Sierra Spraker | November 3, 2021

To say the city is alive would be an understatement. The pause in movement the world felt only seemed to have made New York City more vibrant in the return to “normalcy”. Rumors about the energy in this international hub spread far enough to find me, in sunny California. We bought our tickets in May; and after several articles stating how the city had come to life again (including one from The New York Times), anticipation rose to a steady high. 

The second we hit the ground, we hit the ground running…to catch the next train. Once arrived we immediately knew one thing we wanted to do, get a real New York slice and roam the streets. And so we did.

Without any definitive plan of how we were going to make the most of our extended trip, we made a rough schedule each day. The plan always began with coffee, this was non-negotiable. Once caffeinated, we simply fanned out and let the wind (or a Revel moped) take us away. We started at nine in the morning and stopped at midnight, with each day ending in content exhaustion and sleepy excitement for what was next. We walked, ferried, and rode the subway throughout the boroughs. Casual strolls through Central Park, quiet observations of art in The Met and MoMA, and feeling the whisper of autumn chill around the corner is a quick and inadequate summation.

We stayed in Chelsea for the first five nights, in a humble hostel located just a few blocks from the High Line. It couldn’t have been a more perfect spot for us. Our extended jaunts around the Big Apple would keep us out the entire day, so a convenient location was prime. Our last night was in the neighborhood of SoHo, at the SoHo Grand Hotel.

I am grateful for the opportunity to have experienced this bustling jubilee for myself. Bonus: the pleasing coincidence of sublime weather for the duration of the trip. Traveling often carries a notorious reputation of being stressful, but this was a case where the pieces fell into place with peaceful spontaneity.

Seeing New York again after so many years was a treat. Noticing the overflowing trash cans, the excited groups of tourists, and hurried New Yorkers on their way to and from work was a sign of life. It was revitalization. It was excited urgency to always be moving and doing more. It was the use of all five of my senses to experience where we were. In a one-sentence conclusion, it was a reminder that outside of the walls of global devastation, loss, and the weight of the pandemic — people are what make the iconic streets come to life. And it is truly a spectacular sight.

All photo credit goes to Ethan Duffy // @duffvisuals