I planned on starting off by saying that I recently did this stake-out as a informational project so I seem super intellectual and interesting, but the reality of it is that I just arrived at our meeting spot a whole hour earlier than my boyfriend, so I had nothing else to do other than people watch. In those sixty short minutes, I saw just a brief sampling of what New York City is really about, and I found it so intriguing that I couldn't help but want to write about it.

In that short hour, I saw many different types of people. I saw everything from homeless men scraping pennies off of the floor to high-ranking business executives speed-walking through the station with their iPhones pressed to their ears, barking orders at whoever was on the receiving end of the call while also relaying the information to the secretary walking on pace with them. I saw eager tourists, spines bent with heavy backpacks while they pulled their rolling luggage along behind them. I saw little children, some clutching the hands of their mothers in fear at the sight of the rush hour crowd, while others, clearly already seasoned New Yorkers, skipped through the mass of bodies without a care in the world, their bright backpacks bobbing in and out of sight while their frantic parents quickly frantically behind them. I saw the typical artsy college student, picking a totally inconvenient place to stop and take pictures while the sea of bodies had to part around him. (I considered letting him know that now wasn't the best time for photo taking, but I thought better of it.) I saw more than one excited, squeal-heavy reunion, and a handful of tearful goodbyes. I saw people traveling alone, headphones in, oblivious to everything around them. I saw people traveling in groups, all nervously calling out to each other every few feet to make sure that nobody got lost. And I saw people in pairs, with their fingers intertwined as they happily pulled one another through the crowd, not letting the foot traffic spoil the bright smiles on their faces as they traveled to whatever adventure they were heading towards. (And then I smiled, because that would be me in a few short minutes.)

In addition to many different types of people, I also saw many different types of places. I don't even think it's right to call Penn Station a train station, because it's more of just a general everything station -- filled with not only trains, but music and flowers and drugstores and magazines and food. Pretty much any food you can image (or want) can be found there. There's Shake Shack for those who are craving some good burgers, Moe's for fellow burrito lovers (<3), Krispy Kreme for anyone with a heart who loves happiness, and pretty much anything else you can think of. And on top of it all, the building is bursting at the seams with people from all walks of life, all traveling, all heading to different and fascinating destinations.

What this all showed me about New York is truly how incredibly diverse and awesome it is. And that's something that I am incredibly proud of. I saw pretty much every type of person in that one hour; so many different walks of life were all coming together with no barriers or anything to worry about or have prejudice over other than who is going to get the better seat on the train. And that was a pretty cool sight to see.

So it just goes to show what sixty minutes sitting on the floor in front of Penn's Duane Reade can show you. For someone that has lived in New York her whole life, I found it more interesting than shocking, but to those who aren't from here, I can only imagine how much of a culture shock this one little train station may be to them -- and I don't even want to think about how overwhelmed they'll be the minute they step outside.