I’m a reasonable man. But after a year of driving an hour and back from work everyday, I decided enough is enough.

The job had served me well, but I was ready for the next chapter of my life. I maintained an abundant mindset, started searching Indeed for new jobs, and after just a few weeks I started getting interviews. When it was all said and done, I accepted an offer for a new mechanical engineer position. The new job offered half the driving distance and had two WFH days!

Naturally I squeezed this lemon for all it was worth and snuck a week break in-between jobs. Now I just had to figure out how I wanted to spend my time off! My brother Jared, who lives in New York City, just moved into a new apartment in Times Square. Why not spend a few days visiting him? As it turns out my Mom was also planning a visit, so we made a joint plan to head over.

Headed to Manhattan

February 9th, a Friday, is my last day at work. I tie up loose ends, bid my farewell, and at noon sharp I'm zipping down US-22 racing to my parents’ house. Once I arrive my Mom and I pack up the car and head eastward.

After 5 hours of driving we finally arrive at the big apple. Chaos immediately ensues. It's a nice 55°F out, and people are starting their weekend by spending time outside. After navigating the packed streets, narrowly missing pedestrians, and managing to drive down only one passenger lane, my Mom and I find our designated parking spot in a garage. We park and walk the block and a half to my brother's apartment.

We’re keeping it low key the first night, so we go out to Tanner Smiths for dinner then walk down Times Square for some cheap and exotic entertainment. Jay-Z’s song “Empire State of Mind” is playing non-stop as selfie platforms spin around, providing an encapsulating experience for whoever steps up.

Brooklyn

My mom leaves Sunday morning to go back home, so Saturday is the full day the three of us have together. We get an unexpected early start to our day and head towards Brooklyn to go thrift shopping. Even after bringing my fanciest and most exotic clothes, they were still “mid” compared to the culture of NYC. I started my advanced fashion journey at Union Square Park, where I pick up a gold snake ring from a nice Chinese lady.

After stepping off the subway in Brooklyn, but before we start hitting thrift stores, we go to Bright Side cafe. Jared’s friend lives in Williamsburg, the Brooklyn neighborhood we’re in, and he’s meeting us here.

The cafe was very enjoyable considering its wide drink menu, small food menu, and combination of sit-down tables and high-top seating. The food was good and the chamomile tea I ordered came hot in a big ceramic mug. We stayed here awhile talking about family vacations, New York City chaos, and modeling shows.

Leaving the cafe we head to Monk Vintage. I’m off to a good start when I snag a new pair of snazzy pants and a belt. We then walk around the corner and up the stairs to Buffalo Exchange, find a nice long sleeve button up shirt.

Calling it a successful trip, we ride our dopamine high from buying new things back to Times Square. From there my brother and I go to TMPL gym for a workout, a steam room session, and a quick in-body test to determine my body composition. I lose track of time in the sauna and I realize 5pm is rapidly approaching us.

We get back, dress up in our best suits and make our way to the New York Athletic Club. Jared works there as a fitness professional, and he's giving us a personal tour of this highly exclusive club.

Saturday Night in Manhattan

The NYAC is positioned at the south end of Central Park. The 24 story building includes restaurants, bars, golf simulators, various racket sports, a library, multiple social halls, and a rooftop view overlooking Central Park

Concluding our tour we walk 10 minutes back to the apartment to change into the trendier clothes we bought earlier that day. It's fashion week, so you know- when in Rome!

Suddenly I find myself outside the Club Room at Soho Grand. There's a line down the block to get in, but the bouncer immediately recognizes my brother. We breeze past 50 or more people in line and make our way up to the second floor.

Jared gives us a quick tour of the various environments within the club before gliding us past yet another layer of exclusivity. He introduces us to the general manager, who gives us a warm welcome with drinks on the house!

Soon the night crowd is taken over by the late night crowd. The best table in the club, the corner table, is offered to us. I meet models from around the world, Soho club regulars and, somewhat contradictory to consensus, a dentist that absolutely loves his job! I get complimented on my new outfit more than once and I feel like royalty. We drink, we dance, but before I know it, it’s time for us to leave.

Surprisingly, on the subway back to the apartment, a stranger gives my mom a rose as the subway doors are closing. It’s beautiful, and the shirt I was wearing has a rose-holder on the front of it! It was quite the unique experience.

Sunday, aka “Christmas Morning”

The next morning my Mom leaves to go back home, but not before assisting my brother with a facebook marketplace purchase. Jared has apparently been scheming for a drumset for years, and he recently found a 5 piece kit for $400 in Greenwich. At 8am Sunday morning we retrieve the car from the garage and make the Sunday drive to the Greenwich brownstone penthouse suite.

On the elevator ride up to the room, I ask my brother if he knows how to “break down” a drum kit. The short answer is “no”. He knocks on the door, hands over cash, and the British guy walks us to a room at the back of the hallway.

It's the classic story; his kid wanted a drum set and now doesn't want it anymore. Luckily from managing a band I know the jist of breaking down a drumkit, so I get to work collapsing everything down.

Not 20 minutes later we have my Mom’s car packed full with the drumkit, and we head back to Times Square. We say goodbye to Mom as we carry the drumkit 29 floors up to his apartment.

“It's like Christmas morning” my brother says as he meticulously starts cleaning the kit with a towel. We refer to the picture from the Craigslist listing and start piecing it back together the best we can. I’m sure his neighbors will love his new purchase!

This Sunday happens to be Superbowl Sunday. For the Superbowl we head to Jared’s buddy’s place in Williamsburg, the one we met at the cafe. I come to find that Brooklyn is the less happening, more chill part of New York City. My brother is falling sleep by halftime, so we make our way back to Times Square. Not a minute after we head out I find a couple abandoned books on the sidewalk which I enthusiastically take with me.

Solo in NYC

The next morning my brother is up at 5:30am for work, leaving me with a few hours to myself. I take the opportunity and go on a solo adventure.

After meandering around a few blocks going this way and that, I find myself at the base of Trump tower. It was nice and seemed more upscale than some of the surrounding buildings I walked into.

From there I visited St. Patricks and St. Thomas churches for a dose of gothic architecture. The contrast of the buildings evokes a discomforting sense, as if two completely different people are looking at each other, both in disgust.

Suddenly I discover my phone is on 5%. In a part of NYC I didn't know (as if I know any of it), I was scrambling for a quick solution. I bought a phone charger from a convenience store, but didn’t have an outlet block to put in the wall. I tried walking to Starbucks, but the one I went to didn’t have any USB charging ports.

My phone is dead at this point, but luckily I find a Microsoft store. The store manager gave me an outlet plug and let me sit and wait for my phone to charge for a few minutes. This is one of many lessons I would learn not to repeat in NYC!

Once sufficiently charged, I walked around the south end of Central Park for a while, then met up with Jared during his work break. Jared goes back to work and I hit some NYC tourist stores to grab a couple “I <3 NY” mugs for my family and a sticker for me.

One More Day

The original plan was to leave Tuesday morning, but there was a call for a snowstorm the next morning. That afternoon I discovered my bus trip got canceled. I didn't have any pressing matters going on at home, so I rescheduled for Wednesday morning. Looks like I’ll have an extra day in NYC!

Later that night after our delicious food from Real Kung Fu, another one of my brother's friend, this one musically inclined, came over to hang out. Reminding me of one of my college friends, he barged in, started ranting about angels, demons, and other metaphysical topics (egged on by me of course) then not a minute later started shredding on electric guitar. Him and my brother aspire to start a band, and that night turned into their unofficial first band practice. Their band name has since become onoma.

My last day in NYC was fairly relaxed, starting with my brother and I going over some health and fitness information. Then I did some writing, and later in the evening visited a cool coffee shop called Devocion, featuring plants all over the cafe which I thoroughly enjoyed. We had a movie night to wind the trip down to a close.

Wednesday morning I jammed everything into my bag and we made our way to the Megabus stop. Because the stop is close to the harbor, the air coming off the ice cold water slices through our layers to our core. Eventually the bus shows up. I wish my brother goodbye and goodluck, and I hop on the bus for a 5 hour ride back to State College.

Fate Steps In

I’d like to say I made it all the way back home without a scratch, but I’d be lying. After getting picked up in State College and getting into my own car near Altoona, I drive almost all the way back home in Pittsburgh. With only 20 minutes left, a mile before the Squirrel Hill tunnel, my car gets rear-ended by an SUV. The force pushes me into the car in front of me, which pushes that car into the car in front of it. It’s a multi-car collision, and when I get out to assess the situation, the car that hit me isn’t there! They hit me and fled the scene.

The damage to the two cars in front of me is minimal, but my entire trunk is caved in and the front end has damage too. I bought my car last May, so it hasn't even been a year since I've had it. Physically I feel fine, but mentally I’m crippled from the impending headaches and issues I'll soon be jumping through.

All in all, aside from the unfortunate ending with my car, my trip to NYC was a blast! It’s an entirely different way of living and being from what I'm used to, and there’s always character development to be had when you’re placed outside of your normal environment. I don’t see myself ever living there for an extended period of time, but I do see myself taking many more trips in the future!

New York City, 2024