USA 2014 - Road Trip with Nils

First of all: Since it is not possible to place multiple markers on the map on this blog, I have focused on the 'USA in general'. On the following image and in the text you can see where we have actually been... :-)

And with that, hello and welcome to the first entry on my travel blog! In September 2014, my brother Nils and I went to the USA for the first time. We spent three weeks traveling the East and (mainly) the West Coast and collected many incredible impressions of both big cities and breathtaking landscapes.

Our journey started on September 8th in the manageable, but beautiful Hagen a.T.W., our hometown, from where we took the train to Düsseldorf Airport. With a layover in Madrid, we finally landed at J.F.K. Airport in New York. Our first challenge: getting from the airport to the hostel in Brooklyn by metro. Sounds easier than it really is in a metropolis with millions of people, but we managed to do it after over an hour of travel. The hostel was great, but our first stay in New York was rather short. After spending the first afternoon in Central Park and the evening at Times Square doing some sightseeing, we had to go back to the airport the next morning - it was time for our flight to the Niagara Falls. It might sound a bit disorganized - one day in New York and immediately moving on? - but it couldn't be planned any differently, and it wasn't that bad. Speaking of disorganized: Our rental car, which was supposed to wait for us at Buffalo Airport, ended up all alone at Boston Airport (so many cities starting with 'B')... Hereby a warm greeting to my brother Nils. :-)

The sight of the Niagara Falls was even more overwhelming. From both sides (USA and Canada). Simply incredible and indescribable. See for yourself:

After spending a night at the Niagara Falls, we flew back to New York the next morning to spend the following four days there. We got the New York Pass to get free admission to the typical tourist attractions and in some cases shortened waiting times. We had a packed schedule and visited, among other things, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Top Of The Rock Observatory, and the Empire State Building, as well as the Statue of Liberty, Madame Tussauds, and the Central Park several times. On September 11th, we were at the former World Trade Center and witnessed the full extent of the memorial ceremony there. Everything was closed until 6:00 p.m. and only relatives of the deceased were allowed access to the Memorials. After that, we could also enter the grounds and explore the memorial site and the museums there. Pretty impressive and moving.

Oh, by the way: A little clothes shopping is a must in New York, of course! ;-) In general, it can be said that New York is a really beautiful and diverse city where you can easily spend a week. We haven't seen everything yet, and we will definitely return to the Big Apple at some point.

On Nils' birthday, we boarded the plane to Los Angeles. I had a seat on the aisle, Nils was on the other side, also on the aisle. An American couple sat next to him. Why am I telling you this? Because this couple apparently gave Nils the best birthday he has had in a long time. ;-)

They overheard our conversation in German (Annette & Paul) and we started talking because they have acquaintances in Germany. It turned out that Annette also had her birthday on that day and Paul belonged to the same professional group as me. ;-) Since we had no idea how to get from the airport to our hostel, they initially offered us a little trip to the beach and then offered to drive us to the hostel in their car. We couldn't refuse that offer. Before that, we got a little tour of their house and even got to drive Paul's Tesla Model S (>100,000$) ourselves:

At Playa Del Rey - 'The Jungle', we were able to change clothes in one of the private beach houses and go for a swim in the Pacific Ocean. Two friends of Annette & Paul joined us, Lynise & Johnny. Apparently, the two of them had organized a secret birthday party for Annette, as another couple (unfortunately, I can't remember their names anymore :-/ ) joined us later, and we celebrated Nils' and Annette's birthday in their beach house. A million dollar villa. Indescribable 'beach house'. It's incredible how someone can afford something like that as their (presumably) second home, but that's just America. :-) Maybe it's because of their professions - one was a director at the Universal Music Group and thus, among other things, the financial manager of Beyoncé, one was an architect who designed, among other things, David Hasselhoff's house, and one played volleyball in the US women's national team. And yet, they all remained down-to-earth and treated us as if we had known each other for years. :-) After enjoying the sunset on the roof terrace at Playa Del Rey with chocolate cake and tasty drinks, Annette & Paul, as promised, took us to our hostel in the evening, which was a bit further away from the airport. A huge thanks again to the super nice Americans! :-)

... To be continued ...