ARRIVAL
Horrible. The flight itself was great, but at the airport were so many people,
we had to wait in line for over 3 hours, hot, no drinks, security persons, who
constantly told us to get even closer to the people before us so there was no
room to move at all, just all in all an awful organization, and after we
finally went through that last security control, all our luggage was lying
around all over the place. For such a big airport, that should not happen!
BREAKFAST
very different. Either sweet (pancakes, muffins etc.) or warm, heavy and quite
unhealthy as well. With lots of coffee.
CARS a lot
of them. It felt like 80% cabs, 15% black or silver cars, and 5% limousines.
DRUGSTORE
yes of course! The only one I could find though, in whole NY, was Walgreens.
And it was not as cheap as I thought, but still, nice to see that those brands
actually exist ;)
EATING To
be honest, I don’t really know what American food really is. Burger King? Mc’D? Starbucks? When we went
out we always went for Italian, Spanish, Brazilian etc. But it was good and I
think it is nice to have all of that together in one city!
FASHION
That is a weird thing. When you go to Paris or London or any other city I have
visited so far, you can tell what the style in the city is. But not in New
York. I don’t know if it is because of too many tourists that distract from the
actual New Yorker, but I could not find out what is in style at the moment.
GARBAGE I
was surprised to see how clean New York is! No cigarettes, no papers, no other
junk, well rarely any.
HOTEL We
stayed at the Hilton Hotel at Times Square. Nice people, clean, excellent view
and the subway just two minutes away. Just don’t have breakfast there, way to
expensive!
IMPORT On
the plane they told us, we were not allowed to import any sort of seeds, foods
or plants to the US. So if we still had an apple from Germany with us, we
should either leave it in the plane or eat it while we are still in the air…
Just FYI ;)
JAZZ
According to my parents, New York is the city of Jazz. And because neither me
nor my sister are a lot into it, the two of them went to Jazz cafes in the
evening without us. But they told us it was good!
KANGAROO
okay, common, find a world with K that has something to do with New York…
STATURE OF
LIBERTY You can get there with a ferry, but the line was so long, it took us 5
minutes just to walk past it! So we decided that we wanted to do something
better with our time, and just took the ferry to Staten Island. It goes past
the Statue so you can get a good view and a couple of photos if you wish. On
Staten Island is not really something to do, but it was free, so why not.
METRO great.
In very good condition, we never had to wait longer than 10 minutes for the
next train and it brings you everywhere. I did found though, the stations in
London are closer together, so you have to walk less and the “please mind the
gap between the train and the platform” is a bit annoying ;)
NEW YORKER
very nice people! I cannot count, how many times we were standing somewhere,
didn’t know where we are and someone came up to us and helped us out, showed us
where we are or where we need to go. I have to say, I did not expect that.
Normally, in big cities, people like to stay very anonym and are a bit annoyed
by all the tourists…
OPPOSITIONS
lots of them! I find, what really makes America is the oppositions. Between
city and countryside. Between rich and poor. Between designer clothes and the
cheapest clothes I have ever seen. Between their dieting and health kick and
the food that you get. Just take the subway for half an hour and get out in
Harlem. Completely different world! That list can go on and on. Very
interesting, but, on the other hand, a bit frightening as well.
POLICE
everywhere. I have never seen so many policemen, security staff, cameras and
and warning posters in my whole life. I don’t know if that always was the case,
or just till 9/11, or if it is an American thing or because I have never been
to such a big city before. Again, on one hand it makes you feel very safe, on
the other observed and worried that that is needed.
QUARTER
why? Honestly, why? Why do you have a Quarter? And a one Dollar BILL?? Funniest
currency ever :P
RENTS don’t
really want to talk about that. High. Very high.
SHOPPING
well well… What can I say… It is definitely the perfect city to shop. So many
brands that I have never seen before, amazing. But, I have to say, it was more
expensive than I thought it would be (still a lot less than here!) and I was a
bit disappointed with Forever 21… Just not my style I guess.
THRIFTING I
went to a goodwill with my sister. More for her than for me. I got a lovely
dress, blue with white flowers, for summer or with tights and boots for now,
pretty proud of myself. But to be honest, I am not a thrifter. I just don’t feel
comfortable, and I rather spend more on something that has not been worn, but
hey, personal preference. My sister enjoyed it a lot, I think she found about
10 pieces, for less than 50$!
UMBRELLA
definitely. We had rain for the first three days, and it was cold for all the
days. Not the nicest weather… But I got to wear my sunglasses as well… once…
for half an hour…
VAT is it
just me, or is it weird that they do not add it on clothes and food or
something like that? Or just if it is more than 100$? Or 110$? Can’t remember,
but weiiiird…
BROAD WAY fascinating.
Obviously, when you stay in New York, you want to visit the Broadway! We
decided for Mary Poppins, as it is one of my favorite movies. It was really
lovely, not the easiest to understand, as all of the actors had quite a strong
accents, but the dancing and singing was just amazing. Even though they changed
the storyline I enjoyed it very much!
XENOPHOBIA
okay, I had to look into a dictionary to find a world that starts with an X…
and no, I haven’t noticed any xenophobia.
YANKEES
Yes, we were there. No idea who played, no idea who won, or what the rules are,
but hell, that is America! If you can, go and watch a game. Just for the
atmosphere, the anthem, the flag, the people, the fast food, just great.
ZzzzSUMMARY I
had a lot of fun. Especially at the Yankees Stadion, at Mary Poppins and while
shopping. It was very interesting to be in America and learn what America is
about, still, it won’t become my favorite city and I don’t think I will ever
live in there. For that, it is just too, I’m sorry, weird, too different from
what I am used to, and what I feel comfortable in. But I definitely recommend
to visit New York once in your life, as far as I know, it is certainly one of a
kind!
