NY Trip: Day One

So, today has mostly been full of travel. I got up and the most indecent time on the planet (3:45 AM), to catch my rather early flight (6AM). The good news? I was so exhausted, I slept for the first hour! I knit and listened to music for the nearly three hours after my nap, and only got restless near the last hour.
I had my stop at O'Hare, and expected only 20 minutes between flights. I was hungry (American apparently only serves drinks?), so I grabbed lunch and sat at my gate, where a flight to Austin was boarding. I chilled there for a few minutes, then started noticing that the waiting area was almost empty aside from those passengers boarding. Lo and behold, my flight had been cancelled! No big deal, though. They had automatically put me on the next flight, putting me only 35 minutes behind schedule.
When I finally got on the plane, I had the pleasure of having someone nearly my age sitting beside me (she was 26). We ended up talking for the entire flight from Chicago to New York. She was deeply interested in my degree, my future, and my trip. And goodness, she was full of great advice about what to see! It was awesome having someone friendly to talk to, and even though I know it probably won't happen, I hope our paths cross again.
When I got off of the plane, I got my bag at the baggage check and found public transportation. Very conveniently, there was a bus that ran from LGA to almost my hostel. It took an hour to do it, but once I got to sit down, I didn't mind a bit. Also, the bus had a luggage rack! These people are brilliant!
I got all checked into my hostel, which is amazing and worth the money, and headed over to MSM (Manhattan School of Music) to scope things out and see if I could practice. Turns out I couldn't (I called the teachers I'm meeting on Wednesday to see I'd they could get me admitted), but it was so cool how close MSM is to Columbia University. This all makes me want to go there so much!!!
After dropping my horn off back in my locker at the hostel, I took the subway down to Times Square. I felt so silly as a tourist, snapping pictures left and right, but it was worth it. I wandered uptown, after stopping to eat a hotdog from a street vendor, and made it all the way to 50th St before I decided I was tired and wanted to get back. I caught the subway, but did get off one more time to see Lincoln Center.

I think I found where I want to be. Seriously. Now I'm just praying that I can get here and go to school!

Til tomorrow!
Allie