My First Visit to NYC: Planes, Pigeons, y Un Pinche Sueño
I remember my first visit to New York City like it was yesterday. I came for work, and honestly, I couldn’t believe it was real life. La neta, that my little 24-year-old self raised in South Sac, no degree, just vibes y muchas ganas, was getting flown out to NYC for a big project felt absolutely unreal!
As soon as I checked into my hotel in Chelsea, I dropped my bags and set out on foot. I was determined to see Times Square. Andaba bien cansadita pero feliz, like that kind of happy that makes your cheeks hurt from smiling. When I finally got there, I started crying. Not just a single tear, like actual llanto. Pero nadie me pelo so it was ok. The lights, the hustle, the energy, ALL OF IT. It was overwhelming in the best way possible.
And because I was alone and wanted to capture the moment, guess what I did? I asked a cop to take my picture. 😂 Listen, I had read that people sometimes run off with your phone if you ask a stranger. Según yo, I was being extra responsible by asking a cop. 💁🏻♀️ My how things have changed.
The picture the cop took, haaa. I had to dig on Facebook for this one, that’s how old it is!
The City That Felt Like a Movie
I remember walking down 5th Ave around 11 PM, taking in every single detail. It was a crisp fall evening, and I felt like I was in a movie… or a novela. Mira, no te burles eh!! We’ve all been there. Everything around me felt so alive. I felt so small and so big all at once.
But when I got to Washington Square Park, reality hit me. I saw all these college students, running around with their alcohol in water bottles and raggedy tote bags, living their NYC dreams. And I thought: “Am I too old to move here? Did I miss my chance?”
Dramática, I know. Pero be honest, at that age we feel like we’re just SO GROWN, SO OLD. Like life just passed us by and will end soon. About to turn 25? No thanks! Ya me alcanzaba la vejez.
From Feeling Stuck to Moving Forward
It’s funny to look back on that version of me. I really thought 24 was old, that I’d never leave Sacramento, and that my life was already set in stone. But life had other plans. I made the most of where I was, learned to love my hometown, and eventually, BAM! I moved.
Now, living in New York City, I feel younger, freer, and more excited about life than I ever did in my twenties. This city may have scared me at first, but it also lit a fire in me! To keep pushing, keep dreaming, and most importantly, to never let age or circumstance hold me back.
Y a seguir acumulando bonitos recuerdos, a cada edad.
that post-work beer y desmadre. But that’s a story for another day…
Un chisme que no sale de aqui...
I know it’s not cool to love Times Square once you live here. Everyone’s too cool for that tourist energy. But…get in closer so no one else hears.
Lowkey, I still believe in the magic. I still feel a little something when I walk through it at night.
There’s something about those bright lights at night that reminds me of that first trip, of how far I’ve come. Just don’t catch me there during the day!
And don’t tell anyone I said that, o te pego. 🥊 I’ll deny it!!
