It had been 10 years since I’d been to New York on business and 20 years since I’d been there for pleasure. And, dare I say, more than 30 years since my first visit to the Big Apple.

My first trip was on a chartered bus ride from Kansas to the East Coast with other high school students from around my hometown. I have no idea how many students and/or parents took that trip, but my random memories include fancy, knock-off handbags and watches for sale on the sidewalk, and the city was dirty (trash everywhere in the early 1990s). On the flip side, we saw The Rockettes perform at Radio City Music Hall, which redeemed any ugly impressions previously made.

This time the city was clean (I specifically noticed) and the knock-offs few. Instead of The Rockettes, I enjoyed a mid-week showing of Hamilton at Richard Rodgers Theater (and I can now remove my self-proclaimed title as “the only person left in America who hasn’t seen Hamilton.”)

Staying at Park Terrace Hotel near Bryant Park turned out to be an incredible choice, as well. With a killer view of the park from my 11th-floor room, I was enchanted by the city’s vibe, especially as the spring flowers were just beginning to bloom.

New York is represented in many different ways in movies and on TV. And to be honest, with more than a decade since I’d visited, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Turns out, the City That Never Sleeps has evolved beyond my expectations. I found myself walking street to street, in step with the crowd, feeling a bit like a local. I picked two random restaurants for dinner and enjoyed excellent appetizers that weren’t ridiculously overpriced. I also woke up to walk around Bryant Park early one morning, appreciating the calm beauty of the day before business began.

I’ll admit, in preparation for this trip I was not expecting to leave New York City hoping to return. But that’s exactly what happened.

I have a sneaking suspicion it won’t take another 10 years before I’m back.

— Carrie Cox, account executive