12 Hours in Manhattan

For a place so different from where I grew up, New York City sort of feels like home.

When I was little, I would spend my summer days wandering through evergreens. Staring up at the tree tops, I would imagine what it would be like to stare up and see the tops of skyscrapers. I didn’t necessarily think I would prefer the feeling of a concrete jungle, but I did long to walk the streets of Manhattan.

Last summer was my first trip out to the city. I took the MegaBus — a double decker !! — from Union Station in Washington, D.C. to 34th St. in New York City. I arrived at night, which gave me the full effect of how giant the buildings stand and how bright they all light up the sky. I remember looking out the window in New Jersey and started crying. real tears. I thought I was looking at Manhattan. I texted my mom and said “It’s so beautiful omg” and she responded with, “I am tracking your location. You are not in New York.” And to that I was stunned.

When I finally arrived in the city, I was starstruck. My brain doesn’t understand how it’s possible that so many people are sandwiched onto that tiny little island. I remember thinking: This is the place. This is how you hear peoples stories. So many different cultures packed into 13.1 miles and barely any room to breathe. Yet the opportunities are endless and the experiences are too.

This past weekend I made the spontaneous choice to take the MegaBus back to the city. My friend and I bought our tickets 7 hours before the bus left, packed, had a quick nights sleep, and then we were off. I don’t know about you, but when I travel — whether by plane, train, bus, or car — I feel so nostalgic. I look out the window and conjure up the most inspirational speeches in my head, and I reflect on the beauty of our time on Earth. Every blog post has a cliché: this ones is that it’s all about the journey, not the destination.

We arrived around noon and walked to Chelsea Market. I ate a turkey avocado sandwich and enjoyed the view from the High Line. Hundreds of people walked past, all with different lives, never to be seen again. I find it so beautiful how our eyes can capture so much and yet it all becomes engrained in a memory forever. I may never have spoke to them, but I saw the teenage girls walking and talking with smiles on their faces, I saw the old couple taking a selfie, I saw the baby dripped out in his stroller. We were all there at the same time, in the same place, but with completely different purposes.

Later in the afternoon we met up with my friends dad. He was visiting with the high school choir he teaches in California, they were competing in a festival in New Jersey. One of the chaperones on the trip introduced himself, the father of one of the students. It turns out he grew up in a town only 20 minutes from me. In the largest city in the country, I found someone who knew what home was. And just like that, the city felt small.

It’s easy to be intimidated by things you don’t understand. Before seeing New York, I was always stressed out by the thought of being surrounded by so many strangers. But once you begin to break out of your shell, it is so insanely easy to find community.

That night, we headed to the bus stop to take the 11pm back to D.C. It was pouring down rain. Absolutely pouring. The bus pulled up and said there would be a 30 minute delay. My friend and I, along with two professionally dressed strangers and a musician all crossed the street to go find shelter. We found a dry spot under the eaves of a building and I took a seat.

There isn’t much to do but chat when you are waiting for the bus in a strange place. One of the professionally dressed was a woman, probably in her late 20’s, introduced herself and we started talking. She’s from Philly and was in New York just for the day too. She was attending one of her friends Bon Voyage parties as she set out to go plant churches across the country. We told her what brought us to the city and that we were hoping to make it back in time for our churches service the next morning. We continued to chat away.

And just like that, 30 minutes came and went. We got on the bus and we headed home. I didn’t get her phone number and never said goodbye, but in that moment she seemed like a friend. I love experiencing humans being human. I love learning about what makes them who they are and seeing their eyes light up when they talk about something they love.

I think that is why I find it so necessary to continue to travel. We often get too comfortable in our routine, scared to branch out, tempted to settle roots down too soon. That is why it is so important to challenge yourself to break out of your comfort zone. Go strike up a conversation with a stranger if that is what you feel called to do. Don’t shy away from the uncertain. You will feel so rewarded when you start to turn strangers into familiar faces.

After 12 hours in Manhattan I am exhausted, but I would take 12 hours in Manhattan any time if it meant more memories like these.