Dreaming in Focus: Empire State of Mind.

On May 9th, 2013, me and a bunch of my classmates embarked on the journey of dreams to the jungle made of concrete that we all call New York City. We took a ten hour bus ride to get down there and all got to know each other really well over the experience.

We arrived at around six in the evening in Time Square. It was incredible to see all the people and the buildings around us for the first time. We were set free by our teachers to explore and have dinner and meet back at time square in just over an hour. My friends and I ventured around and took so many pictures of the experience there. We had a great piece of pizza from a pizza place that our teacher recommended to us. We headed back to Time Square and just looked at the buildings and absorbed the feeling of what New York City really is. As we headed back to the bus we couldn't wait to come back and see the city the next day.

As we headed into the city for the second day, we had many fears about being robbed and being yelled at by people who thought we were just "stupid tourists." We were surprised by the hospitality of the people there, and how many of them really didn't care that we were there, they just wanted to stay out of our groups way. We started down by Battery Park, and headed up towards the bull. Everyone was taking pictures and I wanted to wander off, but I couldn't leave the group. We walked toward the sight where the twin towers fell back on 9/11 in 2001. We got into the memorial and there were people reading in the small park and a lot of people looking for lost relatives names around the giant reflection pools. After we left the reflection pools, we headed towards China Town and Little Italy over to Canal St. We had lunch in China Town and Little Italy, and then we got lots of time to go around and Barter with all the little shop owners and find all kinds of deals on awesome New York souvenirs. We walked around the small park in China Town that was full of Chinese people. It was like you were walking through the country of China. We then headed towards Wall Street to check out the stock exchange and see all of the business people going to work and doing their jobs. After that fabulous adventure, we went off to see the Intrepid, which was actually really boring, but me and Keturah and Mariah got an amazing 'vadering' photo, because we are hipsters. Later we headed back to Time Square and were set free to have some amazing dinner. My friends, Mariah and Keturah, had some Mediterranean food that was to die for. Couldn't have has a better meal.

As we went into the next day, I couldn't even contain my excitement. Today was the day that I would be seeing Central Park and be walking through it with my own feet. First we had to pick up another tour guide. We headed to Grand Central Station and took a short tour of what was there. The architecture was amazing to walk through and see. The station looked like all the movies it had ever shown it to be. Now was the point where we stepped off the bus to go and see central park. I didn't know what toe expect, because I had dreamed about this park since I started to be interested in photography. I got my camera out and started to snap everything I could find. I wanted to document the moment and make sure that I never forgot the time I got to spend in Central Park with all of my friends and the nature around. I only hope that all of the world realizes how important nature is in general so that we can enjoy it everywhere in the world for the rest of time. Unfortunately we had to leave Central Park after only being in it for an hour, but I knew that someday I would return to get lost under it canopy of leaves once again. Lunch in Harlem and a visit to a small African market and then off to the MET and the beginning of the end of my composure. My friends are the funniest people I have ever met and we had a great time imitating the statues in the MET. After the MET, we were all getting antsy that it may begin to rain and our chance of going up the Empire State building would wither away into nothingness. We headed to 5th Ave so that everyone could see the Rockefeller Centre and go shopping if you had enough money to try and do it. It began to pour after we got inside, and it just dashed all of our hopes. Thankfully the rain let up after we stayed inside an hour and enjoyed a Happy Hour Frappachino at Starbucks. Then we headed up the Empire State Building. My camera had pretty much ran out of battery at this part, so I got a few pictures and then just enjoyed the view. I wish we could have stayed up there forever to look at the skyline at night, but alas, our dumb tour guide told us we had to go back to the hotel and he cut off all of our free time.

In the end, the trip I took to New York City with my school was an experience I will never forget, and I hope that New York will never forget us either. Here are a few of my pictures that I got. Enjoy.

Danielle.