The end of the year, a magical time which heralds the comical resolutions and gym membership renewals. As the last sun of December sets, the bright horizon of January brings forth new opportunities for self-improvement, or perhaps delusions of grandeur.

Regardless of the outcome, the excitement and anticipation of 2016 was nearly palpable during the celebrations.

The New Year is an occasion for the world to enjoy, from the smallest villages to the largest metropolitan cities; all participate in the annual festivities. Food, drink, dance, and promises of betterment mark almost every occasion universally. On this day almost everyone is equally hopeful for the new future.

Though the holiday is celebrated worldwide, New Years in New York is something to behold. In the city that never sleeps new energy somehow manages to invigorate the masses. The hustle and bustle of the metropolis increases at least ten-fold, along with a sense of optimism and hope.

As I depart Fresno for the Big Apple I take The Feather Online with me, sharing my experiences and perspective on the city of New York during the finale of the year.

TRAVELING GONE AWRY, BLOG POST No. 1

Travel day. The first part of the trip was a difficult task to undergo for a sleep-deprived teenager like myself. A 4 a.m. wakeup call with no breakfast and a total of seven hours in-flight traveling is indeed a daunting task. Nor did I set myself up for success, as I fell asleep at midnight, only giving myself four hours of blissful sleep. Regret boiled as the bitter realization of impending demise became clear.

As quickly as the darkness submerged me in its warm embrace, bright lights soon invaded every corner accompanied with loud booming voices. Awakened and alert, the early morning dance commenced.

After rushing to take showers and pack the last remnants of our belongings, my family soon flew out the door and jetted to the Fresno airport. Once there, we signed in with our family friends the Liao’s, and departed for New York.

Our long and strenuous journey finally ended and the group arrived in the Big Apple. The streets were filled to the brim with people: every corner, every avenue, everything. Times Square lit up like the day even though night had fallen hours earlier; the people were just as lively.

All of us were ready to make way to the hotel rooms and fall into that dark slumber once again. As I walked through the Chatwal and rode up the elevator I could feel my eyes wane and mind drift to black. Reaching my room, I collapsed into my bed and melded in between the sheets. Sleep had come.

The impressions of ill prepared travel scar the inexperienced. The perils of travel coupled with a lack of sleep leave one in a state of total zombification, the remedy only being to rest for an extended period of time. Though the bright lights of Times Square did mesmerize, the dark appeal of sleep distracts one from all other needs and wants.

DAY OF THE WALKING TOURISTS, BLOG POST No. 2

The second day of the trip approached, and I was well rested along with my family and friends. Each of us slowly emerged from our dens and into the brisk light of the afternoon, completely missing breakfast.

Famished, we paved through the hordes of New Yorkers and tourists flooding the streets of the city. Making our way, inch by bloody inch, we finally arrived Bergdorf Goodman’s for lunch.

Once we finished our meal the larger group splintered off into different subgroups for shopping. This was not the most appealing thing to me because I am a teenage guy, and there were simply no seats in sight. Tired and bored, I departed from the store with Jason Liao and made way to Rockefeller Center to meet my father and brother.

Like the streets, the plaza was completely packed with people. Struggling to navigate through the maze of flesh, we decided to make way for the building and watch the city from the observatory deck. From the sky I could see the city and all its beauty. New York exploded with activity; each street was like a vein, surging with life and movement and possibility.

After a day of non-stop walking and navigating through hordes of people, my legs had finally given out by the time I reached my hotel room. Pupils dilated, elevated heart rate, and a gnawing need for rest plagued my aching body. Tired and worn down, I ventured into the recesses of my mind and gleaned perspective through the eyes of the New Yorkers.

As a Californian I enjoy my space, and require a few feet of distance between the strangers that I walk beside, but not the residents of New York. Pushing, shoving, bundling up together into large groups is a completely normal thing to do in the city. The rich, the homeless, and everything in between, all walked the streets equally. All became a part of the city, subject to the same laws of the streets. Anyone who wishes to move to the city needs to take into account the sheer crush of humanity.

NEW YEARS IN NEW YORK, BLOG POST No. 3

New Years has finally arrived in New York, and the impossibly busy city was overtaken by an innumerable amount of celebrators. Myself included.

With much wisdom and forethought, I slept in, knowing that planning any event in the daytime would be impossible to follow through on. Biding time, I rested in my room, watched a movie, and waited until dusk fell.

Like a curtain of darkness, night had come and brought with it decadence. A dinner and party were held at The Lambs Club, a restaurant inside the Chatwal, where they served dinner guests a five-course meal. The dinner took about three hours to complete, but everyone left fat and happy by the end.

Departing from the dinner, my family and friends rushed to the elevators and up to our rooms. With a terrace overlooking Times Square, we could the see the ball drop with perfect clarity. Screaming and chanting resounded throughout the streets below us, and as the countdown finished the New Year was ushered in with the bright lights of fireworks and the even brighter faces of the people.

As the final curtain fell on 2015, my brother and I headed down stairs to the Chatwal New Years party to bring forth 2016 the proper way. Dance. As little brother and I swayed across the room we danced with a plethora of different partners, each one grander and more enjoyable than the last. In that glorious night, inhibition faded for the briefest of movements and all cut loose.

As I departed the party and went back to my room I collapsed into my bed and submerged myself into the warmth of my pillow. As my eyes shut so to did the final curtain of the last year. The last impression of 2015 showed me that allowing one to free themselves of normal constraints or boundaries let the person experience new and breathtaking opportunities.

FIRST BIRTHDAY OF NEW YEAR, BLOG POST No. 4

With one final day left in the trip, I decided to take a personal journey for the morning and afternoon. I visited Ferrara, a small Italian café in Little Italy, with my parents and Jason and Annie Liao. The mocha and pastry platter spiked my glucose levels and made the rest of the day very enjoyable.

I departed the café with my mother, and she decided to accompany me on a walk around Central Park. As we walked, we met a variety of people and their purebred dogs. We admired and conversed with them about their animals, and learned about the many genetic defects that inbreeding may have caused in order for the animal to have a particular fur pattern or nose shape.

To finish off the day we took the Liao family out to a modern Chinese restaurant, Hakkasan, to celebrate Jason’s birthday. Being an immigrant to America, Jason never had his birthday celebrated as festively as Americans. Wanting to make the occasion special, we took Jason back to the hotel and served him cake while singing him one final happy birthday song.

The joy and happiness made for a beautiful finale to an excellent trip. Ending 2015 and entering into 2016 showed me that no matter where a person may celebrate, the people they celebrate with make the difference. As the New Year begins I hope to take the love and goodwill shown to me and share it with others.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @RRoggenstein and via Email: [email protected]

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