This summer I embarked on an expedition to a place not many people want to go. I went south of Manhattan and parked myself at the Pratt Institute for three glorious weeks. I was at Pratt for its summer program for people my age who want to make a career in the arts in some way.

I considered myself a Brooklynite. I obviously blended in by stuffing my face with almost too delicious foods like ramen burgers and cinnamon-sugar doughnuts as big as your head (that double as a lip exfoliator on account of the excess sugar) all the while when checking out the Brooklyn flea market on Saturdays.

I walked the walk, a swift quick pace so fast you forget that there is a multitude of your classmates behind you. I fell in love with Brooklyn. And I fell in love with Pratt. A beautiful campus located in Clinton Hill with so much to offer. My class consisted of 4 other lovely gals who let me into their lives so quickly; it was hard to fathom that I had met them just days ago. We formed a little tribe, looking out for one another in the city and had the best time going on food tours all over the five boroughs.

I have to admit. I had always had a little fear of New York. Don’t get me wrong, it’s the greatest city in the world as far as I’m concerned, but it’s a bit overwhelming at times when you get caught in the rain with all your homework drenched, and you have to walk 15 minutes until you get back to your dorm. So my time at Pratt was a bit of a learning experience. Not only did I FINALLY understand how the subway system works, I even went to the Metro Tech museum for the history of it (which I highly recommend). I walked down the street with a little bit more confidence knowing I was on the right street heading in the right direction, which was usually to the nearest Zara.

I never understood why people were so hesitant to go south and discover Brooklyn. Like Miranda on Sex and the City when she had to move to Brooklyn, she considered it the end of civilization as we know it. Brooklyn is vastly different from Manhattan. People aren’t crowding in on the street that much, and there is a lot more sky as my father would note.

But that’s the thing I love about Manhattan. The towering buildings. People rushing by heading off to who knows where. And possibly most of all, the smell of roasted peanuts as you enter Central Park. It makes my heart melt.

But Brooklyn is refreshing. There are trees galore and families strolling their fashionable babies everywhere. I just wonder why it ever took people so long to get here… But the longer I was in Brooklyn, sometimes it made me miss Manhattan more. But I would love taking the subway back to Brooklyn getting off at Clinton-Washington and take a stroll around campus. It’s the hard thing about New York: You fall in love with so much so fast.