1. Stop New York City

Published: 06.12.2022

Arrival

Our journey started with a train ride to Frankfurt. After an overnight stay, we set off early in the morning for the airport to catch the flight to New York. Almost 20 hours later, we arrived at our accommodation in Brooklyn. Due to the delayed flight, the long wait at immigration, and the long way to our accommodation, we were on the road longer than expected.

1st Day

For the first two days, we planned to visit as many sights as possible.

With a bagel in hand, we headed to the Brooklyn Pier to get a first glimpse of the Manhattan skyline. From there, we took the subway to Wall Street and walked to the 9/11 Memorial Pools. We continued through Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho, and Greenwich Village to Chelsea Market, where we took a lunch break.

View of Manhattan from the Brooklyn Pier

In the afternoon, we started with a walk along the High Line to the Hudson Yards, from where we took the subway to the Grand Central Station. There, we wanted to test if it is true that you can have a conversation in the Whispering Gallery by speaking against the wall in two opposite corners. And it really works!

Now the day was coming to an end and our last stop was Times Square. Absolute sensory overload due to all the billboards. We were also there at the release of Cristiano Ronaldo's wax figure. From there, we took the subway back to our accommodation and went to bed early, as we wanted to start early the next day.

2nd Day

Again with a bagel in hand, we started the second day by crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. From there, we went to the Staten Island Ferry. With this free ferry, you can pass by the Statue of Liberty directly. This way, we saved ourselves the relatively expensive tours.

View of the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry

Past the Flatiron, the Empire State Building, and Madison Square Garden, the next stop was the observation deck of the Rockefeller Center. At over $100, it was an expensive but well worth it experience. After a short detour to Macy's, we treated ourselves to a burger at Shake Shack and then took the train to Newark to watch a wrestling event. After the exhausting day, it wasn't easy to stay awake during the 5-hour event, but it was a cool experience to see how the audience in the arena gets involved.

The view of Central Park from the Rockefeller Center

3rd Day

Since we had already seen almost everything we had planned in the first two days, we could take the third day more relaxed. After a hearty breakfast at the diner, we took a stroll through Prospect Park in Brooklyn, where we also briefly watched some children's football games.

The last item on our list was Central Park. But since it was super cold, we didn't stay there for long. The temperature of about 0 degrees didn't deter the many wedding parties from taking their photo sessions there.

Since it was our last evening in New York, we wanted to go to Chinatown in the evening and have dinner there. After a short search, we found a restaurant where we could eat very well and, especially by New York standards, very cheaply.