If there are any of you even left. I haven't posted on here for about half a year...
But obviously that is changing now.
Last month, I had an awesome opportunity to travel with one of my professors and a couple of other photography students to explore that mysterious and unknown land that is New York City. As I sit here in my modestly sized home in my modestly sized suburban town, let me just tell you that New York was exhausting. There was constant stimulation of the mind. Walking down the street was like a game to see who could avoid running in to people. Despite the utter exhaustion that comes with exploring a giant city, New York was just as whimsical and dreamy as I imagined it to be. It didn't seem to be real, seeing all those landmarks that I had only seen in pictures up until then. New York is a world of its own that has some kind of special air about it. In this post I'll take some time to walk you through my experience while I walked down the streets of this magical city.
Day One: Times Square
After a long day of flights and layovers, we arrived in NYC at about 5:30 p.m. This was obviously plenty of time to go visit one of the most insane places I have ever been: Times Square. Let me just give you this image in your head: imagine you are me (an 18-almost-19-year old who writes a blog entitled "Memoirs of an Old Soul" and thinks Des Moines, Iowa is the greatest place on earth) arriving at Times Square at about 10 p.m on a Friday on a holiday weekend. Can you imagine the culture shock that I went through? I hate everything. This was the constant thought that was going through my head at this time. I looked left, right, up, down, and every angle that you could think of, and all I saw were a lot of flashing lights, advertisements, and insane people. I stood in the middle of the Square and just spun around and tried to take it all in, but my mind was on stimulation overload. If this is any indication of how the whole city will be, I thought to myself, then I'm going to walk home. As I was knocked back into reality by a person dressed in an Elmo costume, I finally summoned up the nerve to get out my camera and snap a few pictures. I'm pretty happy with how the pictures turned out, though. Don't get me wrong, Times Square wasn't all bad. It was a one-of-a-kind, almost unreal, kind of place. There was a constant air of excitement and smiles, which in itself was pretty unique.Day Two:
After getting back from all the constant stimulation of Times Square the previous day, let's just say I was scared for what was to come from the rest of the city. We started off the day by riding the free Staten Island Ferry so we could see the Statue of Liberty up pretty close without paying the steep prices to actually go to it. The ferry ride was really fun and rather liberating (haha...). We stood at the very front of the ferry so we got a constant panoramic view. When we got to Staten Island, we explored a little bit, and then got back on the Ferry to go back to Manhattan. Getting a view of the Concrete Jungle from the other side was pretty awesome.
We then made our way toward Wall Street. Walking down Wall Street made me feel like I was part of the New York elite crowd. We walked past the Trump Building and I even peeked inside Tiffany & Co. I felt out of place a little bit because of my flannel shirt and tennis shoes. After walking around Wall Street, we got to go inside Trinity Church, which was first a small little rectangular building made in 1698. In 1846, it became the building that is still there today. The interior was stunning. It was crazy to think that I stood in a building that was built the same year that Iowa became a state. The church smelled like what I thought this kind of place would. It had a foggy presence to it and the whole experience was strangely serene and spiritual.
After visiting the financial district, we headed over to the Brooklyn Bridge. It is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Construction was completed in 1883 and was the first steel-wired suspension bridge ever built. As we approached the bridge, I could see that it was just packed with people. I wanted to turn back right away but was glad that we didn't. My feet were tired from the constant walking that was happening that day but that didn't stop me from being able to take in the experience. I got to walk on a big part of history and it made me imagine what it would be like to have worked on the structure back in the 1800s. It was a calming thought despite all the people and chaos that was currently happening atop it.
Here is a rare photo in which I am featured, squinty-eyed and surrounded by strangers on a bridge.
The last thing that we did that day was what most people would not expect me to do. We went to the Annual New York International Auto Show. I wasn't expecting much, but it was a unique experience and I had a lot of fun walking around and looking at the new models of all these cars.
Day Three:
This day we spent visiting a couple of the museums that New York has to offer. We first went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art which is insanely huge. Like this thing is the largest museum in the country, and is in the top 10 biggest museums in the world. It has over 2 million works and has 17 different departments. It's pretty big. We spent a lot of our time here looking at paintings. As I was walking around and viewing the paintings, I was in awe of the art of older times periods. I was in a dazed, dream-like state as I inspected paintings from various famous artists from the 17th-20th centuries. I was thinking about how art has progressed, and just how the world in general has progressed, since those times.
After the Met, we made our way up north to another branch of the museum, called the Cloisters, which features medieval artwork. This was a really neat place and I actually had a lot of fun viewing the works in a castle and medieval context.
The last thing we did on day three was go to the top of the Empire State Building. That place has one of the most efficient systems to getting people up 80 or 90-some stories to stand on a cold observation deck. As I was guided along through the building by men in maroon colored suit coats and hats, I tried to take in the whimsical art deco style of the Empire State. It brought me back to the 30s and 40s era. While we walked our way to the elevators, rather confused by all that was going on, I was pretty excited to see the city and all its glory from up high. When we finally got up there, I was not disappointed. I was literally speechless. It was strangely quiet on top, and all I could hear was just a low, constant hum coming from the seemingly calm city below. It was awesome. Also, the tower at the top of the building was lit up in pastel colors for Easter.
Day Four:
Our last day was probably my favorite day, how fitting, huh? This is the day I didn't feel rushed or flustered, but I felt like I was starting to understand this massive and awesome city. We first went to the 9/11 memorial right away in the morning. I was overwhelmed with emotions as we embarked inside this somber place. Eyes clouded with tears, I silently walked around the two giant fountains, running my hands gently along the black metallic surface of the structures. I was in shock with the harsh reality that this memorial showed. I quietly snapped a couple pictures, being sure not to disrespect those whose lives were lost. It was an extremely sad time, but I felt like the memorial was tastefully done and was a good way to pay respect to those lost in the tragedy.
The last thing we did in our trip was go to the Chelsea District, which I think was the best decision we made. We first went to the Chelsea Market, which was the most aesthetically pleasing building in which I have ever been. The ceilings were adorned with large white paper lanterns. There was exposed brick everywhere and distressed wood beams. It was beautiful. Next, we made our way over to the High Line, which was personally my favorite part of the whole city. It is an old elevated section of a railroad that has been converted to a new, modern walking park. As we walked along, the plants starting to bloom, I felt complete happiness. Something about this place just made me feel calm. It was spectacular. We also walked by the most impressive graffiti (art) I have ever seen.
Overall, I was really impressed with New York. It truly is a unique place full of unique attractions and unique people. Although everyone seems to be in a rush or on a mission, I thoroughly enjoyed being able to be a part of it all, even if it was just for a few days. Although I do have to say I am happy to be back in my favorite place on earth. Good ole Des Moines.
Want to see the places I described? I'm not able to post them all on this blog post, so head over to my Facebook page, Madeline Trott Photography and check out the album I made of some of my favorite pictures I took while there.
My Photography Page: Click Here!
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