You all know my general opinion about Manhattan by this time. It is wonderful in almost every way- but that's just during the day. After 9 PM when the sun sets, Manhattan becomes magical.
Those who know me well know that Christmas is my favorite holiday for many reasons: 1) the celebration of my Savior's birth 2) quality time with the family 3) Christmas traditions 4) cold weather (sometimes) 5) food 6)Christmas music 7) twinkling decorations... The list goes on and on, but I'm going to stop at 7 because this is not a Christmas blog.
The sparkling lights of Christmas trees and wreaths and yard displays have always fascinated me. I think that one of the most beautiful sights in the world is a light display reflected on water. Nightime in Manhattan is basically a massive light display that never goes away. And, because it's an island, there are plenty of places to see the reflections of the skyline. I love to just walk around and look up- you seem like less of a tourist if you wait until evening to look upwards. ;)
A few weeks ago, my friend Katherine M and I went to get some Grom Gelato on the Upper West Side, and it was such a beautiful night we decided to walk around. We ended up in Riverside Park, and we found the pier. I looked up and saw the New Jersey skyline right in front of me. I turned around and saw Manhattan's west side towering over me, and all of the millions of lights were reflected in the water around me. Katherine laughed at me because I couldn't speak for a solid minute. I could hardly even breathe!
When I first moved here, Kathryn F took me to a restaurant at the top of the Empire Hotel in Midtown. We spent the whole night dancing under the clouds, overlooking the entire city, never wanting our feet to touch the ground again. I felt like I was in a movie. Places like that shouldn't exist in real life. There were beautiful people everywhere, music was pounding from the speakers, and the rest of Manhattan was shining light on the young New Yorkers enjoying themselves.
A few nights ago, after a trip to the MoMA, a few friends and I decided that it was entirely too early to go our separate ways, so we decided to continue the evening at David's apartment. We picked up a freezer pizza, a block of cheese, some grapes, and some twizzlers, and we headed to TriBeCa not knowing what was in store for us. David took us up to his apartment and gave us a tour. When we got to the livingroom, I almost fainted. The livingroom walls were all windows revealing the most spectacular view of the city I could have imagined. From the couch you could see the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the Brooklyn Bridge- all illuminated brilliantly. The car lights on the street way below us were zipping around, and the river was catching everything and tossing lights back up at us.
The next evening I found myself in another Financial District apartment with a few other Mississippians. The exclamations of "Oh Heavens" and "Dahd Gum" thoroughly amused our native New York host. We spent some time on the rooftop terrace, enjoying the view and the warm summer air. The whole thing was just phenomenal.
The lights aren't the only reason I love New York after dark. There's just a special energy in the "city that never sleeps" once the sun sets. There are shows, concerts, jazz clubs, night clubs, restaurants, movies, entertainment of all types. Manhattan is truly a fantastic place to live.
Grace be with you,
Lindsey Shea
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