The Big Apple: New York City

Kait Manson
May 18, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Mar 2

24 hours in NYC 🖤

Cue "Welcome to New York (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

There is something oddly magical about leaving for New York before the day fully wakes up. The air feels different. Even the train platform carries a quiet kind of excitement — that shared, unspoken feeling that something fun is about to happen.

We left early, coffee in hand, still shaking off sleep. The ride itself felt like part of the adventure. Windows framing passing towns, conversations drifting between plans and laughter. And then, slowly, the scenery began to shift — more buildings, more movement, more of that unmistakable New York energy.

Yellow New York City taxi driving through a busy Manhattan street surrounded by tall buildings, billboards, and pedestrians during the daytime.

We didn’t rush. That was the best part.

Instead, we wandered. No strict schedule, no frantic pace. Just walking, absorbing, letting the city unfold around us. New York has a way of making even aimless movement feel purposeful. Every block offers something different — noise, color, architecture, a tiny café you wish you had time to sit in for hours.

There is always something to look at, always something happening. It’s impossible to be bored, and equally impossible to see everything.

Personally, I have been to New York City a couple times. I have seen many of the "go to" tourist attractions, which I do recommend if you have never been. However, for this trip we had tickets for Broadway and we were just wasting time taking in the city before we had to be at the show.

Broadway is Iconic

Eventually, our wandering led us to Broadway for Aladdin.

And honestly? Incredible feels like an understatement.

The production was dazzling from start to finish. The genie absolutely stole the show — sharp, hilarious, effortlessly charismatic. The audience couldn’t stop laughing. Then there were the effects, the transitions, the sheer creativity of it all. It’s one thing to watch a film. It’s another to see a story brought to life on a stage with that level of precision and imagination.

It leaves you wondering how it’s even possible.

After the show, we headed to dinner at Wolfgang’s Steakhouse — the kind of place that feels both classic and celebratory. Perfect for an engagement weekend. Warm lighting, buzzing atmosphere, the comforting hum of conversation everywhere.

Two women smiling on a rooftop at night in New York City with the skyline glowing behind them at Ophelia Lounge, city lights and skyscrapers in the background.

Later, we made our way to Ophelia Lounge.

Twenty-six floors above the city, New York transforms. The noise softens into a distant murmur. The skyline stretches endlessly, lights flickering in every direction. It’s the sort of view that forces you to pause, even mid-conversation, just to take it in.

There we were — drinks in hand, city glowing beneath us, celebrating love, friendship, and the simple joy of being somewhere unforgettable.

Mornings in New York carry a completely different mood.

The next day, we kept things simple with breakfast at The Smith. No rush, no agenda beyond enjoying the moment. Good food, easy conversation, that comfortable kind of tiredness that follows a full day well spent.

Soon enough, it was time to head back to the train.

Leaving New York is always bittersweet. The city feels endless while you’re there, yet the trip somehow passes too quickly. Still, there’s comfort in knowing it will always be there — waiting, restless, alive, ready for the next visit.

And like every good trip, this one left behind more than photos.

It left memories, inside jokes, and that lingering feeling of having briefly stepped into something electric.

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