Visiting New York City for the first time with only a backpack was certainly an experience.
We landed, after hours of flying and a further eight hour layover in Las Vegas, in the early morning. Yet, the city was pulsing with life, awake before the sun had fully dawned.
Everywhere you turned, there was something worth seeing.
At night, the vibrancy remained, and the busy streets basked in the billboard lighting. The lighting was so bright in NYC that, at 2a.m., I looked outside from the store I was in and I believed it was daylight.
Nipping out to explore easily turned into 15 hours of sightseeing, and the artificial glow kept us awake into the early hours. Backpacks grew heavy on our shoulders, but the pain never took away from the childlike wonder we had as tourists as we gazed upon the tall buildings and wide streets.
After quick pit stop at the hostel, and a donut from 7-11, we were back on the street to do it all over again.
Feature Image Credit: Emma Christie