This is New York!

TimeSquare

Last March 2015, I got the chance to visit and explore New York City. Despite all the encouragement I get from my parents and my sister to go to NYC, NYC was never a part of my itinerary because I think it will be very expensive to go there. However, when I decided to extend my stay and I found some good deals, I decided to go to New York City from my home base in Houston, TX. I also learned that NYC can be affordable if you plan it right.

I arrived in NYC around 6pm during my first night. It was already dark so I decided to go to Timesquare and stroll around.  Lucky for me, everything is still open till midnight.  I have 6 hours to kill before my bus to Washington DC departs and do what New Yorkers do.  Anyway, for the first few hours of my stay in NYC, I decided to eat where the New Yorkers eat. I found a good pizza house for a dollar per piece and of course "Halal Guys." I also tried going around broadway to check for ticket prices. I didn't go out of the area because it's already dark and safety is also a priority. United States is not as safe as Singapore so always take care of yourself.  Anyway, I just walked around and checked out the Empire State Building before proceeding to my bus going to Washington DC.
*BTW the weather during my 1st night was freezing it's around 1 degree Celsius. I went to Washington DC Around 12am and arrived there around 5:45am. I walked around DC until 4pm before going back to New York City. I arrived 9pm the next day.

During my 2nd night in New York City, I didn't do much. I just met up with my friend who I'll stay with during the duration of my stay in New York. He lives in Queens so we just went to his home from Time Square and shared a good dinner with his family. I also bought a 1 week unlimited train ride even if I'll be using it only for 4 days. It's not really that bad because one ride is 2.50$

Day 3 started in Queens. I learned that this area is full of Filipinos. It's pretty obvious because Filipino Restaurants are all over the place and of course Jollibee is just 1 block away from the station.

Based on my observation, NYC's subway system is old compared to the ones in Asia. I'm talking about Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, and Hong Kong. It's also complicated for someone like me. There are a lot of platforms you don't know where to go. Again, it's just me. I find it hard to navigate around.

Good Morning America

My first stop is Time Square since I need to buy tickets for the Broadway. I also passed by Good Morning America. Felicity Hoffman was their guest during that day. Anyway, I was able to get a ticket below 50$ to watch Matilda. I'll talk more about the play later as I go through this blog. After Time Square, I went to the Statue of Liberty.  I was supposed to take a cruise to the Liberty Island but I got lazy looking for the ticket office so I just hopped on the ferry to Staten Island. It's free and you can see the Statue of Liberty from there.  It's true when they say that it's just a small statue. I suggest that if you're going to choose the Free Staten Island Ferry go on a day with no fog or less fog. Luckily for me it's not very foggy that day.

9/11 Memorial

My next stop is the 9/11 Memorial. It's pretty hard to find because of the ongoing construction around the area. There's nothing much really but it's a good place to see especially if you want to see how it looks like now. After my short trip to 9/11 Memorial. I went back to Time Square to eat some Chinese Buffet because I'm very hungry.My next stop is the 9/11 Memorial. It's pretty hard to find because of the ongoing construction around the area. There's nothing much really but it's a good place to see especially if you want to see how it looks like now. After my short trip to 9/11 Memorial. I went back to Time Square to eat some Chinese Buffet because I'm very hungry.

After eating, I decided to go to FLushing Meadows because of the US Open. Nothing much to see again because Arthur Ashe is currently being renovated. Corona Park is a good place to see though.

Grand Central

After strolling around Flushing Meadows, I immediately went to Grand Central. It's a huge train station with a very nice interior. It houses the best Apple Store EVER! The food court in the basement is also awesome as well as the world foods.  You should not miss Grand Central!

Central Park

Of course, one should not miss the Central Park. This is by far the best park I've been to. It makes me want to stay in New York forever. It's a huge park filled with so many things. I can stay there the whole day. It was covered with snow when I went there. I wonder how awesome it will look like without snow. I bet it's better but a white covered park is not bad in the eyes.

My last agenda for the day was Matilda. It's a play filled with awesome child actors. It amazes how they were able to memorize a series of lines and act at the same time.  The play is basically the same as the Matilda movie but most of their lines are sung because it's a musical (obviously). I really enjoyed the play and I wanted to see more plays in New York. Hopefully when I come back. My day ended around 10:30pm. I didn't worry about going home because all trains and buses run 24 hours.  I just had a problem with the bus going home. I think it was delayed for about 30 mins.

Day 4 was my last day in New York before I go to Chicago.  It's the 2nd to the last snowfall in New York this season. The snowfall was so think that whenever if I open my mouth for a minute it will be filled with snow LOLJK. Anyway, I started my day a little late. My friend John took me around New York. Our first stop was Roosevelt Island. If you have an unlimited pass, you should try riding the tram since it will give you a great view of the city
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After our trip to Roosevelt Island, John brought me to the Public Library and Bryant Park. I can say that the library has a good ambiance for studying and relaxing. It makes me want to bring all my school notes and review it. It also has a good collection of books. The exhibit inside shouldn't be missed as well. Everything about NYPL excites me. Anyway, Bryant Park is just beside NYPL. It's also covered with snow just like Central Park. Anyway, I ended my trip to New York at Bryant Park around 3pm. My friend and I needs to walk to the station since I need to catch my trip to Chicago.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with my New York trip. I have no regrets at all. New York is officially one of the best cities I've been to.