2013 Gratitude Project – Travel: Interning in NYC

2013 Gratitude Project – Travel: Interning in NYC

The summer of 2009 was full of adventure and travel for me. I spent the first month touring in Northern Europe through Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland with the BYU Young Ambassadors (more about that later). Soon after getting back to the states I was supposed to go to Chicago for an internship program. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out to place me in Chicago, so with the help of my professor I got a fantastic position interning for LDS Public Affairs in New York City.

I fell in love with the city immediately and am ever grateful for the many experiences I was able to cram into just over two months. I was able to work with fantastic people for an organization I fully support. I gave presentations to UN ambassadors and trained volunteer public affairs representatives. I may look back and say why didn’t anyone in Chicago take me, and I could be upset. However, If I hadn’t been accepted to the Chicago program, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to go to New York. That is where I was supposed to be.

I took advantage of every opportunity I could to explore the city. Each Saturday I spent exploring a different area or maybe go with a theme. One week I was on Governor’s Island, another week on Staten Island and another on Roosevelt Island. One Saturday I spent exploring old and historic churches in Manhattan and another finding historic sites linked to former U.S. Presidents. I climbed to the top of The Statue of Liberty, watched symphony concerts in Central Park, visited awe-inspiring museums and marveled over it all from the top of skyscrapers.

There is so much to see and do in Manhattan alone that I only consumed a crumb of what New York City has to offer. The funny thing is in my short time there I saw more of the historic and cultural sites of the city than a lot of New Yorkers have. They seem to exist within a few block radius surrounding their apartments and offices.

My advice to anyone spending time in NYC is decide what most interests you before you go. Is it museums of art or history, beautiful architecture, great food, performing arts and Broadway, historical sites or high-end retail? You can’t possibly do it all unless you move there and spend all your time and a lot of money. If you know what is most important to you before you go, you can make a plan to get the most out of your trip.

Over the next few days, as part of this year’s gratitude project all about travel, I will share specifics from a few of my adventures from NYC. I am so thankful that I could spend any time in that magnificent city.