A Day To Remember

My morning officially started at 7:30 AM with breakfast at a nearby cafe, Cosi. I was accompanied by Alysa, Clara, and Mariko. Together the four of us, with breakfast in hand walked back to the quad. We were going to start boarding the buses at around 8:15, and we had to be there early since it was a first come first serve policy. All of the girls in my cohort boarded bus #5, this is the bus we will always board when going on trips. The ride from Philadelphia to New York was kept busy with early morning chatter. We arrived at Columbia University at around 11 and we had until 1 to explore. We were shown where we would meet, given maps of the area we were allowed to be in, and given a set of rules. We had to be in groups of four in order to be able to go out and roam the busy streets, they were very strict with that. RCs were scattered all over the place, just in case a group of three decided they didn't need a fourth member. An RC would then have to walk with them wherever they went. They took our safety very seriously.

I've had my eye on Columbia for a while now. I am a rising junior so I still have a bit of time to think about it, but I know I will definitely be applying to Columbia. I didn't get to see much of the campus, but I saw enough to draw me in. The Butler Library. Although we didn't get to go inside because it was closed, I still thought it was pretty amazing. I didn't have to go inside to know it was a huge library, that was quite obvious by the size of the building. I am a huge bookworm and to me a library is like a mall, and well, the bigger the better right?

Butler Library

We boarded the bus at around 1:10, and then made our way to the famous Times Square. I had always wanted to visit Times Square. Before being able to start all of the planned shopping, rules were reiterated and we were shown the flash point. As soon as we were free to go, us girls clumped together and headed towards Times Square. I was so taken back by all the people, the buildings, the lights, and just the over all feel of the place. Before heading to our first store, we stopped for hot dogs. After finishing up our lunch, the shopping began. Some of the stores we went to were Forever 21, The Disney Store, and American Eagle. The time went by extremely fast, it felt as though we were only there for an hour when in reality we were there from two to six. At 6:15 we were all supposed to go back to the flash point (a Starbucks), and start boarding the buses. Minutes before, with dinner in our bags, we all headed back for the buses. The bus ride coming back was a mixture of emotions. I was happy because I had such a great day, sad because it had to end, and a bit upset because I didn't go to enough stores.

Maybe someday I won't be just a tourist in New York, but an actual resident. I guess we'll see, as for now I think it's time for me to go to sleep. Goodnight!

There were billboards everywhere!

On our way back to the flash point.