My summers had never been extraordinary. I never went on amazing cruises or came back home with crazy stories about being in a foreign country. I never spent endless days by the beach; in fact, the only tan I got was a gruesome shin guard tan from field hockey preseason in late August. Last summer, I spent every day working as a waitress from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M., and though I had a few ice-breaking stories under my belt, I still felt as though my summer was not as memorable as it could have been.

This summer, I decided to change that with the little money and resources I had. You see, my town is pretty small; there’s not much to do (no kidding, people literally go to Target just to walk around and hang out because my town is so boring). But I was pretty fortunate this summer to have met people who could give me the next best option for vacation: New York City.

Inundated with people 24/7, New York is literally the city that never sleeps. Even though it wasn’t the exotic vacation I had always dreamed about, the memories I took away from being in New York almost all the time this summer were some I know I’ll keep forever.

NYC Trip #1: Pride Festival (June 25th, 2017)

I had never been to a Pride festival before, but this experience was amazing because I was able to go with some of my closest friends. Though it was really hot, our feet were sore, and we were all pretty crabby by the end of the parade, it was still so memorable. I’ll never forget dancing with everyone whenever a "lit" float drove by us or waving our pride flags around or walking around the city at midnight, trying to catch the train back to our station in Jersey.

NYC Trip #2: Brooklyn Bridge Park (July 7th, 2017)

The funny thing about this day was that I was walking through this park, and, all of a sudden, it started POURING. I loved seeing all of the people jogging with their dogs, and there’s this lemonade stand there that’s really good. It was really relaxing looking at the sunset over the river and just taking in everything the city and nature had to offer. Everyone says that the city is drab because it’s all just buildings, but this park just shows how beautiful the city really is.

NYC Trip #3: Night at the Apollo (July 12th, 2017)

The Apollo is the famous place of where people literally get booed off the stage. But that night, all the singing was powerful, so much that it brought some people to tears. I love seeing good talent, and that night everyone got credit where credit was due. My favorite act was the daughter of my dad’s friend, who actually won the amateur competition that night and moved on to the next round to win the prize. The Apollo’s amateur night is where people become famous, and it was an honor to see someone who might be a famous singer one day.

NYC Trip #4: Tourism in Times Square (July 21st, 2017)

Both my parents grew up in New York City, so whenever we visited the city, we would avoid anything “touristy” at all costs; this includes Times Square. So, when I went there for the first time not too long ago, I thought I was in heaven. Just pretending to be a tourist and not knowing anything about the city was so thrilling. We did everything: we went into the Nintendo store, went to H&M, walked passed Broadway, and had cheesecake at Juniors. It was everything I wanted and more; it felt so good to act like a real tourist in New York (and walk slowly like them and take pictures, too).

NYC Trip #5: Birthday Bash (July 22nd, 2017)

This trip was completely unexpected and last minute. I was just in the city the day before and the next day was my best friend’s birthday, so she decided that she wanted to go to the city. We mostly walked around Chinatown, got some bubble tea, and walked around the Botanical Gardens. It was a really hot day, but the vibes were chill; we even made friends with some people on the subway who said our outfits were cute. (Shout out to our photographer, @juliapnguyen!)

NYC Trip #6: J. Cole Concert (August 1st, 2017)

This was probably my favorite memory of the summer. My older sister invited me to go see J. Cole with her because he’s our favorite rapper; and let me tell you, listening to music through headphones and hearing it live are two totally different things. J. Cole always gets me emotional, but just seeing him in person and hearing him sing in real-life was life changing. There were tears welling up in my eyes the entire time and rapping the lyrics along with everyone at the Barclay’s Center was SO energizing. I 10/10 recommend going to a concert of your favorite artist.

NYC Trip #7: Yankees Game (August 27th, 2017)

I spent my last day of the summer before I moved into my dorm the next day with the Yankees (who spanked the Mariners, 10-1). I was craving Rutgers' football game season and all the screaming associated with it, so I jumped at the chance to go to a Yankees game with my dad and little sister. It was great; the fans were yelling profanity at the opposing team, drunk college boys were screaming and tearing their shirts off, and people were decked out in Yankees gear. It made me really nostalgic for what I would be experiencing in less than a week.

Now that summer’s over and the semester is starting, I’m glad that I spent these past three months in New York, instead of somewhere exotic. Though I do love sliding my toes in the sand and getting Vitamin D, the experiences I’ve had in NYC were perfect for me. I was busy all the time during the summer, so I could never had real "vacation days"; but, I still made time to venture out to the city and create new experiences. This summer, I remember genuinely smiling and laughing so much, and it’s because of the lively atmosphere of the city.