I travel 100 days a year, but I’d never been to New York City until now. There were literal highs but disappointing lows.

• I’ve traveled to dozens of countries, but I finally took my first trip to New York City.
• I was excited to see what the city had to offer since my friends and family had hyped it up.
• I loved exploring Bryant Park, but I wish I never visited Times Square.

New York is one of the most iconic cities in the world, and even though I travel 100 days out of the year, I’d never been until recently.

I finally took my first trip to the Big Apple in November. As my plane landed, my headphones blared Taylor Swift‘s “Welcome to New York,” and I couldn’t have been more excited to see what was in store for me.

In the end, my four-day trip surprised me — in both good and bad ways.