New York gets 40 million visitors a year and every one of them leaves with a story. I was no exception. Some friends and I decided last minute to visit New York for the weekend and what a strange trip it's been...

 

"There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless." -- Simone de Beauvoir

 

New York truly is the city that never sleeps. You can be out at any hour and never feel alone. There is always a party somewhere with music floating in the air. Thursday night we decided to rent a car and drive to New York on Friday. Luckily a friend, couch guy, has a sister living in New York who let us stay in her apartment while she was out of town for the weekend. She lives in a really cool apartment in Brooklyn with views of the NYC skyline and everything you would imagine a hipster's apartment to be in New York.

 

View from the apartment

We decided if we're going to go to New York, we'd have to arrive in style. Thus, we rented a Ford Fusion. We got into New York late because of traffic leaving D.C; it took almost 2 hours just to get to Baltimore! Oh and did I mention tolls will run you $21!? Still worth it to have the freedom of a vehicle to go wherever you want. The rental, tolls and gas split 5 ways really isn't that bad, much better than the Chinatown bus! Of course, not all interns can make it rain like we do so if you're looking for a cheap trip to New York, Chinatown buses are the best way to go.

 

 

The first place we visited was Times Square, of course! Even though it was close to midnight, with the bright lights and crowds of people it may as well have been the middle of the day. Fun fact: Times Square used to be called Longacre Square but was renamed by Mayor McClellan when the New York Times moved their headquarters to the newly built Times Building - yes, that's where the New Year's Eve ball drops!

 

Times Square

The Crew

 

Later that night we went to the East Village where we came across a cool hookah bar called Kazuza and closed the place down. Bars are open until 4 a.m. in NYC.

 

Bellydancer

 

New York is the biggest collection of villages in the world
Saturday was all about the sights. Considering we didn't wake up until noon, I think we did pretty well and managed to catch the free (yes, I said free) Staten Island Ferry that passes the Statue of Liberty. We also visited the financial district, paid our respects at ground zero, grabbed lunch in Chinatown, visited The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) where you can easily spend an entire day at each gallery, and walked through central park to the Dakota -- the building where John Lennon was shot and Yoko Ono still lives.

 

Sailing towards the American Dream

 

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lighting, and her name Mother of Exiles.

Charging Bull!

 

The New York Stock Exchange

 

The still-to-be-completed One World Trade Center

 

The September 11 Memorial

 

Lest we forget...

 

If you're interested in visiting Ground Zero and the waterfalls you have to first register online at this website and book a time. Wish I'd known that before.

 

Chinatown

 

I devoured one, too!

 

Here are only a few of my favorite pieces from the MET.

 

 

 

 

Archway to another world.

 

Samurai Masks

Cubism

Picasso

 

John Lennon was shot in the courtyard behind the guard.

 

Strawberry Fields in Central Park across the street from where John Lennon lived

 

Empire State of Mind

 

Saturday night we met up with some interns from TWC and some other Canadians we knew from back home that were currently interning in New York and went to one of the coolest clubs I've ever been to -- 230 and Fifth. This was a rooftop club with views of the Empire State building and the Chrysler building. Of course when you roll into NYC in a Ford Fusion you can't just line up with the riff-raff so we got bottle service and VIP access. You might be asking how one could afford such luxuries; there were 20 of us! What we did end up paying each was well worth it for a club of this caliber; it was a great night! We were in New York only for the weekend so we wanted to do it right.

 

The Empire State building and the Chrysler building to the right.

 

I know you're dying to know what happened but those pictures will have to do and if you see me in the hallways of the RAF, ask me about the walk home after the club -- I might tell you!