A Swiss, Australian and Serbian arrive in NYC

Serbian, Australian, and Swiss in height order along the waterfront in Brooklyn.

A Swiss, Australian, and Serbian arrive incrementally in New York City’s bustling metropolis, craning their necks to spy the tops of buildings shrouded in clouds.

A list 15 items long burned in the pocket of the young Swiss, whose European stature was struck by the often tacky, though at times curiously fashionable, atmosphere of Manhattan.

A mismatched, clunky outfit allowed the young Serbian to shove a closet of stylish clothes into the confines of a small, rectangular, carry-on suitcase. Though the arrival marked her third visit to NYC, the unending stream of information punctuating Times Square and infinite curiosities in the corners of the city allowed her stomach to tickle with excitement.

This well-intentioned, mid- September escape to the city was put at risk when the CANVAS calendar chimed, and Monday morning dragged its feet to destroy the detailed mosaic of NYC experiences and plans.

A niece of nepotism, the Australian led the group to her uncle’s apartment couched a few blocks East of Central Park. The group’s ‘local tour guide’ was a dangerous title for the Australian, whose inability to distinguish her left from right posed a threat to the grid board design of the city.

Though it would be logical to anticipate that the list in the pocket of the Swiss dictated the order of sightseeing, shopping, and siestas, the responsibility would fall to the sporadic minds of the three women whose collective capacity totaled 20,000 steps a day.

The trio in height order on the stairs inside the MET.

Indeed, how could one plan a day when spying the brownstones in Brooklyn led them to a picturesque picnic in the park followed by a march along a spectacular waterfront view of Manhattan?

Nonetheless, an evening of jazz defined their inaugural night in the city. Dizzy’s Jazz Club, and every jazz club it seemed, maintained a surprisingly complicated system of ticketing. It was reasoned that the trio could buy walk-in tickets and wave the 1-drink minimum with a flash of student IDs.

Reason was met with the intensity of the New York City public and definitively struck down when told the club was completely booked for the 9:30 p.m. performance. However, the ever-charming Big Apple explained that entrance to the 11:15 p.m. show would be swift and cost no more than $15.

The gift of two unanticipated hours in the city culminated in an accented conversation with an Irish bartender, who was housed behind the aged, wooden bar of the local Irish Pub, D.J. Reynolds.

Tackling three nationally distinct IDs made conversation with bartenders, security, and the like easy. When accompanied with smiles and laughter, it was as easy as sneaking a bag of carrots into the MET.

The leisurely walk from the Australian’s uncle’s apartment to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on day two morphed when the women’s attention diverted to the ornate display of art, jewelry, and food that lined the shaded walk to the MET entrance.

Entranced by potential memorabilia of their time in NYC, the three assured each other they would return to the rows of artwork and tables of rings. Serbian bargaining techniques juxtaposed the guilt-ridden Swiss, who clum- sily dropped and broke a cheaply made ring. This consumerist night- mare forced a powerwalk pace to the grand, stone archway of the MET entrance.

The group walking the Highline on their final night.

A VTSU metal water bottle effectively distracted security detectors to allow carrots, tomatoes, plums, peaches, grapes, Gruyere cheese with whole meal bread, and a bag of Lindt chocolate balls to gaze upon the intricately designed ceilings of the museum.

The Tree and Serpent exhibition of Early Buddhist Art in India dazed the trio as the veil of trance music, breathtaking art, and spiritual history replaced the jarring displays of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian history.

Armed with laptops, notebooks, and cheap umbrellas, the Serbian and Australian exposed their academic priorities midst the never-ending adventure of the city while trudging to the flagship New York Public Library.

The dreary rain reinforced the day’s goals for the pair, who accepted their fate seated in deafen- ing silence not daring to engage in their usual groaning and complaining at the perpetual pile of assignments and essays. The young Swiss bathed in her freedom. Having recently graduated, she exploited museums, coffee shops, window shopping, and the brutal noise of NYC.

The day ended along the city lit rails of the High Line; a spellbound Swiss gazed intensely through the windows of skyscrapers while trying to keep up with the endless drawl of philosophy spouted by the Australian and Serbian.

The adventure seemed a daze as the Australian and Serbian embraced the Swiss, whose adventure was far from over. The looming presence of the Greyhound Bus stood behind the trio as they tightly hugged, assuring that this trip was a precursor to many, many, many more.