NYC- in words.

The Lester's take the Big Apple. From the beginning: My parents surprised me on my twenty first birthday with a trip to NYC. I was clueless, more clueless than the Jersey Shore cast is to reality, and that's pretty in the dark. Anyway after some shed tears (yes, I am THAT emotional and was THAT excited) and big hugs I started reading two NYC travel books, also given as gifts. The first sentence I read, or maybe it was just the first sentence that I distinctly remember was this: "Don't worry. You will not be able to fit everything you want to do in your trip but it's okay, you'll be back."

The book was right: We were NOT able to fit everything we wanted to do into our trip AND we all can't wait to go back. We of course wanted to see all the tourist sites that the city had to offer and we made it to several- the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park, Macy's and others. The plethora of other places we wanted to visit but didn't have the time made it to our"NY Round Two" itinerary.

The tourist sites are great but are not my favorite part of travel. The main reason I love to travel are the people. I love to observe the mannerisms of the natives, and usually spend large quantities of time trying to imitate their accents. So, when I travel I try to make friends. (Nod your head in agreement, Jamie M) I usually seek out waiters, employees, or whoever looks friendly enough to be interrogated by my questions and engage in some nice culture blending conversation. When traveling somewhere seemingly polar opposite than Sweet Home Alabama, I usually start with "So, can you tell we aren't from 'round here?" In NY without hesitation we get a YES (shocker,I know) every time. Conversation flows from there about hometowns, stories from our tip, and my ever popular inquiry about how the hell they can know all the subway lines like the back of their hand.

This trip, our main man was Carlton. We met Carlton at Junior's, a restaurant across the street from our hotel. We started and ended every day at Junior's bakery and restaurant. This week-long habit is now why I am currently taking the Special K challenge. Carlton was our thin young waiter who offered more than pleasant service for our dinner the first night. When we went back the next night for dessert, he remembered everything we ordered. Strangely, this was not creepy. It was more so, comforting. That's right we Alabamians had a "regular" to order in NY. After we shamelessly scarfed down our cheesecake, yellow chocolate layer cake, and pound cake we became best buds with Carlton. We found out his hometown, learned about his family in Virginia, compared Birmingham to New York and laughed at the major differences, we talked about Broadway shows, etc, etc, until Carlton promised that he would remember us if we came back the next year. So now when we go next time, we have someone to visit.

I will spare you the conclusion paragraph about why traveling is my passion. But it is. For reasons such as Times Square, the Top of the Rock, and Carlton.