New York or Bust: Adventures with Latter-Day Saints and New Yorkers

I was warned before going to New York that New Yorkers are often rude, particularly to tourists. With this warning in mind, I kept my eyes and ears open for this kind of behavior, but instead was overwhelmed by the helpfulness and kindness of strangers in both Palmyra and New York City in restaurants, subway, and street corners. This experience, along with the beauty of upstate New York and the electric feeling pulsating through New York City, is enough to make me want to visit again.

My journey began in Palmyra, New York, where 21 Evangelical and Mormon scholars and students met for two days to discuss the topic of "revelation" in conjunction with visiting Joseph Smith's birthplace and some of the sacred sites where he allegedly received both revelations and the golden plates. This was a fascinating two days, watching and observing the respectful yet honest ways the scholars engaged with each other as well as contemplating within myself what might have happened as I walked through the "Sacred Grove" (where Joseph Smith received his first revelation) and meandering through the farmhouse where he dictated the Book of Mormon. The two days raised many questions and new thoughts for me and also helped me to see the value of this kind of dialogue which seems more profitable and truth seeking rather than the polarization and defensiveness that often comes through debate. Also, I had my own beautiful room in the hotel which was larger than my living space here in Pasadena! It was like a mini-retreat.

After the dialogue, two of the other students and I drove up to New York City and spent an exhilarating and exhausting 2 two days cramming as much sight-seeing in as we could. Aside from our many mistakes on the Subway(the first series resulting in us being buried within the system for about two hours with all our luggage) we had a grand time seeing Chicago on Broadway, Times Square, Soho, Ground Zero, Wall Street, Ellis and Liberty Island, Central Park, and many other sites. This visit merely whet my appetite for more exploration of the East Coast!