Day 2! Well, technically this was day 3, but since the first day really didn't count other than as a travel day, let's just label this day 2. The second day of getting into the city was like a breath of fresh air after all of the craziness of the beginning of the trip. It was a day to take it easy and just get to whatever we could and not have set in stone plans. That was just what was needed to get the trip back on a good note!

Not only was this more of a laid back kind of day but it was also my 22nd birthday! I couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate than being in the city. Up until now you may not have known, unless you know me well in person, but yes, I have an identical twin sister. Scroll up to see proof in the pictures. ↑

We celebrated our birthday by meeting up with a good friend who was already also in the city at the same time. Once we all got together we started out the day/afternoon with hot dogs - we were told it was a must in New York. Then we made our way to the New York Public Library and then on to Grand Central! This day we walked at a slower pace - which was good because I was in heeled ankle boots - and pretty much walked everywhere. I believe we only took the subway once, and that was just because my feet were killing me toward the end of the day.

After taking photographs at Grand Central we walked on down to the Flatiron building to take those blogger pictures - a must on my New York bucket list. After taking plenty of photos, we went on a quest to find birthday cupcakes. Who knew it would be so difficult to find in that area?! Finally we settled on some pastries and found a little spot to kick back in Madison Square Park. Our friend Jana was so sweet, surprising my sister Kelsey and I with candles, a happy birthday thing for the pastry, confetti, and a 22 number balloons.

We had our little picnic and went on to find a not so busy street to do a mini photo shoot with the balloons. The photo shoot was the best ending to the day with our friend Jana! We parted ways after that, and Kelsey and I walked a mile - did not think logically about how long that is uphill wearing heels - back to Grand Central. After that mile trot, we just wanted to sit still for a little to regain some energy. Instead of dressing up and going somewhere fancy like we had planned, we just took the subway back to Times Square to hang out a little before the bus came. We got cheap pizza, looked at souvenir shops, and browsed the three story Victoria's Secret. My feet were too tired and blistered up to do any more walking, so after that we just ended up sitting on the street waiting for the bus to come at the end of the  night.

Sometimes a slower paced day is just what you need, especially in a city like New York. I've never been somewhere quite like that, where everything moves so quickly before hardly having any time to really experience anything. Which is why this day meant so much and lifted my thoughts about the trip and the city greatly.

These posts are beginning to feel like diary entries, but I am perfectly okay with that. It gives me something to look back on, which is really what this blog is for. A collection of happy blur type of moments, caught and held in a time capsule to look through whenever I want to remember.