This holiday was the second time I spent Christmas and New Year’s Day in this country. Two years ago, while studying in Germany, I had a three-week Christmas vacation. I purchased a ticket to JFK. On Dec. 23, 2022, I took my first step on this continent after a 6-hour flight from Frankfurt.

Meticulous planning was not necessary whenever I traveled in Europe because EU countries don’t thoroughly check visas or passports among each other. The trip to New York was a bit different, and I had to prepare several documents. Making reservations for plays and restaurants was another task, given the intense competition during the holiday season. I never expected that I’d be back in this country so soon, or even live here for quite a long time, so I planned carefully and diligently not to leave any regrets.

If you ask why I chose New York during the chaos of the holiday season, I’d say, “It’s all about ‘Friends.’”

As a huge fan of the TV series “Friends,” I’ve watched the show almost 10 times and naturally started to yearn for a life in New York City. Yes, I was aware that the life in the show was not real. Nevertheless, I had to check how much I’d love that metropolitan city.
There was no magic. I was just one of the giddy tourists, and nothing happened like in ‘Friends’ in 13 days, of course. However, I could check that I don’t hate New York – to be honest, I loved it, but it might be too early to say ‘love’ in two weeks – and found my own ways to enjoy the Big Apple.

OVERWHELMED BY THE GIGANTIC CITY

Marburg, where I lived in Germany is a small and peaceful town. You can barely find skyscrapers as it’s a historical village with over 800 years of history, and there isn’t even a single Starbucks.

In New York, I was totally overwhelmed by everything’s humongous size. Although I’ve spent my whole life in Seoul, the capital of Korea, it was a fresh feeling to witness the center of the economy and many different cultures.

My friend Eugene arrived two days later than me, so I was alone for the first few days. One day at dinner, I ordered a homemade burger at the diner near The Metropolitan Museum of Art and realized there was an additional cost for onions, tomatoes, and even lettuce. “What a capitalism,” I thought. There is an old saying in Korea, “You’ll get a cut on your nose with your eyes open when you go to Seoul.” It means that you can fall for a trick (get a cut on your nose) even if you are wide awake (eyes open) in Seoul because it’s so hectic and huge. I got a cut on my nose with my eyes open in New York.

ALMOST HOMELESS ON CHRISTMAS

Eugene and I have been friends for 8 years. It was the first time in a year to see her, me from Germany and her from Korea. I planned to move to a different accommodation after she arrived, and I was expecting a touching moment.

What a disaster. As soon as I entered the hotel to check in, I felt that something was wrong. There were Army personnel in the lobby, and the air was dreary. A man at the counter said that they couldn’t give us the room, with a long face. The hotel had gone bankrupt, and they couldn’t continue operating.

Bite me, the touching moment. It was a race against time to book a new hotel in New York on Christmas day. Fortunately, we found a room instantly, but we still ended up paying way more expenses than we expected. I got a cut on my nose again. However, I could see the Manhattan skyline from the room, and it was an amazing experience.

LOST IN THOUGHT, WATCHING THE SLEEPLESS CITY

At that time, Europe was undergoing severe power shortages because of the war. The Eiffel Tower in Paris and Christmas markets in Germany turned off lights earlier than usual to save energy.

New York was truly the city that never sleeps, as in Sinatra’s song. Manhattan didn’t go dark until 3 a.m. The other day, while I was taking a morning walk in the park, I found it odd that streetlights were still on even though it wasn’t that gloomy.

Finding disposable products was way too easy, and leftover food was rolling over the streets. I won’t delve deep into the environmental discussion this time. However, I thought it was meaningful to find an issue to consider through a trip. I smiled bitterly while looking at the sleepless city in a sleepless night.

New York is chaotic; some parts are dirty, and sometimes it’s dangerous. Metro stations are habitats for rats, and syringes of unknown origin are rolling around on the railroad tracks. The city is eaten away by Jay-Z’s song, and you have to stand in line to get out of Times Square. What kind of ‘square’ makes people wait in line?

Nonetheless, people still say how fabulous the city is. I am not so different from them. I still think it’s magnificent, a place where I feel alive. New York doesn’t need to make an effort to occupy the top seat of the “dream city” for those chasing their dreams.

I visited four museums in 13 days, crossed out one on my bucket list by watching “Chicago” on Broadway, strolled through the Financial District recalling a scene from “The Wolf of Wall Street,” and sat on the orange couch in Central Perk (the café where the “Friends” characters always hang out) at the “Friends Experience” (an experiential studio).

But if you were to ask what the most memorable moments were, I would answer none of those. It’s the times when I made jokes and laughed with my friend as we walked around the city when I received a compliment on my outfit while chatting with a random person, and when Eugene and I found a better hotel when we were almost homeless.

It has always been like that. The memory of sharing champagne with friends by the Seine River is more precious than watching the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The happiness of making dinner with friends in an Airbnb, surrendering to high restaurant prices, outweighs going up to the top of Jungfrau in Switzerland.

Perhaps the dream I drew from “Friends” is not just about “I want to eat that and go there and do this in New York.” I wanted to be Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe, even if just for a moment. I was wondering about myself, trying to fit into the new city, at least clumsily. It was enjoyable to discover myself, adapt to the city, and find my own joy there.

People don’t dream simply. They wish to feel deeply about the experiences they aspire to have. They hope to find a certain vibe in their lives. That’s why the idea of “me who learned something through the trip” sounds more fascinating than “me who has been here, there, and everywhere.” Perhaps that’s why living a month in different cities has become a trend among the younger generation, “Emily in Paris: is popular even though people know that real life in Paris is not like the show, and my friends, whom I met in San Diego, went on a trip to New York this holiday as if I had done two years ago.

Kyungmin Min is an international intern from South Korea.