The NYC Adventure BEGINS

Hello hello!

It's been a while, sorry about that! I've been home in Wisconsin, spending time with my family and taking a much deserved break after probably my toughest semester on campus. While most of my Coe friends are packing their stuff and getting ready for classes to start Monday, I'm over 1,000 miles east of Mt. Horeb and no where near Coe. 

That's because I'm in New York City, about to move into a hotel tomorrow and about to spend three and a half months in the Big Apple. 

Needless to say, I'm jazzed.

I'm also super excited because before the term "officially" starts (which is tomorrow when myself and nine other Coe students, all girls by the way, move into our hotel) my dad, sister, and I drove out to New York to spend time with my aunt and uncle and their family. We have busy since the moment we arrived. 

The first day we ventured into the city and my aunt and uncle treated us to dinner before heading to Broadway to see the play Newsies at Nederlander Theater. Oh my goodness, was that an amazing show. It's based off true events of a paper boy strike in New York City and it's something you should definitely check out. I think my favorite part was the dancing (those boys were superb dancers) and just how excited the actors were to be on stage. The music often gave me chills (hello harmony) and it was just a great story I was drawn into. 

After the play, we checked out where my uncle works on Times Square and saw the infamous New Year Eve's ball. 

Today, we woke up early and took a train to Hoboken. This allowed us to then take a ferry around the tip of the island and then land near Wall Street. We walked around the financial district, grabbed some Starbucks (an absolute must) and then moved onto our next appointment: the New York Stock Exchange. My uncle was able to make this arrangement, allowing us the opportunity to see something you can't see everyday. We were able to go on the floor and see all the trading that happens during the day. 

While we were down in the financial district, my aunt had reserved tickets so we were able to check out the 9/11 Memorial site. Incredibly moving and visually stunning. 

We ate lunch in SoHo (shortened version of south of Houston Street), looked around the area and then tried our luck at the subway system to move our way north to Rockefeller Center. It's sort of like an underground city beneath Rockefeller Plaza and Center, definitely a place to check out on a rainy day! We moved from the basement to the very top for an amazingly crisp and clear view of the city. It's a view I won't forget anytime soon. 

The New York Public Library was only a few blocks away so we ventured there and I got my picture taken with the iconic lions. Let me tell you, I was all smiles. And still am. 

Our final stop was Penn Station and we were there just before rush hour. My uncle met back up with us and showed us some special "only if you're a true New Yorker" things before hopping back on train to take us back home. 

I've now been able to spend a fair amount of time in the city. Tomorrow I move into my hotel and am reunited with the nine other Coe students! I am excited and can't wait to continue to explore the city. 

As a reader of this blog, you'll have an inside look at my adventures. Since I'll be taking a lot of photos, I'll only post a few for each post. The rest you can access here. I hope you keep reading because I'm excited to share my adventures with you!