New York

Oh my gosh, it's July 31st already? :O Can't believe one month flew by in a blink of an eye.

Barely went online while I was still in New York (unless you count Twitter and Facebook) because I was trying so hard to cherish every waking moment. Although I didn't blog as regularly as I'd hoped to, I kept a list of notes about places I visited so I'd remember to write about them when I came back.

New York was overwhelming. I remember being at the edge of my seat, holding my breath as the plane soared over the glittering city the night I flew into New York. That was June 28th, and the start of my trip had just only begun.

Initially, I was nervous. People had warned me of the dangers and crimes, the escalating murders, robberies and the crazies. In addition, I was doing an internship with The Lusso Report, an anti-human trafficking company based in California, so I was already exposed to the horrors of human trafficking. Being in a big, wild city like New York heightened my paranoia.

But I ventured out of my comfort zone when I learned to take the subways by myself. I learned to get around New York on my own with the aid of Google Maps, a subway app and directions from helpful New Yorkers. 

Here are some of the things I'd been up to (I will post individual updates on each one later):

Times Square: It's a magical world at night.

Coney Island: Spent an evening in Coney Island with friends. Went on a really old roller coaster and ended up bumping my chin pretty hard during the wild ride. Lol.

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park: The globe aka unisphere is a major landmark in Queens, New York.

The High Line: Located in the West Side, the High Line is a public park built on what used to be an elevated train line across the city.

Night view taken from the High Line

West Village: This area was pretty close to the High Line and the Meatpacking District. My friend and I walked through West Village one afternoon and discovered cool parks and bakeries. And of course, I used this opportunity to exercise some "discreet" street photography skills. :)

General city photography: I was always fascinated with the charms of a big city; traffic, skyscrapers, busy people, etc.

July 4 fireworks: Spent my first Fourth of July in the States, and what better place to be than in New York, watching the fireworks? :)

I'm still in love with New York. I got back on Saturday and have been missing the city ever since.

I left my heart in New York.