJ! Our family friends took us on a quick road trip to Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. The historical buildings were beautiful and it was such an enriching experience. After that, we drove to Princeton University and their campus is stunning! Like can I go there please?! Overall, it was a nice day to catch up with family friends and just relax after that traumatic incident haha.
Day 5 - Another trip in the books! On the last day, a friend of mine from Yale came to NY and we went to the World Trade Center, SOHO, and just walked around the city. After that, it was time to fly back home! I had such a great time and I can't wait until I get the chance to go back and have more time to explore all the cute coffee shops & restaurants! Thanks for reading & until next time New York!
xo Kerstin
