Everyone’s dream, when you go to The Big Apple, is the same, to find real love or to have an epic New Yorker adventure, just as Sex and The City taught us. Well, the second one was maybe my case. When I first went to this city I was amazed at everything it has to offer. I went to the major tourist spots and had an amazing stay there. But I can’t say the same for the second time. My university class organized a trip to NYC for a week. It was for a research purpose and to visit some architectural firms there. That was the case for the first couple of days, of course. But I’m gonna focus specifically on that third day.
When you go visit your favorite city on earth is obvious that you get excited when the time gets closer and closer to your trip. I was looking for exciting things to do when I found out about this theatrical experience everyone was talking about, Sleep No More. This experimental Shakespeare’s Macbeth adaptation placed at the McKittrick Hotel just next to the famous High Line park in Chelsea neighborhood, which was about living the show, moving around while using a white mask to watch the performance, you just have to follow around the artists. So then, I tried to convince my classmates to go with me and only one friend was the only one who accepted. We were settled up for that on a Halloween midnight, which to be honest, sounded very appealing for a plan.
The day started as a normal day when we went to have some breakfast to one of the all famous bagels at Soho area, and then we took a walk around the area. It was a Friday morning in the big city, we walked towards the Flat Iron building and we were just there, watching the people coming and going to different places, it was like watching all of their worlds collide, for only just a second when they had a look to each other. I like to watch people, I have been told before that I am good on that, I can honestly say that I have people skills, because I find it very interesting how people interact with each other, and to look to their expressions and movements when they do. I believe it can tell you a lot about that person.
After spending the day walking around there, we moved to Chelsea Market to buy some food, yes we love to eat, and took it to the High Line park to “live” the place, because of course, I am talking about a trip of architects, we need to do architect stuff, like watching buildings and feeling the spaces to then, compare opinions about that. Because even though we were in our twenties and still studying, we always have an opinion of how a project of someone famous could have been a little better. After that, we went to our meeting with an architecture firm close to the area. We spent the day there watching the projects they were working on, and for our big surprise, it was a Social Friday. Meaning, free booze and getting together with all of the staff working there. This was our first New Yorker event, we were drinking and talking about life and architecture with the locals. To be honest, I was living the dream.
I happened to mention to one of the partners that we were attending the show later that night. He just said, and I quote “That’s amazing! I find it a very cool thing to do. I went there for a first date and I can tell you, is the best! If you don’t like the person you’re out with you can simply lose yourself into the other spectators.” I couldn’t find a better way to describe New York lifestyle.
The gathering was almost over, all the people had left the office and my professor was just getting started. He just told us that we were going out. I can certainly say that it wasn’t a question. And if you are on a university trip and your professor tells you what to do, you just have to follow. We went to the Hotel Americano bar, accompanied by the two partners of the firm. We were shy students looking at those elevated prices on the menu, thinking about just leaving and have some cheap beer around the corner. That was when one of the partners just said it out loud “Keep the tab open. Everything is on me! Just order whatever you like. ” And I just told the barman that I will have an Old Fashioned, please. After a couple of drinks, some of my classmates were just so drunk to even think straight. They were showing their real personalities, which was surprising for some of them. The quiet girl was just saying nonsenses out loud without any shame. The other one just kept repeating that he was so freaking drunk. There was a phone lost in the toilet, among other stuff. When we finally left to have dinner somewhere else, I was just impressed that these people could continue the night having us as a companion.
We ended up at a French restaurant, one of the places you never think on going when you are on a budget trip. There we were, thinking what we should eat, again us looking at those big numbers on the prices for just an entree. I was just telling to my inner self, maybe we should’ve just left and had some hotdogs for a dollar in the streets, dealing with this drunk people, just to lose some time until the show starts. My friend just looked at me, and I know she was thinking the same exact thing.
Of course, at the end of the dinner, when they asked for the check, we took out our credit card as the well-educated people we are, because we wouldn’t let them pay again for the circus we were having. Even though the dinner was quite expensive, it was one of the perks of going to fancy places, once you are there, you just have to enjoy everything and even ask for dessert. You have to play your role as if you attend those places that often. Fake it till you make it. I was just thinking to myself, this is it, this is the New York life, this is how Don Draper would’ve done.
After my very personal appreciation moment, I decided that it was time for us to get going to the McKittrick. My professor who left with his two friends to a destination they apparently didn’t want to share with us, just told us that we have a free schedule for the next days and we will meet again at the airport. He left us alone, I personally felt left alone in the jungle, the concrete jungle that was NY. What if we never made it to the airport by ourselves? He was in charge of us. He was supposed to take us to more fancy dinners and architectural firms. Anyways, while those thoughts were rounding in my head, we decided that we needed to start walking if we wanted to be on time to the show.
I wish I could tell you that this was the end of the night, but it wasn’t, it was just getting started…