Big Easy, Big Apple

Watching the devastation that Hurricane Sandy caused has been heartbreaking. It hits too close to home. It reminds me of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I feel for the New Yorkers because I know what it feels like.I know the pain of not having electricity, not being able to go home, to seeing places that are no longer there. It hurts in a way nothing else has. If you have never lived through a natural disaster, you cannot truly get this. Hurricane Katrina showed me that people still have compassion for their fellow Americans. I met the best people who offered kind words, food and shelter and more. These people gave me hope. They helped me keep the faith. That is something that can not be measured. It is something that can only be felt in one's heart. I know that New Yorkers are experiencing that same feeling right now.

I follow a blog titled Nola Girl: With Love and she has started this Facebook page, From the Big Easy to the Big Apple, to show love from us to them. This is a wonderful idea. People in New York/New Jersey area need to know that we here in New Orleans are keeping them in our prayers. We know their pain, their struggle, their heartache. I love the sentiment behind this effort. There is a tumblr page dedicated to Sandy victims from Katrina victims. It's called SandyKatrina. There are pictures with words of encouragement from native NO Katrina survivors to Hurricane Sandy survivors. a kind word can take one a long way. I know this from experience. This is just something that warms my heart. It's a personal thing for me. I am still praying for everyone affected. So to all those in the affected areas of Sandy's wrath, it gets better. You rebuild and move on. It will be hard work but well worth it. Your lives were spared and this is the most important matter. Love from all the way down here in the Big Easy all the way to the Big Apple.

#30in30: Places I Must Visit: New York City

I decided to go domestically with this pick. I'm always choosing other continents for these posts. One place on my list has to be New York City. I've wanted to explore this city for years. I've never had a reason to go. Nor did I ever have anyone to go with. I do not believe that NYC is the type of city one visits alone. I do not think I could live there. I am not interested in taking the subway at all. I just want to walk the streets of the city. Would love to just get lost in the city for a few days. Soak in everything that NYC has to offer me. 

Of course, I want to do all of the tourist things. I want to see the sights. The Statute of Liberty, Times Square, the Empire State Building are among the sights I have to see. I especially want to see what Brooklyn 's like. I want to eat at the most authentic New York spots. Oh, I definitely want to have dollar pizza and Shake Shack. I want to experience the NYC nightlife. SOB's, 40/40, Greenhouse (if it ever reopens) have been mentioned to me. I want to walk through Central Park during the day. I want to walk through Harlem. I want to see Wall Street and see a play on Broadway.

Mainly, I just want take in the hustle that is NYC. I'm sure that it is so different than my city. New York is the Big Apple where everything is fast. While New Orleans is the Big Easy, where everything is laid back and easy. No matter, I need to see it for myself. It's the place in the U.S. I've wanted to visit for as long as I could remember. As a college student, I was planning a trip that my Mom promptedly nixed. She was not having it. Now,that I'm older, I feel like this trip is long overdue. So, soon NYC needs to see me.