The Effects of a Valuable Vacation

The Effects of a Valuable Vacation

At some point in everyone's life, they go through a significant event that affects their perspective on existence, and helps them grow as a person. The event can be big or small, but the knowledge gained will be everlasting. When I was a junior in high school, I took a trip to Boston and New York for Spring Break. I went on this trip with my mom, dad, and friend Andrea. Through this trip I experienced American History, diversity, and learned more of my own cultural identity.

When I was a junior in high school, I was in Advanced Placement United States History. Through this class I learned how rich and diverse our American culture is. Having lived in the state of Washington my whole life, I had not seen any parts of the earliest foundation of our country. When I first arrived in Boston, I was surprised to see how old the city looked. It was nothing like back home. Rather, it had cobble stone streets and landmarks highlighting the "freedom trail" of historical sights through the city. Initially, I felt ignorant not knowing what to expect, but truly seeing the place I had heard so much about was a great learning opportunity.

One of my favorite places that I saw was Paul Revere's house. We actually walked down the street where he shouted his infamous warning, "the British are coming, the British are coming!" I also ate at the oldest restaurant in Boston and sat in former President John F. Kennedy's favorite booth. The restaurant was a compact and dark with the dining room upstairs and a bar downstairs. I could tell it was old because all the doors were smaller than those today, and the booths were made of wood. Eating in this place made me imagine what it was like back in the earliest days of our country. This expanded my imagination and also made me realize how far our society has come from colonial days.

Another interesting experience was visiting Harvard. It is the first and only Ivy League school I have seen. At school I learned about how the university was founded so it was fun seeing the actual thing. We toured the campus and even talked to some students. Visiting that college campus was such a great opportunity, because at the time I did not know where I wanted to go to school. Seeing an old, prestigious school made me realize that it was not something for me. I preferred a large university in a different type of setting with more of a "football atmosphere."

During this trip we also drove up to Salem, on our way to New York, to see where the Salem witch trials took place. This topic was something that really interested me, but I did not fully understand. We toured a museum that reenacted the trials and the reasoning behind why people were put to death. These deaths were all unjustified, but it showed me how society was run at that time. Things were not always fair, some people felt they were above the law, and you could not always count on the government or even your neighbor because they might turn on you. As we drove away, I was prepared to take in these experiences and start a new adventure in the city.

New York is by far my favorite city that I have been to. As soon as we arrived I had a rush of excitement from the busy atmosphere. It was just as I imagined; an array of people walking briskly down the street, street vendors on the corners, businesses everywhere, and of course shopping. The first place we went that night was to the top of the Empire State Building. Overlooking all the city lights showed me that this city really never does sleep. We also encountered our first experience with diversity. On our ride down over seventy floors, the four of us had to share an elevator with a Chinese tour group. This does not sound like a big deal, but I have never felt so out of place. It was one of those awkward situations where you know that someone is talking about you, but it is in a different language, so there is nothing you can do. I learned I was going to have to start to accept all the people I came across, due to the amount of international traveling. Back at our hotel they were having an international convention, so I met and made small talk with people from all over the world. It was fun to learn about their home towns and how it differs from where I live today.

Our next big experience was public transportation. I must admit, I really liked the subway because it was so convenient to travel through the city. I was also amazed because it is one of the few places in the world that you can sit down to "people watch" and over-hear five different languages. Taking a taxi was also an adventure as we weaved in and out of traffic to the ticking meter. My dad's cousin lives in Brooklyn and her husband was a taxi driver so when we met them, he took us around and showed us parts of the city most other people would bypass or not notice. On our way back to the airport, traveling in a town car was fun. Our driver was a little crazy, but a true New Yorker who loved talking about the city and got us there in amazing time. The accumulation of these events put me in the rush of everyday New York City life, and made me consider what it would be like to live in this type of environment.

Nothing I experienced in New York was overrated. For example, I have never shopped at a department store with ten floors, or been to expensive Soho boutiques containing custom shirts for five hundred and fifty dollars. This showed the financial diversity of the city and the fact that if you have money, there is always something more expensive for you to buy. Seeing a Broadway play was also another remarkable experience. We saw "The Lion King" and it was excellent because the costumes had such intricate detail and the story was told in a way I had never imagined. Seeing it broadened my artistic side and made me appreciate not only the actors and the jobs that they carry out, but people in general that work hard and do not usually receive credit. I encountered another mess of tour groups while watching "The Today Show", live. People were standing outside, freezing, at eight in the morning, fighting to get on television. At the show, William Hung, the worst American Idol, performed, and I have never heard anything so bad, yet funny. People in the office buildings next to us were leaning out the window wondering where the cacophony was coming from. Experiencing a live talk show taught me about more elements of the city and seeing people in action.