Welcome to New York

The overnight Megabus wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it'd be. Julie, Caroline, and I got a table booth with four seats, so we weren't too cramped. Though it wasn't exactly a restful night, we passed through border security in record time -- much appreciated at 2 a.m.. Sleep came on and off, in between several stops along the way, and we arrived in New York at noon.

There, Caroline's boyfriend met us, and we were able to drop off our luggage in his car. The four of us headed to lunch at New York Pizza Suprema, where we had the most delicious slices for just $4.50 each. Julie raved about her margarita pizza hours later.

After eating, we wandered around the area, passing Madison Square Garden and stopping by Madman Espresso for tea lattes and americanos. The streets were packed, as expected, but I didn't mind the bustle much. The beautiful weather made the walking effortless. Vendors sold artwork on the sidewalk, and we stopped for roasted cashews and coconuts at one of the food stalls.

I didn't expect we would be going all the way to Times Square. I barely noticed the length of the walk, and we ended up there before I knew it.

We climbed to the top of the steps to take in the whole view. It was surprisingly peaceful and quiet enough to chat in regular voices. If I needed any further proof of being a big city girl, this was it. I loved all the colours and the sunshine and the movement. Sitting down and breathing this scene in was the best part of the day.

After sitting there for a while, we went across the street to check out the three floors of the M&Ms store. The walls were fun to look at -- there were dozens of options -- but we resisted buying more food. We also glanced into the Hershey's Store nearby, but it wasn't nearly as impressive.

On our way back to the car, the Richard Rogers theatre came into view and Julie and I freaked out. We could do nothing more but stare at the billboards longingly, but it was a highlight of our day nonetheless.

We made a final stop at a street performer's show, in which a man jumped over five people, before finally heading straight back to the car. Only then did I realize how far we'd walked.

Julie and I were staying at a friend's place in Astoria, so we took the subway back -- surprisingly low on my list of best transit systems I've ridden. We went out for dinner at Max's, a German restaurant, then retired home early to rest for the remainder of our trip. For my first time back in the city since I was six or seven, I fell in love with it fast.