New York City

Big Apple, here I come. The city that never sleeps. Everybody was in a hurry to go to work or somewhere else. I could hear the sirens of ambulances and police cars passing by. There were yellow cabs, numbered buses, and the subway. 

My sister and I bought a day pass. That means we could ride the subway anywhere in the city using a single pass at a discounted rate. Great!

We went to the Rockefeller Center, the World Trade Center (less than five months later, the twin towers were gone), Battery Park (where the Statue of Liberty could be seen from a distance), and the malls. Our tour around the city was highlighted by our visit to the 102-story Empire State building. The express elevator rides to the observatory were really quick despite the hundreds of visitors wanting to see the panoramic view of the city from one of the world's tallest buildings. True enough, the 360-degree views of the city from the 86th-floor observation deck were so impressive. Awesome!