to my travel companions (January 10)

"One belongs to New York instantly. One belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years." - Thomas Wolfe, American writer

Seeing New York for the first time is an incredible experience, similar to the deep kind of personal emotion you only express to those closest to you (if anyone at all). Stepping off the subway, weaving through the crowd on the platform, climbing the stairs and emerging onto a Manhattan street, you emerge into a frenetically paced yet graceful city. Honking horns, bright colors, yelling people, lights stretched to the sky... it is hard to take in at once.

To have this experience for yourself is one thing; to witness it for two of your best friends is something else. New York is one of my favorite places on Earth, in and of itself, but it was that much better in the company of our little group. Crammed cozily into a 2-bed room in a hotel above the David Letterman studio, we became our own little travel guide to the city. Ellen, your constant proclamations of surprised love for New York and its hidden quirks -- hilarious. Molly, your thoughtful processing of the world in front of you (and surviving it like a champ with that vicious cold) -- impressive. And Amy, our navigator, another month-long former New York resident like me -- so subtly enthusiastic. Sometimes along with other Minnesotan buddies and NYC transplants, we toured with the best of the tourists (the Today Show, Rockefeller Center's tree, Top of the Rock) and fit in with the most authentic of New Yorkers (the heated rooftop bar in little Korea, next to the Empire State Building; Grimaldi's Pizza in Brooklyn; a night bar-hopping, starting at Brendan's place of employment, Choice). What I loved about this trip was the gusto with which we all took it on. We didn't take much time for rest, but we took time to soak it in. When someone wanted to see something, we unquestioningly made it happen for them. When someone needed a break to sit down and have a pretzel, it was okay. And, when someone so unashamedly declared her love for Matt Lauer by taking 20+ pictures of him with her 10x zoom lens, she was wholeheartedly supported.

This is the way to see the city: mix a few days with good friends, an understanding for a full schedule, and a curiosity to see every facet of what it has to offer. And then, know that you will undoubtedly be back. It is the only way to see it all.