The Big Apple.
Let's go, first day of my
hu(uuuuuu)ge trip. For the moment, I'm here and I don't even know when I will
come back to France. I didn’t book the flight! So, I can simply enjoy my
journey, I worked all year to make it, so money isn't a problem.
DAY 1:
After the long flight (it was
the first time I had taken a plane for more than 3 hours, so yes, Paris/New
York was very long for me.), New York, here I am. That was what I thought at
the beginning, but in fact, the airport was quite far from Manhattan, and my
hotel. So I took a first subway, then a second, and I was in Manhattan. My
first impression was "Are they always in a hurry like that ?!". I
don't really like Paris because there are a lot of cars everywhere, and people,
and it's very noisy. Manhattan was exactly the same.
The metro station was just next to my hotel, The Pod 51, that was quite cool,
because then I could travel easily into the city! Because of the jet lag, I
started with a nap, and after two hours of sleep, I decided to walk to Central
Park. I think that was the best idea.
When I left the hotel to go to Central Park, I noticed there was a restaurant
called "Le Bateau Ivre" just next to the hotel entrance, it was quite
funny ! At the beginning I thought that it would be difficult to find my way in
Manhattan but after all, not really, and with my smartphone it was easy!
First I took Park Avenue and
turned at the 60th Street. I arrived in Central Park, in approximately 15
minutes! The park was so calm, peaceful, even if there were a lot of people.
There were a lot of statues of many famous characters, like William
Shakespeare, and, surprisingly, animals! I walked a little bit more than 2
hours in the southern part of the park! I enjoyed it so much!! I will come back
next week to visit the other part. My trip began perfectly.
DAY 2:
To begin the day, and my visit
of Manhattan, I bought my ticket for the bus Hop-on Hop-off. During 2h30 I
crossed Downtown and a part of Midtown on board a double-decker bus ! That was
very nice. I found my bearings and located essential places that I will visit
later! The tour started on Times Square, and that was where I had my lunch, in
an amazing restaurant: Bubba Gump, a wink to the film Forrest Gump. My afternoon
was crazy! I first of all went to Times Square, to the M&M's store, the
Hershey's store and the Levi's store. I also met the man called « Naked
Cow Boy » and I ate a cheesecake at Junior's! With my two new jeans, I
went on to Rockfeller Plaza and thanks to my New York City Pass, I climbed on
the top of the GE Building, on Top of the Rocks! The view was so amazing, I
could see all Midtown and Central Park. That was the best thing I did today. I
also walked in the Concourse. The next step was the St Patrick Cathedral, the
biggest and I think the most beautiful church of the United States. I finished
by seeing the Grand Central Terminal, a mythical place of NYC.
DAY 3:
On this Sunday morning, I did
the guided tour of Harlem. It began at 9.30 AM near Times Square. During the
ride, the guide told us the specificity of the Harlem community and their
traditions. I thought that Harlem was a dangerous district, but it didn't seem
like it. The tour continued with a gospel mass. That was awesome!! We eventually
ate the typical food of Harlem: the Soul Food. In the afternoon, I decided to
return to Central Park, because I was just next to the part I hadn’t visited
the last time. I saw several people cycling in the park, so I decided to do the
same thing, and I rented a bike. I rode my bike during one hour and I went to
the American Museum of Natural History. It was included in the New York City Pass,
so I did it. At the beginning I didn’t want to visit it, but it was really
interesting, so I didn't regret it. At that moment, I did everything I wanted
to do, and had some extra time. I remembered about the Zoo of Central Park, so
I went. It was funny, I was like a child in front of red pandas, leopards and
other really cute animals! I was lucky because the Zoo welcomed two white tigers,
and it was open until 7 PM. To end my day, I dined in a MacDonald's restaurant.
DAY 4:
I left the hotel early,
because I had a lot to do. First, I had to buy food to make a picnic for lunch.
I went to Little Italy, and on the way I found a Fairway market, which was
perfect for my shopping. I explored Little Italy and the district just beside
it, Chinatown, two historical parts of the Big Apple. I continued by visiting the
new One World Trade Center, which is the tallest tower of Manhattan now. Then I
went to the 9/11 Memorial and the ground Zero. That was a very emotional
moment, despite the huge number of tourists there. I really felt what that day
must have been for Americans. After a symbolical picture of the Statue of
Liberty, I took the ferry to Liberty Island, and then to Ellis Island. There, I
visited the Museum of Immigration, but it wasn’t the best thing I did...
However, the Statue of Liberty was so impressive, it’s enormous, I understood
why it’s the symbol of New York. They are both never sleeping and gigantic.
Then I came back and crossed over Wall Street before returning to the hotel
before the rain fell.
DAY 5:
The rainy night didn’t change
my plans for the day. I took the metro to High Line Park, a park suspended by
ancient rails. From that height, the noise of the town was lessened and it was
fantastic! The park is a heaven of greenery and tranquility! After that
peaceful walk, I went to the district of Chelsea and then to Greenwich Village,
two typical districts of the city, with outdoor stairs. I felt like I was in an
American series that took place in the Big Apple with the clichés I found here!
For lunch I bought a real hot dog near to the Madison Square Garden, the
mythical arena. I’m a fan of basketball, so coming here was an obligation for
me! I lazed and rested all afternoon, because the rain came back. I ate early
in Gallagher’s, a famous steakhouse of Times Square. The meat was so delicious,
Americans also know how to cook! The only problem was the price, it was really
expensive, but once in a week is not a tragedy. I ate quickly, because I wanted
to go to Broadway, but I didn’t want to pay too much for the show, so I went to
TKTS. It’s a ticket shop for Broadway shows, with 50 or 60% reduction. There
were a lot of people like me, but I managed to get my ticket for the Mamma Mia
Show! It was an amazing experience, I love Abba music, that was absolutely
perfect.
DAY 6:
My day began with the visit of
the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York, the equivalent of Le Louvre.
There were so many things to see: paintings, sculptures, architecture, litterature…
There were works from all over the world, some masterpieces of Monnet or Degas.
Even if you don’t like art and museums, it’s impressive. I stayed there all morning
until 2 PM. I ate at The Halal Guy, a famous street cart on 5th Avenue. For the
afternoon I wanted to do some shopping so I went to HollisterCO, Abercrombie
& Fitch, NBA store, Apple Store, GAP, H&M, Niketown, Paul Smith, Yankee
Clubhouse Shop, etc… There were so many gigantic shops of many brands that I love.
It was amazing! The weather became better and better, perfect for what I wanted
to do after. Indeed, after my dinner, I decided to go to the Empire State
Building. I’ve already done the Top of the Rocks, so I wanted to do the Empire
State Building by night. It was a pretty good idea because the view was beautiful.
I saw all of Manhattan. Splendid!
DAY 7:
Today, I wasn’t alone. A friend who lives in NYC for the year guided me for
the day. We took a taxi to Brooklyn, crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, the most
famous bridge of Manhattan, and stopped at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It is a
very pretty garden, with some different little gardens of different types of
flowers, trees and vegetation. We ate a picnic in the park and we just spoke
together. It was really cool, and I enjoyed the fact of being with somebody. I
began to feel quite lonely. At the closing time of the park, we took another
taxi to the place where I spent the most time, Times Square. My friend showed
me some things I hadn’t seen before, little details that just inhabitants of
the city know. We finally dined at P.J. Clarke's, a little bar restaurant with
a small concert inside, with very good American burgers. It was a really nice
day, but it was my last day in NYC. I had a great time, and it was a perfect
beginning for my trip through the USA !