Ashley Lin: Start Spreading the News...

...I'm leaving today

I want to be a part of it - New York, New York.
These vagabond shoes are longing to stray
right through the very heart of it - New York, New York.

So, my trip to New York. It was fun and fantastic, relaxing and exciting, and simply great. We left on our red-eye, got to NYC at 6:30 am, found out our hostel had cancelled our reservation for that morning, and dropped off our luggage to go exploring on literally zero hours of sleep. But you know what? Who wants to sleep on a day like this...

We started in Central Park where it was an absolutely beautiful day (even if a bit too hot and humid...) After a long stroll through the Park, we headed to another park, Battery, to take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. Well, once we got there, we weren't about to wait in a half-mile long line. So we took the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue from a near distance. I slept through nearly the entire ride because, let me remind you, red-eye flight+zero sleep+walking for miles= ...well, you get it. After checking into our hostel and taking a much needed shower, we headed out for dinner at Mama Mex and a night in Times Square. Here was our view from Top of the Rock:

New York City is just amazing; the energy and the lights and the history... So cool. Here's the group, popping a pose.

In case you're wondering who I'm traveling with, this is Alan, Tyson, Miranda, Sarah, and me. It was a fun group, and we got along very well. No complaints whatsoever! Which, how often does that happen with a random selection of people?

The next morning, the boys took a train to Flushing, and us girls spent the morning at the Museum of Modern Art, one of the better modern art museums I've been to. I've gained a new appreciation for modern art. Sometimes it annoys me because, come on, my 8 year old nephew could have made that! But you know, that's not the point. It's beautiful because it's a one of a kind. It can never be repeated or duplicated by human hand. It represents one point in time in one person's life, caught on canvas. And that is something to marvel at. One human life, one moment in time, one inspired thought or jerk of the hand, and you've made history with a piece of captured space. One of the more popular inspired moments in time...

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. Beautiful.

That night, we hit up Broadway to see 9 to 5. A different kind of art, and a different kind of great. I laughed a lot and loved it. The show will soon be off broadway and on tour, so if it comes to a city near you, I'd recommend it.

Sunday morning, we hopped on the Long Island Rail Road to Long Beach.

I didn't take the best photos in the world at the beach because I was too busy enjoying the sun, sand, and surf. It is such a beautiful beach with the most ideal sand in the world. We spent our time tanning, wading, walking along the surf, and gathering sea shells. If you know me, you know I don't spend my vacations relaxing. So it was such a welcome wake-up call to realize that I could lay for hours on the beach with nothing to do and it was okay! That's a normal vacation for most people! I really appreciated the relaxation time.

That night, we hit the town for Thai food, shopping at H&M, and a bar with live music called Prohibition. The bar/restaurant was a really cute place. The live music that night was a guy called Keith Ward who played the piano, along with a bassist and drummer. They played covers and some of their own chill music, and it was a great evening. Here's me double fistin' at the bar...

Of course, it's all non-alcoholic. Cranberry juice with lime, and Diet Coke with lime. Two of my favorite bar drinks!

The next morning, our last day, we ate at Tom's Diner, made famous by Seinfeld and Suzanne Vega (ya'll know the song Tom's Diner, if not by name then by sound, I promise). Then we saw St. Paul's Cathedral and played cards in Central Park. I had to say goodbye to Sarah (miss you already, my roomie!), and the boys and I took a subway to the Manhattan temple. It was Monday, so it was closed. But it's still so fascinating to see a temple sitting right smack in the middle of a bustling city.