While I am writing this not yet on my vacation, by the time this is published I will already be back home. In case any of you are wondering, I am going to (or by the time you read this, I went) to Las Vegas, San Diego, and Los Angeles. I am super excited, and in the spirit of family vacations, I will take this time to recollect one of my favorite family vacations I ever took.

While I have been to many amazing places with my family (Disney World; Estes Park, Colorado; Chicago), the best family vacation I ever took was to New York City. I've been twice with my family to this wonderful city, so I may get some of the events mixed up, but rest assured, I had the time of my life there.

It doesn't matter if you're a city person or a country person; no one can deny that Times Square at night is one awe-inspiring sight. When you get out of the car, and that subway grate hot air hits you, and the smells of the city hit you in the face...it's sensory overload. But that feeling, that particular feeling of stepping foot on NYC streets, I've come to find makes me feel like I'm at home.

My favorite part of the trip was obviously seeing a Broadway show. Broadway is in a league of its own in terms of talent and grandeur, and I think it is important that everyone see a show in NYC at least once in his/her lifetime. The one I went to see was "Wicked." Yes, it was wicked cool, but the actual show name is "Wicked." Without giving away too much of the plot, the musical is about the untold story of the wicked witch of the west in the Wizard of Oz. I have seen it twice in my lifetime and the second time was with a school trip. Even the guys liked it, so I think it's a pretty safe bet that nearly everyone will like it.

Another thing that I loved about that trip was getting to experience the bustle of a huge city. Everyone is racing around, making plans, getting things done. Being surrounded with productivity kind of made me wonder if there was something I should be doing too. But then I remembered I was on vacation. I also very much enjoy people watching, and if you enjoy that too, it's really fun to just sit down with some lunch and watch the multitude of people going by. People of all races and ethnicities, people wearing fancy clothes, people with dogs and backpacks and large cameras. It's crazy that a city can be so densely populated. Every person you come across you find yourself asking, "what's his/her story?". I would like to hear those people's stories.

And of course, the greatest part about family vacations is just that- family. Your family is the people who love you no matter what, people who know you better than probably any friend ever could. Life can be very stressful sometimes, and sometimes you just need a break, a way to get away from everything. What better people to do that with than with people that you love and people that love you? I love the memories I made with my family in NYC, and I can't wait to make many more memories with them.