This weekend has been a whirlwind of events to say the least. Possibly the biggest adventure three suburban girls could take during Spring Break. We have been through the wringer and back and not only did we survive, but we have emerged as braver-ish, smarter-ish, and grown-ish young women.
Okay, shall we start from the beginning? Here it goes. This 2019 Spring Break, my two best friends – let’s call them Sunny and Muscles – and I decided to spend a few days in New York City without the ‘rents. Now, this was the very first time we had ever gone to the city alone without a keeper micromanaging our every step. In fact, this was Sunny’s first time being there at all. It was the most exhilarating feeling having freedom in a place full of endless possibilities. . . so you can see how the allure of this amazing city distracted us from the fact that New York is literally THE grand hub for petty crimes. Crimes such as pickpocketing. Yes, we were robbed, and it was the worst kind of robbery because we never even saw the dude who did it.
The morning of our misfortune started off like no other. You could see the gleam in our eyes as we got ready for a day of shopping in SOHO and walking around Times Square. The first place we wanted to hit was this popular comic book store right around the corner from the hotel. I’d say we spent about 45 minutes sifting through stacks of comics in this closet sized room. But it was totally worth it because we each walked out with something cool. I got a comic called Silk – if you only knew one thing about me, it should be about my love for all things Spider-man related – so that was an exciting stop. The next place on our list was The Strand, a popular bookstore, so we left the comic store and found ourselves back on the bustling streets.
As we started walking down the street it occurred to us that we had no idea where we were going so being the silly nonurban girls that we are, we stopped right on the street and pulled out directions. I knew this probably wasn’t the best idea but there’s no arguing with Muscles when she has her mind set. In the same moment Sunny’s dad called, so we just kind of chilled off to the side for a hot second. When she hung up we immediately got a move on towards our destination. But, as soon as we crossed the street Sunny goes, “Guys! I don’t have my phone.” My face dropped so low I was practically dragging it across the ground.
We knew this would be a humongous “I told you so” moment when we’d call our parents, but the first thing we did was go back to where we stopped to see if it dropped. I was not surprised when all we found was some dried up gum and an empty coffee cup. After we realized it was probably taken, we used Find my iPhone and tracked it 2 streets away. We called the police and told them the whole story. We only had to wait two hours, but when they finally showed up we hopped in the squad car and took off to find the perp. Unfortunately, Track my iPhone took us to an apartment building where we could not track the exact location of the despicable person who stole the phone.
We wrapped up the search by filing a report with the NYPD and being escorted to the nearest AT&T where Sunny purchased a brand new phone. Ultimately, this whole experience could have resulted in a number of horrible outcomes, so I’m very glad that the phone was the only thing tampered with. We also learned important lessons: never put anything of value in your back pocket – sorry ladies, the struggle of tiny front pockets is real – and if you have a good reason to replace your phone your parents might get you an upgrade. Hello portrait mode! But in all seriousness, we are living in an age where even the most strong and capable women still have to take extra precautions sometimes. In places like New York City we will probably be targeted based on preconceived notions. It’s time to get it right. We are not delicate flowers to be taken advantage of, we are unmistakably fierce and able women.
Featured Photo by Matthew Hamilton on Unsplash
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