Feature story by Lovis Bienefeld
Monday:
It’s Monday the second of march. After a long trip that started at 2:30 a.m. at the students’ dorms in Port Angeles, followed by a several-hour stay at SEA-TAC airport (as I had booked a later flight than my classmates, Sarah and Gavin), I landed at JFK airport in Queens around 7 p.m. local time. I could move forward directly with my carry-on luggage. The rail connection from the airport to downtown Manhattan is straightforward. After taking the AirTrain to Jamaica Station, passengers can choose between the normal subway and the Long Island Railroad. I decided on the latter. After a little less than 20 minutes, I arrived in downtown Manhattan, walked out of the large station, and there I was. In the heart of the big apple, the melting pot, the concrete jungle where dreams are made of. There are countless stories and myths surrounding the city. Processed in thousands of paintings, books, movies, theatre, musicals and every other possible form of artistic expression. This city has its unique flair, time passes differently here, and it’s so intense—you feel like you’re right at the heart of it all, and somehow, you’re afraid of overlooking or missing something. I spent 24 hours in New York last year and was able to get a sense of it even in that short time. But that feeling really took shape during this five-day trip, and I’d like to share my experiences from it.
I walk out of the station and look straight at the Empire State Building. It takes me a moment to realize where I am, even though I won’t really manage to do that throughout the entire trip. Despite the cold temperatures in the first week of March, I also feel a warmth that seems to have gathered between the high-rises. It comes from the storm subway, the drains, old pipes, and the smoke from the joints that some people seem to be smoking as they walk by. The keyword is “movement.” Everything and everyone seem to be on the move. I take that to heart and just start walking. It doesn’t occur to me to check where the hotel is until a few minutes later. And as it turns out, I’ve taken quite a detour. It really shouldn’t be that hard-to-find Times Square from Penn Station even without a map, but oh well. On my way to the hotel, I walk past the famous Joe’s Pizza, where a long line of tourists has formed. It’s easy to tell tourists apart from New Yorkers. They’re less purposeful, waiting at traffic lights or at tourist hot spots. And thanks to the helpful guidance of Google Maps, I can finally make out the bright lights of Times Square. The countless billboards, familiar faces of celebrities, and logos of global companies—it’s a veritable sensory overload. Among the many fast-food restaurants, I spot the Raising Cane’s logo and decide to have dinner there after checking in. So first, I head to the hotel before I really immerse myself in everything I’ve already subconsciously picked up on.
My accommodation lives up to the city’s reputation. An upgrade to a double-bed room on the 40th floor of the New York City Marquis Marriott Hotel with a view of Times Square. It’s just unbelievable. Just a moment ago, I was in Port Angeles, sharing a room with my roommate overlooking the communal parking lot. And now this. The reason for the trip is the NYC Media Convention, which numerous college journalism students and professors are attending. As part of the Peninsula College student newspaper, “The Buccaneer,” I received an invitation from my professor, Richard Riski, who is also part of this trip. In total, we’re a team of six people: four students and two teachers. I won’t be meeting the others until tomorrow, though. They arrived a bit earlier and are all staying at the Edison Hotel next door, except for Chris, who arrives on Tuesday.
I could easily fall asleep right here in this room, but I just feel drawn to go outside, and besides, my stomach is growling after the long trip. Once again, outside the hotel, I’m greeted by that familiar warm, slightly sour smell. I like it. In Times Square, I see what I remember from my brief visit last year: several hot dog stalls owned by Arabs, and people with large cameras who take photos of passers-by without asking, before trying to sell them. There are 360-degree video booths for TikTok mainly used by groups of teenagers. Moreover, there are also bicycle carriages passing by with jukeboxes blasting out New York anthems by Frank Sinatra, Jay-Z and, most recently, Bad Bunny. Street performers put on shows for tourists and expect a generous tip in return. I walk past Spider-Man, Deadpool and a gorilla. I see Orthodox Jews and boys from the Dominican Republic dancing in different corners. This scene captures New York quite well. Jews and Arabs living side by side in peace, despite the conflicts in their home regions. Everyone seems to find their place here. No matter how conspicuous you might be elsewhere, here you can easily blend into the crowd. I see all kinds of couples and all sorts of extravagant outfits. Daniel Radcliffe, however, doesn’t manage that so well. He comes out of the side entrance of one of the Broadway theaters and is surrounded by a group of people. Because of his short stature, I can unfortunately only catch a brief glimpse of him. After a quick fast-food dinner, I head back to the hotel and fall into bed, exhausted. In one short evening in New York, I felt like I experienced more than I did in the entire last month in Port Angeles.
Tuesday:
Despite feeling tired yesterday, I had a hard time falling asleep; this is probably due to the three-hour time difference and all the excitement. But you shouldn’t be sleeping anyway when you’re in New York City. We’ve got quite a bit planned for today as well. I’m meeting the whole group at 10 a.m. The convention and its core elements Professors Boneita Smith and Richard Riski, and the four “students”: Sarah Rayne, Christopher Hart, Gavin Truckenmiller, and me, Lovis Bienefeld. At 19, I’m by far the youngest in the group and very annoyed that I can’t go to bars or similar places. I’m used to things being different in Europe and Canada. So, I’m missing out on the chance to meet lots of interesting people. But for now, we’re heading to the museum—the National Museum of Natural History, to be exact. At least you don’t have to be 21 to get into this place.
It’s a very impressive building near Central Park with several entrances. Sarah, Gavin, and I booked three shows about the universe and dinosaurs. In addition to these must-see films, produced using the best telescopes in space, there are countless other things to see. About the formation of the Earth, climate change, the evolution of humans and wildlife, and the cultures of the Americas and Africa. In total, we stay until five in the afternoon, that is, until the museum closes. After that, we take the subway toward Times Square and look for a good place to have dinner. I like the subway—so many different people and languages. We find a hidden Asian restaurant where mostly New Yorkers seem to be eating. Refreshed, we head back to the hotel. The others want to rest after the exhausting day, and I decide to work out a bit at the gym and then relax in my room. But then my thirst for adventure gets the better of me, and I head out of the hotel again. A famous from my hometown in Germany has opened a restaurant featuring, among other things, the best dishes from New York. I’ve jotted down his wide variety of restaurant recommendations and plan to try as many of them as possible. First on my list are The Halal Guys—a sort of premium version of Arab street food stands. The walk was worth it. I’m eating the chicken with rice and chatting a bit with the people at the stand. The weather on this Tuesday is lousy. It’s raining, and not many people are out and about. I can’t go to a bar either. Consequently, I head back to the hotel. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.
Wednesday:
After breakfast and a quick workout at the hotel gym, I have a coffee with Mr. Riski in the hotel lobby. Following yesterday’s registration, the first events are on the agenda today. The others and I attend a lecture on AI in journalism—how to use it as a tool, and how important it is to label its use. I was surprised by how many different AI tools there are and how unabashedly the professor suggested using them. It’s an important topic, and I would have liked to hear longer, more in-depth lectures on it. After the lecture, Sarah, Gavin, Kris, and I headed toward Central Park. We strolled through the park and took some photos. There was still some snow lying around from the heavy snowstorm that had hit the city the previous week. After a while, we got hungry and walked toward the Upper East Side. A very nice residential area with many townhouses, like those I know from European cities like Amsterdam. At first, we plan to head back toward Times Square, but then we spot an Italian restaurant and have a fantastic lunch there with authentic Italian pizza.
My thoughts, however, are already on what’s supposed to be the highlight of the trip. I managed to snag a ticket to The Stephen Colbert Show. I’m lucky, especially since the show is set to be canceled this May. So, right on time at 2:30 p.m., I’m in line for the show in front of the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway. A long line forms very quickly. Luckily, I have a priority ticket; otherwise, I might have missed out on getting in. Then the ticket is scanned, and I get a wristband. I’m in. It’s happening. However, another two hours would pass before I get into the theater. Because of that I strike up a conversation with the very friendly people in line. They tell me that actor Steve Carell will be a guest today. People have come from all over the country, some of them traveling here specifically just for this show. I start talking to a couple who work at the University of Michigan. We talk about the two German NBA players, the Wagner brothers, who played basketball for the school and are my idols. But we also talk about politics.
The line moves very slowly, but after the security check and a stop in the theater lobby, we’re let in. From here on, all cell phones must be turned off. No photos. The production seems to be very strict about that. They threaten to kick people out for breaking the rules. After we’re let in, an usher calls out to see who’s here alone. I raise my hand and am led to an empty single seat in the fourth row. The atmosphere is great. It’s a relatively old theater with a TV stage. The seats are super comfortable. Before the main show, a comedian named Paul Mecurio warms up the audience with an interactive set. He calls people up on stage and asks them questions. It is hilarious—maybe even funnier than the show itself. The production manager then tells us what signal he would give when we were supposed to welcome Colbert at the start of the show. First, though, we welcome the show’s band. They alone were well worth seeing. Then the actual show begins, the audience jumps out of their seats, and the rest is television history. It isimpressive to see how professionally Colbert hosts the show. Very polished, every gesture is deliberate—it is a kind of performance. The show touches on the Iran war, pokes fun at a promotional video by the McDonald’s CEO, and then, after a short break, the guest Steve Carell is introduced. Colbert said Carell is one of his favorite guests, and even though he probably says that to everyone, the two seem to know each other well. They talk about their past, when they auditioned for commercials and other roles, about Carell’s new show, “Rooster,” and the future. The show itself is quite tightly structured and flies by. During the show, the woman sitting next to me starts a conversation asking if I am German because I had laughed at one of the comedian’s jokes regarding the country. She is also from Germany (Bremen) and in New York for a week before heading to Mexico. What a funny coincidence.
After the show, I walk back to the hotel—it is located right near the theater. The Buc-crew is out eating Korean BBQ, but it is already late, and I do not want to keep them waiting. I decide to head toward Lower East Manhattan and check out some more food spots. I take the subway and walk to the famous pastrami sandwich shop: Katz’s Delicatessen. The sandwich is worth the trip—loaded with toppings. The shop is full of photos of famous people who had visited, such as former President Bill Clinton. The sandwich was pretty filling but having seen that the also popular Gotham Social Club burger place is nearby, I decide to try it as well. Overall, I really liked the neighborhood where both restaurants were located. Lots of bars and authentic restaurants. More locals and students than near Times Square. I want to see a little more of the city, so I take a late-night walk from the restaurant through Chinatown to the Brooklyn Bridge. The streets are empty, but I still get a good sense of the neighborhoods. I imagine how nice it must be here in the spring, playing on the basketball courts or on the chess tables. In retrospect, I’ve seen surprisingly few homeless people in New York City compared to other major US cities such as San Francisco and Philadelphia. This may be a false impression and not reflect reality.
Thursday:
I didn’t get much sleep again today, but whatever. Professor Richard Craig from San Jose State University is giving a lecture on their renowned student newspaper, the “Spartan Daily,” which has won numerous awards for its investigative reporting. I pick up some interesting details—about how to plan a story, how proper preparation is everything, how important connections are, that it takes courage and self-confidence, and many other things. After the presentation, I continue to look around the exhibition area on the fourth and fifth floors of the Marriott Hotel. School newspapers from all the schools participating in the event are on display, including ours. I read through a few of them. They cover similar topics to our paper—school sports and other events—but also touch on broader domestic political issues. Around noon, I have lunch with Richard Riski in the hotel lobby; he’s probably the most experienced participant at the convention and has been to New York many times. After our interesting conversation, I look forward to seeing my aunt and cousin, who are coming to New York City from Germany for four days. We hug each other in Times Square; I haven’t seen them since Christmas. Then we go to a café; today, like Tuesday, the weather is rather dreary. At four o’clock, my father also arrives in New York. He’s in the U.S. on business, visiting us and staying overnight. A real family reunion in NYC—it’s amazing.
We plan our evening and decide to head to Chelsea and Chelsea Market. It’s another impressive neighborhood. We walk along the High Line. It is a 2.6-kilometer-long, 7.5-meter-high former freight rail line in western Manhattan that is no longer used for that purpose; from 2006 to 2023, it was converted into a park, the High Line Park. It winds through residential neighborhoods; we see cool graffiti on the building walls. Then we head to Chelsea Market. A real highlight. There are food stalls here from all over the world. We eat a taco and then some Israeli food: hummus, labaneh, and other delicious dishes.
After dinner, we then go to a mini-golf bar near the market. I hadn’t come across that kind of concept before, but we really like it. My aunt and cousin then say goodbye to us and take the bus back to their hotel. We get off a little earlier and walk from West Manhattan toward Times Square. We’d heard about a good jazz bar called Birdland. The jazz musician John Pizzarelli is performing there, playing some of his own songs as well as big hits like “Fly Me to the Moon.” And so, another great day came to an end.
Friday:
This day was just as exciting as the others. Every participant in the New York Media Convention can take a tour of a well-known media outlet, such as The New York Times, The Guardian, or The Wall Street Journal. I was able to take a tour of the production studios and offices of the program *Democracy Now!*.
The tour starts very early because the show always airs at 8:00 a.m. local time in New York. So, we take the subway to the network’s building at the corner of West 25th Street and 7th Avenue. The elevator brings us up to the very tastefully decorated offices—a perfect blend of modernity and old-fashioned charm. Chairs had been set up for us in front of a glass pane that allows us to investigate the TV studio. The staff member in charge of tours gives us a brief introduction. Then Amy Goodman hurries past us from the green room with a quick hello and heads into the studio. Shortly after, the one-hour program begins. Following a brief news roundup, individual topics are explored in depth with experts and correspondents like Lylla Younes. The co-founder of Democracy Now, Juan Gonzaléz, also joins in, asking questions and offering comments. Just like on Colbert’s show, the discussion focuses mainly on the events of the Iran War and how the U.S. government refuses to call it that. I am again impressed by the professionalism of a TV personality. The way she hosts the show for an hour, repeatedly giving instructions to the people in the background. She also communicates with staff via mobile chat during the live segments, which is something I haven’t seen before. After the show, we are allowed to go into the studio and take a group photo with Amy. There are about fifteen of us students. Afterward, there is a short Q&A session with her. She wants to know where everyone is from and emphasizes that she always asks students this to highlight the diversity of the country and its culture built by immigrants. There is also a girl with roots in Lebanon, which particularly interests Amy given the circumstances. She is upset by the poorly planned attack and its numerous negative consequences, such as the large refugee flows it caused in Lebanon. As a co-founder, she also speaks briefly about the concept of Democracy Now! which is funded entirely through contributions from listeners and viewers, as well as from foundations. In that regard, it works out well that she must attend a meeting regarding a fundraising appeal right after the brief Q&A session. We are then given a tour of the rest of the production facilities, including the control room, sound studios, editing suites, and so on. It is a great insight, making clear that “Democracy Now” is a unique concept with a program designed primarily to serve an educational purpose.
After the tour, I meet my father right next to the studios at a small breakfast spot. We head toward Lower Manhattan and the World Trade Center. We look at the memorials on site for a bit and afterwards book a tour up to One World Trade Center. The view from the tallest building in the U.S. is spectacular despite the cloudy weather.
We meet my aunt and cousin in the SoHo neighborhood, another area I really like with lots of nice shops, restaurants, and sports facilities. We have a delicious Italian lunch, and then it was already time to say goodbye to my dad. While we were all hugging, actor Sebastian Stan suddenly scurries past us. Just New York things. I then walk with my aunt and cousin from SoHo through places like Madison Square Park back toward downtown. We see a few more notable buildings like the Flatiron Building and Macy’s. After a much-needed power nap at the hotel, we meet up again in Times Square in the early evening and eat at Raising Cane’s. Funnily enough, a DJ is spinning there, creating a great atmosphere. After that, we go our separate ways. They had walked 30,000 steps that day, being completely exhausted. But that works out well, because it means I can meet up with the rest of the Buccaneer group again. They are at the Carnegie Diner and Café, having dinner there. I order a cheesecake. We catch up on the past few days, talking about the various tours of the media companies, the convention, and the sights we’d seen. There is a lot to talk about.
So that was it—the last evening of the trip. We stroll around Times Square for a bit, and then we students decide to go to a bar. I hope that, just as I had been able to go out with my older family members, I would also be lucky enough to go to a bar with my older classmates. It works on the second try. But when we then want to get into a karaoke bar, my streak of luck ends. I go back to the hotel, which is okay since I have a relatively early flight back the next morning.
Saturday:
With my suitcase packed and having checked out of the hotel, I meet up with my aunt and cousin one last time at a breakfast spot: they’re flying back to Germany tomorrow. I’m running a bit late—at first, I can’t find the right subway station, and then I end up taking the line to JFK a little later than planned. I arrive at the terminal just in time for boarding and take the flight back to Seattle.
So that was my trip to New York City. It flew by, and I never really felt like I’d truly arrived the whole time. It was a surreal feeling. I could see myself living in New York for a while, maybe doing an internship to dive even deeper into the city’s world. I realize I’ve only scratched the surface, but even just that first layer that was revealed has left a lasting impression on me.
I am incredibly grateful to the school, Richard Riski, and the Webster Scholarship for giving me this unique opportunity. I am leaving New York feeling enriched and more determined than ever to pursue a career in television journalism.
