New York, New York
PopCykol in the Big Apple - Part 1
Memories from my picture albums have been popping up from my trip to New York City. I have fond memories of my time in New York City. Twelve days was a long time and my lovely suite at the Westgate Grand Central Hotel quickly became my “home” away from home. I literally would say, “I'm heading home,” multiple times during my stay.
I had a beautiful view of the East River. On sunny days, I sat out on my balcony feasting on my newly discovered love, New York bagels. I still miss those bagels. There aren't bagels quite like that in Colorado. Where are New York-style bagels? I have a serious addiction.
The trip into the city from the airport was rainy to start and I didn't bring the right clothes, lots of dresses, but I lacked comfy, casual attire. My hotel room was spacious. I had a great setup to work and a nice desk to prepare for 12 days of in-person and virtual events. The room donned a Klimt print that lit up the room with its gold-flecked lady, Adele Bloch-Bauer I. The queen-sized bed allowed me to comfortably sleep and I was glad I brought my sleep mask to keep the lights out and earplugs.
It took a few days to acclimate to the din of the city. I wasn't used to sirens and honking all day and night. There was also a lot of building façade restoration occurring and the cacophony started early in the morning, but surprisingly it became white noise after a few days in town. Once the clouds were folded back from Manhattan, I could really see the beauty of the city skyline. I explored my new digs around the hotel and came across a deli for a bite. It's at this nondescript deli that I fell in love with the creature comforts of hometown bagels and oversized iced cookies.
I attended the Claire Fulcher Reception dinner with my National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Club (NFBPWC)organization. I met accomplished women from every corner of the world. For instance, a stunning astrophysicist from Spain and teachers from Japan. I met young BPW women who enthusiastically greeted each other and I joined the group meeting vibrant, intelligent women with similar ideals as my own who wanted to elevate, amplify, and promote women and women's rights. This seemed to be the organization I have been looking for.
It’s strange to think of it now, especially since I only started with NFBPWC in May 2022. However, that’s how quickly the career turnaround happened. It was in November 2022 that I started entertaining the idea with the president of the organization and that lead to my trip to NYC, being a UN delegate, and presenting on the topic of “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.” What a whirlwind!
