Is that a rat?

Taking the red eye flight into the JFK airport I was a little tired getting off the plane as I was not able to sleep much from either the uncomfortable seat or anticipation.  At 5:30am I was standing outside of the airport waiting in the cab line unsure of what to expect for the next 20 days.  I was given directions and was told to look for a Dunkin Donuts, which was a landmark for quite a few other things around the city.  Dunkin Donuts is like a church house in Utah, one on every corner.  My cousin Todiana had arrived a few days before me, we stayed with my friend Kavon who is attending PA school in Brooklyn.

After sleeping for a few hours, trying to rest up a bit, it was time to head into Manhattan for the day. Todiana was out in New York for fall fashion week so I went with her to different castings my first day.  Mixing humid subways, including rats roaming the tracks, with busy congested areas on top of being sleep deprived, it was quite an exhausting day.  I was overwhelmed with the city but excited to get a grasp on it.

The next couple of days I continued to go around with Todi to casting calls, it was interesting to see this side of fashion.  Not only were all the girls tall but they also had heels on too, I felt so short.  Most of the casting were just in and out.  On the occasions that we talked to some of the girls most were really nice.  There was this one casting where one of the Russian models confronted another model for cutting in line when no one else would, that was an exciting scene.

The first week I was still recovering from fatigue not only from the flight but the few times that we had gone out until the early hours of the morning.  Staying in Brooklyn itself was a great experience, definitely an eye opener.  We were this lightest people in the neighborhood it was the first experience I had feeling a little out of place.  Growing up in the Utah bubble I didn't have much experience with too many other races.  In fact the first week of being there a West Indies parade took place in the street in front of Kavon's apartment.  It was nice to be able to view the parade from on top the building as it was very crowded on the street down below.  After sitting out there for a bit I was ready for a nap, when I came back out there was a story to be told.  A shooting had taken place in the crowd and people were running about.  That night there were helicopters circling the area with the light beams searching the streets.  That weekend there was about 50 shootings that took place mostly in Brooklyn I believe with 15 or so of those resulting in death of young boys.


We went to Times Square a few times so I was over that area before too long.  The MOMA, Guggenheim, St. Patrick's Cathedral and so on were all tourist sites that I experienced but my ultimate favorite location is Central Park.  Being a fan of nature I was ecstatic when we went to the park and I finally saw green and could breathe fresh open air.  I hope to be able to live in the city some day and go for runs around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir as if it was just another day, only time will tell.

Now that my first week in NY was done, it was time to really explore what this city was about.  No more fashion week events were going on so this gave us a bit more down time to explore as it was much needed.  We were able to go to the lower east side more which is an area I really like a lot.  Happy hour is a main event that happens in this area and it was fun to go to some different bars.  My favorite happy hour drink would have to be sangria, it was delicious with small chunks of apple that left a nice treat at the end.

We met Kavon's friends the first week and they were all great people, very welcoming, I felt like I had known them for a bit.  Another friend of mine, Tom, had just moved back to NY and he was able to show us around some other parts of the city.  One of the days we went on a long walking tour with water views and the infamous bridges. The walk led us to Battery Park where we were able to see a nice sunset over Lady Liberty.  I loved going on rooftops for viewing the city at night, I cannot wait to go back there to see it again.


There were a few nights that we were able to go to different clubs with promoters with a reserved table, drinks and other amenities it was great.  We went to a club called Greenhouse a few times with Jose, a promoter Todiana was friends with, and T Pain was scratching the vinyl.  Below is a picture from a rooftop party that took place one twinkling Manhattan night.

There is so much that happened in my 20 days in New York and I cannot believe how fast it came to an end, the time flew by.  This trip was amazing and it is my goal to go back to live in this city.  I am not sure when but sometime here in the near future, there is so much there that I want to discover.  I did not want to leave, fall was on it's way and I knew that it would be a glorious season to be in the city.  After coming home I desperately wanted to go back right away, if it's meant for me to be out there it will happen.

I love my cousin Todiana so much and I am glad I got to go out and experience the city with her and other friends.  Much thanks to Kavon for letting us stay with him at his bachelor pad.