I recently moved into an apartment located at 150 East 18th Street in Manhattan. The building is in Gramercy Park, and I had been meaning to walk through the area and take in my surroundings for a few weeks. So, I felt this presented me with the perfect opportunity to do so.

With no destination in mind, I began to walk. It was Wednesday afternoon, the sun was shining, and the air felt crisp. I walked down the street and the first place I noticed was Pete’s Tavern on the corner of 18th and Irving. Though it was daytime, the well-known restaurant was hopping and bustling with people. I immediately thought of my friends from elementary school who I haven’t seen for a while. All of us have gone to different universities, we want to study different things, and we have veered off into several different directions, despite our similar backgrounds and upbringings. I couldn’t help but think how interesting and funny life is. As I finished peeking through the windows of the restaurant, I made a mental note to contact my friends and check in on how they are all doing.

The next think I noticed as I walk through Gramercy was the Gramercy Park Hotel. I stood still to take a look at the massive building, and the doorman standing right inside the door noticed me. He peeked out, asked me if I was looking to check in, and I responded by saying “I wish, but not today!” He laughed, nodded his head, and then returned to guarding the door. I imagined sitting in the hotel lobby, drinking a soda, and looking at the magnificent art that is known to be hung in the Gramercy Park Hotel. I think I would have a similar thought in many parts of the city, including the Upper West Side and Midtown. This is because Manhattan is known as the city that never sleeps, and every time I hear this phrase, I think of hotels like the Gramercy Park Hotel, all filled with friends drinking at bars, business meetings, and guests of the hotels people-watching in the lobbies.

I continued on my way and found myself back on Third Avenue. The sky was a beautiful blue and the light wind felt extremely refreshing on my face. These are my favorite kinds of weather days being that fall is my favorite season. Suddenly the conversation regarding blue skies that my family constantly has came to mind. Though I was only two on September 11, 2001, my parents often reminisce about that morning. Both remember waking up and the sky being a shade of blue that was unlike any other day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the sky was bright as ever. Every time my siblings and I think the sky may be as blue as that day, we ask my parents “Is it a 9/11 sky?” and the answer is usually no. I thought that maybe today the answer would be different, but then I noticed the white clouds in the distance.

I ended up walking for over 30 minutes, though it felt much shorter than that. These are just some of the things I noticed and thought about as I strolled through Gramercy. I enjoyed the experience of letting my thoughts roam freely and my imagination take me where it wanted to. I hope to take more liberating walks like this in the future.