Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Big Apple of the United States, New York City. It has been over 8 years since I’ve been in the city, so I was excited to experience this largely diverse community for the first time as an adult.

While in the city and even after my trip, I gained a better appreciation and understanding for why people love New York. There simply aren’t many other cities with such a diverse population, endless variety of cultural experiences and visually varied landscape than the burroughs of New York. Every time I walked up the dimly lit stairs of a new subway station, I felt as if I were about to experience a completely different city.

In one day, we traveled from the suburban upper east side of Manhattan to the bustling hub known as Grand Central Station, surrounded by colossal architectural marvels that were an amazing feat of design in their era of development. What was more interesting however, was visiting the artsy, possibly hipster neighborhood of Chelsea. How can such a relaxed area with no building taller than a few stories be a subway ride away from Wall Street and Times Square?

In my opinion, that is part of the magic people see in New York. No matter who you are or where you come from, there is a part of New York that you will grow to love and embrace. New York isn’t all about flashing lights and subways. The Big Apple is an atypical, yet perfectly imbued juxtaposition of people, places and experiences.