Slowly, I began to make out buildings, my insides twisting together like a pit of snakes. It looked fake, like a miniature model down there. I couldn’t believe how tall the buildings were, especially the Empire State Building. The smile I couldn’t stop stretched from ear to ear, tears welling in my eyes as I spotted the Statue of Liberty, as unreal as all the others seemed.
We began to turn away from the city, towards our landing spot, but I still couldn’t tear my face from my little piece of heaven. I was here! I finally did it!
We were only in the air for a few more minutes before our wheels touched ground and we rolled into our spot. Slowly, the plane started to empty, everyone grabbing their things. I turned my phone on while I waited for things to clear out, preferring to not get caught in the rush.
No one answered the phone at home so I left a message telling them I’d just landed. I couldn’t take it any more after that, crawling out to the aisle and grabbing my instrument.
“Thank you,” I said as my row partner walked away.
“No problem,” he said with a wave.
I hurried the best I could out of the plane and down the hall to the terminal, making sure to thank everyone as I did. Finally, I stepped through the door and onto New York soil. I checked which carousel my other bags would be at, and went into the restroom, wanting to freshen up before I got on my way.
I used the bathroom quickly, trying not to hold up the line, and checked myself in the mirror. My makeup had lasted so I only redid my lip gloss. A quick scrunch of my hair that I curled brought back its bounce.
My slacks had made the journey fine, leaving only my white shirt and dress jacket to be smoothed. As soon as I was satisfied with my appearance enough to not be embarrassed if I met anyone important, I exited the tiny room, ready to be done with airports for the next little while.
La Guardia wasn’t nearly as nice as the two other airports I’d been in today, but I didn’t care. I hurried through the tiny halls, already feeling the cramp I’d tried to prepare myself for. My bags were waiting for me when I arrived at their pickup area. Within seconds it seemed, I was helping load them into a taxi and asking the driver to take me to Times Square.
We rocketed out of the airport, my driver honking his horn at everything that moved—or didn’t. I was lost in the buildings, already noticing how different it looked from anything I’d seen out west.
Bubbles rolled in my stomach as the city came into view better, traffic rolling over different bridges to get in. The driver swerved in and out of everyone, fitting into the tiniest places possible. Before I knew it, we were driving through the actual city, buildings rising so high I couldn’t even see the tops of them.
I was in love. It was even better than I’d imagined somehow. Everything looked just like the pictures and videos, something I’d discovered to not be true for other places. I wanted to get out and slowly walk through them all just so I could take it in.
The sun set as we soared down the streets and lights began to sparkle everywhere, a true New York spectacle. As we neared the Square, traffic slowed considerably, stopping us dead in the street. After a few minutes, I told the man I’d get out here and paid him, thanking him for his time.
With all of my things in tow, I headed forward with purpose, seeing the lights flashing ahead. Famous billboards winked down at me, my excitement propelling me forward. Finally, I stood in front of the red steps, turning in a circle as I looked at everything. Broadway ran right next to me, paved with gold in my mind.
“I’m here, New York,” I said softly. “I made it.”
Poseidon (The God Chronicles) Page 18