Column by Stephanie Kocer

New York City is a pretty glorious place for many reasons. As you read this, I am currently touring the Big Apple with some of the other magazine majors for the annual magazine trip to New York.

I’ve been to NYC before and am thrilled to go back. It’s kind of the dream place for any magazine major. Here are the top things I’m excited to go back and see.

Magazines 

Let’s start off with the reason I’m really going back in the first place. NYC is a hub for big name publications from Entertainment Weekly to Rolling Stone. It’s a place where any magazine lover can feel right at home. The city has resources everywhere for stories ,and the atmosphere is what any magazine major dreams of.

Brooklyn

Believe it or not, Brooklyn is just as cool if not more than Manhattan. It’s where a lot of young people live because it’s more affordable, and Jay-Z is from there.

People Watching

People do crazy things all the time. People do crazier things in New York City. Whether it’s watching a fancy business man walking (half-running) to work or staring in awe at a woman running while pushing a baby stroller, New York offers plenty of alternative sightseeing.

Walking

When you’re in the Big Apple, you have to act like you belong. It’s very easy to pick out the tourist in a crowd. This means you have to walk like you belong, too. You have to walk like you’re Dustin Hoffman in “Midnight Cowboy.” Stoplights mean nothing. You walk when you want to walk.

Times Square

Times Square is actually a lot smaller than you would think. It doesn’t have a lot going on other than flashy screens and Naked Cowboys, but it’s fun to stand there and know you are in New York City.

Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden is a fabulous place for several reasons. It’s the most famous arena in the world, and a lot of good things happen under that roof. From huge concerts to mega sporting events, the Garden is a New York staple.

Central Park

Central Park is a giant park in the middle of a concrete jungle. It’s huge. It even has a zoo. What is better?

“Friends” 

The perfect life is that of the cast of “Friends.” They have the stereotypical New York life. Their friends are their family, and they drink coffee from the same place every day. That is the life! It also helps remind me that real life in NYC is nothing like that. If I live there someday, I probably won’t have a Joey. I’ll just be a Chandler living paycheck to paycheck and drinking Starbucks.

30 Rock

Anyone who knows me knows I am obsessed with late-night comedy TV. I am an avid fan of “Saturday Night Live.” I think I’ve written about it a few times here in The Times-Delphic. I’m actually going to try to get in line Saturday morning to get stand-by tickets to see Seth Rogen on SNL this weekend. If I succeed, look for a column about that!

Cheesecake

Everyone loves cheesecake. It’s the perfect desert. Cheesecake in New York is a billion times better. It’s from a different world, and you can get it pretty much anywhere. Is it weird if I walk from magazine to magazine this week while eating cheesecake?

Kocer is a junior magazines and English double major and can be reached at [email protected]