About two weeks ago, I took my favorite Amtrak train, the 42 Pennsylvanian, up to New York City to visit my high school best friend Anna (a recurring guest on here haha), and it was such a blast. Between both of our busy summer schedules we could only squeeze in two nights and one full day in the city, but we made the most of it and explored so much. Here are some highlights!
First order of the day (after an eight mile treadmill run of course lol) was taking the Staten Island Ferry from Staten Island to Manhattan. I had never done this before but it was actually so cool. It's free when used with the subway system, and it allowed for us to easily jump between boroughs and see some fabulous views. It's crazy to think that's some people's commute to work everyday!
Our main order of business for our single day together was to hit up as many Manhattan art museums as possible, starting with Fotografiska. I had never heard of this museum before, but it's actually an amazing photography-specific art museum! If you like photography as an art or hobby, I can't recommend this place enough. It was so so cool to see an entire building dedicated to photos and photographers. The exhibits we saw were incredible and so inspiring! I left being seriously glad I chose photography as my art school major for the upcoming fall. With some random stops at a thrift store, the Union Square farmers market, and (of course) Halal Guys for lunch, we headed over to MoMA - the Museum of Modern Art. I've been there once before in winter of 2021, at which point I hadn't taken any art history classes and really didn't understand the enormity of everything I saw there. Going back there this time after taking honors and AP art history helped me to truly understand how many insanely famous pieces are at MoMA! My jaw dropped around almost every corner. It's an obvious NY art museum but I'd highly recommend MoMA always.
After a combination of walking, taking the subway, and taking the ferry, Anna and I ended up back on Staten Island and enjoyed our last night together before splitting up again to head our separate ways to college! Her to Oregon and I to Georgia. It was such a wonderful trip together and I'm so glad I've gotten to ride my beloved Amtrak to visit her so many times. Here are some photos from our escapades so check them out and enjoy!!
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