The American Experience

The Ultimate American Experience The American experience means different things to different people. When asked what the American experience meant to her one word came to mind, Freedom. She is free to make her own choices, move about the country, speak her mind and experience different cultures. America, also known as the “Land of the Free”, is a place of opportunity. One experience combined all of these into the ultimate American experience for her. It was the December of 2011, and she finally received the email including all the details for her upcoming work retreat. The company was taking everyone to New York City for a week to celebrate the firm’s accomplishments. She immediately went over to her co-workers office to discuss the trip. Where would they go first? There is so much to see and do in New York City, and they were free to see it all. New Year’s Eve in New York is one of the biggest parties of the year in the United States. Over a million people from all over the world attend the celebration each year. She was not just excited to celebrate the New Year in New York City, but excited to experience a different part of America. New York City is an accidental cultural collage of people, food and experiences. It had been a dream of hers to go the big city one day. She felt honored to live in a country that let her fly freely to other parts of the country. This made her instantly think of 9/11 and how the country came together on that day. She glanced out the window as they descended into LaGuardia Airport, and saw the American Flag flying high. She would have to visit Ground Zero while here and pay her respects. The hotel shuttle was waiting for them as they stepped outside. It was just a short ride to the hotel, but there was so much to see in that ride. This was a melting pot of cultures. Asians working in deli’s selling fajitas, a multi-race couple walking down the street holding hands and a gay couple passing them, Greek food trucks selling gyros to hipsters, homeless people begging for spare change and business men throwing them a few quarters into their cups. Americans living day to day, how they want to live. They finally arrived to the hotel. It was the Waldorf Astoria. A well-known, ritzy hotel located in Manhattan, NY. Her and her roommate go up their room, unload suitcases and head out to explore the city and what it has to offer. They wanted to walk from their hotel to Times Square and along the way stop somewhere to eat. They stopped at an Irish bar that had American/Irish food. The bartenders had Irish accents and when asked about them stated where they were from in Ireland. One bartender said he was living the American Dream. He moved here from a poor town in Ireland only to become a citizen and open up this bar. He said he loved this country because of all the opportunities. It made the girls feel good about their country; a country where people could open up business and succeed on their own. As the girls walked on, they passed a street entertainer playing an acoustic guitar. He was good and had drawn a crowd. He had the freedom of to speak his mind through song to others. They eventually reached Times Square; it was by far the busiest part of the city that they had seen so far. It was dark out by this time, but the lights in Time Square made it seem like it was two in the afternoon. The girls stood in the middle of the excitement, taking in everything. There were so many stores, people moving about and smells from all street food vendors. It was magnificent. They had arrived in New York. A few days later a group went to the World Trade Center Memorial. September 11, 2001 was a horrible day for Americans. The United States had been terrorized by a group who was trusted to be a part of the country. A lot of innocent people died that day. They are now memorialized at this memorial. Being at this location made her sad and angry, but proud to be an American. America has an Army filled with men and woman who choose to defend it. People from all different cultures came together on that day as Americans. She thought of her brother who fought for the freedom of the United States. He had the freedom to enlist in the Army. The visit to New York was winding down. Tonight they would celebrate a New Year. Her and her roommate, dressed up in their sequin party dresses, met a group of co-workers in the lobby to go dinner. They had a list of top notch restaurants in the area and narrowed it down to one. After dinner, they headed to Time Square to see the ball drop. They could not get to the street where you could see the ball due to numerous police barricades. So they walked in an Irish bar close by and watched on television. They could hear the roar of Time Square when the clock hit midnight. Everyone was hooting and hollering in the bar and outside. People all around hugging each other like they won something and maybe they did. All of these people had the freedom to be here and celebrate. To live their American dream, whatever that might mean to them. American is the land of opportunity and freedom; being in New York City just reminded her of this. It was a true American Experience for her.