Taking on the city with my BFF’s: By Lauren Matus

My friends and I took a bite of the big apple when we crossed the border into New York City. Gianna, the super fashionable, kind, big-hearted, varsity cheerleader, Jamie, the friend one can talk to about anything and the life of any party, Becca, the funniest person I know and the most genuine, and Beth, the birthday girl through this New York City experience and such a down to earth person. Lastly, there's me, Lauren, also known as the “mother” of our friend group, and the one who tries to be there for her friends through everything. We took the train to the city and it was my first time taking it. The train was definitely no Polar Express with the conductor's hole punching the word "believe" into my ticket or saying “all aboard the polar express”,  but it was still fun. Once we were in the city, we took a few wrong turns, but eventually took a taxi to Max Brenner Chocolate Bar. I had the best flatbread pizza with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil, and then for dessert, I had a really delicious strawberry shortcake. After we ate, we went to the High Line and saw the prettiest views of all the buildings lit up at night and we took a ton of cute pictures. When it was late and time to go, we had about 10 minutes to get back to the train station, so we bolted across multiple blocks to get there. We kept chanting “beauty is pain, food is comfort” and that’s what got us to the station. That was the most exercise I had gotten in days! We ended the night on the train ride back, exhausted from the marathon we just ran. This was one of the best memories I had with my friends over the summer, being able to enjoy a day beyond the borders of our town. I can’t wait to make many more.

Our taxi ride to Max Brenner Chocolate Bar 

Beth and I at Max Brenner Chocolate Bar 

Views of the city 

Moments after running to the train station...we were a mess

I love my friends