It was my 6th birthday. Me and my family were planning to go to New York, The Empire State Building. I remember thinking how cool it has looked inside of movies, like James and The Giant Peach. I always remember how much I wanted to just BE there and go inside of the skyscraper. I thought that the subway was going to be nice and highly maintained when we \arrived there, as if it was some magical train.

Later in the afternoon of my birthday,  I remember going inside my parents car not knowing where I was going or what was going on, my siblings and parents did not look as worried as me. There must’ve been something that I didn’t know about. 

           “Hey mom, where are we going? I asked.

           “We are going to New York for your birthday!” she happily said. 

An hour later and all I could hear was the rumbling of the road, and the force of the wind by the cars passing by, and my ears fighting to hear the music over my parents talking and yapping like little tiny chihuahuas. About a minute later I saw a gigantic, never ending bridge that expanded about a million miles into the trees, and all the way into the city. 

I gazed.

I directly watched the city stay still while my car zoomed past, getting upset since trees were getting in the way. I took a closer look, and saw the mysterious, black foggy outline of the tall city, it looked exactly like a ghost town in the cartoons. I stared at the Empire State Building as it went farther, and farther away.

  My father zoomed right into the entrance of the bridge, there were about a billion cars on the bridge with us, honking and their engines roaring. My eyes were going back and forth with all the pillars of the bridge rushing behind our car, and looking at the glistening, flashing water way beneath us. I looked until there were no more pillars and where the highway split, noticing my dad holding up this block up on the windshield while driving, with a name “E-Z Pass” on it. He suddenly let go and before I knew it we were out of the highway.

                                                        . . .

It felt like a gazillion years after we could have found parking, inside of a parking garage underground. My dad slowly went into the tunnel where the entrance was, hearing echoes of people chatting and their wheels squeaking. My dad paid for the parking and the red and white gate barrier bar whipped up, and down right behind us. Our car would NOT stop going up those ramps, up and up into the parking garage

“When will this end?!” I gasped impatiently.

As we went up to like, floor 30, I needed to stretch so badly. We all scurried out of the car and slammed our doors shut.

             “Ok!” Sighed my mom in relief. 

My mom grasped my hand on tight so I don’t go wandering off. I quickly grabbed my sisters right after that. Without saying I word, we walked down the flights of stairs onto the sidewalks. Seeing grey evil smoke arising from tops of buildings, and adults in coats slipping past us without any eye contact. 

In the late fall morning, we would like to get to the subway as much as possible. My family scurried into a sketchy staircase resulting in going down underground. WE walking into the metrocard station and my mom scanned it while making a wailing beep noise. We pushed the metal bar in front of my belly away from me and past it. Why would it look so disheveled? We waited into a super long yellow line, getting impatient. The screeching and light struggling to creep out of the tunnel finally escaped while carts with sliding doors opened and went to a complete stop. We slowly went in, worrying if my sisters would miss the train or if the doors would close on them. The rest of my family was sitting, only my father was holding onto the pole in the center of the train.

                      “Hey D! Sit next me me.” Amaya softly whispered. I softly dragged my foot while sitting next to her.

As we stopped, it felt as if there was a full blow to my head, and all of our heads swayed while the train stopped. Then after that, there was sunlight and people talking into the distance on the surface of the top of the stairs. Looking at the directory was WAY too confusing. The tunnels were built into one huge knot of strings. While we stepped onto the surface we really didn’t know where to go next. 

 About 30 minutes later and we ended up in the Rockefeller Center. My mother approached a supervisor and said,

                       “Hello, is this The Empire State Building?” asked my curious mother.

                        “No ma’am, this is The Top Of The Rock. . .” Loudly said the supervisor over loud noises of the city.

They were mumbling together of where it is, all mumble jumble to me. My mom grabbed my hand as hard as she could. (What is wrong with her and holding my hand when we go places?). Quickly help my sister’s hand while walking as fast as a race car. 

Cars zooming past, and people still not making eye contact when they walk past, (Not really used to that), and three huge doors facing me.

             My family stepped in front of the grey building, my head slowly turned up in shock and saw two golden words. It was so high up, I could not see it since clouds got in the way.

“Empire State”

 As I walked in, there were brown and white marble walls, covering all of it looking like chocolate. There were the empire state building statues in almost every corner. I was never expecting this after being in the subway.