Stories from New York #3 Read Free Page A

to
City Nation
. Everybody ready?”
    Tally gave a whoop and grabbed my arm. “I’m about to step foot in New York City for the first time!” she cried.
    “Tal, you’re already here. This
is
New York City,” Ivy said, motioning all around us.
    Tally shook her head. “I’m not there until we go through that door,” she said.
    “Well, let’s not keep New York City waiting then,” Mrs. Scanlon said, pushing the door open.
    My senses were on overload the second I stepped outside. The sounds of cars and buses and horns and people’s voices made me want to turn in every direction at once. There were a million smells—hot dogs and car exhaust and, as a beautifully dressed woman walked by, a whiff of perfume. The buildings around us were so tall, I felt like I’d shrunk down to two feet in size. There were streams of people onthe sidewalk, all of them moving quickly, in a hurry to get somewhere or see something. If we weren’t sticking close to Ivy’s mom, I could imagine running up and down every street. I wanted to see it all.
    “Everybody keep an eye on Tally,” Ivy said. She had already stopped to kneel on the sidewalk, saying she wanted to get as close to New York as she could, and we had almost walked off without her.
    We walked single file on the sidewalk, making sure Tally stayed between Mrs. Scanlon and Ivy.
    “Is it always this crowded?” I asked Ivy, amazed.
    “Depends on the time of day,” she told me. “This isn’t even rush hour. But Thanksgiving week is a huge tourist time. You should see Rockefeller Center at Christmas when they’ve got the tree up. Now
that’s
crowded!”
    “Two more blocks,” Mrs. Scanlon called over her shoulder.
    “Where exactly are we going?” I asked Ivy.
    “Well, this is Forty-Second Street,” she said. “Our hotel is on the same street, but two blocks that way, just past Fifth Avenue. The city is divided into east and west by Fifth Avenue. So Grand Central is on East Forty-Second Street, and our hotel is on West Forty-Second.”
    I nodded, though I still didn’t really understand. New York City was complicated.
    We crossed a busy intersection when the walk sign flashed. “Watch out for the bike messengers,” Ivy cautioned. “Sometimes they don’t stop.”
    “Oh look!” Tally said, pointing excitedly.
    “Tal, get across the street first, then gawk,” Miko said sternly.
    “But look at the lions!” Tally cried.
    A huge, beautiful building that took up the entire block was on our left. A large staircase led up to the front doors, and it was flanked by massive stone lions.
    “That’s the main branch of the New York Public Library,” Ivy explained. “And all the space behind it is Bryant Park. Our hotel is right at the end of this block.”
    “So we’ll be near the Fashion District, right?” Miko asked. “This is amazing. I feel like I’m dreaming!”
    “Me too,” Tally agreed, trotting to keep up. Mrs. Scanlon was walking really fast. We followed her the length of the block to the next intersection, where Ivy pointed at a sign that said 6 AVENUE .
    “If for some reason you ever get lost, just get yourself to Forty-Second and Sixth. That building with the red awning is our hotel,” Mrs. Scanlon told us.
    I could not imagine being able to find my way to the hotel if I got lost. The city seemed to stretchon forever in every direction. Each building seemed taller than the last, and every sidewalk more crammed with people.
    Miko nudged me as we crossed the street. “Can you believe how casually she said that? ‘If for some reason you get lost.’ I would flip out!”
    “Seriously,” I agreed.
    “This is it, everyone!” Mrs. Scanlon said, gesturing toward the building with the red awning. A white-haired man with bright blue eyes held the door open for us. His uniform made him look very elegant, and his name tag said “Mel.”
    “Hi, Mel. I’m Tally!” Tally announced as we walked through the door. “This is my first time in New York