When small talk gives way to deeper conversations, a world of thoughtful insight reveals itself. Penetrating through questions about where one works and lives, opportunities to know someone more deeply start with simple, but profound questions.  

“What travel destination changed the course of your life?”  

Nine little words strung together with a real chance to know someone. At the best dinner parties or conversations over drinks at a bar, questions such as this have been served. It is one of my favorite questions to answer and it is something I am always happy to investigate in a new way.  

Traveling to New York City has changed my life. My first trip was shortly after finishing my undergraduate degree. With a tax refund burning a hole in my pocket, my roommate and best friend created an itinerary we called “The Epic Journey.”  

From Oklahoma City, we would drive east toward the Smoky Mountains. Once there, we would camp, hike, and commune with nature. From Tennessee, we would drive to Washington, D.C. In our nation’s capital, we would take in the sights and brush up on our American history. From there, we would take a train to NYC.  

Of course, the best laid plans often go awry. So much of that trip did not go as expected, but the last roadblock soured my mood. Stuck in Washington, D.C.’s infamous traffic, we missed our train to New York. Out of options, we drove to New York instead.  

Driving into Manhattan in a yellow four-door car during rush hour is an experience I never want to relive. Frustrated from trying to find a parking garage near our hotel, I finally got out of the car and told my friend he would have to take it from there.  

With a car safely parked and bags stored in a hotel room, we began exploring the city. Since that trip, I have returned to New York two more times. Once in 2011 to visit a friend from Oklahoma and again in 2021 with a buddy of mine (also from Oklahoma). After each visit, my opinion of the city grows more positive. Far from the tourist traps and into the neighborhoods people call home, New York is making sense to me.

New York is overwhelming in the most beautiful way. In canyons of glass, steel, and concrete, you move with masses of people from all around the world. Motors run, sirens scream, conversations spill out into the street, and aromas attempt to lure you into countless restaurants, eateries, and bodegas. It takes more than a few days to consume this city. I imagine a person might spend their whole life exploring its many corners and never fully appreciate it all.   

It is a daunting center of American culture and demands attention. From television to film, from books to articles, and from art to all other forms of expression, it is a current that moves people around the world.  

On these trips of mine, I have wondered what it would be like to live within its confines. Where would I work? Who would my friends be? What would I call my favorite shops, restaurants, theaters, and spots to gather? How would I shape New York and how would it shape me? Would the lifestyle harden me, or would I keep some version of myself?  

Unless an opportunity I cannot ignore arises, I will never know the answers to these questions. I can only analyze the immediate and shortened experience of travel. In that review, I see a person changed forever. New York has deepened my sense of wonder. It has made me a traveler who can overcome the frustrations that visit every trip. Here, I’ve learned to walk and explore without an agenda. My only guide is what catches my attention. Here, I’ve learned to hold on to each special moment. Not everyone gets to travel like this, and I should count myself lucky. Here, I’ve learned in a mass of humanity you can find community, but you must work at it.  

Yes, traveling to New York City has changed me for the better. My visits are far from through. There is still so much to learn and experience. Who knows what version of myself I will find on the other side?  

Be good to each other,  

Nathan