I remember my first trip to New York City, it was with a college friend of mine in the fall of 2006. I had been before, but not with him. I’d also never ridden the subway, so I took the first subway ride of my life on the 5 line that day. I was surprised by how clean it was, and the ride was totally uneventful. He took me to St. Mark’s and we spun “The Alamo” around at Astor Place. I also tried on this fantastic striped dress I couldn’t afford. That same shop had a sign on the dressing room reminding people that it was not a public toilet. I couldn’t believe they had to put a sign up like that! There’s nothing like shopping in New York City!
We then visited some really great shops in Chinatown. He took me to an “underground mall” full of anime and game stuff. It took all of my will power not to clean out my wallet. Later, we visited Washington Square Park and sat at the fountain. It was late in the year, so the water was off. But we sat on the edge of the fountain and just talked for what seemed like forever. Soon we got hungry, so my friend took me to Grey’s Papaya where I had the best hot dog I’ve ever eaten. I can’t walk by one of their locations anymore without getting one. It always has to be plain, no ketchup or anything.
I’ve taken many trips to the city, but this one was very special for a particular reason. The trip made me see my friend in a different light, and later we ended up dating for two and a half years. Even though it didn’t work out in the end, I’ll always remember it fondly.
