I stopped at many spots along my road trip across the country when I moved east—Salt Lake City to see the mountains carved by glaciers; Springfield, Illinois to see the home of Abraham Lincoln; Cleveland to spend 2 entire days at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; and Pittsburgh to see Heinz stadium and ride the Duquesne Incline. But there was one place, where I went completely out of my way just so that I could stop in for a couple of nights. New York City.
Well, sorta. I didn’t have a job at the time and was living off of my savings as I made my way to a rented room in a townhouse in Alexandria, Virginia, so I was a penny pincher (of sorts) on my first visit to the Big Apple—I stayed in New Jersey. Turns out, it was a pretty good decision. For 1/3 of the price of the going rate for a room in Midtown Manhattan, I got a room on the Hudson River with a clear view of the Financial District in Lower Manhattan that made my heart explode with glee!
Since I was 10 years old, I’d wanted to live in New York City. It didn't matter what my desired profession was at any point in time in my childhood--actor, director, lawyer, professor, journalist, writer--the place I wanted to live was always NYC. When I took this picture in 2009, I knew that even though I was starting my east coast adventure in DC, I’d end up in this beautiful concrete jungle.
I grew up in a small town in a rural area of Oregon, but seeing the skyline of NYC in movies, tv shows, and magazines made me swoon. No other city moved my heart and mind like NYC. Just look at this sunrise on the Hudson river peaking through the skyline of the Financial District—how can you not be in awe of these man-made wonders that reach for the sky!?
About
Hi, I’m Krystal! I’m a freelance writer and editor originally from the West Coast who’s now living in New York City. I'm stubbornly independent and tend to talk like a sailor, but I'll try to hold my tongue. No guarantees, though.
You can learn more about me here.