6th Grade Second Place - New York

The Kylie Klein 2nd Place Winner for 6th Grade is Riley, from a middle school in northern Utah. Congratulations Riley, for a well-written essay!

If I could visit anywhere in the world, it would be New York City. I do believe I've fallen in love with 'The City so Nice, you Name it Twice', even though all I've seen of it has been through movies and Google Maps, and of course, all the classic songs.

I would like to visit New York City because of, namely, Saturday Night Live. One day I hope to be one of the writers behind the show. I also love the New York attitude. In the small town where I live, nearly everyone is the same. Frankly, the thought of a bustling city where everyone minds their own business and you could meet your soul mate, your killer, or your idol on any given day, gives me excited goose bumps. New York, a city of beautiful lights, where there is always somewhere you can go (and you can get there quick, even without a car) and something you can do, comes up constantly in my dreams. Moreover, a city that Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and Frank Sinatra considered great enough to sing about HAS to be good.

New York is historically important or notable because, well, firstly, it invented toilet paper. Can you imagine a world without toilet paper? (Don't answer that.) Joseph C. Gayetty invented it in 1857, and he had his name printed on every sheet. Franklin Roosevelt, the only president to be elected four terms, was from New York City (I could meet a future president on the subway!). The Empire State Building has 73 elevators, and one can take you to the 80th floor in 45 seconds. What else...Saturday Night Live...oh, this is cool, the first mini-golf game ever played was on tip of a skyscraper in New York City in 1926. The first baseball game ever played was pretty close to New York City, in Hoboken.

When arriving in New York City, the first thing I would do is catch a subway to Times Square, where I'd buy a long, dreary trench coat. Then, blending in with the natives, I'd proceed to catch a taxi cab with a perfect whistle (I'm still working on it!) to 30 Rockefeller Plaza. I would spend a few minutes staring at the building. If it were winter, I would ice skate or admire the gorgeous Christmas tree, and of course, take tons of pictures. I would take one of the tours, no matter what the season, making sure to check out the gardens in autumn, spring or summer. I would go to the top of the building and take pictures like the nerdy tourist I am with or without my black trench coat. I would run through the halls of the NBC studios like a little kid, my trench coat flying behind me.

Then I'd buy a ticket for the taping of Saturday Night Live. I would stay all night to see the show. After, I would walk outside a take a deep breath. Then I'd go back inside to see if I could find Lorne Michaels. If I met Lorne Michaels, it would be the best night of my life. Extra points if I got to meet any SNL actors. I would talk with the pages until I was kicked out! But I wouldn't go to sleep yet, no sir! I'm in the city that never sleeps, darn it! I would stay up all night, walking around town and saying "Hi!" to my future husband/killer/idol. I would find a karaoke club where I would make a fool of myself singing along to Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York." I'd go to Central Park and watch the sun rise from a skyline. I'd walk across the street and buy a hot dog from a street vendor for breakfast. Yummy! Then I would empty my purse in my hotel room and walk along Times Square. If my bag is stolen, my day would be complete! I would go mini-golfing, watch "King Kong," throw stones into every river I came across, watch a baseball game at Yankee Stadium, see Madison Square Gardens, buy thirteen rolls of toilet paper (in honor of Mr. Gayetty), and read the New York Times fresh from the newsstand. I would go for a boat tour of Ellis Island, and go to the top of beautiful Miz Liberty. I would ride every single elevator in the Empire State Building, timing them all. If I were fortunate enough to visit during Thanksgiving, I would absolutely have to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! I would catch a taxi to Broadway and see as many shows as I could. I would visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I would go shopping! I would visit the Ground Zero Museum and reflect on the awful tragedy that struck New York City on a few years ago. I would visit the New York Stock Exchange and Niagara Falls. I would make sure to walk through more than one alley. I would have a New York style pizza and make sure to visit the other boroughs while I'm at it. Late at night, I would go see one of the many late night shows; Letterman, Leno, O'Brien, Fallon, Kimmel or whoever happens to be the rage when I'm an adult.

(Note from Kylie: Niagara Falls, while beautiful, is in Albany, New York about 400 miles from New York City. The falls are prettier from the Canadian side, so go to Toronto to see them, or cross the border. Also, Jay Leno is filmed in Burbank, California, Jimmy Kimmel is filmed in Hollywood, California. Most late night comedy shows are filmed during the day, with the exception of SNL, which I believe is still filmed at night!)

And then in the middle of Times Square I would stop.

And stand.

And breathe.

I would look at the lights and allow a dreamy feeling to overtake me. I would look at the horizon. I would look at the people. I would smell all the scents, good and bad, and listen to the sounds, be it cabbies swearing at one another, or vendors calling out their wares, or children crying or people singing. I would take a picture of the sky and whisper:

"I love New York!"

Then I would start singing as loudly as possible. No one would even look at me because we're New Yorkers, and we mind our own darn business. (That's simply my own explanation, I'm sure they would think I was just another one of those weird tourists, intoxicated with the beauty of New York.)

Finally, exhausted, I would go back to my hotel and crash on my bed. The next morning I would find myself an apartment so I could stay in New York for my whole life. There is just too much to see and do for one day, heck, for one lifetime.

But I'm going to try.