Surprisingly, one of my favorite days was the last day we spent in New York, although I thoroughly enjoyed them all. I began the morning at an Italian bakery called Rosetta, which had some of the best matcha and chai lattes I’ve ever had. I wanted to go there every morning, but had to restrict myself because I don’t know if I’d be able to reconcile spending $10+ on breakfast every day! I had my final morning treat of the trip outside as I finished a collection of Allen Ginsberg’s poetry I had picked up on our first evening at the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore. What a beautiful collection to read in New York! I can’t imagine a more fitting first read-through. Below is a passage from my favorite poem of the collection, titled Song.
I promptly walked back to the YMCA to meet up with the rest of the group for our lunch at The Shakespeare. The meeting was a unique look into yet another way to work in publishing, as Laura shared her experiences with Alcove Press. I appreciated her meeting with us for lunch, although our server forgot my food so I had to eat quickly before we headed to our next stop: The Strand Bookstore! I had been highly anticipating the store, especially because it boasts an impressive 18 miles of books. I’d heard a bunch about the bookstore, both through shared excitement with my classmates and from people I watch on social media. It certainly lived up to its name, and I had to seriously restrict myself from buying out what felt like half the store! I ended up buying two books and a tote bag, which by all accounts, I consider a success.
<– The Shakespeare
Books at The Strand –>
I took the train back to the YMCA with Jodi for a quick nap before dinner, which I got with Alex and Olivia at the Turnstyle Underground Market located in the Columbus Circle subway station. After dinner, I retreated to my favorite activity of nearly every day. On any day I had any energy left to expend, I went on solo walks through the city at night. I have always found a certain ineffably healing quality to nighttime. It’s not often that I’m presented with the opportunity to walk around at night alone (yet alert), with music playing, although I felt safe enough to do so in Manhattan. Every street was bright, and people were everywhere. Plus, New Yorkers seem to mind their own business quite well. On my final evening in New York, I walked for a few hours down the same streets, listening to the playlist I curated for that exact experience. It felt serendipitous. I also saw Conan O’Brien while walking, but didn’t stop him for a picture.
I ended up in Central Park at around 9PM, at which point I realized I had completely forgotten to do the Literary Figures Walk. Clearly, it was dark by the time I got around to it (so I couldn’t get any good pictures), but there were enough street lights that it was easy enough to read the plaques and see the statues. While I would imagine it’s much prettier in the daylight, I appreciated the emptiness of the park. I was free to meander and take my time in the notably un-crowded pathways, eventually choosing to sit at a bench and journal in the park for a bit longer. I find it difficult to articulate my thoughts and feelings about that evening now, just as I did in the moment. Essentially, I felt overcome with gratitude and what I can only express as a gentle joy. It was the perfect end to a trip I certainly hope I’ll never forget.
(For anyone interested, I’ve linked the playlist below. I think it’s best listened to at night. If you choose to give it a shot, please let me know what you think! Many of these songs are nostalgic for me and hold quite a bit of meaning (although I won’t hold it against you if they’re not your taste).)