Significant Places In New York City

Many places hold memories that are sparked by special occasions. School, home, church, and work are some places that hold many memories for me. But there is only one place that stands out the most. New York City is the place that has captured my heart. I have tons of memories being a child and going into the big city. Now that I'm older I get to experience the city alone. I love leaving the small town of Iola and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the big city. I also love all the different smells, food, and people. In my opinion you will not find another place like New York City.
I like to go into the city early in the morning so I have all day to explore. When I arrive my first quest is to find a bagel shop so I can eat a small breakfast. This usually takes me awhile. Early mornings on week days are very busy. People are rushing around trying to find a taxi to take them to work or to a destination that they
need to go. People on bikes riding in the street are being honked at by vehicles because they aren't moving fast enough. You constantly have to watch where you are walking because you could run into the person walking in front of you. When you walk across a cross walk you have to watch out for traffic, as you could easily be hit by a vehicle. Small shops on corners of streets are beginning their busy day by opening up their stores. After I find a bagel shop, I walk around window shopping.
Window shopping is one of my favorite things to do while in New York City. There are tons of little shops that sell neat little nick- knacks and souvenirs. In just about every store I walk by they have t-shirts with a logo that says, “I Love NY”. I have at least five of these shirts folded in my dresser at home. I also love buying them and giving them to family and friends. My favorite place to window shopping is 5th Avenue. There are tons of high end stores. Stores like Ann Taylor, Gucci, Coach, and Juicy Couture, just to name a few. Walking down this street is different than the other streets in New York City. Its kinda like walking through an outdoor mall. Every where you look there are stores with manikins posing in the windows. You see moms pushing strollers shopping, while the kids are trying to peek through the windows to see whats inside. You see people with handfuls of shopping bags, almost running in anticipation to get to the next store. After window shopping I find a small deli and order a roast beef sandwich and head to Central Park.
While in Central Park I find a cozy spot to sit down and eat.
There a trees everywhere, park benches always filled with people reading the morning paper, and people playing with their dogs. Tons of people visit the park when they want to relax and have a good time. This is the place that brings back many childhood memories. The park was the first place my parents brought me when I was a child. My parents would pack a blanket and we would have a picnic. After eating we would go down to the pond and feed the ducks left over bread from our lunch. There were always other people feeding the ducks too. I remember it was always a feeding frenzy! Ducks would come out of the water and walk right up to you. Ducks fighting over a little piece of bread. You would think they were starving to death, but you know they weren't. Hundreds of people feed the ducks in a day. My brother and I loved doing this. I love visiting the park. It's a relaxing place that you can go to escape the busy streets. When I'm done with my lunch I start heading to my next place I like to
visit.
Time Square is one of the busiest places in New York City. It's a two way street that attracts many tourists. Families will walk up to you and ask you to take a family photo of them. People of all ethnicities walk by talking in their native languages. I love walking down the street especially at night. It's beautiful with all the buildings, TV's, and billboards lighting up the night sky. This is another place that holds some good memories. When I was sixteen years old I met a man who called himself the Naked Cow Boy. He had long hair and walked around the city only wearing his underwear and playing his guitar. People were lining up all around him with hand fulls of cash just to get a picture with him. I thought he was so funny that I too had to get a picture with the man. I just recently took another trip into the city and Time Square has changed a lot since the last time I was there. It is now only a one way street. The city has blocked off the left side of the street and placed tables, chairs, and bleachers for people to sit down and enjoy the scenery.
This is one of the reasons why I love New York City; it's always changing. It never looks the same when i go back. I just hope it will always stay the busy city that I love. I plan on taking my family with me soon. I just hope they end up loving it as much as I do.