85 Days in New York City

Here it is: FINALLY the last post! I won't lie, this is actually coming four months after I returned home from the city, but better late than never!

I've collected the photos from my last week in New York when Mom came to visit me and I finished up my internship at Scholastic. I was so excited to see my mom! This was the longest I had ever gone without seeing my family. I had a blast showing my friends who came to visit around the city, but there's something about getting to take Mom around a place where I had learned to live, work, and play in all on my own.

Mom's flight came in on Wednesday, August 5- same 6am flight out of Des Moines I had taken back in May the morning after a whirlwind of a weekend at home with Reece's graduation from Drake with his Masters on Saturday and Thad graduating from high school in Ogden on Sunday.

I had planned my time carefully at work. I was in my last week of the internship when Mom came to vist. New projects were not coming in, but it took a significant amount of time to tie up all loose ends and complete my portfolio. Since I was completing this internship for credit towards my journalism degree, I was required to put together and submit a portfolio showing all of my work from start to finish over the 12-week internship. I had kept all of my projects very organized on the computer drive. Separate folders, some on the computer, some hard copies, were a must for my ridiculous level of organization that sometimes gets in the way of actually getting my work done. :)

During that last week I had to talk to all of my editors, art designers, etc. to get all of the print-outs of the stories I had written that were all ready in layouts with art and design. The team I worked with at Scholastic were so great about assisting me in completing my portfolio. They were extremely helpful all summer about making sure I learned as much as possible.

I want to share a part of my final report I was required to write in addition to my portfolio to receive the credit from Iowa State. In this section, I talk about how different of an opportunity I had in my internship compared to other internships out there:

"On my last day at Scholastic, I was talking with my editors over lunch and explained to them how this internship is different from others in a way that is much more valuable. Writing for the science magazines allowed me the perk of guaranteed publication. I also have guaranteed readership. There are not many interns, or even some professionals that can say that. Because of the type of magazine I was working for, I knew that my article would indeed be read by someone. Teachers use the magazine as a teaching tool and thus they themselves and their students will read almost all of the articles written. My internship was different in this way compared to other internship positions I have heard about where the intern is merely an in-between person, a researcher to do the dirty jobs for the full-time employees, or even if they get to write pieces, they don’t know if they were get published or even read by readers of the publication. Once I realized this, it served as a motivating factor for working hard to write concisely, but intriguing for the readers."

My already busting portfolio is still growing as during this past fall, I received periodic mail from Scholastic. My editors would send me the final published editions of the magazines that I had worked on in some shape or form. It was so much fun to see the final product!

I was recently featured as a Spotlight Internship on the Iowa State Department of Journalism and Mass Communications website. They asked what my most memorable experience was at the internship:

"While learning to be a journalist in New York City is an experience unlike any other, my best experience happened after I returned to Iowa. Both my mom and my older brother are science teachers, and their students read Scholastic publications. This gave me the opportunity to receive feedback from readers about my work in the published magazines. It was rewarding to hear about the students in their classrooms reading articles I wrote. It was also interesting to hear how the students reacted to what they learned."

I had planned to bring my Mom to visit Scholastic when she arrived in the city. Ever since I began talking of seeking out an internship with the company she is so well-versed with as a teacher, Mom always said she would want to visit and "see Scholastic." I managed yet another form of public transportation and took the E train or the subway across the East River and as far as I could into Queens (because subway is the fastest mode of transportation) before coming up and getting on an early bus to LaGuardia Airport. I must say, I am extremely proud of how well I managed the public transportation in NYC. I am teased a lot by my family for not being able to understand CyRide in Ames...look at me now! I made it to the airport in plenty of time to wait for Mom's arrival. It was a wonderful feeling to see my mom walk through those gates. :) I had already found her luggage before she came around so we walked out and got on another bus to take us back across Queens to the subway station that would take us across the river again and back in to Manhattan. We checked into my building where the front desk people knew me by know because I had checked so many guests from back home in with them. Up the elevator we went to the 29th floor and dumped Mom's bags in my room. It wasn't long and we headed out into the city to see all we could see before we both left for the summer.

First stop was at Scholastic down in SoHo. I had told my editors we would be coming to visit on my day off and how excited my mom was to see the place. It was fun to show mom my desk (how far it was from the rest of the Science crew and well, everything pretty much!), and to introduce her to my editors. The picture below is me holding a copy of one of the editions of Science World and with Patty, the executive editor for both Science World and SuperScience, Beth, editor of SuperScience, Karina, my mentor and writer/editor for Science World and Cody, writer/editor for Science World. I can't say enough about the ladies of the Science Crew. A simple thanks will never be enough!

After the meet and greet, I took Mom up to one of my favorite places: the Greenhouse, or the top of the roof of the Scholastic building. I found myself to need this place during the day. I wasn't made to sit at a desk for hours at a time and this place became a refuge of sunshine and greenspace. A lot of reading was done this summer, on the subways, running at the rec, sitting up here, and elsewhere. How wonderful :) Mom and I got our lunch from the friends at the Greenhouse and found a table outside. The beginning of the summer was soooo rainy, even the locals said so! It was a pleasant day of sunshine when Mom came to visit. We had just sat down to lunch and Mom's phone rang. Guess who?! REECE. Of course he calls when I finally got to see my mom and have time to myself with her. So what did I do? Called my dad to complain. He just laughed. Lots of family love. :)

We finished lunch and went downstairs to visit the Scholastic store. Mom loved it of course because of all the books and educational things inside! We found a couple of gifts for people and got a cool Scholastic bag to store our purchases. Lots of memories from the things seen in the store that had ties back to my childhood. :) We thought it was only appropriate to get a picture with Clifford the Big Red Dog who seems to be the poster child for Scholastic.
Another photo op in the Scholastic store for Mom was with the Magic School Bus with the license plate "The Friz" in honor of the loved teacher in the books, Ms. Frizzle.

Another photo op outside of Scholastic on the busy sidewalk of the Soho District. I was lucky to be able to grab a picture during a break in the people, mostly tourists, out on the sidewalks shopping in the area.

Next stop was just a short walk up Broadway, past NYU, toward Union Square to an incredible bookstore called The Strand. Its claim to fame is that within its walls it holds 18 miles of books. I believe it! Mom and I went in to look around and came out with a few gems.

After walking farther into Union Square and then over to Washington Square Park where the big arch and fountain are, we headed back to East 55th for a short nap before heading out to the baseball games in Central Park. The number one thing I missed so much this summer, besides my family, was baseball. I only wish I would have discovered the leagues playing in the numerous diamonds of the park earlier in the summer!

Mom and I got a huge kick out of this old-man's league team where one of the players had his number as "pi" on his jersey. Classy.

After returning from Central Park, we met up with Natalie to take Mom to our favorite establishment, just like the rest of the guests that came to visit. I had to have Mom meet my partner in crime from summer, and of course try the margaritas of our favorite restaurant on 2nd Ave. Mom and I at Blockhead's
Even though we were exhausted from running around the city the day before, Mom and I decided to take advantage of where we were and got up early to walk over to the Today Show in Rockefeller Center. I was highly disappointed to find out that I had once again missed seeing Matt Lauer. :( Yet, we couldn't stop laughing at this guy who works as a crew member for the morning show. Doesn't he look as if he was transplanted from the West to the city? How he survives in New York with his style, I'm not sure...
Meredith Viera came out to say hello to the crowd and the ladies next to us, who happened to be from Iowa as well, couldn't stop gushing over how "fabulous" she looked.
During the flurry of comments from excited attendees to the Today Show that morning, Ann Curry stopped everyone by sharing advice from her mother about creating self-confidence and believing you are beauty. Very impressive!
In the excitment of the Today Show, Mom and I rushed back to my room in Marymount to grab her bags and back down to the subway where we waited and waited and waited for an E train, which usually comes more regularly than my V train I take to work. Finally we jumped on a train and got down to Penn Station. Luckily, I knew where I was going to get Mom on her train in Penn that would take her out of the city and upstate to visit my dad's cousin and her husband that so graciously took care of me during the first weekend I was in New York. Mom also had plans to visit her roommate from Iowa State who she hadn't seen in 20 years. I got Mom on the train and hurried to the office for work. Cousin Judy picked up Mom at the station in Hudson, NY and took her back to their home. Mom got to ride on Dan's motorcycle! (see below)
It is such a neat story how Mom and her roommate caught up with each other. After not seeing each other for 20 years, Mom didn't have Peggy's email address or phone number. She did have an address for Peggy so she wrote her a letter earlier in the summer telling Peggy she would be coming to the state and would love to see her after all of those years. Peggy received the letter and emailed Mom back. Complications came with getting the two together even the day of, but it was worth it and the two were reunited in a gorgeous landscape of the Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York. Here is Mom and Peggy enjoying wine at a winery that Peggy helped at.
Since I was without my camera when I visited Upstate New York over Memorial Day weekend, I requested that Mom take pictures of the absolutely stunning views. I could live here...and I'm pretty sure Mom and Dad should retire here. :)
This is a shot of the Amtrak at the Hudson Station. What a nice way to ride because of the beautiful views that the track goes through en route to and from the city!
On Friday, in a whirlwind, I finished my work at Scholastic and my Science Crew took me out to lunch to celebrate the summer. Patty, Beth, Karina, Cody, and myself walked to a fun Tai restaurant to dine. The funniest part was the restrooms were built with glass that allowed you to see out of the bathroom into the dining area, but the people outside couldn't see in- thank goodness! haha

It was fun to relax and talk about regular things going on in the city, their lives, and to reflect on my experience at Scholastic. I was able to share about my experience with them in New York, both living in the city and working at my job. It was fun to talk about the difference of coming from the Midwest, rather than the experience of many of the interns from NYU just up the street. Patty shared that she was somewhat worried about my age, the fact that I was young, and coming to the city. I guess I never really thought about it that way, and just took things in stride! We finished up lunch and went back to the office. I finished up my portfolio, packed up my things, gave out my thank you cards, and made the rounds of the office to say my goodbyes. All summer I completely immersed myself in the work of my job, but never really attached myself to my co-workers. I told my Mom later that I was surprised at how emotional I was walking out of the Scholastic building the last time. I guess when you put a lot of time and effort into something, it is tough to leave it behind!

Mom's train came back into Penn Station on Friday evening where I picked her up and rode the E train back to Lex where we got off and took her bags back up to my room. She shared the delicate chocolates from the winery before we headed back out. We walked (because that's what you do in the city...my feet were such a mess of calluses and pain by the end of the summer) the few blocks from my place to Times Square where we went to see a movie Natalie had found called Paper Heart. It was a documentary about love. Sounds cheesy, but it was so well done and really fun to watch! Afterwards, we walked around Times Square and of course took the classic picture. It truly is the city that never sleeps. :)We had all day Saturday and Sunday to do final explorations around the city. Earlier in the summer, Natalie, Emily, and I had gone out to Governors Island to ride bikes. The Satre family gets into riding bikes, so I took Mom on the ferry to the island. We rented our beach cruisers and rode around and around the island. Here is Mom on her beach cruiser:
On the opposite side of the island is a great view of the Statue of Liberty. It became a challenge for myself to figure out how many different ways I could show my guests the Statue of Liberty. Mom was one of the lucky few that were taken all the way to the actual statue, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
After coming back on the ferry to Manhattan, we trekked up to just below the deemed Upper West Side to visit the American Museum of Natural History. I had been waiting to go all summer and I knew Mom would like it, being a science person herself. The best part of the visit was the fact that my Scholastic ID got us in to the museum for free!

We had to stop outside for Mom to get a picture with one of her 6th graders' "famous scientists." Inside the museum, I was of course attracted to the geological and earth science features. Here I am checking out one of the displays on how the different types of rock are formed. Nerdy, I know. :)
Unfortunately, the agronomy and tree displays were very outdated, so we moved to the oceanic and animal science displays. Here, Mom is with the HUGE life-size replica of a blue whale. What a massive creature!
Back to the rocks. Pretending to bear the weight of the meteor...
We breaked back at my place in Midtown before heading out for the night again. I was always giving Mom a hard time about the ridiculous amount of things she carried around her neck...ID/money holder, old lady reading glasses... Fashionable, Mom! ;)
I had been telling my mom about this place we HAD to go when she came to New York. It is a restaurant devoted to her and I's favorite food ever- CHOCOLATE. I had ate at Max Brenner's in the East Village earlier and knew I had to bring Mom back when she came to town. We went to the restaurant, only to find out it had closed down. Bummer! With everything in NYC being relatively close, we walked over to Union Square to the other location. Our wait was for-ev-er, but worth it! We walked up to the square and were lucky to find an empty bench in the crowded square. Mom found it extremely hilarious to watch this young fellow off to the side of us offer tarot card readings at his rinky-dink card table with tea light candles and lawn chairs. She thought it'd be a good idea to set up her own shop in the Ogden City Park...I don't think Police Chief Bailey would agree. :)

We finally got our table to dine at Max Brenners and dove into choosing something from the menu. To make ourselves feel better, we ordered a salad to share, shown below.

Because you only live once, we switched things up and ordered the salad to share, but chose our own desserts. :) Before our desserts came out, we shared a chocolate drink that came in a shot glass and was absolutely delicious going down! Check out the pictures below of Mom and I with our treats!

Mom and I at the table (After the lady behind us had hot chocolate sauce accidently dumped on her...Mom and I decided we would have simply told the waiter, "no problem" and licked it off our arms :))

Our chocolate mixed drink
Mom with her choice: "The 100% Pure Chocolate Chocolate Experience Ice Cream 'Max-Wich'" which was listed as "decadent dark chocolate truffle ice cream and pure chocolate chunks hugged between old fasioned very rich chocolate cookies and drizzled with a boost of pure chocolate. Served with pure chocolate ganache for dipping" ($10.95- totally worth it!)

Here I am with my MASSIVE dessert: "The Euphoria Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge Sundae" which was described in the menu as "deep chocolate peanut butter ice cream, dulce de leche ice cream, carmelized toffee bananas, pure chocolate chunks, milk chocolate sauce and warm peanut butter sauce. Garnished with whipped cream and crunchy hazelnut bits. Served with extra peanut butter sauce and very pure milk chocolate ganche" ($12.95- worth every penny!) There was NO WAY I could finish all of it!

After a very long day on Saturday, we collapsed that night to get some rest before getting up rather early again to head down to Battery Park to catch the ferry out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Mom had mentioned early in the summer that she would really like to see Ellis Island because of all the cool history that resides there. While buying tickets for when Emily came to visit, I also purchased passes for Mom and I later in the summer, in hope to avoid long lines even early in the morning. With the excitement of the crown of Lady Liberty re-opening on July 4th this past summer, lots of people came to visit the famous landmark. There was no way I was going to get up into the crown with those special tours being booked until November and it being only August at the time.

Mom and I on the first ferry to the Statue of Liberty. Another hazy day...

Once we got to Liberty Island where the statue actually is, we walked around to the front side of the lady. The ferry takes you around to the opposite side of the statue as you come it. It is kind of strange to see her backside- not the side you see in all of the pictures!

Here I am standing on Liberty Island with Lower Manhattan in the background across the Hudson River.
Just like good tourists, we took multiple pictures of ourselves with Lady Liberty. Here we attempted to black out all color besides the green of the statue.
Again with the color...and you gotta love the souvenirs available! Do I kind of look like her?
Whenever you're ready to leave the Statue, a ferry will pick you and other thousand people up and cut across the waters to the next drop off at the historical Ellis Island. To some it is just a building that is worn and yet beautiful. Yet, if you stop and stand to consider the herds of people who made their way through the doors of the island, it becomes a place where dreams either came true or were crushed. Mom and I sat in on an educational movie where the story of Ellis Island was told. (This time I made it through the entire movie, unlike the first time I saw it with Emily and we both ended up napping in the dark theater within only a couple minutes of the featured film beginning...haha :) )

Here is Mom standing in one of the holding rooms of the main building on Ellis Island.

Mom outside of the main building with the official National Park sign
Mom, being the green enthusiast/science teacher that she is, couldn't get over the amount of trash always piled high on the sidewalks of New York.
Another must-see for this duo. I took Mom to 59th and 3rd Ave where on the corner is one of the "sweetest" shops in New York. Dylan's Candy Bar was started by Dylan Lauren, daughter of "lengendary fashion designer" Ralph Lauren. I've blogged before about this place, but could never visit it enough! Mom and I immediately went downstairs to the chocolate area, skipping past all of the fruity candies on the first floor.
One of Thad and I's most favorite movies of all time is For Love of the Game starring Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston. There is a scene in the beginning of the movie where Costner is searching for Preston and finds her sitting looking out over a baseball field in Central Park. While I couldn't find that exact field, I did reenact the shot that seems to speak volumes about the game that is America's pastime.
We hustled back to my place after visiting the Statue and Ellis to pack up the remainder of my things so they could make the journey home. I was so incredibly fortunate to not have to ship all of my stuff home-expensive! One of Mom's co-workers at school was moving her son back to the city the exact weekend that Mom and I were to fly home. Marlene, or Mar (affectionately), was going to have an empty van that would eventually be trekking back to Ogden later that week. How perfect! Mar was so great- her, and her son and daughter drove right up to my outside door where Mom and I loaded the many bags of belongings that I had accumulated. I am so thankful I didn't A) have to pack all of my things so they would make a safe trip via the postal system and B) have to pay the hefty bill it would be to ship all of that stuff home...probably around $200! No thanks! So, THANK YOU Mar for the huge favor!

After loading my things, I wanted to go to Central Park one more time. I didn't spend as much times as I would have liked in the park this summer, mostly because I didn't realize how much this captivating green space amongst the concrete had to offer! Our trips walking around the park led us to many places, including the Strawberry Fields on the west side where there is a memorial to John Lennon of the Beatles. His famous song, Imagine, is the focal point of this memorial on the sidewalk in the Strawberry Fields. We were there right before a small rain storm came in so we snapped these pictures before the self-proclaimed tender to the memorial scooped up the decorative flowers and left for the day before getting wet.

Walking away from the Strawberry Fields, we came across one of the many massive rock crops protruding from the ground. Being the geology student, of course I wanted my picture on the granite that is the foundation for holding this city up! (There is a neat National Geographic article titled "Before New York" that talks about what Henry Hudson would have found when he first came across the land that would one day become one of the greatest cities in the world.)
From there, we walked further to find the famous Boathouse in Central Park. It is a restaurant and is seen as a place for casual and classy events. It has been in several movies, most recently, 27 Dresses with Katherine Heigl

And then we went to find, after a long goose chase, the Bow Back Bridge. It is known as one of the most romantic spots in the city. (Although according to Natalie, she could come up with tons of ideal places to be proposed to in NYC hehe) In fact, there was a couple having their engagement photos done in a rowed boat as it floated beneath the bridge. Cute. :)

Mom and I on the Bow Back BridgeAfter tiring ourselves out yet again (a common theme as a tourist in New York!), we made our way down towards Times Square as nightfall came about. On our way to find some grub to fill our tummies for dinner, we passed the Ed Sullivan Theater where the Late Show with David Letterman is filmed each day. While I tend to be a fan of Letterman's show, it was tough to swallow the news later in the summer/early fall of his announcement acknowledging the accusations of sexual wrong-doings. He's still one funny dude!
After dining at Applebee's in Times Square, thanks to a gift card Mom happened to have, we walked some more and came across this place. Even though I only ate here once and the food wasn't top notch, it still remains as one of my most favorite restaurants. With its location in Times Square and in the vicinity of Broadway locals, all of the waiters and waitresses are constantly singing/performing on microphones in hopes that someone with connections to a Broadway show will happen to walk in and "discover" these hopeful talents.
We made it back to my place on 55th between 2nd and 3rd, only to decide that even though we were dragging, there was one more night scene that Mom just HAD to see. C'mon...how many times are you in New York? We hopped on an E train to go across the East River to one of my favorite spots. Growing up, we used to watch a lot of Reading Rainbow on IPTV with the host LeVar Burton. I specifically remember a childrens' book being read on that show about an African American family living in New York City. The book talked about the family going out to their rooftop and being able to see the twinkling lights of the Brooklyn Bridge. I have yet to figure out the title of the book, but memory remains the same! This truly is the best view of the city at night, hands down. With the lights of the city skyline lit up and the Brooklyn Bridge to the south and the Manhattan Bridge to the north as they cross the East River, it is a place of serenity away from the busy streets just across the way. Sitting on the bench that night, my last night in New York, Mom asked the simple question, "Are you ready?" At first I thought she was asking if I was ready to head back for the night. Then I realized she was asking if I was ready to leave the city and go home to Iowa. I was ready to leave, knowing that I had accomplished what I had come here to do and that was to grow up. As I worked through my college years, I was always afraid that if I never got out, in a sense that I never visited/lived anywhere outside of the state or even the Midwest and stayed here to go to school, get a job, and establish myself, I wouldn't ever leave and that would be a shame. I am a true believer in the idea that people need to leave their comfort zone at least for a period of time, and go to a place much different than their home. Experiences such as these allow for perspective to be gained and growth to occur that could not happen when living in the comforts of a home that you've always known. I was ready to go home to the places and people I love. I have a special spot in my heart for New York. I always have and always will. But if there's one thing about traveling and living in foreign places, it's that it sure does make you appreciate the place where your roots lie.
The next morning was Monday, August 10- the day I had been counting down towards! Our flights weren't until later in the afternoon, so of course there were just a few more places I wanted to visit before fleeing the city. Columbia University was just south of my first home in Harlem so we rode the subway up to the Upper West Side to take a gander at the grandeur of the prestigious school. I was impressed with the campus and the way it made me feel. Somewhat like Iowa State, the campus took you away from the buzz of the city and made you feel as if you were someplace else. Below is me on the steps of the library at Columbia.
Before hitting up the bookstore to grab a couple of official Columbia t-shirts, Mom stopped for a quick photo with this statue, which the name is escaping me at the moment...some scientist for sure. :)
I found us yet another new subway station and a new color train to ride back down the West Side. It would be my last subway ride ever as it was soon time to zip my suitcase and hail my second and last cab (the first was from the airport IN to the city) to leave the city and head for the airport. Once again, I pulled out the trusty map and navigated Mom and I down to Midtown one last time.

This map of the subway routes was like another limb of my body all summer long.
One the subway one last time!
Inside the subway car...I love New Yorkers :)
Mom on her final subway ride as well :)
We came out of the subway station on the west side of Central Park at Columbus Circle because there wasn't a direct route that would take us from the Upper West Side to East Midtown. We also didn't have time for any transfers and knew we could both walk faster to get back to my place instead of waiting for another train.
We hurried back to East 55th and rushed upstairs to do final cleaning of my room, kitchen, and bathroom. The staff person came up to check me out of my room and we were on our way! I turned in my keys and bid farewell to the desk security guards who had become good friends over the summer.

Me with the view out my window before checking out to leave the city.

We had one last errand to do before catching a cab- buy white I Heart NY t-shirts for Reece's girlfriend, Amanda. I knew there would be stands if we walked west towards Lex, Park, Madison, and eventually 5th and 6th Ave. We found a rinky dink shop, grabbed a couple of shirts and went out to the street to hail the cab.

Me walking with my suitcase on the sidewalk a block west of my place on 55th.

Finally getting in the cab to head out of Manhattan!
In the taxi, taking final shots of the skyline I've learned to love.
Mom and I split the cab, but she took the bill (thanks Mom) as she was being dropped off last since we were flying with separate airlines back to Des Moines. At the airport, there were long lines even though it was a Monday aftenoon. I was lucky that Mom and given me a 20 dollar bill since my debit card wouldn't work to pay for my luggage fee. That could have been a disaster! I was a little nervous to fly by myself. I hadn't flown since the summer of 2001 when the family went to California for a vacation and on the way out here I had a direct flight from Des Monies to LaGuardia AND Sara Semprini, the girl I lived with for 2 weeks in Harlem, happened to be on the same flight as me. Therefore, this was the first time I was actually on my own and had to figure out a transfer in Chicago at O'Hare. As we taxied on the runway of LaGuardia, I noticed the welcome sign that I had seen when I arrived 3 months earlier. Gotta love the signature "Big Apple!"

My city from the air- Goodbye New York!
It was fun to watch the land change as we flew farther west. The gridlines of the square miles in the Midwest never looked so good!
Finally, the "skyline" of Des Moines came into view :)
About 2 seconds after snapping this picture welcoming me back to Des Moines, I saw my dad at the waiting area to the left. What a wonderful feeling to be swept up in an embrace from my daddy that I missed so much all summer! Soon, after a delay in Minneapolis, Mom joined us at the airport and we were on our way home to Ogden.
85 days. 85 days in a place where a person can live, work, play, grow, change, stay the same, but most importantly, have an experience of a lifetime. My summer in New York City was a dream come true- a dream I never knew I had. I always knew that I wanted to spend an extended period of time in a city on the East Coast, but I never knew what that would look like. I couldn't have illustrated it any better than what it turned out to be. I'm a better writer because of the opportunity at Scholastic, and better navigator thanks to the subways of New York. The roundedness of my experience has shaped me forever. I couldn't have done it without the patience, love, and support from so many people, especially my Mom and Dad. (You're the best!)

I will never forget New York. I will return someday. I will have changed by then and so will have the city. But the summer of '09 will always be what it was- a summer to never regret or forget.

Thank you, New York. :)