New York, you had us at hello

After our two-hour bus ride from Philadelphia to New York City, we couldn't wait to explore the popular and exciting metropolis of New York City.

Excited and full of anticipation, we called an Uber at the bus station to quickly get to our Air BnB in Brooklyn.

We left the bus station loaded with backpacks and were overwhelmed by the colorful lights and tall skyscrapers that greeted us on the street. With this sight, our excitement grew, and we couldn't wait to roam the streets of New York.

So far, so good, we set out to find our ordered Uber, which turned out to be a bit tricky as it felt like there was a 24/7 rush hour. Until a big, black, luxurious Cadillac turned the corner. We couldn't believe our eyes and hopped in, heading to Brooklyn.

After the nice Uber driver brought us to our Air BnB, we were greeted with a little shock. A note on the door stated that this apartment was life-threatening and should not be entered.

With not much choice, we entered anyway, and on the inside, there was another note, stating that we shouldn't let the police or bailiffs in.

As it goes, we came up with the wildest stories about what that meant. We immediately messaged our landlord, who simply said not to worry.

So we asked our roommates, but they couldn't tell us much either. It should be mentioned that we tried a different type of Air BnB. We lived in an apartment with other travelers, each having their own room, but the kitchen and bathroom were shared (similar to a hostel). However, we never saw the landlord who was supposed to live there.

Well, we had no choice but to stay there since it's hard to find another affordable accommodation in NYC right away. So we settled in our room and unpacked our luggage.

After that, we went to the mall to do our weekly shopping.

However, we made a big mistake... Mac n Cheese from a package. Because we didn't want to spend much, we made a huge portion of the cheap stuff. Rarely have any of us eaten something as disgusting. It was pure torture, but it was better to have disgusting food than no food at all, so we all suffered from stomachaches.

The next day was dedicated to sightseeing. We wanted to see as much as possible, so we visited many different spots, such as the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Dumbo (a neighborhood in Brooklyn), the One World Trade Center, and the 9/11 Memorial. At the end of the day, we also visited the Statue of Liberty and City Hall.

We were overwhelmed by many impressions, but one thing was for sure: We all love New York City. The city that never sleeps (unlike us) captured our hearts, and at the end of the day, we all fell exhausted into our beds.

After a few hours of sleep, our energy was restored, and after a delicious breakfast, we headed to Times Square. Even though we had seen it in countless movies, it was different to stand there in person and see it with our own eyes. The colors, the countless impressions, and the many people made the atmosphere unique.

After strolling through a few shops, we headed towards the Empire State Building. We were lucky to enjoy many privileges thanks to a friend of Kathrin's family who works for a company (LinkedIn) in the ESB. We got exclusive insights into the building, especially the offices and the breathtaking view from the 102nd floor of the city.

Filled with all the exciting experiences, we went to sleep in our bunk beds with incredible elation.

The next day started with a "Gossip Girl flashback." The series started at Grand Central Terminal, which we have all watched at least a few times. The train station is the largest in the world, and we were deeply impressed not only by its size but also by all the secrets hidden there.

From there, we walked to the UN building, one of the most important locations of the United Nations.

Then we headed to Central Park to enjoy our lunch.

After that, we strolled down 5th Avenue, a street with countless shopping opportunities. Well, it's tiring to go shopping without being able to buy anything, so we treated ourselves to a sweet treat (cookie dough that you eat like ice cream). On the way home, we passed by a few NYU buildings and the Flat Iron Building.

Exhausted from all the sightseeing tours we had already done, there wasn't much on our schedule for the next day. So we spent the hours at home, sitting at the kitchen table, and planning the next few months. In the end, we had our routes in New Zealand and Thailand, as well as a few hostels in Asia.

To avoid spending the whole day inside our little house, we took a walk through the artistic neighborhood of Williamsburg in the afternoon.

While browsing the internet aimlessly after dinner, we discovered a free concert by the band "Chainsmokers". Our first thought: awesome, our second thought: damn, that means getting up at 4:20 am.

Since the concert was part of the famous morning show "Goodmorning America", we stood in front of the stage in Central Park just before sunrise. Even though we were pretty tired, we enjoyed the beautiful atmosphere.

The time passed too quickly, and we had to hurry to get back to the AirBnB. The backpacks were already packed and ready to be strapped on quickly. We left the house in Brooklyn, said goodbye, and took the subway to Manhattan.

Here's to another exciting 7 days in New York!