To cap my freshman year off, I decided to do the most “New York” thing I could think of: wait in line to get free Saturday Night Live finale tickets. On Friday afternoon, two friends and I hopped on the D train from 125th St. and got off at 47-50th Rockefeller Center. Eager and excited we ran to claim our spots on the infamous SNL stand-by line. We were 25th, 26th, and 27th–they only let the first 30 people through the door–so we knew that our tickets were guaranteed as long as we remained in those spots for the next 17 hours. I truly believe that only a native New Yorker could endure the events that occurred during our wait.

Hour 1 (2pm): We sat in our foldable lawn chairs and began to chat amongst ourselves. We talked about the guest host Fred Armisen, previous musical guests like Drake, and our favorite cast members. Apparently it isn’t a widely known thing that people line up overnight to wait for tickets, so we entertained many confused pedestrians. We must ignore the age-old rule that tells us “Don’t talk to strangers.” Everyone is a stranger in NYC until you introduce yourself. Approximately 10 people asked what we were lined up for.

Hour 4 (6pm): It’s sad to say, but after four hours my friends and I ran out of things to talk about. Either that or we simply got bored of each other. Like the posh & oblivious young adults that we are, we took out our Macaulay-endowed Macbooks and proceeded to bury ourselves in social media nonsense. Might I mention that people are mugged on the street for less than $5, and the three of us were sitting out on the street with $2,700 worth of merchandise on our laps. We must’ve known that 1) no one would mug us on a crowded city street or 2) if someone did, we beat the crap out them. These are the only explanations I have for our nonchalant attitudes. At this point, approximately 30 people have asked why we are in line.

Hour 10 (12am): The only people out and about are stumbling from bars to the nearest subway stop. My friends and I laugh at the rowdy group of guys who dare each other to jump into piles of garbage. And we feel sorry and embarrassed for the girls with smeared eyeliner and their heels in their hands–clearly they’ve had a rough night. This a typical snapshot of NYC at midnight. Off in the distance, we could make out the glow from the electronic billboards in Times Square. Nearly 10 blocks away and somehow we felt like we were still basking in the florescent sun. It was right on our backs, reminding us that this city never sleeps.

Hour 14 (4am): No one is on the street expect the people in the SNL line. Our neighbors to our left have been zipped in their sleeping bags since we arrived, and our neighbors to the right are stirring from their little naps. We could only afford to sleep in two-three hour shifts because someone had to make sure no one ran off with our backpacks. It was eery seeing everything so still, it was like things were moving in slow motion. So you can imagine our surprise when an small army of cockroaches advanced toward the SNL line. In a matter of seconds, everyone was up in arms. We barely knew each other, but we were a unified front against those intruders. Despite the rude awakening, it was comforting to know that others were suffering right by my side.

Hour 17 (7am): This was the moment of truth. The SNL attendant was making his way down the line; he was slowly but surely approaching us. When he finally reached us, he congratulated us for surviving the night. We asked if he had ever waited in line for tickets, he laughed hysterically and said that only two types of people waited on this line: the young and the crazy. Extremely tired, but indefinitely satisfied, we packed up our foldable lawn chairs and headed back toward City College so that we could rest up before the live show at midnight.

Under a year ago, I would be terrified to wait in line for an SNL ticket. I used be one of the pedestrians passing by and scoffing at the crazy people sleeping on the street for a show that I could watch comfortably in my living room. But toughing in out in Harlem for the last two semesters has prepared me for anything. The SNL live show was fantastic, but it wasn’t anything phenomenal. The experience that brands me as a native New Yorker is that grueling wait.

-Jaclyn W.