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Why Teens Love NYC

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As teenagers, we love the fact that we are now old enough to do things we weren’t able to do before.  Stuff like coming home later, going places without an adult….especially going into NYC. You can see the excitement on our faces whenever we were planning to go to the city whether it was going to a ballgame, a concert or just walking around looking at the sights, we couldn’t get there fast enough.

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image via photopin.com

I remember the first time I was able to go into NYC with friends, it was awesome. It was the five of us, ages 15 to 17 all high school friends. How exciting is it for 5 high schoolers from the suburbs to head to the city? I loved the town that I lived in but once you get bored hanging out at the Starbucks, the bowling alley and hitting the malls. There really isn’t too much that you can get excited about.

times square nyc

image by kaysha

New York City has the energy and intensity that teens have which is one of the reasons why we love going there. From the moment you get off the bus or train, you instantly feel alive and free.  It’s not just one thing it is a combination of things, from the street vendors selling one of kind items to fake designer bags, to the musicians playing for donations while hoping that someone famous will discover them, you can just feel the electricity.

We used to go on the weekends during the day and sometimes on a Friday or Saturday night, just walking down the streets seeing all the different types of people dressed in business suits, khakis, shorts, hipsters, rappers, anything you could think of.  It didn’t matter where we went, uptown, downtown or midtown each area had its own unique flavor that made it special.

There are no shortages when it came to finding places to eat. In fact, we would come across street fairs or festivals where you could smell the delicious flavors that were flowing in the air.

Some of us love the arts so we would go to one of the many museums or galleries. While others love music which the city has plenty of, from large venues to small and quaint clubs. Of course, the other popular thing that we all loved was shopping, but what makes it special is finding those trendy places where all of you friends will say, “Where’d you get that?’ I mean you will not find this kind of stuff in a small suburban mall, that’s for sure. Who knows just maybe you can start a fashion trend back home.

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image via photopin.com

It’s funny those living in the city sometimes don’t appreciate what it offers, and those who do sometimes can’t wait to get away. I remember during one of my many trips hearing people going back and forth on the subway and how they couldn’t wait to get out of the city for the weekend or how they wished they were living outside the city, while so many of us were just the opposite. We couldn’t wait to be a part of it.

As teens, we love coming here because for one day we are on our own, feeling free with the world, opportunities at our fingertips, doing what we want to do. If it’s wild, crazy or different it’s New York City, and we wanted it and appreciated it.

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