I grew up in the NYC metro area. I thought shooting stars existed only in fairy tales like wizards and dragons.

Also ISS, We caught it last night and it was incredibly bright since it was just after sunset.

A good ISS pass should be visible virtually anywhere-- at its brightest (when it's passing almost directly overhead), it'll be either the second or third brightest object visible in the sky (behind the moon and occasionally Venus).

Yes, you can see it even in LA. It's pretty noticeable since it moves quite fast (takes around 3-5 minutes from horizon to horizon)

Yup, on a clear, dark night you should be able to see a few if you spend any length of time looking up at the sky.