Backstage with Sydney

 I know that it is a little late now, but I am finally sitting down and writing about Thanksgiving! I had the most wonderful Thanksgiving and that is all thanks to my new found friends; The Sherwood Family! So long story short, my neighbors back home; Lynnette and Mike Larsen have a daughter in Pennsylvania who they were planning on visiting for the holiday. When they found out I didn't have any plans they invited me to come stay with them in PA.  First of all, their home is beautiful. They live in this stunning part of the country, right near Washington's Crossing! It was so nice to be away from the loud city for a few days. I had never been to Pennsylvania so I was super excited about taking the train from Penn Station and crossing state lines. Kind of a dorky thing to be excited about, but I was. I got there on Thanksgiving Day just in time for some pre-meal snacks. Josh, Amanda, their two kids (Zach and Emma), and their Great Dane Paisley were so welcoming and

The New York subway system is really something.  I have to take the subway every day to and from school. I used to think that the subways were impossible to navigate and super confusing. I remember my first time ever taking the subway very vividly. I was here in New York on a performing arts trip my sophomore year of high school. We were taking the subway downtown and I was terrified as we went down the stairs. I was intimidated by the big gates; the trains were loud and they barreled by. I got a metro card with the help of my grandpa who was chaperoning on the trip. I could not have done that on my own. Then Liz and Robbins, my teachers, were explaining to the giant group of disoriented kids which train to get on and what stop we were going to get off. I didn't understand a word of their explanation. Besides, I was too worried about not making it on the train at all and being left at the station all alone. I watched crowds of people squish on the train, barely fitting as th